A/N: Here's Chapter 2 of Sky Drop! I really enjoy writing this story, so I've been doing more in advance. By now, I've finished Chapter 3 and started Chapter 4 as well! By the way, the world in Sky Drop is based mostly on the game series, but I've incorporated a few of the more realistic elements from the anime. I've taken a little bit of my own creative license as well.

Languages, of course, will have different names to correspond with their real-world counterparts: Indigo = Japanese, Galarian = English, Kalosian = French, and Alolan = Hawaiian.

Chapter 2: Touchdown

Hayate finally grew the courage- or rather, the boredom- to look down. The ocean stood like a rugged blue carpet below. It had been two hours, as he determined by looking up at his Pokétch, since he and the Drifloon above him escaped from the clutches of the mysterious culprit.

They'd eventually need to land. Hayate was starting to get hungry, and although food sat within his backpack, he wouldn't risk trying to open it two hundred meters in the air. They were following the wind, so neither knew where they would end up.

"Let's go back down when we reach a landmass." Hayate broke the silence. The Pokémon looked down at the boy, confused. It seemed that Drifloon couldn't decipher the words Hayate was speaking. He needed to have some way to effectively communicate.

Hayate tugged the Balloon Pokémon's right limb. It studied the boy below, perplexed to what he meant. One of the boy's legs was rocking forward and back. Then, he seemed to stomp on the air below him. Down.

The Drifloon dropped closer to the water. It was a relief that Drifloon could control its altitude. Before they splashed into the ocean, Hayate pulled on both limbs and glanced up. The pair quickly leveled out, steadily hovering aloft.

Hayate watched the waves ripple past. He recognized many Sinnoh-native and foreign Pokémon bobbing up from the water. Finneon and Lumineon were easy to pick out, their bioluminescence shining through to the surface. An occasional Tentacool or Tentacruel swam by. Once, a ginormous Wailord popped up next to him, grunting its low greeting.

Hayate looked at a Mantine and Remoriad duo, soaring beside. He'd learned in school that Mantine and Remoraid maintained a mutualistic relationship, with the Remoraid defending its Mantine as it hitched on, eating the leftovers. Guilt piled up in Hayate's stomach. This Drifloon had saved him and the Works Key from the robber, and it was transporting him right now. What could he do in return?

He spotted a Sharpedo fin at 10 o'clock, heading his way. Hayate pulled on Drifloon's left limb this time. The Balloon Pokémon watched the boy again. He lifted a knee closer to the little Ghost-Flying-type. Up. Noticing the scary-eyed Pokémon swimming toward them, Drifloon flew upward.

Safely above the aquatic Pokémon, Hayate turned his head back. The Sharpedo wasn't visible any longer. The boy blushed. Was that Sharpedo not a threat after all?

He looked up to the Drifloon. The little purple Pokémon's eyes were focused in front of it. They were still floating forward, heading underneath the grey sheets of cloud. A chilling thought crossed Hayate's mind. What if there's a thunderstorm? Hayate didn't want to think of what would happen if lightning were to strike from above. Spotting the far end of the clouds, he decided the course of action. They would have to fly quickly.

He gave an urgent tug to both of his companion's limbs, keeping his eyes on the clouds. Drifloon, an experienced aviator, realized the danger. It inflated itself to four times its normal diameter and turned its cloud-like cover to the front.

They shot forward. Hayate was impressed with the little Balloon Pokémon's resourcefulness. He had no idea that Drifloon, as a species, could have this much control over their motion. Thunder cracked to their right, prompting Hayate to flinch. Drifloon was still propelling them, but it was starting to deflate. Unfortunately, with the Drifloon's decreasing volume came decreasing buoyancy, and their altitude started to fall. A tug on Drifloon's left limb. They stopped so Drifloon, who had shrunk to just 30 centimeters wide, could take in air.

After three more stops, Hayate and Drifloon finally passed the storm cloud. "Woo-hoooooo!" Hayate screamed into the open sky. Drifloon chirped along.

Hayate felt relief wash over once again. "Thank you for everything," he spoke. Tears started to well up in his eyes. It was so surreal. This morning, he was about to become a Trainer with registration, a Pokédex, everything; and begin walking with Eterna City with a Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup. The Professor had been fleeced- in Floaroma Town, where nothing out of the ordinary ever happened- by a woman who tried to take control of the Valley Windworks. He had stupidly chased after her, and could have even died- if it weren't for the intervention of this Drifloon. And it had just saved him again.

"D-Drifloon," Hayate resumed. "Why do you put yourself in danger for me? You c-could've just ignored me at the Windworks. You could've d-dropped me into the ocean hours ago." Hayate didn't want to put that thought into the Pokémon's head, but they had come this far, and evidently, the Drifloon had no desire to abandon its passenger.

The Balloon Pokémon gave a happy cry. Apparently in the moment the boy had forgotten that it couldn't understand the Indigo language yet. Still, Drifloon could tell that he felt some sort of strong emotion. It constricted and relaxed its limbs in reassurance.

If they weren't suspended a hundred meters in the air, Hayate would hug the little Pokémon so close.

Night had fallen. An exhaused Hayate had begun to sleep, exhausted by the eventful day. His arms were still held firm by the ambiurnal Pokémon, who continued to carry on.

Hours later, Hayate awoke to the sound of a plane engine passing by overhead. Startled, he almost slipped out of Drifloon's limbs before they tightened, maintaining grip on his arms. The sun shone down overhead and a bit to his right. He checked his Pokétch. They were still travelling just about due east. And what about the time?

February 8, 11 p.m.? Several questions ran through Hayate's mind.

First of all, what was he going to tell his family? The Professor? Uhh, sorry, I was flying over the ocean for twelve hours after escaping a dangerous criminal. That wasn't going to cut it. He'd probably have to garner empathy somehow; say something about how scared he was.

Second, when was he going to eat? They'd have to touch down soon- and there was land below him. A sandy coastline spread in front, and ocean resumed after. Good. That brought him to the third question.

Third, where exactly were they? They'd apparently crossed multiple time zones. Midday would be 12 p.m. The duo had spent twelve hours in the air, so it was midnight here when they'd left. They were traveling east, so they must've passed through... eleven time zones. He didn't know excatly where that put him, but the East Coast of the Western Continent seemed likely. Hayate was perplexed to how they'd gotten this far, but he accepted it- only Drifloon knew that the reason they'd gone halfway around the Earth so fast was that a friendly Dragonite gave them a ride over the ocean for part of the way there.

Hayate alerted the drowzy Drifloon. "I'm awake now. Let's land." He pulled with his right arm. On cue, the Drifloon started their descent.

It would be hard to navigate if Hayate had found an uninhabited area, especially inland. So, the coast was his target. They were sure to find something if they continued along the seashore in one direction.

As they came closer to the ground, Hayate noticed skyskrapers south of him along a harbor, as well as groups of large buildings in multiple directions, scattered among the forests of pine and oak. Lucky! There was bound to be a way to be an airport, or a ferry, or some way to get home without a hassle with all the towns and cities here.

Hayate's legs brushed a sharp tree branch. Just a scrape, but a little blood came out. He tugged with both arms, and the Drifloon steadied its altitude. Hayate's mind went back to the confrontation outside the Windworks. Nine times out of ten, that tiny cut wouldn't have been the first thing that drew blood.

They approached the shore. Hayate once again pulled on the Balloon Pokémon's right limb. He watched as the distance to the ground below shrunk smaller.

He felt sand under his shoes. Finally, solid ground! Drifloon released Hayate's arms- and he promptly fell onto the beach. He would need to get used to walking again.

Sitting up, Hayate went to remove the backpack that weighed down on his back during their flight. As he unzipped the front pocket for a snack, the Drifloon settled in between his chest and left arm.

Was it something he did at the Windworks? Part of Hayate had expected the Drifloon to fly off for someplace new once they had reached land. There had to be some reason why this Pokémon wanted to be with him.

If the Drifloon wanted to be Hayate's Pokémon, he had no way of making that possible just yet. He had no Poké Balls, no Trainer ID (and with it, no free access to Pokémon Centers), and no money. And as found out when he checked his Pokégear, no cell service.

First order of business was to eat. He pulled out a bag of potato chips and began snacking, satiating his stomach. He didn't know if Drifloon were able to eat chips, but he decided to find out. Placing a chip on one of Drifloon's appendages, it used its tiny mouth to bite off minuscule pieces, bit by bit. Soon, the bag was empty, so Hayate crumpled it up and stuck it into his backpack.

Second order of business was to find where they were. Hayate thought he might be in the Unova region, based on the metropolis he'd passed by on his way down. As an International Pokémon League-affiliated region, it had a gym circuit and a league tournament every year like Sinnoh. And the routes between towns were solidified by countless travelers. The problem, of course, was that people in Unova spoke Galarian. He'd only learned a little bit of Galarian in school; not enough to hold a conversation.

Hayate checked his Pokégear and searched through the functions, until he spotted a translator application. Bingo!

Third order of business was to contact his family and the Professor. Hopefully they could sort out this mess. He could come home and start as journey as planned-

Not with the mysterious robber on the loose. She'd seen Hayate's face, very well, and she had allies. Hayate would have to ask what happened to her.

But before he could do that, he would need to find someone to direct him to the nearest town, and maybe, let him make a phone call. After putting his backpack on again, Hayate steadily rose to his feet, careful not to put too much pressure on his healing left ankle, while carrying the Drifloon in his arms. It gave a blissful chirp as they started south along the beach.

"Hey!" a voice shouted behind him. "Wanna battle?" She spoke in Galarian.

Hayate turned around. A teenage girl, a few years his senior stood behind him. Shoulder-length blonde hair covered her head; a strange black equine Pokémon stood beside her. She wore a light jacket and jeans. Hayate knew he must've seemed goofy in the not-as-cold climate with his thick blizzard apparel. "Sorry," he uttered in his thick Sinnohan accent. "I do not speak many Galarian." He knew it was probably wrong, but it got the point across.

"Oh," the Trainer replied. She pointed at herself. "I am Jane." She spoke at a Turtwig's pace and avoided contractions to ensure minimal translation loss. "Are you a trainer?"

"No." He thought back about how his plans were disrupted at the Floaroma Pokémon Center. He typed into his Pokétch's translator app. "My name is Hayate. I will be a Trainer very soon."

"Where are you from?"

"Floaroma Town, in Sinnoh. I'm sort of lost."

"You need anything?" Jane tried to her sentences concise.

Hayate translated his request. "Can you take me to the nearest town?"

"Yes. It is called Undella." So they were, in fact, in Unova. "I am going there, too. It is not far."

Walking the path, Hayate's curiosity mounted. He hadn't ever gotten to know anyone from Unova, and he wanted to learn more. "What is that Pokémon?" He pointed at Jane's black and white striped equine Pokémon.

"That is Zebstrika." Jane presented her first teammate proudly. "He is an Electric-type."

"Repeat?" Hayate prepared the translator.

"Zebstrika- he is an Electric-type." Hayate recorded Jane's sentence and ran the audio translator function.

As they started to walk, Hayate typed his next reply. "Your Zebstrika is very cool. How long have you been a trainer?" He let Jane speak into the Pokégear.

"Two years, ten months. This is my third time through the Gym Circuit. I have three badges so far this year." Hayate looked up at his escort. "Last year I came in the top 16 in the Unova League Tournament."

"Wow," Hayate said, untranslated. Regional tournaments tended to attract over four hundred participants per year. To win four or five rounds in a row against other skilled Trainers before falling was truly impressive. He was curious about the other members of her team. "What other Pokémon do you have?" Hayate asked into the device.

Jane's response was unsatisfactory. "Let's wait until we get to the Pokémon Center. I'd imagine you want to get to the town quickly. I'll ask them to heal your Drifloon." She looked at the exhausted Pokémon resting in Hayate's arm.

"Actually, this Drifloon is wild, but I think he wants to stay with me," Hayate admitted. "I don't have any Poké Balls."

"That's fine! I have an empty one right here you can use." The two stopped walking. Jane presented a brand new Poké Ball. Hayate had held one before, but only for moments at a time. She instructed into the Pokégear. "You can hold your fingerprint on the button of the blank ball to transfer ownership to yourself. You'll need to do that for each Poké Ball you buy, too. Once you get your Trainer registration, whatever Pokémon you catch will be registered to your person."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Hayate hastily expressed his gratitude, using his confined Galarian. He accepted the Poké Ball from Jane's hand and held his thumb on the center button. The circumferential opening shined green.

"Good," Jane confirmed in Galarian, before translating again into Indigo. "That's how you know it's now yours." She continued. "To call out a Pokémon once you've caught it, you'll need to click the center button."

Hayate nodded. He presented the Poké Ball to Drifloon. "Would you like to come along with me? I promise, if there's any way I can reciprocate what you've done for me, I will do my best."

The little Balloon Pokémon cuddled closer in his arm, giving an overjoyed chirp.

Hayate touched the Poké Ball to Drifloon's form. With a radiant flash, Drifloon was drawn in to the Poké Ball. Hayate and Jane waited. It clicked.

"You did it!" Jane cheered, giving Hayate a pat on the back. Hayate had beemed. His first Pokémon! It didn't matter that it wasn't a traditional starter- he wouldn't have given up the opportunity to bestow the esteemed role of starter to the Pokémon who saved his life.

Right away, he clicked the button and released Drifloon from the ball. It flew back into Hayate's arms for another carefree hug.

After thirty minutes of walking on Unova Route 13, the pair arrived at Undella Town. The first thing that Hayate noticed was that the seaside town was much larger than Sandgem, the Yamaguchi family's yearly vacation spot in Sinnoh's southwest. Large, expensive beachfront homes and villas lined the coast and the northern cliffs. Little niche stores and stands could be found on the town's Main Street, and fancy restaurants could be found at any place with a good window view. It seemed that a small fortune was required to own a place in Undella year-round.

The Pokémon Center was conspicuous. The scarlet hub was instantly discernible from the white and beige of the houses and the sand. Jane and Hayate entered the building. Some trainers were buying supplies at the shop on the right. While they were walking along Route 13, Jane had informed Hayate on some details about Unova's Pokémon Centers, including how the Poké Mart was a section of Centers in Unova, and how trainers could use the PC as a way of contacting someone with a stable connection and easily transferring Pokémon and items.

Jane had her team taken in to be healed. Hayate inquired about the unfamiliar Pokémon alongside the Nurse as her aide, which Jane revealed to be an Audino, a Normal-type.

While they waited, Jane showed Hayate the PCs, logging in with her account so he could talk to his family and the Professor. Hayate selected the call function, then dialed his home number. The Beautifly entered his stomach with each ring. Shoot. I didn't prepare what to say!

Someone picked up on the other end. Before they could say anything, Hayate babbled into the receiver. "Hi, it's Hayate I'm so sorry I was stupid and ran off and I got into trouble and I won't do it again I promise I hope you all are all right and you're not too worried about me I'm fine now please forgive me-"

He heard his mom's voice and quieted himself. "Oh, thank Arceus! Where are you? Why'd you take so long?"

There was the million-Pokédollar question. "Well, see..." Hayate's face turned pink. Maybe he show the good news first? Reaching into his jacket pocket, he brought out the Works Key. "I got this back from the robber." His nervous grin melted away. "I'm so, so sorry for being reckless. I know I shouldn't chase thieves, especially ones like her."

"Hayate, I'm just glad you're safe." Hayate gave a sigh. He wouldn't have his ears blasted apart today. "Which center are you calling from?"

"Undella Town, Unova," Hayate blurted. It was no point hiding what happened. "A wild Pokémon helped me escape over the ocean." A few seconds of silence.

"Holy sh**," Mrs. Yamaguchi let slip under her breath. "You didn't hear that." She proceeded. "Are you hurt?"

"I got really lucky. I twisted my ankle and scraped my leg, but it's better now. If it weren't for Drifloon, it would've been way worse. Speaking of Drifloon, I caught it half an hour ago. Say hi, Drifloon!" Hayate held the receiver to his starter, who trilled, interested by the machine.

"Your first Pokémon! Lovely!" Hayate's mom yawned. "It's almost midnight here. Even if it's day where you are, you'd better get some sleep. I'll have Professor Nanakamado Teleport in to the Undella Pokémon Center in the morning."

"Okay," Hayate affirmed. He'd already slept, but he felt exhausted still. He and Jane had already agreed to share a room for the night in the Center's lodgings. "Sounds good. I love you."

"I love you too. And please, stay safe. Even besides today, the world can be pretty dangerous. I know you found that out firsthand. But don't ever feel that you can't turn to your father and I. We'll always love you and want to protect you."

A serene smile emerged on Hayate's face. "I will. Goodnight."

"Good afternoon." The call ended, and Hayate joined Jane to pick up her healed party.

A/N: My plan for now is to upload one chapter a week, with a bit over 3,000 words per chapter. I can't guarantee punctuality, but I'll do my best! Please leave a review if you'd like! I'd love to read your feedback.

Thanks for reading,
JetStreamGamma

Translations:
Prof. Nanakamado = Prof. Rowan