As the oldest region in the Pokémon universe Sinnoh has captivated travelers for countless generations. Every route and city holds bouts of wonder and excitement for all to enjoy. The League catches the hearts of trainers daring enough to challenge it. Contests Halls are spread all around for coorindators seeking to prove their skills. Professor Rowan resides at his lab in Sandgem Town furthering his studies about Pokémon evolution. Yet, amidst all of this serenity dark clouds loom on the horizon. In the shadows the mysterious Team Galactic is on the verge of something unknown. The Champion has seemingly vanished without any trace or clues as to where or why. Only the Elite Four and Gym Leaders are aware of this development. In light of this absence they sent out a call to arms to the Hoenn region's leading trainer who was able to travel to Sinnoh and begin searching for the missing Champion.
Despite all of this sinister activity the ordinary Sinnoh residents remain blissfully unaware of the situation. A new trainer begins her journey after receiving a starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan. In her adventure various challenges will arrive for our heroine to overcome. Follows the basic events of Gen IV games Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. Additional elements are from the four anime seasons set in Sinnoh, various movie plots re-adapted, major influences other core series games, and incorporating original content.
BATTLE CRY!
The Dawning Quest
A light blanket of snow had fallen over the region before sunrise. The residents of Sandgem Town awoke to find their sandy beach town now covered with a soft white layer. This hardly mattered to the young adult about to embark on her Pokémon journey. Leia Astra had traveled all the way from Crown City, on the other side of Mt. Coronet, to meet Professor Rowan at his laboratory and select a starter Pokémon. The water type Piplup was her top choice and thankfully no other local trainers had selected the Penguin Pokémon. Alongside Leia there were three others had set out too. Lucas Pine, Dawn Berlitz, and Barry Pearl were all from the area and each had been granted a Pokémon by Professor Rowan.
Lucas had chosen Bulbasaur and was following the request from the Professor to fill the pages of the Pokédex- Lucas also aspires to be a professor one day. Dawn had selected Popplio and was also abiding by Rowan's request while pursuing her dreams of becoming a star coordinator. Barry picked Scorbunny as his partner and was only focused on battling and becoming the strongest trainer in the region- his goal is to win all eight badges and challenge the Sinnoh League. Leia had met them all when she arrived at the lab and was invited to travel around to the surrounding towns with them. She graciously accepted and together the four of them went to the close by Twinleaf Town- where Dawn and Lucas were from. They also ventured out to Lake Verity in the hopes of seeing the rumored legendary Pokémon. A few days later they traveled to Beach Rose Town, off the shores of Route 221, where Barry was from. The three of them were planning to say in town for a while longer as there was a Contest that Dawn was entering. It had been nearly a week since they met and by this point Leia was eager to set out on her own and begin her solo journey.
After she graciously parted ways from her new friends Leia departed Beach Rose Town on a ferry that stopped at Sandgem Town. She did not feel particularly sad about leaving Dawn, Lucas, and Barry- the three of them already knew each other quite well and were content together. Besides, Barry already challenged her to many future battles whenever they would cross paths again. Arriving back in the town was only slightly exciting as a handful of the youngsters wanted to rematch Leia in a battle. She happily accepted and swept them all over again. There had not been many exciting battles in any of the three towns. Leia had her eyes set on going to Jubilife City, which was just north of Sandgem.
The Pokémon Center room she stayed in was cozy. She had reserved one of the smaller ones as she just needed one bed and a bathroom. That morning after she had breakfast and showered she put on her winter clothing. Today her attire consisted of fashionable dark brown boots that were reinforced for snowy weather as well as practical daily wear. Steel grey long socks were worn under the boots. Leia had put on black pants along with a white long sleeved shirt. Over that she dawned on a beige colored sweater and a royal purple colored scarf. Atop her head was a snug knit beanie that matched the scarf in color. Due to the winter chill still in the air Leia had decided to wear her grey peacoat and black gloves. For an added pop of color her backpack was primarily yellow. It may be late winter in Sinnoh but that still meant snowfall and cold temperatures. In light of this Leia planned on staying at local Pokémon Centers until the later Spring weather was warm enough to tolerate camping without all the hassle of cold protection. The rooms were also not expensive and a great way to meet people.
Leia gathered the few belongings she brought with her for the journey and compiled them all into her backpack. Piplup waddled around her as she left her room and downstairs to where the main lobby was. With her wallet and room key in hand Leia went to the main desk that where Nurse Joy presided to check out and pay the room fee. The main lobby was not busy at all and in no time at all she was good to go. She returned Piplup to it's Pokéball and headed next door to the Poké Mart. She stocked up on ball capsules and potions before feeling ready to venture out alone in to Route 202. The sliding glass doors parted before her and a cold wind had picked up coming off the coast. It stirred little gusts of snowflakes around the air. Walking down the street Leia headed north for the intended route.
"Leia!" A voice called out to her. She turned to see who was hollering for her and Leia recognized one of the scientists from the laboratory hurrying towards her. "Remember me? I'm Kōki Diamond. Lucas's father- I work with Professor Rowan."
"Yes, what's the matter?" She asked, wondering why he had rushed over to her.
"There was a break-in last night at the lab, they stole a special Pokémon the Professor was researching in regards to evolution! Rowan wants you to come meet him right away- he has a request to ask of you!"
Hearing about the robbery made her heart sink. Leia began to worry that someone had been harmed in the process. She nodded and together they made their way quickly through the town. Along the way Leia realized she had seen news coverage of the lab from the Pokémon Center's TV but had not truly been paying attention. I should be more mindful of my surroundings in the future... she thought to the lab was close to the Pokémon Mart. When they arrived Leia could see where a window had been broken with a rock. Looking around she did not see anyone with an injury. Hopefully no one had been hurt in the act. Moving through the caution tape and gathering officers Leia entered the lab. Lucas's father led her to where Professor Rowan was standing facing the broken window. Shards of glass were scattered all around the side room. Leia noticed that nothing else appeared to be damaged or out of place.
"Professor?" The scientist said. "She's here."
"Miss Astra. I expect you are wondering why I asked Mr. Diamond to bring you here. By this point I expect you have either been told or gathered from your surroundings that the lab suffered a great loss in the last few hours." Professor Rowan said, solemnly staring out the fragmented glass. "Earlier today, before the laboratory had opened someone broke in and stole a rare Pokémon from my personal care. Over 80% of Pokémon are known to partake in evolution and I had just begun to conduct my research on the young dragon type Bagon. Their motivations are currently unknown- whether this was the work of a single individual, a gang, or something more I cannot be sure. One thing I am certain in is that I must ask something of you, Miss Astra." He said, turning around to face her. He wore his usual attire consisting of dark loafers, black slacks, a white button-up shirt, a blue vest, and a grey tie. In his hands Rowan held two Pokéballs.
"We are very fortunate that the marauder did not lay waste to the whole laboratory. They only thing missing was Bagon. These two were still here safe and sound along with this." The Professor explained and gestured to Lucas's father to show Leia that a Pokédex was left untouched. "Miss Astra, I am asking you to take this Pokédex and these two Pokémon- Charmander and Snivy -with you." Rowan declared sincerely. "My two young lab assistants- Miss Berlitz and Mr Pine each have a Pokédex of their own and Mr Pearl would have been given one had he not dashed out of my lab so quickly." He said becoming momentarily distracted. "Nevertheless, these two Pokémon will be safer with you and I believe they will benefit your journey immensely." Rowan said holding out the two Pokéballs. Leia accepted his offer and released them from their capsules. Piplup also burst forth and greeted the new team members. The three of them looked up at Leia before playing with each other. These were the last starters Professor Rowan had at his lab- his team of experts were breeding more for the future trainers.
The Pokédex was the newest model, the professor told her. It resembled a smartphone and was equipped with the latest technology. Not only would it identify any Pokémon before it but it would also work as an electronic version of her Trainer Card ID and as an interactive map of the region. Leia's Pokédex was primarily grey in color with purple markings. Holding it she swiped up to activate it and it picked up the three Pokémon and added their entries. Satisfied with his task complete Rowan turned again to peer out the shattered window.
"Miss Astra, it would do you well to be wary of any trainers you may come across with a Bagon. The dragon type is powerful. Before anyone arrived at the scene they escaped- the thief in the night. This mystery person, or persons, remain in the shadows with their motives concealed for now. I fear this may be the criminal doings of Team Galactic... they have been known to steal Pokémon before..." Rowan said trailing off as he was lost in thought.
"Here is the phone number for the lab- should you ever need to call." Lucas's father said, handing her a slip of paper with a string of numbers written on it.
"Thank you, Professor Rowan. I will not let you down." Leia stated.
With that she returned the three starters to their Pokéballs and left the lab. She passed by the small crowd of people gathered to see what had happened. A few reporters were on the scene broadcasting across the land telling the region of the news. There was nothing else for her to do in Sandgem now. That morning she had already restock up at the Poké Mart and spent the night at the Pokémon Center. Now she set her sights northwards to depart on Route 202. The warnings of Professor Rowan still echoed in the back of her mind "Team Galactic..." she had never heard of such a group.
The route was easy enough to navigate. It followed a zigzag pattern to wind through the surrounding evergreen forest. While on the path a couple trainers challenged her to a battle and Leia tested out her two new team members. Snivy and Charmander did fairly well and neither of them were exceedingly tired yet. A few wild Pokémon encounters occurred and Leia choose not to catch any of Bidoof, Starly, or Kricketot. None of them interested her. As she walked along there was an occasional rustle in the nearby undergrowth. Paying it to mind Leia continued on, that was until the rustling persisted on and on. Trying to ignore what was so obviously there proved difficult. Releasing Charmander from it's Pokéball, Leia instructed it to fire an Ember attack on the bush. Inhaling deeply Charmander obeyed and spat out a ball of flames hurtled at the bush. A rage filled Pokémon cried out and burst forth from the greenery.
[ currently undergoing a rewrite of chapters 1-5, overhauled updates are forthcoming - improved characterization / pacing / etc ]