SUMMARY:

You ever get handed a Pokeball and think- I don't really want this?
Byla, a 15-year-old nonbinary underachiever who is being forced from their home to venture in a Poke-journey, understands not wanting to get handed a pokeball.
The forces are against them; starting with puppy dog eyes from their adorable neighbor, the peer pressure of society and the bloodlust of their own pokemon. Byla's path is set in stone.

Tossed into the land of Galar and forced to join the Pokemon competition it's up to our protagonist to survive.
So come along on an adventure of love, abandonment issues, government conspiracies, and a whole lot of plot hole patching.

Or, as a second summary.

-Leon is overworked and overstressed
-Hop secretly loves science
-Byla, our protagonist, wants to crawl under a rock and die
-Bede has daddy issues (Like everyone else in this show)
-Marnie is an angel too pure for this world
-and the chairman is insane

You know, for the record, most would be panicked at the thought of a 20 foot ANYTHING charging after them.

Yet here, in the Galar region, it's normal.

It shouldn't be normal.

But hey, I guess every region needs to have its own gimmick or something to draw in people from other places. Not that Galar even needs dynamaxing to be cool. The countryside is gorgeous, the people are great, the cities are intricate marvels that architects to this day are baffled by, our champion has a fascinating clothing style, and it's got Hop.

I can't think of anything better.

I mean, you add in Hop wearing a tuxedo or something and maybe we have a conversation, but besides that, nothing better.

The Pokémon are cute too, so added plus~

Hi there. My name's Byla.

I've been called abnormal on several occasions, yet to this day cannot pinpoint that exact anomaly that makes people think this way.

How I like to describe myself is as followed: omnipotent, but an apathetic underachiever.

The details of my life are inconsequential.

I was born and raised in Postwick, a quaint little town on the far edge of Galar. Nothing exciting happens here.

Unless you count the first time Leon go appointed champion and the whole town partied for a week straight. It ended when some drunk fool unleashed the Wooloo's into the open. We all drowned in fluff.

We lived to tell the tale.

Anyway, I finished my general education not too long ago so everyone was gearing up with the choices on what we wanted to do with our lives. A common first thought was to be a Pokémon trainer.

Being surrounded by them definitely doesn't influence that decision.

Yet it isn't something so easy to pick up. Plus there were fields to it. Many fields.

You could be a Pokémon professor, researcher, breeder, rider, trainer, ranger, doctor- literally, it was endless and the basic gist is that our society is obsessed an absorbed by Pokémon.

For example, I can't be a doctor without also specializing in Pokémon.

So really like… your options feel limited and set in stone. It's expected of you to just get a Pokémon, get a backpack, and just travel the country on your own. EXPECTED.

And if you don't, people just assume you don't have the skills to do so. That it's just too hard and you gave it an effort, but you just fell short. And that doesn't do so well for the old ego~

So yeah, I'm packing for my Pokemon journey.

If you couldn't tell, I'm not excited. But I ain't no chicken, and I will make this entire region bow at my feet before I let them say I couldn't handle it.

But hey, just once around and then I can come home and wallop in my self-pity because everyone else I know seems to have an idea of what they want to do with their lives. Except me.

I'm 15, by the way. I'm considered a late bloomer since I have no ambitions.

So, my Mum is worried that I have no goal or purpose in my life because I want to focus on education and go to high school. And NOT travel around the country on my own where I will be forced to put my so-called "Pokemon friends" against other people in a play of superiority.

… I'm not bitter.

I call it justifiably upset.

If there is any silver lining though, I just have to travel the country once. I can avoid other trainers, take back roads, see the sights. If I really wanted to, I could just… not go see the Pokemon professor in the next town. Professor Magnolia and her granddaughter Sonia were often the two that people went to in order to get their starter pokemon and begin their journey.

If I never go to see them, then I don't get a pokemon. If I don't get a pokemon then I can't battle pokemon and get more pokemon! AND WITHOUT POKEMON I CAN'T DO A POKE BATTLE!

The plan is flawless!

It's not like I'm entering the Pokémon Gym competition anyway.

That thing is insane.

Hop, my neighbor and BBFBHDKIYBIACWSTC (Best boyfriend but he doesn't know it yet because I'm a coward who struggles to confess), has a brother; Leon.

He's the running champion of the competition, undefeated for around 10 or so years. He's cool, has no sense of direction, and I think I would bury myself if I had to deal with his to-do list every day.

President Rose runs him into the dirt. But hey, Leon doesn't really complain so whatever.

"Honey, you know you need to have everything packed before lunch~" my Mom called to me with a sing-song voice. "So please stop monologuing in your head and focus."

Once again, she had caught me red-handed.

Sighing, I roll up an overcoat and toss it into my bag. Making sure I had a map, compass, several socks and my tent set inside I nod.

I didn't really have any clothes picked out to wear other than what was currently on my body. Mostly because it is socially acceptable to wear the same thing every day. For some reason.

Seriously.

Feeling a buzz on my phone I pulled it out to see a new notification for my MeTube account. The exhibition match between Leon and Raihan was just posted online.

I flipped it open leaning back to get into the show. I wasn't really interested in being a trainer, but watching battles sure was fun.

I listened to the Chairman's speech on Pokemon, though honestly, who was that for? Everyone is very aware of what Pokémon are.

Getting a cheer the Chairman stepped aside for Leon and Raihan to take the stage. Both were smirking at the other, eager to get the battle started.

They had been rivals since they were kids, as far as I am aware. Raihan seemed to be the only person in all of Galar that could give Leon a good fight.

Ready to delve into the battle I paused at the sound of the door knocking. Once, twice, several times, all in the span of 10 seconds before the door flew open and my neighbor walked in. His Wooloo rolling behind him.

"Hello, Hello!"

Badum Badum, goes my heart ~

...Don't look at me like that.

"Hey, Hop." I greet with a smile, casually positioning myself. "Come here often~" That was a line I read in a book. Several, actually. Apparently it's a well-known sort of flirting one can do.

Hop gave a smile in return, folding his arms behind his head and nodded, "Yeah, like, every day."

Once again my attempts were thwarted and had gone right over Hop's sweet little head.

"...Yup, you do." I turn back to my phone.

"You watching Lee's Exhibition match?" He peeked over my shoulder with a proud smile. "But you know, you can't cheer him on with your hands full!"

Oh no. Not this again.

"Please don't do this," I say

He jabbed an accusing finger at me, "You know the only way to properly cheer on Lee would be with his famous Charizard pose!" On cue, he turned once and struck the pose.

"I'm not doing that." I shake my head.

"Oh come onnnn, why not?"

I shake my head, "Just no."

Hop looked ready to argue my vague reasoning when my Mother stepped into the room with a smile, "Oh, Hop!" She says cheerfully. "I see you're all ready for the big day~"

He smiles, "Yeah, that's exactly why I came running over to get Byla." He points at me, "Nevermind watching the match now! I've got it at home anyway. I record all my brother's matches."

And his interviews, show appearances, everything. Honestly, you would think Hop is a little obsessed with his brother. But in truth, everyone in this region is.

"So come with me, Byla! My brother should almost be here! And you know he's brought us something as a gift~ Especially since we're leaving for our Pokémon journey!"

"Oh gosh, I almost forgot about that. Thank you for reminding me." I say somberly

Hop, taking that as genuine gratitude, gave me a large grin before rushing out of the house. His Wooloo trailed behind him. "See you at my place!"

'Great…" I slouched back against my bed, motivation draining like water from a faucet. If only I had Hops tenacity to journey into the unknown. Sleep in a tent and travel the woods. Away from my warm bed, dozens of blankets, computer- I gotta stop talking. This is just flaring up my unwillingness to leave my hole of comfort.

Forcing myself to my feet I heard my Mom call from the kitchen, "Honey, be sure to grab your bag and a hat~! It'll really help you with the weather."

"Sure," I say, tossing on my hat and heaving my bag over my shoulder. It was my Dad's duffle bag when he first went on his Pokemon adventure.

And like every other male figure in the region who bares children, he is not here right now. Off somewhere, doing who knows what at who knows where.

Taking a moment to say a silent goodbye to my room, I trudged back into the kitchen. I stood before my Mother, frowning sourly.

"Oh, don't you look like a treat~" she cooed lovingly, adjusting the strap on my shoulder.

"Mum." I simply say, "I am a delicacy, few can afford."

"Of course you are!" She giggled, embracing me. "And I know you aren't too eager about this, but maybe if you just gave it a try, you might like it. You look just like your Dad and I when we first went on our Pokemon journey~"

Yeah, the difference between that: my Mom's journey eventually ended and she settled down to raise me. My Dad's journey never did. And he never came home.

But that is fine. Everything is fine.

We have a few pictures of him around the house, and sometimes I even see him on TV in another region, battling with his Pokémon. They have been by his side since day one.

They never had to question if he loved them or not.

"Byla?" My Mother silts my hat, "You're doing it again."

I'm confused, "Doing what?"

"Getting caught up in all those thoughts and monologues in your head." She poked my nose. "You gotta be careful doing that out in the wild. You might just wonder right off a cliff." She chuckled jokingly.

...Oh gosh.

I was going to die out there.

See, she was kidding, but I might actually not pay attention and fall to my doom.

"Do I really have to go?" I grabbed her arm.

She gives me a tilt of her head, smile soft, "Well, no, but are you really going to make Hop go all by himself? He's been talking about this for months." She reminded me. "Listen, if you really don't want to go, then you don't have to. But, I truly believe you'll learn and discover so many things if you do! Have memories to look back at for years! And~" she rolls her tongue, as if preparing to seal the deal, "You'll get to have an adventure with Hop~ Just you and him."

"BYE MOM!" I'm rushing out the door, a trail of dust and my Mother's laughter behind me.

"Remember not to go into the forest behind the house!" Her last words echo before I'm embraced by crisp air and warm sunlight.

Ah, yes. The Forest.

The one place that has been banned from entry to everyone in town. And it's basically my own backyard. I mean, seriously, what could be here in there if the only thing blocking the entry is a weak wooden fence?

Whatever.

It's all behind me now. Right now, it's time to hop to it! Haha. Hop joke.

Approaching our front gate I take a moment to pause and take a knee at the small Pokemon that resided in our garden.

"Bye, Budew." I say, patting its head. It squeaked at me, nuzzling my hand. This was my Mom's Pokemon during her poke journey. She had others. There is another Budew somewhere around here that comes and goes.

And then in the distance, within the fenced area, are at least 10 Wooloo's.

All of them are my Mom's.

She was that kind of trainer that caught all these Wooloo's in hopes of catching a "shiny" pokemon? I've never seen one myself other than the one my Mom has.

After 10 tries she was successful in finding on. In contrast to the normal white fluff a Wooloo has, the shiny one has black fluff. It tends to be the leader of the Wooloo herd.

I wonder how often people do that just to catch a shiny? Get dozens of the same Pokémon just to get one that has a different color scheme.

….. I get the feeling that I might be that kind of person. But not actually catching them, you know? I don't need 50 wooloo's just to find the one shiny one. I'll just run into them until I find a shiny, then try.

"Byla."

Cause like, what would I do with all those Pokémon? Just tuck them away in a box? Bring them to the fields? I guess I could just release them but that feels like such a waste of a poke ball.

"Byla…?"

I could always give the pokemon to other kids I guess. Every child in the town will have their own Wooloo to cause havoc with. I will have my own army!

"BYLA!"

Realizing that Hop has been waiting for me outside and that I was standing in front of him I flinched. Leaping back I lift my hands. "Hop!"

'You did it again." He pointed at me. "What are you gonna do if you zone out during a pokemon battle?"

I offer a weak smile, "Uh ...maybe, not accept any pokemon battles?"

Hop laughs in a good-natured manner, "Silly, you can't do that. You'll never get any money for travel costs or experience if you don't." He walked around me, patting my back. "But hey, look at you! You got your Dad's old bag! It looks like it could pull you over." He gave it a little tug and I went stumbling.

"Hop, no! Don't betray me-AHH!" Falling backward I landed like a rolled over turtle. The battle began for me to get back up and I commenced a few side to side rolls. Eventually managing to get to my stomach I got to my feet, gripping my shoulder straps for balance.

I felt like Sam Porter.

"There." Huffing, knowing that took a few minutes at most, I casually say out of breath "...Don't do that."

Hop slapped his knee with a good laugh, "How much stuff did you pack?"

"The essentials. The bag is literally 60 pounds." I huff in defense.

"At least we know it can hold anything Lee plans on bringing. Even if it's as big as a Snorlax!" He gasps, "Do you think he'll bring a Snorlax?"

"Please, I hope not." I look at the sky, quietly begging. My Dad left his Munchlax here when he left, and that thing eats 5 times its own body weight daily.

I can only imagine what a Snorlax would eat.

Moving to walk with Hop, the two of us pause at the sight of a Wooloo, not Hop's, rolling against the fence. Over and over it did this before Hop finally spoke up.

"Hey, I know what you're up to!" He rushed forward, grabbing the Wooloo by its back legs and dragging it back a little. Going limp the Wooloo didn't fight against this, staring up at Hop with innocent eyes.

Like a parent scolding a child Hop shook his finger, "No using tackle on the fence. No, no! There are dangerous Pokémon in the slumbering Weald."

The Wooloo's mouth opened and closed, its distant and glazed eyes looking back at the fence. "...Meehhhhh." It rolled up and attempted it again.

Yes small Wooloo, break the conformity. Be free!

"Well, I tried." Hop shakes his head, "It shouldn't be able to break the fence at least."

I wanted to beg to differ and tell him that as a 5-year old I tore through the fence as easy as paper, only held back by my Mother's child leash she kept strapped to my chest at all times.

I tended to wander. One time I got a big white fluffy coat for Christmas and blended in with the Wooloo heard for two days before anyone realized. Those were the good days.

I even resorted to eating grass to really play on the effect. I got really sick afterward.

Don't eat grass, kids.

Getting nudged a little by Hop there is a twinkle in his eyes. "Let's race!"

"I'll lose," I say, feeling the weight of my bag is getting worse.

His smirk worsened, "The first one to my house wins!"

"Hop, you schmuck, that's cheating!" I argue, "I always beat you and this situation adds 60 pounds on me. I'll lose!"

"What? Can't hear you! The race has begun!" He took down the hill with an obnoxious snort, knowing full well what he was doing.

With big steps I stomp after him, eyeing the Wooloo at the gate with a nod of luck to him.

One step at a time I adjust to get used to the weight on my back. Knowing this would be one of the last times I might see my home town for a while I take it in. I even stop to talk to the brown coat man.

I call him that because I've never learned his name.

He's just this guy in a brown coat who stands a little away from my house, every day, and just smiles and tells me about how amazing science is.

"The power of science is amazing!" He gushed, thrilled I took time out of my day to listen to him. "Now you can battle and trade with trainers just by walking around."

I nod slowly, "Cool." I say. This man never tells me anything new. "Have a good day." I gave a wave and rushed out of there. Technically, he wasn't doing anything wrong so we can never ask him to leave, but it never ceased to be creepy that he stood there every day without fail.

Nailed it in social interaction.

Taking down the road I stumble into Hop's mailbox to slow myself down. Steadying myself with it I eye the child that sat on the stone wall, judging me.

His little face contorted to a smug look, "Hey Byla." He says, cheerfully. "Nice bag."

"Eat dirt." I hiss, sidestepping into Hop's front yard. Yes, I was petty enough to say that to a child most likely 10 years younger than me.

Rushing past the garage I go inside to find Hop and his Mother waiting for me.

"There you are, Byla!" She gave a warm smile, "Perfect timing." She gestures to her son with a look of exasperation. The boy in question is practically dancing on the tip of his toes. "This impatient son of mine is going stir crazy. Hop, perhaps you could take a page out of Byla's book and learn some patience. You don't see them bouncing off the walls trying to run off into the countryside."

You definitely don't.

"They haven't asked about Leon once today, yet you're tearing off my ear with questions about him." She rolls her eyes.

Hop whines, eyes upset, "He said he would be here."

"Patience, Dear." His mother stresses. "He probably just arrived at Wedgehurst Station."

"Then we'll go there! You know he's bad with directions." Hop says knowingly.

"I'm sure he can get here on his own, dear." His mother trails off when Hop gives her a long look. "Hmm Well-" with a solemn nod she agrees, "Yes, it's probably for the best. Make sure he gets home okay."

How bad does one person have to be to get lost in their own home town? Especially when their own home is within sight of the station?

There was this one time where Leon got lost and ended up at my house. The stone walls make one clean path up the hill, starting at Hop's house and ending at mine. So Leon would have had to pass his own home to get to my house.

This is the region's champion. This man holds everyone's hopes and dreams in his misguided hands.

With a bound in his step, Hop is already moving out the door. I struggle to follow, feeling like a chick following its mother obediently. He had a lot more motivation in this than me. Drive, passion, desire- literally even just 1% of will for this journey that I did not have.

I had Hop though so… I can deal.

"Alright Byla," Hop turns with a flourish, hands on his hips, "We're about to enter Route 1! It's dangerous, so we have to be careful."

"Hop." I say, "We take this path every day." It was literally a 1-minute walk connecting our two towns. I wasn't even sure why our towns weren't just one place?

Literally two patches of grass stood between but that was apparently enough distance to consider the two area's different towns.

"It's still dangerous. You could be attacked by wild Pokémon."

"If I went into the tall grass, sure. But they are- what, level one?" I ask, "My Mum's Wooloo could eat them alive and I have to live with those things daily. They are more of a danger to me than any other Pokemon around here."

"Well, that isn't a fair comparison. Your Mum's Wooloo's are beasts! Each level 80!"

"Yeah." I agree, "They are more of a small elite army than a herd of soft fluffs."

"Yeah! Also, unlike you, I at least have my Wooloo, so I'll be fine. You don't have any pokemon though, so you shouldn't go into the tall grass." He points at me. Slim finger still angled in my direction he backed up slowly.

Stationing himself between two tufts of grass, knee-high at best, he eyed me carefully as I approached. He stood proud, head raised and hands on his hips as if to intimidate me.

Daring me to even try getting past him.

I approach slowly, lips pursed in defiance. "That's some nice looking green stuff behind ya. Very… grassy." I say. "Man would it be nice to take a stroll through it. All those welcoming little blades of nature,"

"The dirt at your feet is nice too." Hop gestures to it. "Flat and safe. Leaves you time to just enjoy the sights."

"I could enjoy the sights in the grass. It's calling to me, Hop. I've been called. I must answer."

"You have poor reception." He shakes his head.

I take one step closer, backing off only when he lifts his hands to nudge me like he did back at the house. Frowning I walk past him slowly. He follows a few feet back, ready to hold me back should I try to make a break for the grass.

I didn't really have any personal urge to go in there in the first place. Hop just makes it too easy to mess with him sometimes.

Giving a smile over my shoulder as we get to the bridge Hop's steps quicken to walk beside me, knowing we were officially in Wedgehurst.

"Look, we survived Route One." He says, offering his arm.

I take it, wrapping my own around it, "Not quite the epic adventure I'm sure you imagined."

He snorts proudly, "You kidding? I had to fend off a wild human from dive-bombing at level 1 pokemon. It was a tale for the ages."

"Oh is that what I was?" I laughed.

"You were and you know it!" he snickered.

Already I could see the crowd, bunched together in front of the train station.

It wasn't long before Leon stepped outside with his Charizard and was welcomed by the loving crowd. They cheered his name, his body automatically shifting to his signature pose.

The crowd ate it up like candy, men and women alike squealing loudly.

A few even did the hand sign themselves, holding three fingers up. Hah, get it. Cause Charizard has three fingers…?

Haha… yeah….

I'm still not doing that pose.

"Hello, hello!" Leon gushed, "Your Champion, Leon, is back!" He folds his arms with a grin, "I promise I'll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all to watch!"

Pokemon battles. Which, if you think about, is all Leon should be doing anyway. The Chairman has Leon running errands, keeping the peace, basically being the law and order of the region when really… Leon should just be doing pokemon battles.

He's a pokemon trainer, not a cop.

I don't see other regions treating their champion like some glorified lap dog. Not many people seem to really think about all the things Leon does. He's a celebrity with a pretty face- that's all people tend to see.

Eh, whatever. All this stuff is too political if you ask me. Plus, it's none of my business. If Leon was really against it I'm sure he would say no. Honestly, I think he likes the responsibility and dependence on him.

Hop is bouncing up and down, waving his arms around wildly to get Leon's attention, "Lee!"

He was too cute for this world.

"LEE!" Hop tries again, using my own arm this time to try and draw Leon's eyes

Leon's head snaps to attention, lifting himself onto his tippy toes to peer over the crowd. Seeing his brother he parts the sea of people with a wave of his hand. "Hop!" He says with a warm smile, The two rush to embrace, nudging and bumping into the other playfully.

"So my number-one fan in all the world came to pick me up~?" Leon cooed, ruffling Hop's hair.

"Lee. You're embarrassing me in front of Byla." He whined.

"You do that on your own, Hop." His brother says bluntly.

Hop give an affronted gasp, nudging Leon away, "Come on! Mum's waiting for us back home!"

"Oh right, right." Leon nods, giving me a nod of greeting. "Well if it isn't Byla. You and Hop sure have grown since I last saw you! And you even have your Dad's old bag." He gave a knowing look to Hop, who was practically about to burst out of his own skin. "Guess someone is going on a pokemon adventure soon."

"LEE!" Hop can hardly contain himself, wanting to just get his brother home, get his gift, and get going already. As you can tell… he's excited.

"Hop's battle cry is exactly right, Leon. We really are wasting time. We gotta get this eloping going or else we'll meet the traffic rush." I say.

Leon's eyes couldn't be wider, "Eloping?"

"... I mean… journeying." I swallow, attempting to play it off with a cool look. That's what I meant. Journeying. That is what Hop and I are doing..

With a raised eyebrow Leon glances between us, unsure. "Oh well uh- right then. Let's get back to the house." He turns back to his adoring fans and strikes one last pose. Their chants echo behind us the entire way back up Route one.

Still trying to recover from my subconscious verbal screw up, I hardly said a word the entire trip back. Which again, was a minute at best.

Hop on the other hand didn't waste a single second, going on and on about everything that had happened since Leon last visited.

Eventually, the two even burst into a full-on sprint to race back, leaving me behind to waddle back to the house.

This bag has got to go. I can't survive with this thing.

Eventually finding my way back I maneuver around the stone wall to find Hop and Leon slapping each other's hands, laughing and joking around. Hop had really grown these last few years, nearly to the height of his older brother with his latest growth spurt.

Was just a few inches taller than myself.

"Okay, Lee." Hop was ready to get down to business once he saw me. He stepped to my right, arms folded. "You said you had a gift for us, so out with it so we can begin our pokemon journey!"

Leon chuckled, clearly amused. "Aren't you a little too eager to just leave home?"

"You left home when you were 10." Hop says simply. "I had to wait four more years than you did."

Leon tilts his head with a smile, "True. What about you, Byla? Are you as eager as my impatient little brother?"

"I'm ready." I say without elaborating. Being ready for this journey was as far as I could muster anyhow, and it was apparent there was no getting out of it. So might as well just get it over with.

"Alright!" to my surprise, Leon reached into his pocket, pulling out three pokeballs. "Let the show begin!" he tossed them with a flourish, each Pokeball landing with pinpoint accuracy.

A moment later, the three starter pokemon of Galar appeared.

My mood drastically fell.

So much for avoiding Magnolia and her Granddaughter…

"WHOA!" Hop almost fell to his knees, eyeing each pokemon with an excited glint. "Byla look at that one! It's running in circles! AHH! It's burning the ground! Byla, that one went into the tree! It's hitting a fruit! Ahh! It's musically talented! Byla that one can swim! Ah! It's spat out some water!"

"Hop-" He proceeds to shake my violently, squealing.

"Do we really get one Lee?" He asked

Leon leaned back against a chair, taking a load off. Sitting down he removed one of his shoes to rub his aching feet. Despite his smile, there was a sense of exhaustion behind his eyes. "Indeed so, Hop-scotch." he mused, "Choose carefully now. The pokemon you pick will become your partner and friend."

No pressure…

"Byla, you pick first since I have Wooloo." Hop gave me a nudge. Setting down my bag to decide I looked over the three, unsure.

Fire, water, or grass?

"Uh…" I rubbed my head, "Geez, okay. Let's see…" Always one to be terrible when it came to decisions I considered the pro's and con's of each.

Whether I was ready or not, it was time for my first pokemon.