Eterna Forest was a very relaxing place. The sounds of leaves rustling and content bug pokémon filled the air on a bright, sunny day. Deep in the woods, there was a small wooden shack, hidden away from the rest of the open forest. Within that shack was a bed, a bag full of apples, and two Poké Balls. The shack belonged to a redheaded girl named Kyoko Sakura. She smiled contently as she put on her favourite turquoise hoodie and her charcoal colored slack pants. She took an apple out of her bag and had a bite to eat. As she did, a smile graced her face, complimenting her gleaming maroon eyes and her long red hair. As she finished her apple, she picked up her two Poké Balls and threw them, revealing her two Pokémon, a Ralts, and a Dustox. She smiled at her partners as they came in for a hug. Kyoko smiled as she held them close. To her, sharing a bond with her pokémon was among the happiest feelings she could experience. She enjoyed being away from the bustling cities and towns, spending her time in the quiet serenity of nature and soaking in the beauty of Eterna Forest's deepest reaches. She returned her pokémon to their Poké Balls and stepped out the door into the wilderness. The tall trees and their many leaves made it so that the sunshine would only come through small gaps between them, creating a beautiful scene. There was a small little pathway cut out within the trees so that if Kyoko ever had a reason to leave her little cabin in the woods, she knew the way back. Granted, she was very curious about the world around her. She loved her little cabin. It was her personal safe space. But she wanted to explore the Sinnoh Region. A little while ago she got a call from her girlfriend, Sayaka Miki, who went on her own journey in the faraway Unova Region. Kyoko wanted to give that idea a try in her own region. Of course, she needed some pokémon to take with her. She had her Ralts and her Dustox on her person, as always, but she wanted to assemble a team. She heard somewhere on the interwebs that Professor Rowan was offering to help out newer trainers by gifting them a rare Pokémon from his lab in Sandgem Town. Naturally, Kyoko was curious. So for the first time in years, she left her little cabin. She packed some extra apples for the road as she walked into Eterna Forest proper. She was awed by the decorated trees and the patches of tall grass. She forgot how good it felt to be in the open woods. She took a long sniff of the air. It smelled of honey.
"The smell of honey is lovely," Kyoko said to herself. "It's so sweet and rich. Now I want some honey for myself." Kyoko walked towards the source of the smell, a small little hive where colonies of wild Combee lived. Then Kyoko backed off. She knew not to disturb the Combee hive, otherwise she'd get stung pretty bad. She made her way around the forest, weaving through the tall grass and passing small groups of trees. She found her way to route 205, a rocky route with a beautiful bridge and some patches of grass littered throughout. The first thing she noticed was the bridge, with a lovely pool of water underneath it. She immediately ran towards the bridge and took a photo of the water. She leaned over the edge of the bridge and looked at her reflection. She smiled confidently as she admired herself.
"That's the look of a girl who's ready for adventure!" Kyoko assured herself that she was ready to start a long term Pokémon journey, so she crossed the bridge and hopped down from some of the ledges on the route as she passed under a wooden arch, entering Floaroma Town. It had a great many flowers, and there was only a few houses, a Pokémon Center, a greenhouse, and a Poké Mart. It seemed so peaceful, so one with nature. Kyoko liked it there. She explored the small little town, talking to residents about the values of protecting nature. While she was there, she saw a boy with short, dark hair, a blue jacket, and a red hat. He noticed her too and walked up to her.
"Hello. Are you looking to try out the Sinnoh League Challenge?" The boy asked.
"Yep! Can you help me get to Sandgem Town?" Kyoko asked in return. The boy smiled.
"Sure! I can get you there! My name is Lucas, by the way. I live in Sandgem Town." Lucas introduced himself as he took Kyoko's hand.
"I'm Kyoko. I live in Eterna Forest." Kyoko introduced herself as she followed Lucas to Sandgem Town. Moments later, they arrived at a fancy looking building in the middle of Sandgem Town.
"This is Professor Rowan's lab. You'll find your new Pokémon here." Lucas motioned for Kyoko to enter the lab. She opened the door, where she was immediately greeted by an old man with a fluffy white beard.
"So you've heard of me. Welcome to my lab. I'm Professor Rowan of Sandgem Town. I presume you're here to add a rare Pokémon to your team," Professor Rowan immediately guessed why Kyoko was there in the first place. "I have two for you to choose from. Normally I'd have three, but the Piplup went missing. So you can pick from two. Chimchar, or Turtwig." Professor Rowan threw the two Poké Balls, revealing Chimchar and Turtwig. Kyoko immediately took a liking to Chimchar. She picked it up and gave it a great big hug. It returned her hug.
"I see that Chimchar has taken a liking to you. I think it would be a perfect fit for you." Professor Rowan complimented Kyoko's choice of Pokémon.
"Yeah, I like this little guy. I'm choosing Chimchar!" Kyoko exclaimed as she lightly petted the Chimchar.
"Very well then. I wish you luck on your journey. You seem to have the makings of a strong and compassionate trainer." Professor Rowan sent Kyoko off with a wave. She turned to leave the lab, and as soon as she opened the door, she was tackled by a boy with short blond hair and a white and orange striped shirt. Once they both recovered, Kyoko stood up and put her hands on her hips.
"HEY! JERKWAD! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" Kyoko shouted at the unfamiliar boy.
"MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE LOOKED WHERE YOU WERE GOING BEFORE LEAVING THE LAB!" The boy snapped back. "FOR YOUR INABILITY TO GET OUT OF MY WAY, I'M GONNA FINE YOU 1,000,000 POKéDOLLARS!"
"OH BULLSHIT! I WOULDN'T EVEN BE IN THIS MESS IF YOU HAD STOPPED FOR A MOMENT TO CHECK YOUR SURROUNDINGS BEFORE BLINDLY CHARGING IN!" Kyoko got very very heated. The boy spotted her Poké Ball.
"Well I'll make you a deal. If I beat you in battle, you must pay the fine! If I lose, you get off scot free! How does that sound?" He made Kyoko an offer.
"I accept your challenge! Bring it on!" Kyoko accepted the challenge. "Alright, Chimchar, let's go!" Kyoko threw her Poké Ball, sending Chimchar into battle.
"Now, Piplup! Show 'em what you've got!" The boy threw his Poké Ball, sending Piplup into battle. Kyoko shot him a fierce glare.
"Are you the kid that stole Piplup from Professor Rowan?" Kyoko asked.
"I didn't steal it! And my name is Barry!" Barry deflected Kyoko's accusation. "Now, Piplup! Use Pound!" Barry called his first move. Piplup ran up to Chimchar and smacked it across the cheek.
"Now, Chimchar! Use Scratch!" Kyoko called her first move. Chimchar ran up to Piplup and scratched it's face.
"Piplup, use Bubble!" Barry called his second move. Piplup blew a small stream of water bubbles from its beak.
"Chimchar, use Scratch again!" Kyoko called her second move. Chimchar scratched Piplup again, landing a lucky critical hit, causing Piplup to faint.
"We did it, Chimchar! Our first victory!" Kyoko cheered and gave Chimchar a hi-five as Barry returned Piplup to its Poké Ball. Just then, Professor Rowan came out.
"Well played, Kyoko. You overcame a type disadvantage and won your first battle. Congratulations." Professor Rowan congratulated Kyoko on her victory. Then he turned to Barry. "This was your first battle too, was it not?"
"Yeah. And I lost because Kyoko got lucky." Barry pouted a little bit. Just then, a small girl ran into town and darted towards Professor Rowan.
"Proffessor! A group of bad men came along and they're invading the Valley Windworks!" The girl alerted Professor Rowan of an invasion at the nearby Valley Windworks.
"Goodness gracious. It must be Team Galactic again." He sighed. "These two trainers could use some practice, so send them along." He sent Kyoko and Barry to the Valley Windworks to deal with the intruders.
"Sure! I could use a better battle!" Barry's energy came back as he went speeding towards the Valley Windworks.
"I'm down to beat up some bad guys!" Kyoko smirked as she chased Barry to the Windworks.