The Hoenn region was experiencing a peaceful, late afternoon when the plane carrying Loch landed in Slateport City. After grabbing his suitcase and squeezing past all the other passengers, Loch ran outside and stopped to admire the new scenery.

He took a deep breath and sighed in contentment. "Hoenn. My first stop."

Deciding it was safe to do so, Loch opened one of his pokeballs, summoning Luxray. The pokemon promptly looked around at its new surroundings.

"Whatya think?" Loch asked. The Luxray simply replied with a slight purr.

"Well let's go!" Loch said, and the two began to run off. Suddenly, the Luxray started back in surprise as a Whismur bumped into its leg. Both pokemon yelped in surprise, but Luxray then instinctively prepared to fire a bolt of lightning.

Loch immediately put his hand on Luxray's mane in an attempt to calm it down. "Woah! Buddy, not here!"

The Luxray hesitated, the lightning beginning to die down as it gave its trainer a confused look. Loch, however, managed to restrain it as he knelt down to look at the Whismur.

He smiled warmly and held out his hand. "Hey, little guy. You lost?"

The Whismur looked at Loch's hand for a few moments before suddenly jumping into his arms and snuggling, leaving both Loch and Luxray equally confused.

"Um…" Loch murmured, unsure of how to respond.

"Aster!" a voice yelled. Loch looked up to see a. girl around his age run up. She was dressed in a black tank top, blue shorts, and a cloak that looked like it had been burned in a few places. Her skin was tanned and her hair was black and cut short, but what really caught Loch off guard was her eyes, which were deep red. It should have been disturbing, but Loch actually found it rather attractive. He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind, however, as he addressed her.

"Is this one yours?" he asked, trying to pry the Whismur off of him.

The girl reached out and gently got it off. "Yes, she is, sorry about that; she's a little too friendly sometimes."

She then looked at the Whismur and got a more stern look. "Aster! You can't just run off like that! You scared me!"

The Whismur deflated in guilt, and the girl's expression softened as she hugged the Whismur tightly. "I just can't stay mad at you, can I? So, who your new friend?"

Loch held out his hand in greeting. "My name's Loch."

The girl shook his hand. "Call me Zinnia. You must be new here."

"You could say that. I'm just visiting."

"Oh, that's nice." Zinna said before looking at his small suitcase and backpack, "I take it you need a place to stay while you're still here."

Loch shrugged. "I was just planning on finding a hotel somewhere."

Zinnia expected such an answer. However, she remembered how Aster had reacted to him, deciding that maybe he was worth getting to know more.

She then shook her head. "Not if you want a real first time experience. You should come with me."

Loch looked a bit wary. "I don't want to intrude on you or anything…"

Zinnia waved it aside and laughed. "Nonsense. Besides, I know this region better than most. Also, I think Aster really likes you."

Aster bounced in Zinnia's arms in agreement. Loch thought for a few minutes, but then shrugged. "I guess so. This is pretty sudden, if I'm being honest."

"I'm like that" Zinnia replied as she put Aster down. She then motioned with her hand for Loch to follow her, "Come on, you must be hungry."

Loch was still a bit wary at her sudden friendliness, but he assumed it was simply a Hoenn thing, so he decided to go along and followed her, making sure to put the Luxray back in its pokeball.

A few minutes later, the two sat in a seafood diner on the edge of the city. They sat on the deck overlooking the ocean, and Loch felt calmed by the sound of the waves; it reminded him of home.

"So" Zinnia asked, "Are you here to compete in the League?"

Loch shook his head. "Nah. I mean, I don't mind getting a badge here and there, but it's not my main goal."

This seemed to surprise Zinnia, who raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Really?"

Loch nodded in confirmation. "I'm only here to explore, mostly. I used to work with my sister, Nessa, in the Galar region. She's one of the gym leaders."

"Impressive" Zinna said, her interest growing.

Loch nodded and continued. "It is. I enjoyed working with her, don't get me wrong, but I soon realized that it just…wasn't my thing."

Zinnia looked curious. "And just what is your thing?"

Loch shrugged. "Not sure. That's why I'm here. I'm going to explore the regions and see if I can find what I'm meant to do."

"Carving you own path" Zinnia concluded. She smirked; this guy certainly was interesting, "I like it."

Loch decided to change subjects as their food arrived. "So, you're from Hoenn?"

Zinna nodded and smiled with pride. "Born and raised. You?"

"Well, I was born in Alola, but I lived in Galar for most of my life. My family moved to Galar when I was young."

Well, Zinnia thought, That explains the shirtless look.

In truth, Zinnia found the look rather attractive, but made no mention of it for fear of making things awkward. The two spent the rest of the time in silence as they ate. When they finished, however, Loch looked out to the water to see the sun beginning over the water.

He smiled. "You know, this reminds me of home. I used to get this view a lot, and yet it still amazes me."

Zinnia looked out with him. "It really is beautiful. So. You're a water-type trainer?"

Loch shook his head. "Nah, that was my sister's thing. I'm sort of a mixed bag. Electric types are pretty cool, though."

Zinnia smirked. "I assumed as much from your Luxray."

Loch nodded. "He was a gift from my sister. My first pokemon."

"Awww, that's cute." Zinnia said as she looked out towards the sunset again. She then stood up.

"It's getting dark" she said, motioning for Loch to follow her, "Come on! I don't live too far from here."

The two flew on their own pokemon, Zinnia on Salamence and Loch on his flying pokemon, Talonflame. With Zinnia leading the way, the two descended and landed at the entrance to a sort of underground city, with various hoses built on the rocky ledges. The cave roof opened up in a massive circle, showing the sky above. Very few people were around at the moment.

Zinnia gestured with her hands in a rather dramatic display. "Welcome to Meteor Village."

Loch looked around in wonder at the houses. "You guys live in a cave?"

"Crater, actually." Zinnia corrected, "This spot is very sacred to my people."

Loch suddenly looked confused. "Your people?"

Zinnia looked confused as well, but then realized she had never brought her heritage up and playfully smacked her head, chuckling. "Oh, geez, I forgot. I live with a clan called the Draconid people. We're big Dragon-type masters; it's our tradition."

Loch slowly nodded in understanding. "Ooookay then."

Zinnia scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry I didn't mention that earlier. Anyways, follow me. My place's this way."

Zinnia's home was at the far end of the crater and seemed rather isolated from the rest. It looked comfortable enough, however, and Loch didn't mind the isolation.

As Zinnia let him in, Lock turned to her. "You know, you didn't have to do this. I would have been fine on my own."

Zinnia waved it aside. "I told you, don't worry about." Here, her expression changed to a more timid one, "Plus, I don't get very many friends these days, sooo…."

Loch understood here; Zinnia was just lonely. He patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey, it's ok" he reassured, "I don't mind at all. Although, if I may ask, how come you don't have many friends?"

"It's…complicated. Better if I explain in the morning."

Loch nodded in understanding; it was getting dark and he could already feel a yawn coming on. Zinnia gave him a few spare blankets to build a makeshift bed in the living room, which he graciously accepted. The two then wished each other good night before Zinnia disappeared into her room, Aster following behind. Propping his bag next to the couch, Loch then laid down on the sheets and looked out the window at the night sky, thinking of both his sister as well as what tomorrow was going to bring as he drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow, his adventure across the world would begin…

Let me know what you think so far!