Trevor opened his eyes to find himself floating in a place he didn't recognize. He was surrounded by waves upon waves of lucid colors which shimmered and contorted in the distance. There was no ground nor sky, only a vast expanse of seemingly infinite space. Trevor looked around dazedly, searching for any bodies present within this strange, unrecognizable world.

Trevor began to call out for help, a resonant echo amplifying his voice. "Hello, is there anybody there?" No response. He continued to float in silence for a while, accompanied only by his own thoughts and the sea vivid colors which enveloped him. Before long, however, Trevor abruptly turned his head towards a muffled voice which he did not recognize.

"H-an c-"

The multicolored canvas which bordered this world seemed to waver slightly as the voice reverberated and gradually grew clearer.

"I-m -ie ca- he-r m-"

Trevor shut his eyes and perked up his ears, trying his best to pick up whatever this voice was attempting to convey. Trevor heard his heartrate begin to soar as he steadily reached the cusp of recognizing what the odd voice was saying...

"Treph, wake up!"

"Gah!"

With a gasp of surprise, Trevor shot up from his bed to find an apprehensive-looking Aiden standing in front of him, tapping her foot impatiently.

"C'mon, why does it always take so long for you to wake up? You're an explorer now; you've gotta get in the habit of waking up early in the morning! You said that you'd try, didn't you?"

"Mmm...sorry," Trevor mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he stood up and rubbed the back of his neck, which had long since healed.

"Never mind that," Aiden proclaimed enthusiastically, "We have a months' worth of training to make up! Eat up, wash yourself, then meet me in the back of the house in thirty minutes! And bring your satchel with you!" With that, Aiden promptly picked up a sandbag slumped on the wall to her right and began dragging it outside, leaving Trevor to nervously wonder what exactly Aiden had in store for him.

-

Trevor tentatively walked to the back of Aiden's house, then reeled back upon seeing a basketball court-shaped rectangle of dirt amidst a grassy field which he had somehow managed to miss. Trevor noticed that the soil which marked the area was black and covered in charred burn marks. In the center of the box was Aiden, accompanied by her punching bag which laid motionless and almost blended into the floor below. Upon seeing Trevor's surprised reaction, she gave a wide smile and motioned him to draw near.

"How do you like it?" she asked proudly as Trevor drew near, "It's a self-made gym! It's not anything too special, but it's served me well ever since I've moved here!"

"It's...nice," Trevor muttered, internally wondering how the house's previous owners would react to the massive block of dirt that once was their backyard. He shuddered slightly.

Aiden's expression abruptly turned serious, though her pouty lip and overexaggerated scowl told Trevor that she was unused to being a teacher. "Alright, Trevor, lets get started. I guess I'll start off by asking what you already know about us, about Pokémon. You did say that you come from a world where humans and Pokémon coexist, right?"

Trevor gave a quick nod. "Well, I know that Pokémon can be categorized into types. Fire burns grass, water douses fire, and so on."

Aiden crossed her arms and slowly bobbed her head with wide eyes, evidently trying to appear as impressed as possible. "That's good! Most Pokémon learn about their unique typing and what they're weak or strong against at a young age, so you'd better study up if you wanna catch up! I've done a bit of research and found that you're a normal type. That means that you're weak against fighting, so you want to avoid those. As for what matchups normal types are strong against..."

Trevor knew the answer even before she finished her sentence. "Normal types aren't particularly strong against any types," he said with a vaguely disheartened tone, "meaning that I won't be particularly effective against anyone in a fight."

"Err- moving on!" Aiden speedily interjected, "Do you know anything else about what Pokémon're capable of?"

"Pokémon in my world have a set of moves, which often correspond with their types. Stuff like Dig, Aerial Ace, and Poison Jab."

Aiden began nodding slowly again, which Trevor began to find embarrassingly patronizing. "Yep! All Pokémon have this...energy, I guess. It's called aura, and all you really need to know is that it enables us to do...what we do. Some Pokémon can use it to shoot sludge or water from their mouths, while others can manifest pure aura into physical forms. I, being a fire type, can channel my aura to gain access to an array of fire-related attacks. It feels weird explaining this to someone your age, so I'll just show you."

Motioning Trevor to stay back, Aiden paced a few steps away from her still-dormant sandbag before picking up a stray pebble laying on the charcoal-black earth. After giving herself a moment to focus, she tossed the rock into the air and began kicking it around like a hacky sack, launching it into an arched path it with her toes, then receiving it with the end of her heel. With each successive kick, the pebble gradually became engulfed in concentrated fire to the point where half a minute of volleying had turned the once puny geode into a bright, orange fireball about the size of her head. Before Trevor could admire the growing ball of light for too long, Aiden quickly launched it into the air, then sent it hurling towards the sandbag with a well-timed roundhouse kick. The huge and blinding explosion of fire which released on collision was more than enough to send it flying into the air, then come crashing down, battered and billowing smoke.

Trevor was speechless, mouth agape and eyes sparkling with admiration. As much as Aiden tried to maintain a neutral expression, she couldn't help but beam in pride slightly upon seeing just how blown back he was.

"Yeah, it's no big deal," she panted as she began rubbing her legs. "That was just my Pyro Ball. I channeled my aura into that rock by kicking it around a whole bunch. It could be stronger, but I think that it turned out alright after a whole lot of practice. Though you should know that Pokémon can only use certain amounts of aura before they have'ta rest to recharge. I think I only have about five of those in me before I'm completely depleted of energy."

With an almost childlike sense of excitement, Trevor ran up to Aiden and pumped his fists. "So, what can I do?" he asked with barely contained anticipation, "What are Meowths capable of?"

"Right...Well, that's the thing..." Aiden's grin dropped as she awkwardly averted her gaze towards the sky. "Fraid' Meowths don't really have access to super powerful elemental moves. They're normal type, after all. They can channel aura towards their claws for a scratch attack, or use their sharp teeth for a wicked strong bite. But other than that, they don't have too many offensive options compared to most other Pokémon as far as I'm aware."

Aiden looked back down to find Trevor excitement rapidly dissipating, his elated fidgeting turning into a distraught sulk. He stared into his brown paws disappointedly. "So, it's like that then," he muttered to himself.

Aiden grabbed Trevor by the shoulders. "Hey, c'mon, cheer up! Meowths are perfectly capable of holding their own in fights, it's just gonna take a bit of extra elbow grease! You can't let your limits push you down! Having super powerful abilities isn't the only factor in becoming a great explorer! Just focus on what you can do, and you'll become a formidable Pokémon in no time! You have your fangs, claws, and bag - that's more than enough!

She flashed a confident smile which Trevor couldn't help but find reassuring. Shaking away his demotivational thoughts, he managed to smile back as the lazy morning transitioned into a busy afternoon.

"Alright Treph," Aiden said as she suddenly gave Trevor a playful slap on the back, "We need to work on that stamina of yours! Let's do a thirty minute run, then we'll work on that throwing arm of yours. Your first daily training session starts now!"

Trevor breathed deeply, immediately recognizing how exhausted he would be by the day's end.

"I'll...do my best!"