Author's Note: Thanks a bunch for the review! I really appreciate constructive criticism, especially since I am a bit overly self aware. A lot of what you mentioned are writing errors on my part (for that I humbly apologize), since this is my very first fanfic.

Some things, such as Aaron's sudden discomfort is totally intentional and I'm glad you took notice!

I decided to edit the first chapter accordingly, as well as add in a couple much needed reactions. I hope things are clearer now.

The SS. Tidal had finally arrived at her destination, a bustling city of energy filled with plenty of attractions for the tourist to enjoy. From its Grand Contest Hall, to its high quality department store, to it's sophisticated museum. There was something for everyone in that quaint little town. Tour guides stood at read by the docking bay, ready to give the arriving trainers a tour to remember. A number vendors from the department store had opened stales for the latest berry juice and poffin recipes. One of the stalls had a poffin mixing machine which trainers were free to use so long they had a partner along with them. A group of poffin mixers were in heated competition, showing off for the esteemed newcomers.

Aaron decided to take the time to stop by and observe the Poffin Mixers in their natural environment. One of them in particular seemed to be drawing in a crowd. He had nearly expected to find the Gym Trainer here, but she was nowhere to be found. 'She's probably shopping, she did say she wanted to go on a shopping spree'.

He still felt a bit bitter, none of the Pokemon League's gyms had taken kindly to him becoming the Champion. Only Lieutenant Surge, Erica and Brock had vouched for him. He wasn't too sure about the others. Blaire did his own thing, and most of the others didn't seem to care much about anything. Except Sabrina, she certainly cared too much. Koga was just hard to deal with, along with his stubborn daughter. Unlike all the other challengers of Kanto, they seemed to view him in the worse of light for whatever reason. Now one of them sent a girl here. Janine... of course Janine would want to be the first to discover the mystery of the floating castle. Aaron had only met her once, when she was still training underneath her father's watchful eye. She seemed to be more daring than her fellows, almost too daring. Lance had warned him about her, when he had visited him after his ascension to the title of champion.

It didn't matter in the long run, whatever the League's members did. He wasn't a member of the League anymore, and he was glad. It was a corrupt institution, with no one wishing to do their duty to protect their regions from outside threats. A young hero would always be the one to do the job for them, someone who was always much younger than everyone else. As a result, many people would forget about older trainers. Those who have just entered their teenage years were expected to become adults and contribute to society just like everyone else. Any thoughts of being a hero at his age were considered to be a fool's dream.

He sighed, as an eccentric looking boy that looked nearly the same age as him produced a pink poffin with white icing. The boy held it up for the crowd to see, decorating it with the likeness of a Gracidea. Next to him stood a Smeargle at attention, proudly displaying his green tipped tail as if to announce to the world that yes, he and his trainer were indeed artists. The boy was good to be sure, as the crowd certainly seemed to think so. A round of applause was given, when a Munchlax taste tested his poffin, determining that it was more than good enough to satisfy the Pokemon's bottomless stomach.

Aaron wished he had that boy's confidence.

"Now! Who will be the brave one to challenge me to a Poffin mixing duel? I assure you, there is nothing to fear!"

The former champion shied away from the crowd, deciding now was the time to ditch the scene.

"How about you?"

Aaron winced, "No thanks, I'm no poffin mixer." He didn't like the encouraging smile the boy gave him, neither did he like the stares of the gathered crowd. 'Please pick someone else' he thought. He decided the department store looked like a really great tourist trap at the moment.

The boy frowned, "Everyone's a poffin mixer. Now come, let me show you the basics okay? At least give it a try?"

The former champion considered the hopeful gaze, that welcoming expression. Truth was, he never really considered poffins to be his thing. He always assumed that was something only coordinators had to worry about. This guy was most definitely a coordinator. He started to walk away, ignoring the words of the disappointed crowd. He suddenly felt like maybe he shouldn't have come. There was no sign of any flying castle anywhere, let alone anyone who really knows anything useful about the rumored attraction. A tall marble building caught his eye, 'I suppose it couldn't hurt.'

"I can give you a grand tour if you win."

The poffin mixer was still speaking to him, Aaron realized, and he was giving him one of those knowing smiles. Aaron frowned at him, which only served to make that grin widen. He had to admit, he wanted to see the ancient tablet he had read about in the Hoenn guide book. Having a tour guide would be nice. Aaron smiled back, "I want to know where I can find the supposed floating castle of Hoenn. If you can tell me that and give me a tour, then I will challenge you."

One of the onlookers spoke up before the boy could respond, "Actually son..." There was a pause, and the man pulled out a read newspaper for Aaron to see. "You just missed it." Unfortunately, what the man said was true. The newspaper was a few days old, and had the picture of a tall and beautiful castle plastered on the front. Upon closer inspection the cage that was stacked at the top of the tallest tower contained a giant pokemon, which looked as though it could light up the dead of the night. It had a neo-gothic style to its architecture, with flying buttresses lining up along the sides connected to tall spires made of the purest of marble. He couldn't make out the stained glass imagery on the windows, but if he had to guess they would be of some sort of Pokemon. There was a large appreciation for the natural world present in the castle, he could make out vines that were carved into the designs on the outside, especially around the tips of the spires. All it was missing was some sort of extravagant garden, and it would be a romantical paradise. He wondered just who had the kind of money to afford all this.

"It stops at every city for up to four days, before taking off again. It has an elevator that can take people up you see, but only certain people."

"I hear that you have to be invited in order to enter the castle" added another random stranger. More of the crowd gathered to voice their opinions and concerned, making Aaron realize just how much not even the people of Hoenn knew about the mysterious castle. No doubt everyone thought about the last time something similar happened, and just how horrific that turned out to be. He wanted to tell them that everything was going to be fine, wanted to be of some sort of assurance. Yet he himself didn't know what good he could do. Truthfully he still longed to be on that fabled castle, that was one thing that wouldn't change. He still had to wonder; that is, what if there was a reason to fear?

Aaron quickly pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He came here looking for adventure, not to run away from it. While he understood the crowds' concerns, he was still the former champion. If anyone was going to conquer this new challenge it was going to be him...only him.

"Say son, you look familiar" the old man who gave him him the newspaper in the first place noted, eying him rather strangely. Aaron stiffened under his gaze, which slpwly turned to hopeful wonder. The same sort of wonder that the poffin mixer gave him only moments before. "Does this mean that the League is finally going to get involved in this mystery?"

The entirety of the crowd looked at him in anticipation, the same questioning gaze on every face. The pit of bitterness once again reared its ugly head in Aaron's stomach, because he knew that this was perhaps the reason he met that Gym Trainer on the ship. She probably wasn't the only one, now that he thought about it. If anything the Dragon Trainer Clan would definitely want to send someone to investigate the castle as well. He looked from one denizen to the other, wondering just how he should respond. He wasn't the champion anymore, so he had no idea. The question was, did they know that? If they did, did they understand the implications? The Hoenn League and the Indigo Leagues were two separate institutions. Not even he knew who was currently the Hoenn Champion. The old man who had asked the question in the first place, seemed to understand this at last. With a nod, he told the younger boy "It's fine if you don't know son. We don't get much news from your parts." One by one the anticipation disappeared from the crowd's faces, as they too realized the harsh truth of the darkness. The only one who didn't look the least bit depressed, was not surprisingly the poffin mixer.

"I still have a tour to give you know" he said, holding up a finger in a scolding way.

Aaron smiled weakly, he suppose he couldn't back out now. "Do you still want me to try mixing poffins too?"

"Actually, I have something better in mind!"