[The Adventure Awaits Under the Twilight Sky]
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There was darkness. Darkness so black one cannot see their own hand up close. It was cold. Hollow. And sad.
A young, light blue-haired girl floats. The lightness of her body and mind had to be part of a dream sequence, she concluded.
Where is this place?
A flash of light splits the black abyss. From the hole, a large glowing presence leaps out. As it glides across the void of space from above, a streak of fluorescent seafoam green illuminated the world in a sea of glittering specks of stars.
Darkness was no longer apparent. Light granted warmth and safety in its place.
Floating from above was a gigantic canine whose hide glowed a soft green radiance.
It was as though she was gazing upon a brilliant star.
The mysterious being stared at her solemnly. She found herself lost in the deep blue starscape that seemed to constantly change around its violet eyes.
Who are you?
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She was roused awake by someone shaking her arm.
Light blue eyes slowly flutter open to twinkle with life. The girl slowly sits up and yawn while stretching. She then looks beside her to find a familiar Meowth standing on her bed. It looked accomplished in waking its owner up.
She smiled albeit sluggishly and rubs the cat's head.
"Good morning, Luck." Her voice was light and airy in greeting, softness blanketed with her innocent countenance.
The amber tone of her bedroom, a room she is still unfamiliar with, shone from the windows. She must have forgotten to close the curtains. She was really sleepy that she plopped straight into bed.
"Or rather, 'Good evening,' I should say."
The sunset skies was dyed in warm colors of vivid orange, mellow yellow, and passionate red, the red traveling the farthest (as her mother had said once).
The memory of the huge green dog and the stars still remained fresh in her mind.
'Was that a dream? It was mysterious, and ethereal...'
Luck hops off the bed and mewed, gesturing the child to come out and meet her mother. It was not the first she saw the familiar body language from the messenger, after all.
"Okay, I'm coming." The child swung her legs off the ledge of the bed and performs a few more stretches before following her Meowth out the door and into the living room.
Her mother comes in from the porch and grinned at the sight of her daughter. Plum purple locks rest above her chest and graced her shoulders delicately, revealing her beaded earrings. They match her bright cyan blue eyes crinkled with motherly love glimmering like crystal waters.
This woman is Aurora, a jovial mother who had insisted the family would move to the vibrant Alola region from the simple mundane life in Kanto.
"Good evening, Astraia. Slept like a log, didn't you?"
Astraia rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, jet lag..."
Aurora looks out and gazed into the sunset scenery. "Watching the sunset from Kanto is nice as it was, but here in Alola, it's a beautiful sight. As expected from the tropical islands."
She reverts her gaze back to Astraia. "So, are you excited to meet some Alolan Pokémon?"
The girl beamed. "Of course! I heard there's an Alolan version of Meowth, so I'm curious."
The Kantonian Meowth inclined his head to the side curiously.
Aurora nodded. "As am I. It might not be a bad idea to go out and see just how friendly the Pokémon here are. Why don't you go out and explore around the neighborhood?"
Astraia's eyes twinkled. "Really?"
The woman smiled. "'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,' as they say. So grab your bag, put on your adventure hat, and embrace the beauty of Alola!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Astraia playfully saluted before returning to her room, giggling.
She grabbed her hat and bag hung on the coat rack and looks at her reflection in the full body mirror.
A white and blue-trimmed sailor dress with short sleeves and a short blue tie fluttered from the motion (underneath her dress she had black safety shorts). She sported black knee high socks and white and blue-rimmed slip-on shoes.
Astraia whipped her long sky blue twintails experimentally. She had slipped her white and blue-ribbon sunhat (branded with half of the Pokéball design to the side) and closed the clasp underneath to secure her hat's place.
Three white hair pins were clipped on her right side fringes. She adjusted her teal green messenger bag slung across her chest, a rainbow star keychain dangling on the clasp.
Upon stepping out, her mother smiled widely. "You look wonderful! Just like a Pokémon trainer. I can see it now. My little Astraia, a strong and amazing trainer who may just one day reach the top of the world!"
Astraia giggled. "Did your clairvoyance senses say that?"
"I don't need it to know you'll do great on your journey." Aurora said.
Astraia's ancestors were seers from long ago, although they did not make a big name for themselves. Somewhere down the line, each generation was weakening in their clairvoyant skills as the general public does not take fortunes very seriously from humans. Psychic type Pokémon are the ones who replace them in that field.
Now her family is just like any normal family that no one would expect to be quirky. Strange enough, seers are passed from female to female, so only women receive the power. The most her mother, a direct descent, can do is subconsciously foretell the weather.
Although weather forecasts are a thing that perceives a week into the future, Aurora relies on her power to pinpoint not just the type of weather but also the temperature within an environment. It's not exactly obsolete, the mother had insisted.
As for Astraia, she only has what people call a "woman's intuition," though she herself dubs it Ultra Intuition, or UI for short. When she plays rock-paper-scissors with anyone, she would win every game. When playing card games such as Old Maid, her UI would tell her to pick whichever is not the Joker. Her UI helps her win many, if not all games that require a bit of gambling. Though no one ever challenged her to another round after the first, much to her disappointment and gloom.
Her UI is actually quite helpful in many cases and is more stronger than the recent past generations had altogether, her mother had admitted. One early ancestor could foretell what a person dislikes while another could predict which company will run out of business.
Astraia's is more of a "life skill" and thus deemed more practical than deciding what nail polish is trending. Although, her UI is not immune to turning on at the most inconvenient times or result in ridiculous conclusions like the nail polish. She can't control that.
Astraia smiled. "Thanks, mom."
The woman nodded. "Even though I say that, do be careful walking through the tall grass. Some wild Pokémon are not the most welcoming to those who wander in their area."
She refrained from rolling her eyes. "I know, I know..."
Aurora brightens her smile. "Why don't you head up toward Iki Town and see what you discover in Alola? I heard Alolan people are very friendly and nice. I'm sure you'll befriend someone your age quickly."
"Okay, I'll be going." Astraia said before bending low to pet Luck and waving goodbye.
"Oh, one more thing before you leave!" Aurora suddenly spoke, catching her daughter's attention.
Her cyan blue eyes never leave the girl as she said mysteriously, "Don't expect the wind to match your pace. Follow the wind instead and you'll see new heights."
Astraia stared before nodding. "Got it."
Aurora wished her a safe journey alongside Luck as they watch the child exit the house.
Once Astraia steps outside, she shielded her eyes from the warm amber sunlight enveloping her. The cool island breeze grazing her countered the heat. It smelled fresh and clean, with a hint of the ocean behind it.
Astraia hops off the steps and makes a right turn where the path is an incline to a tall slope. If she recalled, Route 1 should take her to Iki Town...
After Astraia climbed to the top, she was about to tread through a field of taller grass when she spotted a patch of grass rustle. It went past the field and heads straight for the girl.
A Pokémon appears. It may be a native Pokémon of this region as it was unfamiliar to her.
Astraia steps ten paces back and yelps. The Pokémon with a long and slim tan body with blond fur running down from head to tail hisses at her.
Did she happen to have wandered into its territory or something? Is that why it's hostile?
She slowly moves away as the Pokémon crawled forward at the same rate, preparing an opportunity to strike.
"E-Easy there..." Astraia attempted to placate it as kindly as possible without posing a threat, a nervous smile on her visage. The first step into her journey and she's already facing trouble.
'Sorry mom. Even after you had warned me, I still failed...'
Suddenly three new Pokémon arrived to the scene and stood between them, facing the Pokémon. There was an owl, a kitten, and a seal pup. They stared the wild creature warily and each released their cry as if challenging it to battle one against three of them. There was strength in numbers, people say.
Astraia wonders who they are. They don't seem to be wild Pokémon.
Intimidated by the trio of Alolan Pokémon, the blonde Pokémon scurries away and back into the patch of tall grass never to be seen again. The three cheered, having successfully warded off the hostile enemy.
Astraia blinked and marveled at their heroic moment.
She crouches to her knees and smiles. "Wow, you guys were amazing! Thank you."
The three turn around and smiled back. They're really cute Pokémon.
"Hey there, cousin!"
Astraia stands straight and looks behind to see a man in a lab coat waving at her. He looked familiar...
"Professor Kukui?"
The man approaches her. "You're Astraia, right? You okay? I saw you about to get attacked like that!"
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to them." Astraia looks down to the three unique Alolan Pokémon by her feet. They branded proud faces having done a good deed.
Kukui grins. "Looks like they did! Though I sure didn't expect that, yeah... I didn't think these little fellows would dash out on their own to help save a stranger!"
Astraia did wonder that. Such nice Pokémon...
"But I'm getting ahead of myself." Kukui continued, "Welcome to Alola, the Pokémon paradise! That's what I'm supposed to be saying. I'm Kukui, yeah. The Pokémon Professor. People and Pokémon live and work together here in Alola, too."
"It's nice to meet you." Astraia bows politely, to which Kukui nods in return.
"I was supposed to meet you in better circumstances, but that's fine. Though you should watch out for yourself." Kukui warns in a lighthearted tone.
"Yeah, my mom told me the same thing..." Astraia rubs the back of neck apologetically with a matching smile.
His eyes lifted along with a grin on his lips. "Don't you ever forget... You can go anywhere, yeah, as long as you got Pokémon in your corner! Wild Pokémon could be lurking in the tall grass, yeah, just waiting to leap out and bite you, but you'll be fine if you've got a Pokémon of your own! Here, let me introduce the Pokémon that helped you just now."
Astraia and Kukui stand side by side before the three Pokémon lined up.
"This is the Grass-type Pokémon Rowlet." A round beige and white owl with a leaf bow tie spins on its orange talons.
"And the Fire-type Pokémon Litten." A black kitten with red stripes stretched its back before mewing.
"And the Water-type Pokémon Popplio." A blue seal pup with a lighter frilly collar and pink round nose claps its fins joyfully.
Astraia waves. "Hi there!"
"Y'see, the fact of the matter is... one of these Pokémon will become your first partner, woo!" A flicker of realization crossed Kukui's eyes before he split into a grin. "Heh... Maybe that's why they wanted to save you? Go on and choose the one you'd like to keep as your partner, cousin!"
Astraia's blue eyes flitted across the three. This was so sudden. She didn't expect to choose one so early. Plus, they're all so cute and charming in their own ways. How could she decide among the three that she'll bring along her journey? She also didn't want to pick one and leave the others sad...
Kukui pats her shoulder, causing her to look up to him.
He had an assuring smile. As if he had read her mind, he said, "I know it's out of the blue, but don't worry. Just follow your heart and let it decide for you. The others will understand." He gestured to the Pokémon.
The blue-haired girl nodded tentatively. "R-Right..."
She reverts her gaze back to the Pokémon with determination. She meets each of their eyes as though searching for a click that will seal the deal.
Something sparked in one of them. The longer she stared at them, the more she could see the future of the obstacles they will encounter and climb together thick and through. Someone who will be there to share the burden and enjoy the time spent in each other's company. Someone who she will fight together with.
Astraia didn't know if it was her intuition speaking, but regardless, she just knew in the back of her mind this Pokémon is the one. Perhaps she doesn't need some prophecy or vision to guide her.
Astraia steps closer and crouches down to pick them up. A sense of what she done is right blooms in her chest.
"I choose you... Litten."
The fire cat Pokémon mews and smiles back.
Kukui watches the sight quietly and looks to Rowlet and Popplio. "Well, there you have it. You two will be chosen by wonderful trainers, too, in the near future."
They nodded at the prospect before being sent back into their Pokéballs.
Kukui comes up to the pair. "So you went with Litten! Woo, what a fine-looking team you two are! Do you want to give him a nickname?"
Astraia looks to Litten in her arms. The kitten lifts his head and tilts curiously at the thoughtful look his new trainer held.
"I think I'll call you..."
The amber glint from the sunlight reflected in her eyes. She holds Litten so that he was facing her. A proud smile folded her lips.
"Ignis. How about it?"
Ignis' eyes sparkled as bright as the stars. He mewed again, this time a sense of honor of being bestowed a strong name.
Kukui whistled, impressed. "That sounds strong, and fiery. I like it! Here's a Pokéball for Ignis. It should feel nice and cozy in there." Kukui hands Astraia a red and white Pokéball the size of her fist with a button in the middle.
The child wonders how she could carry this. She pushed the button and it shrinks to the size of a pebble. Ohhh. Technology sure is advanced. She pockets it in her messenger bag.
"All right, then! Let's get going to Iki Town, Astraia. Time to meet the Island Kahuna!"
"Island Kahuna?" That's a new term. Sounds almost like the chief of a village or tribe.
"Truth is, that partner Ignis of yours is a gift from the kahuna, not me. So let's go show it off and say a proper thank-you, cousin. It may not be the only gift you get! In case you haven't heard, the kahunas are all crazy-strong Pokémon Trainers. Be careful about getting into a battle with one!" Kukui said.
Astraia was surprised. If the Island Kahunas are like the unbeatable trainers of their respective islands, wouldn't that be considered a huge thing? It's like the equivalent of being rewarded by a king. She should be honored, right?
Somehow the heavy duty to not disappoint the kahuna for this opportunity is kind of overwhelming her. She's only eleven!
Kukui points to the path ahead. "Iki Town is right up there! Get Ignis in the Pokéball I gave you. I want you to experience the feel of encountering Pokémon and fighting them. As a Trainer, you are now able to fight other Pokémon, whether against the wild unknown or another Trainer's."
Astraia looks down to Ignis who she had set down to the ground beside her feet. She was reluctant. "Is... Is it okay if I could let him stay out instead? I want my Pokémon to have fresh air instead of staying inside the Pokéball..."
She doesn't want her Pokémon to be left in the dark of what's going on or be robbed of enjoying the environment around them. Of course, she would return Pokémon in their balls if they are too big or attracting attention. That would be a hassle.
Kukui nods. "Sure. It'll be exercise for your Pokémon too, so why not? I'm sure Ignis will be a great bodyguard for you."
Ignis lifts his chin to the twilight skies dignified. He was confident to prove himself capable as a bodyguard.
Astraia smiles. "Thank you, Professor. You too, Ignis."
Kukui accompanies Astraia through the tall grass while the fire cat stood its guard on all four paws and scans the area for any hostile Pokémon. Astraia notes how he seems to be very diligent in his duties.
'Cute.'
They arrive to the top of the hill smoothly without interruptions and proceed onto the path that led to a staircase. Excited to visit new places, Astraia eagerly goes on ahead with Ignis following suit.
Kukui chuckled. Ahh, child youth.
Astraia stops a few ways before the entrance when a boy climbed down the staircase and spotted her in his line of vision. He runs up to her and excitedly spoke, "Hey, hey! Which Pokémon are you gonna choose as your partner? Have you decided?"
Astraia leans a bit back at the stranger's eccentricity. "Um..."
Are many Alolan people this friendly with strangers? Did she see his face before?
Having caught himself ahead, the dark skinned boy in a black shirt and yellow shorts blinked his dark eyes and crossed his arms behind his head. He sported a carefree grin. "Oh yeah! I'm Hau! I couldn't wait for us to pick our partners together, so I came to find you myself!"
"Really...?" How does he know her? Maybe Kukui mentioned her to him.
Ignis pads up by his trainer's side, his mewing catching Hau's attention.
"Wow, your Litten is so cool!" Hau bends to admire with sparkling eyes at Astraia's new partner who inched back warily. Hau shot back up and gasped in realization. "Hey wait! You've already picked your Pokémon?!"
Astraia bowed her head now feeling guilty. "Yeah, sorry..."
Kukui approaches the two. "Sorry about that, Hau. We had a little accident on the way here, so I ended up letting Astraia choose her partner first without you."
Hau nods in understanding. "Fair enough. I guess it was just fate for you guys to meet!"
Astraia was amused by the idea. Perhaps.
"But you can choose one of these two, Hau!" Kukui sends Rowlet and Popplio out.
The ponytailed boy looks between the two starter Pokémon. In a heartbeat, he announced, "Then my partner will be... Rowlet! I choose you!" The owl coos in response, delighted to be chosen.
Hau waves at Rowlet. "Alola, friend! I'd decided ages ago that you're the one I wanted to have an adventure with!" He leans forward with hands on his knees. "We're gonna do so much awesome stuff together! Just you wait and see!"
Rowlet flaps his wings and circles around the boy above his head before landing on the ground beside him.
Astraia smiles at the owl. "That's great, I'm happy for you."
Rowlet bobs his head, returning the sentiment.
"Professor! You'll take good care of Popplio, right?" Hau asked.
"You better believe I will, Hau! All right then. Popplio! Everyone! Time to get back in your balls for now."
"Wait up!" Hau spoke up. He faces Astraia. "Me and Rowlet have a favor to ask. Be our opponents in our first ever Pokémon battle together!"
Astraia only received her Pokémon in the past five minutes, but she figured it was better to learn for experience. She had seen a few back in Kanto while passing by and remembered how the trainers looked like they had a lot of fun.
She nodded. "I'd be honored. This is our first battle too."
Ignis and Rowlet seemed eager to fight as well. They shared a healthy challenge in their eyes to fight to the best they have alongside their trainers.
"I'll be the referee, then." Kukui said. He allowed Popplio to sit by and watch before he would return it inside the ball and stood between both trainers who had distanced themselves for the battlefield.
"All right! I'm seriously gonna enjoy this!" Hau pumps his arms in the air as though getting himself fired up. "Go, Rowlet!" The grass-type Pokémon is sent forward.
Astraia smiles. She likes how cheerful her opponent is.
'Does that make us rivals, then?'
The peculiar thought of having Hau as her rival may makes things interesting for the future to come.
"Ready, Ignis? Let's give it our all!" Astraia encouraged from her spot.
Ignis assumes a battle stance eagerly and stares at his opponent. Rowlet flaps in the air ready to attack at any moment upon his trainer's command.
Kukui glanced both sides before announcing, "Battle... Begin!"
Hau gives the first order. "Use Tackle!"
Rowlet swoops in to strike at Ignis with his whole body. Ignis crouches close to the ground as his opponent comes closer.
'Rowlet is a flying type, so he has an advantage in mobility in the skies. However, close combat works best when your opponent to come to you first. And that's...now!'
"Scratch, now!" Astraia commanded once Rowlet was within range.
Ignis leaps into the air and drew his claws to swipe at the owl's face. The leap closed in the proximity instantly and took Rowlet by surprise. Unable to evade in time from the velocity Rowlet carried, he took a direct hit from the attack. Rowlet was sent to the ground and slid against the earth before skidding to a stop. The dirt created clouds in his wake.
Ignis lands on the ground on all fours. Astraia grinned. "Great job, Ignis! Keep at it!"
Hau's eyes widen. "Rowlet! Can you get up?"
The grass quill Pokémon hops back on his feet and shook off the dirt that caked his feathers and face. Rowlet spreads his wings out and returns to the air.
Hau grins. "All right, time for a comeback! Use Leafage!"
With a flap, Rowlet conjured glowing green leaf-like quills and sends them flying towards Ignis at swift speed.
"Ignis, Ember!"
Ignis' fur along the spine flares as the fire cat spits out scarlet red embers at the quills. The trees and grass around them rustle to life. The Alolan wind decided to grow strong at this time and changes the trajectory of the embers, surprising Astraia and Ignis by the unfavorable turn of events. As Rowlet was continuing to control the storm guiding the sharpened leaves, Leafage rained upon the shocked Litten. A cry elicited from the cat.
"Ignis!"
Hau cheers from his spot. "Awesome, Rowlet!"
Astraia leaned forward and peered at Ignis standing with a few scratches left behind by the leaves. Good, it seems he can still keep going.
"All right, Ignis, Ember again!"
"You use Leafage again, too!"
Both Pokémon launched their type moves at each other once again, this time making contact that resulted in a cloud of smoke. The wind quickly cleared away the smoke the next moment.
Either opposing sides watched for the other's next move. The twilight sun burns strongly upon the battlefield, free of clouds for a long while.
Astraia narrowed her blue eyes while her long matching twintails and bangs swayed along the active wind. The wind doesn't seem to be dying down any soon. The weather right now is not going to help when Ignis uses Ember. Meanwhile Rowlet is casually airborne as a natural denizen of the skies. The wind doesn't faze the owl at all. It's in Rowlet's bones to read the direction of the wind.
Hau knew this fact just as well and took advantage of it. "This is the end! Spin and go crazy with Leafage!"
As per Hau's order, Rowlet twirls in the air and summons his quills in the process. He stops spinning in time to launch them towards Ignis.
This is bad. The quills were sent in all directions because of the wind. It formed a spiral of leaf-like blades that were bound to hit no matter where Ignis dodges.
'Then the only thing to do is to counterattack!'
Astraia clenched her fists. She knows this is risky, but there's no other choice. "Run in a circle and keep using Ember like your life depends on it!"
Though surprised by the proposal, Ignis responded according to his trainer's order, mewling vigorously against the gales before darting to the side and commencing a rapid succession of Ember.
Astraia knew beforehand that such a task requires a lot of stamina as Ember and running simultaneously will cut his air supply short. However, that is up to the Pokémon if he can do it. She had a plan, after all. All that's left is to trust Ignis to carry it out to the end.
Ignis avoids any incoming quills as he ran and sometimes burned some before they came too close. He coughs out ember between intervals when he needs to breathe, which is fine as long the flames don't disappear completely from the field.
From the sidelines, Kukui readjusts his cap. A few beads of sweat ran down the side of his face. He wipes them off with the back of his hand. "Is it me, or is it getting hot?"
From beside the referee, Popplio's eyes were half-lidded from the wave of heat. It whimpers a little and nods in agreement.
Hau watched in confusion as Ignis continued to spew ember. "What are they planning?"
From the skies, Rowlet was feeling the heat as well. The heat was slowly but surely draining his strength to keep flight. In turn, the quills were lacking speed.
Ignis was showing signs of exhaustion. The cat was panting heavier after each Ember and he was moving around more slowly. Astraia pushed him forward, however, and finally gave the word, "Go!"
With one last breath, Ignis projects from his belly and coughs out a large Ember unlike before. The ball of fire shoots past the quills and aims toward Rowlet. Despite Hau's order to dodge, the grass quill Pokémon received ember to the face.
"Rowlet!"
The gusts brought forth by the owl ceased to blow the area. The Alolan wind now calms into a gentle breeze.
Everyone watched for the Pokémons' movements. Ignis was breathing shallow ragged breaths and was barely standing on all four paws, although he was close to collapsing to the earth from his legs trembling.
On the other side, a fainted Rowlet laid on the ground. He showed no signs of lifting a muscle.
Kukui raised his arm. "The battle between Rowlet and Ignis is over! The winner goes to Ignis! Therefore, Trainer Astraia wins!"
Speechlessness robbed the girl of words until she found them to say, "We did it! We really did it! We won our very first Pokémon battle!"
Astraia runs up to Ignis and delicately cradles him in her arms. "You did amazing, Ignis. Good work."
Ignis mewed weakly before coughing a small puff of smoke that surprised her a little. The child giggled. His throat was dehydrated from all the running and fire spewing he did.
"Thank you for listening to me, even if it was risky for our first time." Astraia stroked his head. "Let's continue working together moving forward."
Meanwhile Hau approached Rowlet who gained consciousness and helps lift the Pokémon from his back off the ground. Seeing the sad look on the owl prompted Hau to smile reassuringly. "Aw, don't feel bad. You did great for our first battle. I'm sorry, too. This is our first defeat, but we'll get stronger. We can do it."
Rowlet coos weakly while gazing at his trainer, still crestfallen to have disappointed Hau. Hau comforts the owl with a rub on the head and scoops him up in his arms.
Hau goes up to the winners. "That was awesome, Astraia! You and Ignis were both so cool!"
Astraia smiles back. "Same to you guys."
Hau grins. "You've gotta have the kinda battles where everyone has fun. You and your Pokémon too, y'know?"
Kukui walks up to them. "Right on, Astraia! You and Hau both brought out the best in your partners and pulled off some spectacular moves, yeah! Here's a potion for both your Pokémon."
They both gratefully accepted it and used it on their partners. It was enough to bring them to full health, but it's recommended to let them rest inside their Pokéballs. Astraia agreed as she didn't want Ignis to walk with so much strain after a well fought battle. She and Hau returned them to their respective balls and pocketed them away.
"So what was up with that?" Hau inquired.
Astraia tilts her head. "Up with what?"
"You had Ignis use Ember the whole time while Rowlet used Leafage. I thought for sure I had you there."
"I have an idea, if I may." Kukui spoke. "While Alola's winds get in the way of Ignis' Ember trajectory, Astraia used that to her advantage the moment Rowlet unleashed Leafage everywhere where the direction of the wind is all over the place. Ignis' embers heated up the air in the atmosphere, and as they say, fanning the flames results in larger flames. Am I right?"
Astraia nodded. "Yeah. Plus, there was nothing for us to do at that time, so I just took a risk hoping Ignis will be able to do it. By using Ember, I had also hoped the heat would tire Rowlet out as much as possible until he let his guard down."
Hau's eyes sparkle. "That's amazing! You turned our advantage against us! And you said this is your first battle?"
Astraia felt a twinge of bashfulness in her cheeks. "Yeah, but I actually thought we were gonna lose when you used Leafage everywhere. I'm still new to Alola, so that's why I was thrown off by the wind."
Throughout the battle, Astraia felt her heart pump and her blood running while watching the Pokémon fight. The thought of not wanting to lose yet still have fun was becoming a thrill for her to anticipate.
"And I was so close, too." Hau said. "Thanks for battling me and Rowlet. I won't ever forget how exciting that was."
"Neither will I." Astraia returned the mutual sentiment. Who knew Pokémon battles could be exhilarating?
"Ah, the blossoming rivalry between mutual fledgling trainers is a beautiful sight for my professor heart." Kukui admired romantically. He gestures to the staircase. "We've kept Iki Town waiting for a while. It's right up those stairs. Come on, Astraia!"
Hau runs to the entrance before spinning around to face them. "You should totally check out Iki Town!"
Astraia giggles. She's sure to like Alola. She hopes to make friends with the Pokémon here as well as the people who seem very friendly and welcoming. Somehow she doesn't need to know her adventure will be very exciting indeed.
Unbeknownst to everyone, a pair of eyes had watched the entire battle from behind the trees and shrubs. Its sights were focused on an oblivious Astraia. They stared before disappearing further behind the shadows of the forest.
The amber twilight skies continue to burn passionately in all its warm tones.
ULTRA STAR
Name Trivia Corner
Astraeus' (male; "Of the Stars") name is derived from the Greek Titan god of the stars and planets and of the art of astrology.
Astraia's (female; "Starry One") name is derived from Astraeus' daughter, who was the virgin goddess of justice and the constellation Virgo.
Their Japanese names are Kei (one of the ways to say "star") and Kirari ("sparkle") respectively.
Ignis is "fiery" in Latin. I was fond of naming my starter Pokémon after a translation that meant their respective element or color.
I chose Litten not just because I have a bias for cats but also to contrast between Astraia and Litten's dynamic from the surface. You'd think a nice blue character would have a Popplio, but instead Astraia has a fire cat. Having Litten as a partner will also serve a major plot point.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC(s).
Genres: Friendship, Adventure, Humor
Rating(as of now): K-plus (9 years and up), mostly because the narrative is through an 11-year old. Would likely raise the rating for more violence or possible darker themes, but Pokémon has been dark anyways, especially in VII gen.
Notes to make: No established pairings, purely platonic friendship, but it can be fun to sprinkle romantic hints. Updates are not guaranteed to be consistent. The Pokémon plot lines are long in general, so it's hard to be fully committed to finishing one without burning my creativity out and letting my interest fall out of writing for this fandom. I'm also working on other long fics too so there's that. Follows the UM/US game but there will be chapters that insert the OC into the anime plotline for story reasons (instead of it being "special chapters" these will be considered canon to this fic).
This is a fic I thought of when I realized there could be an invisible third game for the VII generation, since there's always two versions instead of a possible third one. And yes, I know the sun is technically a star but I'm talking about the broader sense of stars. And yes, it still sounds dumb but that doesn't stop me from writing it. This will be my first time doing a Pokémon fic so I can't drop references to past Pokémon fics (as fun as that may be).
Sun and Moon won't be featured here. I'll be treating main OC as the actual protagonist of this fic.
Like majority of fics, I'll be using the English names instead of Japanese. For the main OC, I'll be using an actual name unlike Sun or Moon. It's okay to refer to OC as Star, though.
This will have an exclusive legendary Pokémon created by yours truly! So yes, there will be a star legendary Pokémon and slight alterations to the story as a result.
For the sake of uniqueness (assuming I'll write another Pokémon fic for a different gen), I'll only include Pokémon exclusive to the Alola region (with obligatory exceptions like Eevee who you get from a Pokemon egg) as part of the main party members as well as Alolan regional forms.
I'm not the best in writing fighting scenes but I'll do my best!