A/N: Hey my fellow readers, a wild update appeared!

I'm finally back after this long break and for that I'm truly sorry. Adult life is really tough and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get anything done due to the overload of responsibilities (classes, tests, work, ...).

I'm slowly getting back to FF, trying to write whenever I have free time, but I've been noticing that I really I'm lacking some inspiration, because right now I'm working solo on my stories and I have to brainstorm on my own. Idk but I really feel like I need someone to at least discuss some ideas with me, maybe a co-author or something like that would be amazing, since my writing schedule is limited (PM if anyone reading this is interested).

Thank you so much for waiting three months for an update and don't worry cuz' I'm just finishing 2 more chapters that I'll post soon. Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter and once again thanks for all the PMs and reviews. If you're a new reader or simply want to submit another OC due to summer boredom, send me a PM and we'll talk about it :)

Hoenn, Petalburg City, Normal POV

Another sunny day in Hoenn marked the first day of Neo's journey. Despite how much he hated the weather, and his lack of enthusiasm in general, the purple-haired boy and his new traveling companion found themselves in Petalburg City early in the morning.

Only Arceus knew how annoyed Neo was that day, as soon as he set foot outside of his aunt's house.

His only wish had been to start his journey in a nice, cold region. Sinnoh would have been amazing. "Well, this wouldn't be a problem if my parents hadn't sent me away..." Neo mumbled to himself, his negative emotions displayed on his face.

Neo tried to eradicate the unhelpful thoughts, instead swinging the borrowed Good Rod back into the lake.

Unlike his best friend Colt, Neo decided that instead of rushing towards another Gym battle, it would be wiser to get some money first. Being a rookie, the chances of him finding an opponent that he could beat, at this moment, were pretty low.

Trainers who wanted to save some money for the rest of their journey usually tried to avoid losing their initial Poké Dollars in the Prize Money policy.

For this reason, Neo decided to take a request from a nearby restaurant to earn a bit extra. His goal was to catch twenty water Pokémon before the lunchtime.

He was provided with the proper gear, a rod and thirty Lure balls, to compensate for any missing catches.

So far, Neo was doing a great job and the required quantity was already half full.

As he waited for a Pokémon to take the bait, Neo felt Ralts, his starter, tugging at his sleeve to get his attention.

He turned to face her, noticing that the psychic Pokémon had a worried expression on her face. Neo patted his partner's head and said softly "I'm sorry for making you worry. I totally forgot you can read my emotions. And my thoughts, too, probably."

Ralts nodded, making her trainer understand that unlike other Pokémon, she was very sensitive to his mood changes. The reputation of Ralts being the "Feeling Pokémon" wasn't just for show.

"I'm fine, Ralts. Thanks," Neo reassured her, smiling sincerely, something that felt extremely new to him. Somehow he felt like she would always understand him, no matter how bad their interactions got.

Suddenly, Neo felt the Good Rod shake, clearly showing that it had hooked a Pokémon. "Get ready Ralts," Neo said calmly as his starter took a fighting stance, ready to immobilize the water type.

Hoenn, Petalburg City, Neo's POV

I quickly pulled out the Good Rod from the water, only to reveal an idiotic-looking Psyduck. This was the second time I'd hooked it.

I sighed in annoyance as I threw the water Pokémon back into the lake.

The restaurant manager said I only needed to catch Magikarp and Goldeen, since those were the most common on this lake. I also remembered the cooks teasing me, saying that I would get extra for every Corphish I caught.

Of course this was almost impossible since they were so rare around here.

Apparently, there was also a Psyduck in this lake and for some reason it seemed like it really enjoyed getting hooked on my fishing rod.

I heard a lighthearted laugh coming from behind me. I turned around, surprised to see Kori there, wearing her blue swimsuit.

Honestly, I thought she'd abandoned because I was a crappy traveling companion, but apparently taking half an hour to change clothes was normal for females.

Ralts looked at me and shook her head in disapproval. I was reminded of Ralts's empathic abilities again.

"I took so long, I'm sorry. Totodile kept pestering me," She said, regarding the starter Pokémon she was holding on her arms. I stopped myself from grinning and waved off her worries.

"Why don't you capture that Psyduck?" Kori wondered out loud.

I shrugged and said, "They won't pay for it."

Just before adding some more valid points to why I shouldn't catch that Pokémon, Kori spoke. "Well, it's not a psychic Pokémon, but it does have "Psy" in the name and it learns good attacks."

She was right, but I still didn't want to accept it. I wanted to be a psychic specialist. I only wanted to train this type specifically. Why should I capture anything else?

Leaving me to my thoughts, Kori and her two Pokémon, Totodile and Spheal, went for a swim in the lake on the other side, away from my fishing spot. Apparently the round Pokémon had gotten extremely attached to Kori during her time in the Gym and decided to come with her.

I readied the Good Rod, but before I swung it again, I was hit in the face by a stream of water.

I raised an arm to dry my face and hide my surprise, thinking that Kori was the one who did it, playing around with her Pokémon.

I looked to see Kori and Ralts staring at me with puzzled expressions while a dumb-looking duck atop a rock laughed heartily.

"Neo, are you ok?" My friend shouted as she started swimming towards me. "It seems that this one's taken a liking to you."

Was Kori trying to make a joke? That Psyduck obviously didn't like me at all. But soon I would be the one laughing, because right now I was really pissed.

"Ralts, are you ready?" I asked my partner calmly, finally focusing on shutting down the cackling duck.

Ralts nodded and our battle started. "Use Confusion and send it for a swim!" Her red horns started to glow blue and using her telekinetic power she sent the cocky Psyduck flying headfirst into the lake.

I couldn't help but grin at my little bit of revenge. I knew I was being prideful and this attack wouldn't be enough to end the battle, though.

Emerging from the lake, Psyduck took aim and released a spiral of water from its beak.

For a second I froze. A wild Psyduck wouldn't know how to use Water Gun like this. It looked like this attack had taken training to look perfect, something that a Contest participant would do.

"Teleport, Ralts," I commanded, getting back into the battle.

As soon as Ralts landed some feet away from her original spot, Psyduck swam towards land, probably looking to catch her unprepared.

This Pokémon had battle experience. Psyduck had been released by its previous owner, which would explain the mystery of its appearance in this lake, where it didn't belong.

Despite having skill and experience, Psyduck couldn't beat us. "Ralts, wait for Psyduck, and once it's close enough, use Disarming Voice."

Sprinting it's way towards Ralts, Psyduck extended its claws, ready to use Scratch.

Just before the attack hit Ralts, she let out a loud shriek, releasing energy that made Psyduck stop in its tracks.

Distracted by the sudden noise, this was the perfect moment to end the battle. "Ralts, finish it with Confusion!"

As the psychic waves hit the duck and disoriented it even more, I picked one of the borrowed Lure Balls and threw it.

The Poké ball shook once, twice and the Psyduck finally gave up. I had just caught it.

"Congratulations, Neo! I think you really should keep it!" Kori said enthusiastically, as she clapped for my achievement.

I was about to say that I had no intention of keeping this Pokémon when a new voice joined our little chat. "Nice catch! That Psyduck seemed pretty strong, definitely worth keeping!"

I turned around to face a tall, dark-haired guy wearing a navy blue hoodie and khaki jeans. Somehow, just his stance gave me the impression that I was talking to someone really experienced.

My suspicions were correct, now that I had noticed the chain necklace he was wearing. The pendant, in a shape of a treble clef, had a Key Stone in the bottom spiral.

He noticed me staring at his Key Stone and gave me a confident smile, introducing himself. "I'm sorry for being nosy. My name is Oliver and I'm somewhat lost."

As he scratched his head embarrassedly, he showed us his Holo Caster which was had a flashing "No Signal" message. I concluded that he was from Kalos.

"Do you think you can direct me to the nearest Poké Mart?"

"I'm Korianne and this is Neo, nice to meet you." Kori decided to introduce both of us, breaking the ice and saving me from looking awkward. "Sure we can help you, right Neo?" Kori offered to help without hesitation. She was definitely a good-hearted person.

Instead of answering, I started to use my Xtransceiver and a message popped up on Oliver's gadget. "Accept the connection. I'm sending you a detailed map of the Hoenn region."

For some reason, both Kori and Oliver seemed to be astonished. Oliver quickly accepted the incoming file and as soon as he received it, he noticed that he could access the map function once again.

"Wow! That was amazing Neo. I didn't know that you could share stuff through different type of devices," Kori said, rather impressed with the new information.

Oliver cracked a discrete laugh and said, "Thank you so much Neo. You just saved me from having to use a paper map for the rest of this journey."

I nodded and instantly, Oliver offered me a handshake.

I shook his hand. "By checking your training card I saw that you are aiming to be a psychic specialist, but that doesn't mean you only have to focus on training Pokémon of that specific type."

He paused, and eventually let go of my hand, before continuing, "There are plenty of Pokémon out there that are not labeled as psychic, but still have an enormous potential with moves of that type. For example, you can use Psyduck to fend against the dark type weaknesses in your team, making sure that it still learns the psychic attacks that you love so much."

He was right. Maybe I was being too arrogant and a little bit childish for wanting to ignore Psyduck, just because of it's type.

"You're right. I will keep this Pokémon and raise it properly," I said decisively, finally giving up on my stupid pride. "Thanks for the advice, Oliver."

He winked and gave us a charismatic smile, "Anytime, Neo! Well, it was really nice to meet you guys, and I hope to see you soon in this City's Gym." He said, bidding his farewell and walking off to find the Mart, keeping his map up and constantly checking it.

Well, he was interesting. And somehow I could sense that he was at Colt's level. He gave me the vibe of being a good mentor, his knowledge and attitude towards Pokémon were also inspiring.

I was glad I had started travelling. There was so much to see and to learn from people. This journey just kept getting more and more interesting.