It hadn't taken long to pack my bags. One of the benefits of being flung into a different universe I suppose. But It meant that I managed to swiftly get all of my stuff packed as Lupin and Aria chased each other around the room as they waited for me.

After I had finished placing the last items into the bag, I looked towards the desk against the wall and at the packet laying open on the top of it.

It had been a week since the contest had concluded. A week that my pokémon and I had been using to train together, getting us ready for our journey to Paldea and our entry in the Paldea Circuit, courtesy of Lady Ortega's recommendation.

Austin had been battling with us each day in order for us both to get some more battle experience, and Alix had stuck around with us during that time, the two of us practising performance battles and coming up with potential new performances for the exhibition stages. It was a very nice thing for her to do even though she had plans of her own.

Whilst she also was defeated by Lady Ortega, Alix had also been offered a recommendation to take part in the Paldea Circuit. She had turned it down though, stating that she already had plans to participate in the Johto Circuit. Yet despite this, she decided to stick around for a while to get some extra battle training with Austin, Maya and myself.

So after a week of the four of us and our pokémon training and practising together, I finally received a letter from Lady Ortega confirming my entry into the Paldea Contest Circuit. She'd even included a ferry ticket to help me get to the region, meaning I had a few days left with my friends until I would be travelling to another region.

And now that day had arrived, the day I was going to be beginning a new chapter in my life. So with my stuff now packed, I scooped Lupin up into my arms and let Aria nest on my head before leaving the room, heading to the PokeCentre Canteen where I had agreed to meet the others.

It wasn't hard to find the others when I arrived, Austin once again chatting excitedly about something and making quite a bit of noise as Alix watched him, unimpressed at the attention he was attracting. Making myself known, I put my hand on his shoulder and pressed down slightly.

"Austin, you know others are trying to eat, right?"

He stopped rambling long enough to turn in his seat, looking up at me with sparkles in his eyes.

"You'll do it right?" he asked me excitedly.

"What?"

"You'll trade one with me when you catch one!" he said, still looking up at me with his eyes sparkling. I blinked at him confusedly before looking over towards Alix, hoping she could illuminate me on what was going on.

"He wants to know if you'll catch a Wooper for him when you're in Paldea," she explained before raising a cup of coffee to her lips.

"Wait," I say, looking back to Austin. "Don't you already have a Quagsire?"

"I do, but I don't have a Paldean Wooper," he exclaimed, before thrusting his phone towards my face. On the screen was a photo of a Wooper, but its colour was different. Instead of being the same blue that Austin's Quagsire was, the Wooper in the picture was a muddy brown colour, looking happy as it appeared to be playing in a puddle.

"I never got to go to Paldea, and cross-region trading is difficult to organise if you don't know anyone from that region. So I was hoping you'd be willing to catch one and then trade it with me."

I looked up from his phone and was greeted with an expectant look on his face.

"I mean… sure. But wouldn't that mean giving up one of your pokémon in return?" I asked. In response, Austin gave me a grin.

"Nope! Because in return, I'm going to catch a pokémon for you. One that will make Alix jealous of you."

I heard Alix groan at this, but she made no attempt to correct or scold him, so I assumed she'd let it slide. I meanwhile…

"I can't."

Austin's face fell.

"I don't want you to catch a pokémon I might not like, that might not want to travel with me."

Austin looked contemplative for a moment, and I could almost hear the cogs whirling in his head before he suddenly clapped his hands.

"What if I catch some pokémon and show them to you, then you can see if you connect with any of them? And if you do, then we could trade."

I took a moment to think about the suggestion. It was an ok idea, it meant that I didn't have to worry about getting a pokémon that I wouldn't like (I had been burned by Surprise Trade far too often, and I didn't want to be given a living being that I didn't like).

"Ok," I say, holding out my hand. "It's a deal. I'll find you a Wooper."

"And I'll find you a pokémon that'll help you win the Paldea Cup," Austin declared as he took my hand, sealing the deal as we shook them.

It was at that moment Maya arrived, a bag hanging off her shoulder and a thick book under her arm.

"You're not thinking of doing something silly are you?" she asked her brother as she sat down next to Maya. Taking her lead I sat opposite her.

"He promised to catch and trade a pokémon with me if I would find and trade a Wooper with him," I explained. She raised an eyebrow at me, before opening the book she had been holding.

"If that's the case, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding one," she said as she flipped through the pages. "Your ferry ticket is to Levincia, right? Apparently, there's a large number of Wooper living northwest of the city."

As she told me this, she found the page she was looking for. She turned the book towards me and slid it across so I could read it. The pages described a place called Tagtree Thicket, pictures of a forest with trees with what looked like paint splashed across them. There was another picture, this one showing a number of brown Wooper looking up at the camera.

"It might take a few days to get there, but they might help you come up with some ideas."

I frown at that last part.

"They?" I ask as I look up at her. But Maya put a finger in front of her mouth.

"Trust me, the surprise will be worth it."

I blinked, but didn't push further. It had made me curious to what she meant, but I could always find out on my own. It filled me with a bit of excitement, wondering what I would find there.

We began to eat, Maya helping me identify several towns and cities that were going to be hosting contests and helping me plan my path through the region. It wasn't a concrete plan, just an outline of which contests I might like to participate in. Maya even identified some locations she thought I might want to see, thinking that as a Faller, I might like to see some important cultural landmarks to learn more about my new world.

Austin and Alix meanwhile were interacting with our pokémon that we had let out. Austin was playing with his Trapinch, throwing small bits of food into the air so the pokémon could snatch it out of the air. Alix was grooming her Fletchinder on her lap as Lupin and Aria watched them with interest. Occasionally, Fletchinder would surprise Aria by quickly preening her wing whenever she got close enough. I think Lupin was hoping that Alix would be willing to groom him afterwards as he was watching them intently, his tail slowly slowly wagging on the floor.

"So… what time is your ferry leaving?" Alix asked me as she finished grooming Fletchinder, placing him on the table so he had easier access to Aria to preen her feathers.

"Boarding begins at eight and the ferry leaves the dock at half-nine," I reply. "We get to Levincia the morning after tomorrow."

She nodded, before standing. Fletchinder immediately stopped preening Aria and flew up into the air, landing on her shoulder as she picked up her bag.

"I apologise for not being able to see you off, but I hope you do well over there," she said. I stood up as well, holding out my hand to her.

"You too. Thank you for the help these last few days," I say to her, getting a small laugh in response.

"If you want to thank me, become one of Paldea's treasures. Then let everyone know that I helped train you," she said with a wink, before taking my hand and shaking it.

"Only if you let everyone know we helped you as well," I smirked back. Lupin barked up at us in agreement, and she smiled.

"Then I suppose neither of us can afford to let the others down."

Three hours later I found myself standing on the pier with Maya and Austin, doing one final check to ensure that I had everything. We had said goodbye to Alix in Motostoke, wishing her the best before taking a train to Hulbury.

I had been a bit panicked when we got there as we'd arrived only an hour before the ferry was due to depart, and I worried that I wouldn't have enough time to board the ship before it departed.

But incredibly, the check-in went really quickly and I found myself ready to board the ship within twenty minutes.

So there we were, looking up at the ship that was going to take me to another region. The ship that would be my first step towards Alola.

"You ok?" Austin asked.

"Yeah…" I reply, turning my head slightly towards him. "It's just…"

"You'll miss us?" He finished, getting a nod from me. From my other side, Maya bumped her fist against my shoulder.

"You'll be fine. You've got Lupin and Aria with you, and we're only a call away if you need help."

I nodded, reassured at her confidence in my pokémon. They were currently in their pokeballs, as I didn't want to risk the two of them getting separated from me before we boarded.

"Plus," she continued, shifting her bag in her arms, "Dad and I got you a parting gift."

She reached into the bag and started pulling something out of it. For a moment I watched as she struggled to pull the object out of the bag, the item seemingly wanting to remain stuck within the confines of it. But when she had managed to pull it halfway out, I took a sharp breath as I realised what it was.

It was an Egg Incubator, a white egg with blue spots resting within it.

"There's been a recent study that suggests that pokemon raised by a trainer from an egg tend to have stronger bonds. Not sure how true it is, especially compared to a trainer's first partner, but I thought you might appreciate another teammate," Maya told me, holding the incubator out towards me. I hesitantly took the item from her, momentarily surprised at just how heavy it was.

"Are you sure?" I asked, raising my gaze from the egg to look at Maya. She nodded at me, smiling when I wrapped my arms around the incubator.

"Thank you."

She smiled, then looked down towards Austin who had bent over slightly to get a closer look at the egg.

"Woah…" he exclaimed, giving the class case a tap with his finger. "What do you think it'll hatch into?"

I raise the incubator and take a close look at the egg inside.

"No idea," I admitted to him. "It's got blue spots, so it's probably blue. Maybe an Oshawott… or a Riolu… a Meditite maybe?"

Austin hummed in contemplation, before looking up at me.

"Could be a Spheal, if the colours were reversed."

"Regardless," Maya interrupted, "Dad and I thought you and the other two would appreciate them. Whatever they end up being."

Austin pulled a face at his sister, realising that she wouldn't be spoiling the surprise, when an announcement rang out across the dock.

"Attention please. The ferry to Levincia is about to depart. Any passengers for this service who have not boarded yet are advised to board now. Once again, the ferry to Levincia…"

I stopped listening to the speaker, giving Maya and Austin a quick hug.

"Thank you for seeing me off," I thanked them. Austin began to hug back, but was stopped when Maya extracted herself from me and pulled him back, looking like a kicked puppy as his arms flailed in an attempt to reach me.

"Call us when you arrive," Maya told me. I nod, and hurry towards the ferry. Ten minutes later I was on the deck, leaning on the rail in an attempt to see the twins as the water in the bay churned as the ferry began to move away from the dock. It took a few moments, but I caught a glimpse of their green hair in the crowd of people.

"Thank you!" I yelled, waving my arm at them. They wave back at me, but I don't think they heard me as the noise from the ferry seemed to be drowning them out. But I remained there, watching as the dock got smaller and smaller, until it was just a tiny speck on the horizon.

Thank you for continuing to read this story. What pokemon do you think is in the egg? Comment your guesses if you think you have an idea. If you want to find some more incredible stories from a bunch of incredible writers, or just want to hang out, come to The Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at: 9XG3U7a.