Hey guys, I've decided to continue this story even though it hasn't gotten nearly as many views as my other stories. Writing about these kids is a lot of fun for me, so I'm going to create their story regardless of how many people like it. Just to clarify: this story will now be centered on the children and their journey, but the old main characters will still be recurring throughout the story, and I will also introduce the others and how their life is like. Anyways, I really appreciate you reading this, it means a lot to me to know that I have at least a few loyal readers. Keep in mind the story will seem kinda slow because I'm starting from scratch basically, and I have to introduce all the characters and how they meet and all that good stuff. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Traversing Paths

"Mmm, that was really good, Mom, thanks!"

"Yeah, great stuff, Mom!"

Damos and Alice had both just finished their lunch and were ready to leave Twinleaf Town to receive their first Pokemon from Professor Rowan. They were about to head out the door when their mother, Dawn, stopped them.

"Now, hang on just a minute, you two. Just what makes you think you can leave without saying a proper good-bye to your mother?" Dawn lightly scolded them, although she had a playful smile on her face. She knew her children were just excited; after all, she had felt the same way when she was their age.

Damos and Alice both laughed and turned around to give their mother a big hug. As Dawn embraced her two children, she began to wonder what life would be like without them. With Kenny being gone so often, she realized that she would be alone at home for the most part. She wondered if her own mom had ever gotten lonely, even with her Pokemon there.

"Damos...Alice...you two be safe, okay? And no fighting. Got it?" Dawn was just trying to stall at this point. She was cherishing these moments...her kids were growing up already.

"Yeah, yeah, as long as Alice doesn't start anything, you won't have to worry about me at all, Mom!" Damos said. This received an angry glare from his sister.

"Mom, I'll be on my best behavior, no matter how poorly Damos behaves on our journey," Alice said. She smiled triumphantly at her brother. Everything was a competition with these two.

Dawn laughed as she let go of her kids. "Well, you two better get going. Don't forget to videophone us when you arrive in Kalos! Dad and I will be expecting a call tomorrow," she said with that motherly tone of voice. The twins rolled their eyes and reassured her that they would remember.

As Dawn watched them leave, she tried her best not to tear up. I'm so proud of them already, she thought.

– –

~ Rustboro City ~

A girl with light brown hair and bright green eyes stared out the window of a train, watching the trees pass by as she traveled further and further from home. In her lap lay her very first Pokemon: Mudkip, who was sound asleep. She had only been with Mudkip for a day now, but she already felt herself bonding with it. I hope Mudkip feels the same way about me, she thought.

Meredith was the splitting image of her mother, except her hair fell straight down and she had green eyes as opposed to May's blue eyes. Her clothes were of a light blue color, and she wore a matching bandana with a design similar to the one May used to wear.

"Attention, passengers, we will be arriving at the Rustboro Airport shortly."

Meredith stroked her Pokemon's head lightly. "Hey, Mudkip. It's time to get up, sweetie!" she said cheerfully. She watched as Mudkip slowly opened its eyes and looked around. It turned to face her and smiled, its adorable charm warming Meredith's heart.

– –

~ Sandgem Town ~

"My, my, you two have grown so much since I last saw you!" Professor Rowan exclaimed.

Damos and Alice beamed at his praise, but both of them were eyeing the three Pokeballs resting on a table nearby. The twins liked the professor a whole lot, but they were anxious to finally receive their first Pokemon.

The old professor noticed this and said, "Ah, yes, time for what you two came for. Lucas, please introduce and explain-"

Damos cut him off. "There's no need for that, professor! I already know which Pokemon I want!" he said, glancing at Alice.

Alice nodded. "As do I, professor," she said politely. The good manners had stuck with her more so than they had with her brother.

The professor nodded his head. "Well, alright then. Go ahead and choose!" He pressed the button on each Pokeball, revealing the three starter Pokemon that he had been giving to trainers for years: Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup. All three Pokemon looked happy and energetic. The twins' eyes sparkled with excitement.

As they had told the professor before, both Damos and Alice already knew which Pokemon they were going to pick. Damos picked up the Penguin Pokemon, and Alice picked up the Chimp Pokemon.

"Awesome!" Damos exclaimed. "C'mon, Piplup, let's go outside and practice some moves before we leave!" he said as he ran out the door.

Alice would have followed him, but she had something on her mind that she wanted to clear up. "Um, professor? I have a question to ask you. I need some advice."

Rowan looked at her and nodded. "Ask away, Alice! I'm sure I will be able to help."

Alice nodded and hesitated a moment. "Well...I was wondering. Do you think...my mother would be disappointed in me if...I didn't want to become a Pokemon Coordinator?"

The professor raised an eyebrow and said, "Why, of course not. That would be silly. What makes you think she would be disappointed?"

"It's just that...both of my parents were top coordinators when they were younger, and...I feel as if I'm expected to do the same. But after watching so many Pokemon battles on T.V., I had decided early on that I wanted to focus on battling when I got my first Pokemon," Alice said. "But I want to make my parents proud, too!" she said, on the brink of tears. Chimchar frowned with concern, not enjoying the sight of his new trainer being so distressed.

Rowan put his hand on her shoulder. "Alice...I know your mother quite well. Believe me when I say that no matter what you decide to do, and no matter when you do it...she will always be proud of you. And that goes for your father as well. You are your own person; it's up to you what you want to do with your life."

Alice wiped a tear from her eye and she looked at Chimchar, who smiled at her comfortingly. She smiled back, already appreciating this Pokemon's company. She had a feeling that they would become great partners. "You're right professor...I'm going to focus on battling, no matter what my brother says or thinks, and no matter what my parents say. Thank you, professor!" she said as she ran up to him and gave him a hug.

Rowan patted Alice's back reassuringly. "I know you're going to be an amazing Pokemon battler, Alice. Now go find your brother; it's time you two left for Sycamore's camp," he said. He turned to Turtwig and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Turtwig. I guess there aren't any more trainers toda-"

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a young boy with bright yellow hair sped into the room. "Waitttt! I want a Pokemon, too!" he shouted. He screeched to a halt in front of Alice and Rowan and looked at Turtwig. "Oh no. Am I too late? I wanted to pick Turtwig!" he pouted, shaking his fists as he talked. He certainly had quite a lot of energy.

Rowan had never seen this child before, but he recognized him immediately. There's no doubt about it...that's got to be his boy, he thought, chuckling a little as he remembered the hasty and hyperactive trainer from years ago.

"No need to worry! I picked Chimchar, and my brother picked Piplup, so Turtwig is all yours!" Alice said, smiling at the boy.

The boy smiled and shouted, "Awesomeee! Finally, my first Pokemon! Turtwig, you and me are going to be the best Tower Tycoon duo there ever was!" he said as he picked up the Tiny Leaf Pokemon in his arms.

The professor smiled. "So you want to be a Tower Tycoon, as well, do you? An admirable goal, my dear boy. Now tell me, what is your name?"

"My name's Brandon, sir! Named after none other than the great Frontier Brain from the Hoenn region! No doubt you've heard of him!" Brandon said, his eyes gleaming with his evident admiration for his namesake.

Rowan nodded. "Well, so I guess Turtwig has found a partner, after all. Perhaps the three of you can travel to Kalos together, then? That is, assuming Brandon here is attending Sycamore's camp."

"You bet I am! I really want to meet the famous Alain Sycamore and his Mega Charizard! One day, I hope to be able to use Mega Evolution too, as I battle challengers at the Battle Tower," Brandon replied excitedly. "To follow in my father's footsteps, who followed in his father's footsteps...it's my destiny. And I'll stop at nothing to fulfill it!"

– –

~ Lumiose City ~

"Professor Sycamore?"

A young boy with electric-yellow hair opened the door to the Pokemon Lab in Lumiose City. The professor greeted him with a smile.

"Ah, Phillip! You've grown since I last saw you. How's your dad been?" Sycamore asked.

"My dad's doing great! He owns his very own technology company called Clemontic Gear!" Phillip answered. He really did look up to his father.

The professor nodded. "I see. Well, Phillip, I'm afraid that all three starter Pokemon have already been chosen today. You'll have to come back tomorrow," he said, a sympathetic smile on his face.

Phillip's jaw dropped. "What?! But professor, I've waited so long to start my Pokemon journey! Don't you have any Pokemon that you could give me? It doesn't have to be one of the traditional starters!" Phillip frantically spoke as he began to panic.

The professor sighed, saying, "Well...all right. I'll take you to the back and we'll see if we can find a Pokemon for you."

Phillip's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Awesome! Thank you, Professor Sycamore!"

– –

~ Rustboro City ~

"Attention passengers, we will be arriving at the Rustboro Airport shortly."

Alice, Damos, and Brandon were all flying together to the Kalos region. However, the only flight available was a a connecting one, stopping in Rustboro City of the Hoenn region.

The three novice trainers were walking to their gate when Brandon accidentally walked into a girl holding a Mudkip. The two of them both stumbled, and the Mudkip fell out of the girl's arms.

"Mudkip! Are you okay, sweetie?" the girl quickly picked up her Pokemon, softly caressing its head to comfort it. Mudkip was completely fine, but it liked getting the attention from its trainer.

Alice looked at the girl. She had pretty brown hair that fell straight down to her shoulders, and she wore a cute blue bandana on her head, with matching clothes.

Damos admired the girl, staring in awe at her perfect brown hair and dazzling green eyes.

Brandon stood up, holding his head in one hand. "Oh, man...I'm so sorry! I really didn't see you there. Gosh, I can be so clumsy sometimes..." he said, looking down at the ground.

The girl smiled. "It's okay. I'm Meredith, and what's your name?" she asked.

"My name's Brandon! I wish there was some way I could make it up to you for running into you like that. In my defense, it's not all my fault...apparently both of my parents had a tendency to run into people all the time," Brandon said apologetically.

Meredith shook her head. "No really, it's fine...I should've been more careful. I was just thinking about this camp that I'm heading to right now," she said, smiling.

Brandon's eyes lit up. "You mean Professor Sycamore's camp? Is that the one you're going to?" he asked.

Meredith smiled and nodded. "Yeah! That's the one!" she exclaimed. Then she blushed a little as she asked, "Maybe...we could go there together?"

– –

"Well it seems that Helioptile has taken a liking to you, Phillip," the professor said, watching the young boy play with the Generator Pokemon. There was no doubt that these two would make great partners.

"Yeah! I really like Helioptile, too! It reminds me of my dad's Heliolisk!" Phillip said, petting Helioptile's head.

Professor Sycamore nodded. "Well then...how would you like to take Helioptile as your first Pokemon? Would that make you happy?" he asked.

Phillip quickly nodded. "Yes! That would be just fantastic! I can't thank you enough, professor!"

– –

~ Lumiose City ~

"Wow! We've never seen that Pokemon before, Charmander!" a young boy exclaimed, marveling at the sight of a new Pokemon. He had raven-black hair, and bright blue eyes.

His Charmander nodded and prepared to battle. It stepped up and provoked the opposing Mareep with a challenging cry. Its flame was burning brightly, signifying Charmander's battling spirit.

The trainer that Aaron was about to battle smiled cutely at him. She knew there was something familiar about him. "You're Charmander is so cute! But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!" she said, her face full of determination and passion.

Gym Leader Bonnie wasn't messing around here.

Aaron adjusted his cap. "That's good, 'cause we weren't planning on losing!" he shouted, sticking his arm out forward. "Charmander, use Dragon Rage!" he commanded.

Charmander released a powerful blast of purple flame-like energy towards Mareep.

"Mareep, dodge it and use Electric Terrain!" Bonnie ordered, reacting calmly despite Charmander's obvious power.

Mareep leapt out of the way of Dragon Rage and proceeded to light up the floor with electricity. In a matter of seconds, the entire battlefield was teeming with yellow sparks and bolts.

Aaron took a step back. "What the-"

Bonnie saw this as her opportunity to strike. "Now, Mareep, use Charge Beam!" she shouted, her innocent smile still shining.

Mareep opened its mouth and shot a small beam of electricity at Charmander. Charmander instinctively dodged it with ease, but it kept glancing nervously at the ground. Neither Pokemon had been hit yet, but the advantage seemed to be in Bonnie's favor.

Gritting his teeth, Aaron decided to react recklessly. "Charmander, get close and use Ember!" he shouted, his confidence already starting to drain.

Charmander obeyed and dashed forward, releasing small flames from its mouth towards Mareep. The attack managed to hit Mareep, although it didn't seem too damaged.

"Mareep, counter attack with Charge Beam again!"

Mareep firmly stood its ground as it released another beam of electricity, although this was larger and brighter than the first.

Aaron frowned. "How did that get so much stronger all of a sudden?"

Bonnie smiled. "Electric Terrain boosts the power of electric-type moves. On top of that, Charge Beam boosts my Mareep's power with every use. It's a great combination!" she said confidently. I gotta say...I expected more from Ash's kid. Even if he's just starting out.

"Mareep, Charge Beam again!" she commanded.

Mareep planted its feet firmly and released another Charge Beam attack, which made direct contact with its target. Charmander staggered backward and cried out in pain, but regained its footing just as quickly. It stared at Mareep angrily, the flame on its tail starting to burn brighter.

Smiling, Aaron recalled what the Pokedex had said. Charmander's ability is Blaze, which boosts its fire-type attacks when its weakened, he thought.

"Charge Beam once more, Mareep!"

"Counter with Ember, Charmander!" Aaron shouted.

Charge Beam and Ember collided, causing an explosion between the two Pokemon. The smoke cleared, revealing that neither Pokemon had taken damage. Even with Electric Terrain, Blaze had caused Charmander's power to now match Mareep's.

Aaron suddenly had an idea. Mareep always takes a firm stance when it uses Charge Beam. If I can maybe get close then...

"Mareep, one last time. Finish this with Charge Beam!" Bonnie commanded.

Mareep stood still with its feet firmly on the ground as it prepared to release yet another Charge Beam attack at Charmander.

"Charmander! Get close right now!" Aaron shouted, a determined smile on his face.

Before Mareep could react, Charmander had closed the distance between them. Mareep panicked and shot a Charge Beam, but missed completely.

"Now, use Dragon Rage, Charmander!"

Charmander released pure draconic power from its mouth and hit Mareep directly, from close range. A huge explosion created a thick smoke that shieled the combatants from view.

As the smoke cleared, Mareep could be seen laying on the ground, with Charmander standing in front of it, breathing heavily.

"Mareep is unable to battle! Charmander is the winner!" Clembot announced. Aaron cheered, and Charmander did, too.

"Great job, Charmander! That Dragon Rage was just awesome!"

Bonnie smiled sympathetically at her Mareep as she returned it to its Pokeball. "You did well, Mareep. That was my fault. Take a good rest," she said.

She looked up. "Well, I'm impressed, Aaron. I would expect nothing less from you, after all!" she said, smiling.

Aaron looked confused. "Wait...wha?"

"Now, Dedenne, come on out!" Bonnie shouted, tossing her bag into the air. Out came the Antennae Pokemon, gracefully leaping out of the bag and landing on the ground. Bonnie caught her bag and smiled. My ace in the hole, she thought.

– – – –

And that's the end of the chapter. Good? Bad? Please review! I need the advice and criticism in order to produce better writing in the future. Also, who are some characters from the Pokemon anime that you would like to see in this story? I will gladly incorporate any desired characters into this story based on how I think they would end up in 15 years. Anyways, thanks for reading! Means a lot, guys.