Chapter 2- Setting forth

He was proud to have walked down this hall many times in his life. This consecrated ground was a second home to him. Those trainers that had come before him and those that would come after, their spirits seemed to fill this place up with an indescribable ecstasy.

He was, in all honesty, surprised to be called up. It had been over a year since any one had even dared challenge the League of Legends.

The league was the ultimate challenge for every trainer. Here, in the shadow of the great Mt. Silver waited the four greatest trainers in the world, ready for any one worthy enough to challenge them.

The task of even getting here was incredibly arduous. If one was to even think of challenging the league they first must acquire all eight gym badges from their region. After that, they would have to defeat the elite four and the champion of their region. Only after that could they make the long trip through and across Mt. Silver to challenge the League.

The league was made up of four former champions. First was Steven Stone the Master of Steel. Most challengers would simply collapse here on their first challenge. Steven was a master of defense and his Metagross was a force of nature taking out most of his opponents' pokemon in a few hits.

Afterwards was Steven's wife Cynthia. Cynthia specialized in no one type making her team a smattering mix of pokemon from her home land of Sinnoh. Her Lucario was dreaded for its incredible speed and power.

Then came Lance Drake. Lance was a true master of Dragons. He was one of the few people in the world to catch a legendary pokemon his psychic-dragon Latios. Lance also had the ability to speak to his pokemon giving him an indescribable bond with them.

And each of them had been defeated leaving only the champion left.

Hewas now near the entrance. The crowd was roaring as he stepped out to meet this challenger. The announcer was saying something but he could not hear. He just saw bottomless blue eyes…

Isaac woke with a start. A smooth voice began talking from somewhere above his head.

"We will be arriving Canvas town in approximately five minutes."

He was still on the train. It was only in his dreams that he had been in that stadium. He shook his head and tried to take stock of his surroundings. A few chairs away from him, Sara had her earphones in and was stroking her Cyndiquill which was situated on her lap. Isaac didn't see Zack anywhere. He was probably looking the food cart for Munchlax. Isaac smiled. This would have been the tenth time Munchlax had sent Zack off to find him food.

Isaac's mind went back to the dream. His dreams were always so vivid and sometimes so troublesome… He waved it off. His mind was still probably on what happened that morning.

Early that day Isaac, Sara, and Zack had packed their bags and had said their goodbyes to their parents. Everyone had been there even Sara's parents had made the long trip from Hoenn to wish her luck. Isaac had a talk with his father before he left.

Red and Isaac had walked around the lab in awkward silence for awhile before Red spoke.

"So… do you think you're ready for this?"

Isaac had thought a bit before replying that he was, or at least, he thought he was. Red had nodded and then spoke again.

"I don't want to make any big speech about how this is like my travels or anything like that. I just want you to know that your mother and I are proud of you."

Red turned around and embraced his son.

Isaac noticed that tears were coming from his and his father's eyes. Red wiped his eyes and took something from his belt and handed it to Isaac. It was a pokeball with Sabrina's gym badge emblazoned on it.

"Something from both of us."

Isaac took the pokeball and pushed the small white button in the middle of it. With a flash of white light an Abra appeared before him.

"Dad… I."

Red smiled "It's a long journey. Be safe ok?"

The Abra was currently taking a snooze using Isaac's leg as a pillow. Isaac scratched its ears. Abra let out a satisfied grunt. That morning, only a few minutes before they left Oak's lab, Isaac had attempted to make a connection with Abra. He took Abra to the upstairs lab and then put himself in a meditative pose. He had made connections with pokemon before, when he was working on hurt pokemon. But those pokemon had been in pain and had let Isaac's mind search their own. He had never tried it on a healthy pokemon, let alone a powerful psychic type. He took a few deep breaths and let his conscious expand. He felt Abra's conscious touching his own.

Each pokemon and person had an aura that surrounded their mind. Touching another's aura would stimulate all of the five senses and each person had their own unique aura. Isaac could always tell if he would be friends with a person just by looking at their aura. He remembered fondly the first time he had felt Sara's aura. She had just arrived in Pallet town from Hoenn. She had been unpacking her belongings when Isaac had allowed his mind to touch Sara's. Her aura was a light blue color. Isaac hear the falling of rain and the smell of the earth after a storm. He tasted an odd spicy food that he now recognized as a Lava cookie. He felt an unquenchable thirst for knowledge in her as well.

Isaac was apprehensive as he reached out towards Abra. Abra's aura was a light purple. The smell of his mother's gym filled his mind. He tasted strawberries.

My personal favorite food. You would not happen to have some on you would you?

Isaac felt his apprehension fade away as Abra spoke in its high reedy tenor.

I think that can be arranged.

Isaac let his mind retreat from Abra's and allowed Abra to search his own.

You are offspring of Sabrina! Abra thought after a few moments.

And you are the son of Sabrina's Alakazam.

This would have continued if Oak had not started yelling from downstairs about them being late. Isaac had started up the conversation again on the train but Abra fell asleep soon afterward.

Isaac looked out the window and saw rolling planes of dead grass and patches of snow. He had been amazed at how much the landscape had changed. The long train ride began in the flatlands of Pallet town but had soon reached the beautiful and dark Viridian forest. After passing the forest the train arrived at the rugged landscape of Pewter city. There had been a short stop at Pewter before the train went off into the sprawling Black mountain range. Isaac remembered long stretches of darkness while the train went through the mountains themselves. And now they had reached the region of Saigo.

Isaac now saw that the train was approaching a small town.

"Hello passengers. We have arrived at Canvas town. We hope you had a pleasant trip and we hope to see you again."

The train began to slow down and Isaac started to get all of his stuff into his backpack. He woke up Abra and placed him in his pokeball. Isaac was zipping up his backpack when Sara walked over to him.

"Hey Isaac have you seen… Oh here he is."

Zack was walking towards them. He had a sour look on his face and Isaac could see why. Munchlax was right behind him with a happy look on its face and crumbs of various snacks all over its mouth. Zack pulled his wallet out of his pocket and opened it. It was completely empty.

"I don't even have to tell you what that monstrosity did."

Canvas town was full of sights and sounds. The trio had been lucky enough to arrive on a Saturday when the market in the town square was open. Small booths were situated here and there selling odd wears and knickknacks. There was a cacophony of sounds that gradually turned into a symphony. People in overcoats and sweaters haggling to get the best price, street musicians playing beautiful acoustic songs, and, sweetest of all, the laughter of the children of Canvas town as they had snowball fights. Smells of unhealthy (but tasty) food wafted through the air along with the aroma of flowers.

Isaac was drawn into one of the flower shops. This one was giving off one of the finest, sweetest, scents he had ever had the pleasure to smell. The shop was run by a kindly old lady that loved answering Isaac's questions about the plants. Isaac would simply start looking at a plant and the old lady would go into the history of the plant and its uses. Isaac walked passed Frostrose ("Only rose to have that white color deary. Also the only one that grows better in colder weather!"),Sesla berry ("Makes a lovely soup. Selsa berry soup can cure just about anything if made right.") , and came to what he thought was a pot with just dirt in it… until it moved.

Isaac, startled, jumped back. As he did this something broke through the mulch in the pot. It was a small rabbit like creature with white and brown fur. On its back was a single pink wildflower. Isaac, at first, thought that the flower had merely been caught up in the creature's fur but, on closer inspection, he saw that it was growing directly out of its back.

"Admiring my Rabinal?"

Isaac spun around to find himself face to face with an elderly gentleman. He looked like he was in his early seventies possibly in his late sixties. He was about a foot taller than Isaac and was also quite round. His short, neatly combed, hair was pure white with no traces of grey. He held a beautifully carved wooden walking cane in his right hand. His green eyes sparked a bit as he picked up the creature.

"Fascinating pokemon Rabinals," he said holding the Rabinal in his hand and petting it behind its ears. "It's the only type of pokemon known to science that changes type depending on the season. In the summer its coat is dark green and it is a pure grass type. In the fall it turns a dirty brown and becomes a grass/ground type. And in the… well you get the idea."

The gentleman noticed the flower on the Rabinal and chuckled.

"That wasn't there last time! Spring is soon to come then excellent. You could set your watch to this little guy he knows better than anyone when the seasons are going to change."

He set the Rabinal back in the pot where it had climbed out of. The gentleman took his first proper look at Isaac. After a few moments the gentleman spoke.

"You wouldn't happen to be one of Prof. Oak's apprentices would you?"

Isaac nodded. The gentleman clapped his hands together and grinned.

"Excellent. My name is Prof. Richard Spruce. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Spruce and Isaac shook hands. Spruce looked around with a puzzled look on his face.

"Oak told me there would be three of you…"

"Well I kinda well lost track of my friends," said Isaac sheepishly.

"Well it won't be that hard to find them. Come on and help me."

Spruce waved goodbye to the shop keeper (his wife) as they left the shop. Only a few minutes afterward that Isaac and Spruce found Sara and Zack playing a carnival game at one of the booths.

"Hey! There you are," said Sara.

Zack, distracted by Isaac's arrival, completely missed the ring he was supposed to throw the ball into. He handed his money over to the vender and muttered to himself as he walked over to Isaac.

"Yeah where were you man?" asked Zack. He looked at Prof. Spruce "And who's this guy?"

"Sara, Zack I would like to introduce you to Prof. Spruce."

Spruce shook both Sara's and Zack's hands.

"It's great to finally meet you all. I have heard a great deal about you from Oak."

The four of them walked from the Market square to Spruce's lab on the outskirts of town. As they walked Spruce revealed that he and Prof. Oak had been friends since childhood. They had both been born in Pallet town and had always had interests in pokemon. While Oak had started off as a trainer before becoming a Professor. Spruce had always been more interested in scientific side of pokemon. After Oak had retired from training he, Spruce, and a fellow Professor named Rowan had collaborated to make the world's first pokedex. Eventually Spruce took up residency in the Johto region to train a young Professor named Elm. After a few years in Johto Spruce heard rumors of a new region. He was so intrigued that he set off to find this land. Spruce took the long path across Mt. Silver and the Black mountain range into Saigo. When Spruce had finally arrived in Saigo he set up shop in Canvas town.

The group arrived at the lab just as Spruce was finishing his story. The lab was situated on a hill overlooking Canvas town. Behind the lab a trail lead off to the north into a wooded area. Spruce unlocked the door to the lab and let the trio in. The lab was smaller than Oaks but very comfortable. The trio sat themselves down on a sofa in the living room as Spruce went off to the kitchen to make some tea. Spruce returned a few minutes later with piping hot tea and some scones. Just as Zack was about to eat his first scone Munchlax popped out of his pokeball and promptly stole the scone and ate it.

"Ah so this is the dreaded Munchlax I have heard so much about," said Spruce as Zack attempted to strangle it.

Spruce finished his scone and wiped his mouth clean with a napkin before he spoke again.

"Now I'm sure you all want to know what I need you for," said Spruce. "You see Saigo does not just have new pokemon its unique conditions have made some pokemon act and look differently than their counterparts in other regions. Through years of separation these pokemon have adapted in strange ways and that is what I have been studying."

"Unfortunately I am not in the shape I once was," he said pointing to his cane.

"I am afraid that my journey across the Black mountain range was my last great adventure."

Spruce sighed and sipped at his tea.

"That's why I need you three. I need you to be my eyes and ears. To see what all this great region is hiding. Are you up to this task?"

All three simultaneously said "yes."

Spruce smiled "Good. Now I am not just telling you to go into the wild blindly I have a few things to help you on your quest," he said standing up and walking to the back of the lab.

The trio followed him after he beckoned for them. He was waiting for them in a room taken up racks of pokeballs. Two walls were coved with them. The back wall had a huge telescreen on it. Spruce was standing in the middle of the room leaning on a round table in the middle of the room. On the table were three pokeballs and three small red devices.

"Now I understand you all already have one pokemon each, correct?"

"Unfortunately," mumbled Zack. They could hear Munchlax raiding the abandoned scones in the living room.

Isaac and Sara both released their Abra and Cindaquill from their pokeballs.

"Excellent," said Spruce. "But, I would like to offer you one more pokemon."

He picked up each of the pokeballs and released the pokemon inside. The first pokeball released a small blue crocodile like pokemon with massive teeth; Totaldile. The second released was a small bird with yellow and orange feathers; Torchick. The last one was a pokemon Isaac did not recognize. It looked a bit like a wolf pup. It was fairly small its shoulder only coming up to the top part of Isaacs knee. Its body was about two feet long and its tail gave it an extra foot. It had razor sharp claws and teeth. Its eyes were a dark brown. Its fur was very odd. Parts of it were snow white while other parts were a green moss like color.

"It's a Peakfang," said Spruce petting the wolf creature on the head. "A pokemon only found naturally here in Saigo. It's a grass/ice type and well… that's about all I know. I only received it about a month ago from a friend of mine who lives in the mountains."

"So which one of these would you like?"

Instantly all of them called out a different pokemon.

"Torchick!" said Zack.

"Totaldile!" said Sara.

"Peakfang," said Isaac.

Spruce had a large grin on his face. "Well that worked out well."

Spruce then picked put the red devices on the table and handed one to each of them.

"These are the newest model of pokedex made by yours truly. Not only does it record information on every pokemon you see it also works as a watch, GPS system, a health indicator for your pokemon, a phone and…" he reached out and took the pokedex from Sara and pushed a button on the side. The pokedex unfolded and seemed to stretch out. It was no longer red but was now black. It had eight small indents in it.

"It is also a holder for gym badges!"

While the Trio looked at what all their pokedexes could do Spruce continued talking.

"Hehe, that fool Oak! While he was helping with those trains I was making the best pokedex the world as ever seen!"

Spruce seemed to snap out of the little world his head was in.

"Oh right, sorry. Anyway that is… um…. AH! You three are to set off tomorrow to Seaclasp City. It's bigger than Canvas town and easy to get to. Just follow the path behind the lab and it should take about a day maybe a half day depending on the weather. But for tonight you will stay here."

There was a small room to the left of the pokedex room that had a pair of bunk beds. Zack took the top bunk and Isaac took the bottom. Abra and Peakfang (who had become fast friends) slept in the bed with him. Peakfang slept at Isaac's feet and Abra was on his stomach looking quite comical as his body rose and fell to the rhythm of Isaac's breathing. Isaac was soothed by Abra's and Peakfang's soft snoring and soon fell into a deep dream filled sleep.