One: New Year New Me
Elaina sighed as she sat down the last box of her things. The move had been so sudden, and Hoenn seemed so far away now that there was the entire continent of Oblivia between her and home. It feels like only yesterday her father and older brother got into their spat. Silver hadn't come home at all that week, and dad was on another plane back to Kanto within 24 hours. Something must have happened, since dad's assistant knocked on their door and told them to leave Rustboro.
"One week to pack the whole house was way too much to ask, Archer." She grumbled as she opened one of her boxes to find her slippers. Still, Elaina couldn't argue that the cozy little sea chalet her mother had rented held a breathtaking view.
A shout came from downstairs, "Honey, did you get all of your things from the truck? I need to take it back to Los Platos." She yelled back an affirmation and her mother spoke again. "I know the whole situation is kind of terrible, but I hope that doesn't poison Paldea for you."
Elaina just shrugged as she came down the stairs. "Have you heard from Silver?" Her mom nodded. "He's got a place in Mahogany Town with an old trainer friend of his. Kris is her name, I think." A pause hung in the air as Elaina debated asking her next question. "And what about dad?" Her mother's face fell. "I haven't heard from dad directly, no. Archer says that his newest project has him flying out of Kanto and to somewhere in Unova. I couldn't wring many details from him, though." Elaina sighed and went back to digging through her boxes. "Alright, I guess you're off to return that truck. I'll see you when you get back." Elaina had found her bag and tugged it free from the box. Her mother nodded and left. Elaina let her legs falter and brought herself to a seated position. "Dammit, dad. Why couldn't you have stuck with being a gym leader?" She tried to lose herself in her unpacking when a knock came on her front door.
Opening the door revealed a woman, about Elaina's age, and an older man. Both wore matching emblems emblazoned on their clothes, and the young woman's uniform made Elaina's tiny athletic shorts and tank top stand out by comparison. The woman smiled and handed Elaina a letter. "Welcome to Paldea!" The girl sounded almost giddy to be talking to her. "I'm Nemona, from Uva Academy, and we're really excited to have you as a new student!"
"I'm Elaina. Nice to meet you too, I guess." She took the letter and opened it. "Congratulations on your acceptance to Uva academy." She read. "Well, sorry Blueberry Academy, looks like Uva wins." The older man had been quiet this whole time, but he took a step forward. "Nice to meet you, Miss Elaina. I'm Director Clavell of Uva Academy." He extended his hand, and Elaina took it. "Students at Uva Academy typically have a Pokémon they treat as their partner. We're here because we heard you haven't received your first partner Pokémon yet. To that end, we offer you a choice between these three."
Clavell pulled three Pokéballs from his belt and released the three Pokémon inside. The first Pokéball opened to reveal a small Pokémon. Water type by the looks of it. "This is Quaxley, the water type Pokémon." Elaina nodded as the second Pokéball opened. A small, green Pokémon burst from it. Clavell spoke again. "This is Sprigatito, the grass type Pokémon." And the third Pokéball opened to reveal a small, red creature. "And this little one is Fuecoco, the fire type Pokémon. I'll let the three of them roam around the yard, pick the one you get along with the best. Come see us when you've made a choice." The two turned to leave as Nemona turned her head and shouted, "My house is down the road, come find us there!"
The two headed off down the road as the three little Pokémon scampered around. Elaina quickly scrawled a note to her mother, locked the house, and started off after them. They were cute, but a bit of a handful, Elaina decided after a few minutes. Maybe this was why dad didn't seem too eager to give her one of the Pokémon from work, Elaina thought as she was able to scoop up Sprigatito. "Sprig!" It shouted as it tried to wriggle away. Elaina thought it was adorable and sat the Pokémon down. To her surprise, it didn't run away. "I did not just bond with this Pokémon…" She turned to head down the road, with Sprigatito in tow.
"I see someone took a liking to you." Nemona met her as she made her way toward her house. "I'll admit, I'm excited to see who you pick. I've been itching for a rival." Elaina sighed as she fell into step with the girl. "I don't think I'll be that much of a rival at first, honestly. Dad always kept me away from the Pokémon he worked with." She looked back down to Sprigatito, who meowed happily at her. "I guess I have my Pokémon now, though, huh, Sprigatito?" The Pokémon looked up, with a delighted twinkle in his eye, "Sprig Sprig!"
Nemona smiled. "Yeah, sometimes our partners choose us, for sure." The two had reached Nemona's house, and after a quick chat with Director Clavell, Sprigatito was formally given to Elaina as her partner Pokémon. Nemona quickly followed suit by choosing Quaxley as her partner. "All right, Elaina, let's battle!" The girl's enthusiasm threatened to bubble over as she pulled Quaxley's Pokéball from her belt and held it out toward Elaina.
"Nemona, need I remind you Miss Elaina has never had a Pokémon battle before." Director Clavell's voice was jovial, yet somehow stern at the same time. He reminded Elaina of her father a bit, but only a bit. Nemona's cheeks flushed in response to the Director, but she shook her head and smiled. "That's ok, I can teach her." Nemona turned back to Elaina and smiled. "How about that? I have a court in the backyard. We can have your first battle there!"
"Elaina smiled. "That sounds kinda fun, actually. Are you up for it, Sprigs?" Sprigatito meowed happily. "I guess that seals it. We're in." Elaina smiled wide and Nemona hurriedly led her down the slope and onto the beach, and from there onto the battle court. "So, how much do you know about battling?" Nemona's excitement was palpable as she cluched Quaxley's Pokéball in
"My dad was a gym leader. I have a pretty solid set of fundamentals." She took her side of the court, causing Nemona to let out a small cheer. "Let's see how well I can put theory into practice, I suppose." She threw Sprigatito's Pokéball, and Nemona threw Quaxley's. "All right, the battle is on!"