Alola, 10 years ago
A woman laid on the beach; Her armour looked medieval, even fantastical. She looked like she was from another world, which was true. There were two girls of four years of age next to her. One had curly auburn brown hair and chocolate brown eyes which glowed with a faint amber glow, while the other had straight silver-gray hair and bright blue eyes.
She slowly awoke, her green eyes slowly adjusting to the morning light of the rising sun. Sitting up, she inspected her gear. Her hand crossbows were broken, and her armour needed some repairs.
The strange creatures that had gathered around the trio had come out to investigate. One owl-like creature had gravitated to the brunette girl, who was utterly fascinated by it. Another one, this time seal-like blew bubbles that made the grayette giggle.
'How did we get here?' Her thoughts were somewhat disorganized, but it all came back to her.
The Khanduran village, the demon attack that killed the populace, and these two were the last surviving members.
The auburn brown girl, Auronaku, was the female blacksmith's daughter. The mother had mentioned that she was fathered by an Arreat tribesman.
The gray-haired girl was Nanda Liurmien. From what she could recall, the Zann Esus clan was monitoring her, ever since she began showing signs of magical potential.
But with the attack on the village both were in, it had all been swept away. She had found them hiding under some debris after she had fought off the demons. They were cold, hungry, and totally frightened. After gathering some supplies, she had begun the process of transporting them through a town portal to the Citadel of the Demon Hunters in the Dreadlands, where they would begin the process of training to become demon hunters.
But something went terribly wrong in the process and deposited the trio in this strange new world. It was certainly possible that some ambient magic had interfered with it. And she didn't find it comforting.
"Alin, where are we?" Auronaku's question broke the silence; the way she spoke it in Khanduran was not reassuring.
"I don't know," Alin answered as she pulled the hood of her cloak to reveal her Ensteig red hair.
The bucolic world of Pokémon was teeming with life. From the lowly Pidgey to the mighty Rayquaza, there were always interesting things to be found. They were partners with people, and it ranged from battles between trainers, to amazing showcases of beauty and strategies among coordinators and performers, to Pokémon connoisseurs and breeders. The world of Pokémon had it all, and it cultivated a sense of wonder.
And it was in this corner of Paldea that the story of our heroes began, in a small Paldean-style house that had recently been moved into Cabo Poco.
"So, after we complete Paldea, Hoenn's next. They have a great contest circuit and I'm aiming for Grand Coordinator!" Nanda was conversing with Auronaku about their plans after Mesogoza.
"They also have a good gym circuit, too. My goal is to be Champion! Ash Ketchum's my idol. I'll see it through until it's over," Auronaku answered.
"Mine is Dawn Berlitz. Her combos and performances are amazing. I aspire to be like her," Nanda giggled, before she added, "I've already designed two of my contest outfits."
She held up two fashion sketches. One was of a vaguely belly-dancer dress in hot pink and orange. It had coin trim on the sleeves and the skirt. The V-neck was relatively modest; Nanda had read up on costume regulations for her planned career. It was accessorized by a floral head scarf, a turquoise coin sash and matching bejeweled flats.
The second outfit was a pastel yellow dress with puffed sleeves, a floral design consisting of poppies and baby's breath on the skirt and shimmery gray tights. The accessories she had selected for it were a bubble statement necklace in red and gold, along with gloves in the same material as the tights. The shoes were slingback pastel yellow kitten heels that Nanda had purchased online from a store called Sappun.
"Wow, that's some great designs!" Auronaku's praise made Nanda blush. Even since she was a child, fashion and performance had been a passion for her.
"Row!"
"Poppo!"
Their Pokémon partners burst into the scene. Auronaku giggled as her Rowlet crashed into her. The poor thing was as goofy as usual. She had lost count of how many times the Grass Quill Pokémon had ended up in ridiculous situations due to the air-headness inherent to the Rowlet line.
Nanda's Popplio hopped up to her and waved to her. She picked her Pokémon up and hugged her. How many times had Popplio woken her from the nightmares she frequently had? It must have been the same with Rowlet and Auronaku.
"Your uniforms from Mesogoza arrived today," Alin Aryth, their guardian chimed in. As long as the two could remember, they had been under her care. And they both liked it that way. The past was better left alone, but there were times that Nanda had wondered what had happened before they ended up in Alin's care.
They opened their boxes. Auronaku had gone for the Naranja autumn uniform with the hooded vest option. She already had her accessories picked out; midnight blue, white and black argyle socks, black strap-on high-tops and midnight blue fingerless gloves much like the ones the Grand Champion Ash Ketchum often wore.
Nanda had chosen amaranth purple thigh highs, brown loafers with a gold chain on them and a matching ribbon to tie around her high ponytail. Her choice was the Naranja summer uniform with the kilted mini-skirt, which had hidden shorts to conceal her underwear; it was something she was thankful for.
Their respective suitcases were already packed full of things from their rooms, including Auronaku's Witcher book collection by one Pablo Almeda-Barrigon, a well-known fantasy writer and former Paldea Elite Four who had just passed away last month. Auronaku was a fan, and pounced on every opportunity to purchase every book as it came out and she spent countless hours on the forums analyzing every detail alongside her fellow fanatics. So far, she has gotten all six books. There were rumours he was working on his seventh before his death, but they were all debunked by experts.
Nanda's suitcase had her fashion sketchbook with the various swatches she had purchased from the fashion district, as well as her colored pencils and art markers. She had also packed her hair accessory collection. So far, they consisted of twelve scrunchies in a rainbow of colors and patterns, four finely wrought silver barrettes she had picked up in Mesogoza's boutique stories, two sets of colorful hair pins that she just couldn't resist buying and a single hairstick with a bead she had made in a local glass-making salon. The bead in question was purple with red, white and black speckles from the glass frit she had picked. She was planning to pick up more accessories as her journey progressed.
Their suitcases also had their Nintendo Switches. It was Auronaku's idea to switch out the default handles for something befitting their respective personalities. Nanda's Joysticks were a transparent amaranth purple, while Auronaku's was solid midnight blue.
"Row, Row!
"Popopopopo!"
"Ah, Director Clavell has arrived," Alin interjected as the two teen girls closed their respective suitcases.
"Ah, they must be the new students I've been expecting. How old are they?"
"They're fourteen now. I found and adopted them when they were four. Their parents died and left them all alone in the world," Alin explained. She didn't elaborate on the traumatic details of their lives as demon attack survivors; she was sure that Clavell didn't want to know the terrifying details of that night.
"Oh, so they were orphaned?"
"Yes," Alin sighed. With each passing year as the girls grew, it was increasingly harder to deny Auronaku's true nature as a Nephalem. Her glowing eyes were the first clue. It was the direct result of Auronaku peering into a demon's soul without going mad on that day they attacked their home village. Alin had realized that in their old home of Sanctuary, the girl would have the unfortunate burden of having the entire survival of the world depend on her deeds.
She would have been bitter and closed off in such a harsh and unforgiving world. Nanda would have fared far worse, with her timid personality and dislike of wanton gore and violence.
This world indeed was the balm to their traumatized souls. They were free to pursue their interests here, especially when it comes to Auronaku's obsession with Pokémon battling, and Nanda's growing interest in coordinating.
"Hey!" A dark-skinned girl who couldn't be older than seventeen waved from behind Clavell. She had raven hair pulled in a ponytail with a double green streak hanging in front of her face and orange eyes.
"It seems that Nemona wants to meet the two," Clavell added, "She's the president of the Student Council and a Champion-ranked trainer, as well."
"Hello!" Auronaku waved back, her Rowlet perched on her shoulder, "I'm Auronaku and my partner here is Rowlet. She's been with me ever since I was four!"
"Same here with my Popplio. I'm Nanda," Nanda looked up from her beige canvas backpack, which she had selected because of how versatile the color was. She had added another sketchbook and had ordered extra copies of her favorite art marker colors for it. It would arrive at Mesogoza two weeks after the beginning of school.
Looking over to Auronaku's black leather satchel, she could see why her adopted sister had selected such an expensive bag. The craftsmanship was impeccable, and it was well worth the 5,000 poke dollars she had splurged on it. She would probably be getting years, even decades of wear out of it. And that in the long term would be cheaper than changing worn-out bags after each Pokémon journey.
"Are you in the mood for a battle?"
"YES! I've been itching to explore some new strategies I created with Rowlet last week!" Auronaku's enthusiasm was on display.
"That's the spirit!" Nemona cheered, before she clapped, "Let's go over to my house! I have a battle area on the beach behind it."
"Last one's a rotten egg!"
The trio and their Pokémon took off, kicking up dust as they sprinted to Nemona's house.
"It's good to see our youth brimming with enthusiasm and life," Clavell commented as Alin Aryth and him watched from their vantage point on the front porch of the house Alin Aryth had purchased two months ago. It was a one-story house with a prominent front verandah, and it was small even by Paldean standards. The high ceiling served to keep stifling air above the occupants, and the huge windows acted as cooling vents in the hot climate of Paldea's southernmost tip. The exterior was painted white to harness the color's sun-reflecting properties.
"I have their Rotom phones. Auronaku and Nanda forgot them in their rush to Nemona's house," Alin sighed as she came out of the house, carrying two phone cases. They were in the signature colours of their respective owners; midnight blue for Auronaku and amaranth purple for Nanda.
"I'll bring them over as soon as possible," Clavell nodded as he took them.
Auronaku and Nemona took their positions on the opposite ends of the regulation-sized Pokémon battle field.
"It's good to know someone share my enthusiasm for battles!" Nemona laughed out loud.
"Yeah, I can't wait for the battle classes at Naranja!" Auronaku answered.
"You two forgot your Rotom phones," Clavell interjected as he stepped down the slope to the beach where the field Auronaku, Nemona and Nanda were at.
"Whoops," the brunette chuckled in embarrassment. Her phone flew to her, empowered by the Plasma Pokemon inside it.
"Oh, dang it." Nanda murmured as hers did the same, "Sorry, little buddy."
"It's oki-dee," the empowered device replied.
"I'll referee the match," Clavell said as he stepped in the box designated for officials overseeing the match.
As he signaled for the match to begin, the two trainers readied their Pokémon.
"Go, Rowlet!," Auronaku's voice spurred Rowlet to act; she flew to the centre of the battlefield.
"Come on out, Pawmi!" Nemona called out.
"Pawmi: The Mouse Pokémon. It has underdeveloped electric sacs on its cheeks. These sacs can produce electricity only if Pawmi rubs them furiously with the pads on its forepaws," Auronaku's Rotom Phone spoke as they scanned the Pokemon.
'Great, a possible weakness to exploit,' Auronaku smirked.
"When Pawmi begin rubbing their cheeks, attack with Leafage," She instructed Rowlet.
"ROW!"
As Pawmi began doing so, a twirl of leaves was fired from Rowlet's wings. It missed; Nemona's order for them to dodge had succeeded.
"Pawmi, Growl!"
"Leafage, then follow up with Tackle!"
A twirl of leaves hit Nemona's Pawmi, and Rowlet followed soon after.
"I've never had so much fun in this long!" Nemona commented, "You're a quick learner!"
"Yeah, I can feel the adreline rush," Auronaku replied, "In my Alola school, I was the odd one out. I was easily bored. So many of my classmates were pushovers; they didn't have any interest in Pokémon battles and the few who did were usually travelling trainers who had come to take the Trials."
"Make sense. I was pretty much the same way all through my childhood," Nemona shrugged, "Which island?"
"Melemele," Auronaku elaborated further, "I went to the late Samson Oak's school. May Arceus's light shine on him."
"Oh. I saw his obituary two months ago," Clavell chimed in, "His family said he died after a brief fight with glioblastoma. He was 73."
"I've also seen Agatha Accursio's obituary this morning. In her last years she had severe kidney disease. She was 85," Nemona added.
"So that leaves Professor Samuel Oak and Bruno Armstrong for now," Auronaku observed, "Let's get back to the battle."
"Pawmi, Quick Attack!"
"Rowlet, dodge into Leafage!"
As Rowlet evaded Pawmi's attack, she fired off her leaves; it slowed them down, but it was only temporary, as they quickly sped up again.
Pawmi struck Rowlet, causing the Grass Quill Pokemon to briefly drop from the air, before she quickly regained control.
"Thunder Shock!"
"Leafage, There's the window of opportunity!"
Rowlet fired off another twirl of leaves, but Pawmi's Thunder Shock deflected some of them. The leaves that struck were able to do some damage, just as the Electric move Pawmi fired off did, too.
"Quick attack!"
"Tackle!" The two Pokémon collided, right in the middle of the battlefield. The sheer force of it knocked both Rowlet and Pawmi out.
"It's a tie!" Clavell called out the results. Nemona and Auronaku chuckled as they picked up their respective Pokemon.
"You did well, Rowlet. We'll work on your endurance," Auronaku murmured as she carried her Pokémon to the bench Nanda and her Popplio was on. Taking out a Revive from her bag, she crushed it with her hand and sprinkled it over Rowlet.
"Row!" The Grass Quill pokemon perked up after that. She kept spraying all over with the Potion Clavell had provided Nemona and her to heal her wounds.
"That was a great battle," Nanda patted her Popplio's head. She had been enraptured by the display that Nemona and Auronaku had displayed.
"I still have so much to learn," The brunette sighed.
"Indeed, you do," Clavell walked up, Nemona following behind, "Have Rowlet and Popplio been confirmed as your starters in this region?"
"Yes!" both girls said in union.
"Then you can take Poco Path toward Los Platos, then from that, the road leads north to Mesogoza," Clavell explained the directions.
"Got it!"
Auronaku and Nanda looked around Poco Path. There were a few trees lining the road, and it was surrounded by cliffs, except for a single hill that turned right. Lechonk rooted among the bases of them, while Taratountula dipped down and pulled back on their threads on the branches.
"Hey, I'm going to capture one of them," Auronaku added as she looked over them. Pulling out one of the Poke Balls, she gestured to Rowlet, who was riding on her shoulder.
Nanda winced. She didn't like spider Pokémon, they were too creepy-crawly for her own taste. Especially as much of her nightmares were of two people being caught by giant spiders and their bodies used as feeding grounds for the hatchlings. But why did these imageries haunt her so much?
"Use tackle on that Taratountala!" Auronaku's command spurred Rowlet into action. The Grass Quill Pokémon struck swiftly, her silent flying catching the smaller-than-average String Ball Pokemon off guard. It knocked it off the tree the Pokémon was on.
"The ball of threads wrapped around its body is elastic enough to deflect the scythes of Scyther, this Pokémon's natural enemy," Nanda's Rotom phone remarked as they scanned the Taratountula that Auronaku had chosen for her first capture.
"Follow up with Leafage! We'll need them weak enough for the capture to be successful," Rowlet followed her instructions to a T, firing off another swirl of leaves that struck true and weakened the Pokémon. Another Tackle, and the poor bug Pokémon was close to fainting.
Auronaku tossed the Poke ball at them, and it promptly sucked the String Ball Pokémon into it. After a few shakes, the ball stilled; she then walked up to it and picked it up.
"My first capture!" She cheered, holding up the Poke ball that held her Taratountala. Pressing the button to release it, the Pokémon emerged out of it.
"Hello, little buddy! Do you want to join us on our journey? I'm Auronaku and this is my adopted sister and best friend Nanda. I admit she has severe arachnophobia; you could count as exposure therapy for her!" Auronaku picked Taratountala up and spoke in Khanduran to her newest team member.
"Tount!" The Pokémon perked up and leapt on top of Auronaku's head as she giggled. Her auburn brown hair was cut to chin-length, the way she liked it. She could recall in health classes back in Alola, the students had been taught about hair textures and how best to care for each type. According to the chart, she was considered a 3A on it; which indicated that her hair thickness was fine, and her hair was naturally curly. In contrast, Nanda's hair was a 1B, which indicated medium thickness and straight hair. Even though there were multitudes of products on the market for every hair type imaginable, they had gone with the basics; a custom-made shampoo specially made for their hair types, as it was easier to use on their journey.
As the duo walked up the road there was a loud roar, and a sudden thud.
"What was that!?"
"Poppo!?
"Row!?"
The duo ran to the source.
"It's coming from that cave!" Nanda exclaimed.
"Yes, we'll have to jump off the cliff to get to it!" Auronaku took a running start that led into her acrobatic leaps, something that combined her unusual strength and the training Alin Aryth had provided her to control her Hunter's Sight.
Although Nanda, like Auronaku, didn't go mad during the attack she had often wondered why she didn't develop the ability. But as long as she could remember, she could produce fire, ice and even lightning from her hands. She had used it for little party tricks among the small circle of friends the duo had accumulated in Alola. And the ice powers were oh so useful during the blistering days of summer. She had lost count of how many times she had conjured ice cubes out of thin air to cool the drinks Auronaku, Nanda and her buddies often shared at the Hau'oli malasada shop.
As she followed Auronaku and Rowlet down the cliff, she reached for her Rotom phone and grabbed the prongs on both sides, allowing the sentient phone to break her fall. Looking over to Auronaku, Nanda had noted that she had rolled to break her own fall, something that Alin also had taught her in the training sessions as well.
They headed into the Inlet Grotto. As the duo ran through it following the sound, they passed Diglett, Yungoos, and the occasional Houndour.
"There's the source!" Auronaku's sharp eyesight, boosted by her Hunter's Sight, could make out the details of the creature in the near darkness of the Inlet Grotto. It was a red feathered lizard with tire-like protrusions on its neck and similar patterns on the tail. The mysterious Pokémon was obviously injured.
"Let's get out our Potions! This poor thing needs our help!" Nanda exclaimed as she rummaged through her bag for the supplies she needed, Popplio clapping in agreement. Auronaku followed suit, grabbing hers from her medicine pocket.
They begin working quickly in tandem, with Auronaku working on the right and Nanda the left. Each sprayed the medicine on the injuries they bore. The Pokémon winced in pain as the process continued.
After the work was done, Auronaku wiped her forehead.
"I'm getting hungry," She pulled out the ham & cheese sandwich she had made the night before out of her bag. It had been fashioned after a Kalosian croque-monsieur, but it wasn't grilled because the melted cheese would make the delicate Paldea bread unpleasantly moist.
"Me too," Nanda pulled out hers. It was a smoked fillet sandwich with cucumber, onions and basil; it had been gently seasoned with salt and pepper.
The mysterious Pokémon eyed Auronaku's sandwich. Standing up on all fours, it stalked toward her. Bumping their head against her, Auronaku accidentally dropped her sandwich, and the Pokémon gulped it up.
"Hey!" She exclaimed.
The barking of Houndour echoed in the back, and it was quickly followed up by the strident howling of a Houndoom. The pack was circling the group.
Suddenly, a bright light emanated from the mysterious Pokémon and they suddenly stood up on two legs. As the pack of Houndour and Houndoom made their move, they leapt high into the air and contorted into a ring. The resulting collision course knocked the pack out quickly, giving Auronaku, Nanda, Rowlet and Popplio time to escape.
"We heard the commonition!" Nemona's voice rang out as the quartet ran out of the Inlet Grotto.
"Yeah, we followed the sound and found this Pokemon. They were injured so we used up all our potions healing them," Auronaku replied.
A gasp of recognition emanated from the gray-haired boy next to Nemona.
"T-that's Koraidon!"
"How would you know that?" Auronaku crossed her arms in annoyance. Nanda sighed. There was that prickly, closed off side of her friend showing. She honestly didn't understand it and neither did Popplio.
Although that was probably why Alin Aryth had seen potential in the girl to be a legendary, even powerful Demon Hunter on the level of the Ordermasters.
"We'll go to the Poco Path lighthouse, and I'll explain there," he introduced himself, "I'm Arven Sada."
"Ok, but don't beat around the bush," Auronaku snarled, "Just keep it relevant."
The group entered the Poco Path Lighthouse lab. It was honestly one of the most pathetic sights Auronaku had seen in her fourteen years. Rowlet shifted slightly on her shoulder, sensing her annoyance toward Arven.
The disused kitchen in front of the group had seen better days, and Auronaku could see a set of monitors streaming data in the right corner next to a mysterious device.
"It occurred years ago. My mother made a machine to bring Pokemon back from the past. The events that followed killed her," Arven explained.
"That sounds reckless," Nanda answered.
"And what does it have to do with this Koraidon?" Auronaku's pointed question made him squirm.
"I don't know, but what little I recall of that event is that she brought two of them over to this time period," Arven sighed.
"Makes sense, given the state of this blasted lab," Auronaku shrugged.
As the group left the lab, Arven turned to face the brunette.
"Battle?"
"Oh, yeah!"
'There she goes,' Nanda rolled her eyes as Arven and Auronaku turned toward each other. Popplio yipped softly; she understood the consternation. Looking around, she spotted a Hoppip moving in graceful motions in the air.
Every time the Cottonweed Pokemon tried to combine one of it moves with the glides, it either backfired or fizzled out.
"Hoppip, the Cottonweed Pokemon. This Pokémon is blown across vast distances by the wind. It is unclear where the Hoppip of Paldea originally came from," Nanda's Rotom phone came to life, scanning the aforementioned Pokemon.
Nanda smiled. Gesturing to Popplio, she approached the creature and cupped her mouth.
"Having trouble with that trick?"
"Hop!" The Hoppip glided down and babbled, tears coming down its small face.
"May I help you with that?" Nanda's question made the Pokémon perk up.
"To help you with that, we'll be working with my partner Pokémon, Popplio. She'll be providing the bubbles and you'll have to aim at them with enough power to burst the bubbles, but not enough to blow yourself away," Her explanation mollified the Hoppip.
As Popplio blew the bubbles, the Hoppip fired off Fairy Winds. Some of them hit the bubbles, while others didn't. But as the Pokémon got better at regulating their power, Nanda could see the improvements in the combination Hoppip was working on.
"Now let's see the results of that training stint," Nanda commented.
As Hoppip glided, they used their Fairy wind to dazzling effect, trailing sparkles as they glided through the air.
"Hophophop!" The happy chirps could be heard as the Pokémon landed gently in her arms.
"You want to join me on my journey?"
"HOP!"
Nanda took out a Poke ball and touched it to the Hoppip's forehead. They were sucked into it and Nanda held it up.
"Hooray, I got a Hoppip!"
Popplio could sense Nanda's joy at her capture. She clapped happily and blew bubbles that floated lazily in the air.
"Arven entrusted me with Koraidon after I won the battle he challenged me to. It was a test to see if I could be trusted," Auronaku walked up to Nanda, Rowlet landing on her shoulder.
"Let's go down to Los Platos. We'll need to register soon," Nanda added.