Although it was expected to be a rainy day in the Sinnoh region professional Pokémon trainer Sandra Worth still planned to make the most of it. Today she was staying at a small bed and breakfast in the colorful community of Floaroma Town and after a wonderful morning meal she was already packing up her belongs in preparation to get back on the road.

Sandra had just completed a stint working at Professor Rowan's Pokémon Summer Academy. With her instruction and research role finished for now she was glad to get back to the fun task of adventuring through the region and preparing for its upcoming league competition. The Sinnoh League was becoming a bit of a Mankey on her back, she'd long since won the required gym battles to make it to the finals but she'd never gotten beyond the top-16 in the knockout rounds compared to her prior semifinals runs in Kanto, Kalos, and Unova. She hoped this year would be different. After having acquired a nice chunk of Lopunnite on this trip she and her Lopunny were looking to master the resulting mega evolution to give her a second strong fighting type alongside her Blaziken.

The rain today was light and producing an almost rainbow mist that was giving Floaroma Town a very interesting look. The mist was so thin the sun was starting to shine through it. Sandra took in the sight from her second story room when there was a knock at the door.

"Ms. Worth, is there anything you need before you go," asked the B&B's kindly owner Mrs. Moise.

"I think I should be good Mrs. Moise," Sandra replied. "You run a nice place here. It's always a treat for myself and my Pokémon when we get to stay here."

"I'll be at the front desk if you need me," Mrs. Moise replied.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," Sandra noted.

At that moment Sandra's cell phone rang.

"BREAKER 1, BREAKER 1… BREAKER 1, BREAKER 1," went the customized ringer.

That trucker-slang recording could mean only one thing, her delivery driver brother Ken was calling in. Sandra expected she'd get a call from her twin today. Ken had been excited for weeks about finally starting to drive the over-the-road trucks and today was the big day he would. No doubt he wanted to brag and show her his rig. She picked up.

"Hello Sandy," said Ken on the phone. "I just delivered my first load for GS but you are not going to believe the day I am having."

"I find that hard to believe Kenny," Sandra replied. "You get your rig rolling and start delivering the big cargoes yet?"

"Yes," Ken replied. "I want to switch to video chat though as I…"

"You want to show me the truck don't you?" said Sandra as she cut him off.

"Well a little but I…"

Standing on the docks in Vermilion City Ken again found himself cut off as Sandra flipped her phone's camera on.

"Alright, I'm looking bro," Sandra said.

Ken turned his phone's camera on and pointed it at the truck. Not in the shot Fennekin looked up at him as if wanting for his moment. While it wasn't what he called for Ken couldn't help by smile as he showed off his truck. The bright blue truck filled the frame on the camera.

"Here she is," Ken said. "GS Transport Truck #2,013. A cabover 550 Dittocruiser with a low emission MerrillChu hydrogen fuel cell system. It had 550 Ponytas worth of power under the cab when rolled off the assembly line and while it has some mileage on it but I suspect most of that is still down there."

"It's certainly stylish," Sandra replied.

"But I have something else to show you that will probably interest you more," Ken said.

"Oh?" Sandra asked.

Ken looked at Fennekin.

"You're on buddy," he said as he turned the camera down to the face the little yellow starter.

"Fennekin!" Fennekin said proudly as he appeared on the phone.

A giant smile appeared on Sandra's face.

"Oh, Ken, you finally got a Pokémon!" Sandra said. "A Fennekin huh? He's so cute. And here I thought you were mostly indifferent on Pokémon. What made you finally get one?"

"The company mandated it," Ken replied. "He's literally riding shotgun to guard the truck. My boss likes fire types and he choose this Fennekin for the task."

"You warming up to him?" Sandra asked.

"Fen fen," Fennekin noted.

"Yeah, he's right," Ken said. "I am."

"Fennekins are a great starter," Sandra noted. "They can develop quite a personality given time but they're really gung-ho to help their trainers, no matter how much of a greenhorn they are. Wait, You didn't name him something crazy like Fred or Lil' Trucker or something did you?"

"Fennekin was very insistent that I didn't," Ken noted. "This little guy is the reason I wanted to call you. I got him right before I got the truck and drove to Vermilion straight away. You've been keeping Pokémon for years, is there anything specific new trainers need to acquire?"

"What did the boss give you?" Sandra inquired.

"Fennekin, some Poké Balls, and a PokéScan for my phone," Ken replied.

"Alright, basic stuff," Sandra replied. "You're going to want to go to a Poké Mart and get the trainer starter kit. That will have six food bowls, a couple of low-end potions, heals, and repels, etcetera. Get some super potion too, it's good stuff."

"Six food bowls?" Ken asked, shocked at it.

"They are washable Ken, don't worry," Sandra said. "They are collapsible too for easy storage. It's for when your team fills up. You can't have more than six Pokémon with you at once so why carry more than six bowls."

"Got it," Ken said. "I think got a few hours to kill before my next load so I'll go pick that kit up."

"Alright, we'll I'm going to get on the road myself," Sandra noted. "It took you 15 years Kenny but I'm glad to see you finally decided to take up training. If it runs in the family, you'll do fine."

"And if it doesn't?" Ken asked.

"Then Fennekin will whip you into shape until it does," Sandra replied with confidence. "Pokémon have a way of bringing out the best in their trainer if given the chance. And I know you've got it in you to do this. If you are half the trainer that you are a trucker, you'll do great."

"So, before you go I have to ask this," Ken noted. "Now that I've got a Pokémon how long until you get a truck?"

"I can't see that happening Ken," Sandra replied.

"Never say never sis," Ken joked. "I know a good dealer in Veridian City. He can hook you up with a nice starter truck, maybe a little pickup with an automatic transmission?"

"I'll catch ya later Ken," Sandra said, laughing off his comment. "Good luck training Fennekin. We'll have to finally have a real battle now the next time we meet up."

"We'll cross that highly lopsided bridge when we come to it but I hope you have a great one," Ken said.

"That's a 10-4 good brother, keep on trucking," Sandra replied playfully.

"And you keep on training soul sister," Ken said as he hung up.

As Ken and Fennekin made their way toward the GS office at the docks. The crew, passengers, and a few interested Pokémon trainers made their way on and off the cruise ship Anne. One youngster named William, a belt off full of Poké Balls strapped to his waist, looked over from the cruise ship toward the dock. The site of a lone truck parked well away from any other intrigued him. As a crewmember of the Anne walked by the trainer decided to ask about the big rig.

"Hey mister, why's that truck parked there?" William asked. "Shouldn't it be parked with the other trucks?"

The crewmember rolled his eyes. Kids were always so curious so he decided to mess around with him.

"They put it off to the side because there's a rare Pokémon hiding under it so they want to give it room for it to come out," the crewmember replied.

"How rare, is it something like a shiny or something super rare like a Mew?" William asked.

"Ah, the second one," the crewmember said. "Yeah, there's a Mew under that truck."

William's eyes focused in on the truck as the crewmember walked away chuckling. If there was a Mew under that truck then he'd have to move it and catch it. It was a good thing his Blastoise knew surf so he'd be able to get into that area. He ran off the boat to get down to the docks.

Ken and Fennekin could only gaze in awe at the size of GS Transport's Vermilion City dock. Here container ships could loaded and unloaded with their cargoes being placed onto trains or trucks to be taken throughout Kanto and Johto. Many of these ships came in from other regions. The dock was a large complex with room for two large container ships to be loaded and unloaded. A pair of giant cranes sat right on the dock ready for action. All of GS's trucks might have Pokémon-themed names but all of its ships were named for cities, each barring a bright blue hull matching the trucks with the GS Ball logo and the company's name written down the side. One container ship, the GS Petalburg City, was being loaded as another, the GS Viridian City, cast off and departed. A third ship, GS Alto Mare, waited in the harbor after sailing in from Kalos. As soon as Viridian City sailed off it would take its spot to be unloaded.

Ken and his Pokémon watched as trucks carrying containers pulled up under the crane before it swopped down and latched onto them. The dockworkers quickly unhooked each container from the truck before the crane lifted them skyward then placed them in the Petalburg City's cargo area. Each truck was unloaded in just seconds then drove off so the next one could repeat the process.

"I bet you thought you had to go to a play or a contest hall to see choreography this good," Ken said. "Ever seen anything like this before?"

"Kin," Fennekin replied. "Kin Fennekin."

"Let's get to the office," Ken said. "I'll put money on it they are going to switch the flatbed off our truck and have us move one of these containers on our next run."

Out in the harbor the Alto Mare was under the command of the highly-experienced Captain Capello on this voyage. She stood in the wheelhouse looking on as her vessel's sister ship departed. With a Vermilion City harbor pilot guiding her ship into the dock Captain Capello could focus on an important task at hand. While her ship was filled to the brim with giant containers and the wide variety of cargoes within them the most valuable things aboard were packed into the pair of armored black cases that she was holding in her hands. Once they docked, she would personally deliver them to the office to be placed on a truck bound for Pallet Town. She only hoped word of these case's contents didn't leak.

Compared to the massive ship dock GS's trucking office in Vermilion City was a rather cramped little building, any way you cut it this location was a far cry from the distribution center in Celedon City. It boasted a big parking lot filled with trucks awaiting assignment but only a small garage with just two bays clearly intended only for small repairs. The office was a cramped area albeit one decorated with stylishly majestic pictures of the company's ships on its walls. As Ken and Fennekin entered they found themselves in the lobby. A female clerk sat behind a sheet of bulletproof glass while the others in the lobby, almost certainly more drivers awaiting the start of their next assignments, gathered on couches set up around a small TV. At this moment a commercial was on featuring a man and a Rockruff wearing a bright teal collar with a large stone on the front. The rock somehow dwarfed the one all Rockruffs naturally had up front.

"With an Everstone Collar you need not worry about your best friend evolving into something you can't manage," the man said. "Everstone Collars will help make sure your family pet can stay just that. Isn't that right Rockruff?"

"Rock ruff," the little Alolan dog yapped before licking the man.

"Good girl Rockruff," he replied.

Ken started walking over to the desk.

"Hey bud, no Pokémon in the dock office," said one of the drivers on the couch. "No exceptions. It's tight enough in here as it as."

"Oh, sorry," Ken replied. "I didn't know. First day."

He pulled out Fennekin's Poké Ball and quickly began going through his head on how to use it before recalling the proper callback. Fennekin was giving him a dirty look as he knew what had to come next.

"Sorry bud, rules are rules," Ken said to his Pokémon. "Fennekin return."

A little red beam shot forth from the front of the ball and hit Fennekin, pulling him back into the container. Ken felt a little bad about that but he'd be sure to let him back out as soon as possible. He walked up to the desk. He introduced himself to the clerk.

"Hello, I'm Ken Worth and my handle is Vulpix 3," Ken said. "I just dropped off a cruise ship propeller and the dockmaser said he had another cargo waiting for me."

The clerk had a stoic look on her face.

"Yes, he dropped off the information already," the clerk said, pulling out a file and sliding it though a gap in the glass to Ken. "You need to switch out your flatbed for an intermodal setup. You'll be hauling a container full of factory-fresh Poké Balls to Pewter City to restock its Poké Mart. Your container is aboard the Alto Mare and will be unloaded in about two hours once it docks. The contents of the container needs to be in Pewter City by 7 p.m. tonight."

"Thank you miss," Ken said, taking his new manifest from her.

The new driver looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already 11 a.m. When Sandra started her Pokémon journey it took her a good three weeks to make it from Pewter City to Vermilion City; he now had to do that same journey in about six hours. Good thing he had a truck and a good knowledge of Kanto and Johto's roads.

The Intercity Routes, or I-Routes as most called them, were the roads favored by motor vehicles connecting communities across various regions. Motor vehicles weren't ban from the regular routes but given the fact most of those favored by trainers were unpaved and narrow it was easy to see why most would avoid them. Ken knew the I-Route network like the back of his hand, a trip from Vermilion to Pewter was just a simple run up I-Route 52 which connected Pewter City to Celadon City after he went back west on the toll road. He'd be at his destination faster than you could say…

"And breaking news from Celadon City, where we have an urgent traffic report coming in involving a closure of I-Route 52," said a news anchor on the TV. "We now go live to Alfie in the Channel 17 Traffic Chopper. Alfie take it away."

Ken's eyes went wide as he looked at the TV, unable to believe this sudden bit of bad luck. The scene changed to show a long traffic backup from a bridge closure. The reason for the closure was immediately visible, a Snorlax had plopped itself down in the middle of a bridge for a nap.

"Thanks Rick," Alfie said. "I-Route 52 is going to be closed for the next several hours as rangers work to wake and move a Snorlax that is now blocking traffic on the Mulberry Bridge. All traffic is encouraged to seek alternate routes for now but we've gotten word the rangers expect to reopen the bridge by 6 p.m. Backups should still be expected once they do. Back to you Rick."

Ken slowly walked out of the office, realizing that any shot at his first day being a normal one was fast evaporating. With I-Route 52 unavailable that left Ken with only two other options to reach Pewter City. The first was to go north through Saffron City and Cerulean City but that meant a much longer route, Saffron City's legendarily bad traffic jams, and a run through the mountains on the infamous I-Route 3; the Mt. Moon bypass known to all truckers as the "Pikachu Trail." The name wasn't a cute reference to local fauna, there were almost no wild Pikachus in the Mt. Moon area, but a sarcastic joke to how the road there tended to meander back and forth along the mountain side like the zigzagging tail of a certain popular yellow rodent.

Ken knew he'd never make his deadline with that route which meant that there was only one other alternative; take the regular Route 52, the standard trail that connected Pewter City and Celadon City instead. Route 52 was unpaved, rough as a washboard in places, and quite isolated. Even Pokémon trainers usually avoided it since it was long, had very little in the way of unique Pokémon, and no Pokémon Centers. It was however 50 miles shorter than I-Route 52 so it was more direct. Ken knew it was likely his only option. With a new route in his head he flipped out Fennekin's Poke Ball and released his partner.

"Fennekin, I choose you," Ken said as he popped the ball open.

Fennekin came out of his ball in the usual white blast of energy with an annoyed expression on his face. Given how much time he'd spent in that ball of late before he was given to Ken it wasn't hard to see why he probably wanted to avoid going back in it for a while.

"Welcome back Fennekin," Ken said.

Ken was starting to wonder if the "I choose you" expression wasn't a little cliché. Maybe he'd need to think up his own expression when popping one of his Pokémon out or sending them into battle. He decided he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. Even with his day going off the rails Pokémon battling wasn't exactly something he felt was imminent; the day would come but he and Fennekin had plenty of time to work on that first.

With a small gap in their schedule Ken and Fennekin quickly hit up the Vermilion City Poké Mart to pick up the supplies they'd need for the journey ahead. The business was conveniently located within an easy walking distance of the docks. Their purchases included a small bag of kibble for Fennekin, some general purpose groceries for Ken, and the starter kit Sandra recommended. Ken also bought a book, "The Journey Starts Here: A Beginner's Guide to Pokémon Training and Battling," to assure he'd get off to a good start on his new, somewhat mandatory hobby. He considered buying a second book titled "Pokémon Showcase Tactics of the Stars: Tips from the Best Kalos Queens" based on it having a Fennekin on the cover among others but his Fennekin was a bit more than eager to convince him against that choice. The stroll back to the truck was a simple one. If Fennekin had any ill will about having to go back in his ball for a bit it evaporated the minute he found a few twigs to munch under a tree on the sidewalk. He was eating one happily, Ken having collected the others for later, as they arrived back at the dock to reclaim their 550 and prepare it for its departure.

Ken looked down the dock to see that the Alto Mare was now arriving and would soon start unloading. The 550 model was designed for quick changes, the local crew would likely have him ready to haul that container in a jiffy. The thought of getting his truck back on the road put a smile across Ken's face until his truck came back into view…with a preteen boy looking like he was ready to tamper with it.

"Machop, use strength and move that truck," William ordered his Pokémon as he tossed its ball toward the truck.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!" Ken shouted as he and Fennekin ran over to Truck #2,013.

The Machop was released from its ball before it could get up to the truck Fennekin had already taken up a defensive position by its front bumper. The little fox started growling defiantly at the larger Pokémon.

"Hey, watch it," William said as Ken arrived, still carrying his groceries as he ran up to the scene. "There's a Mew under this truck and I intend to catch it on my quest to be a Pokémon Master."

"Huh?" replied Ken, his mind taking a minute to process what this kid had just told him. "You…You think the legendary Pokémon Mew is hiding under my truck? Why?"

"I heard it was from some very reputable sources," William said, trying to bluff his way to what he wanted. "So now all I have to do is move this truck then I can battle and catch Mew."

"I think you're a little mistaken young man," Ken said.

"My name is William," the young trainer corrected him.

"Whatever William," Ken said. "But I've got to move this truck anyway to get another cargo so if you want to look around after I drive away feel free."

"Oh no, what if Mew is hiding in the undercarriage and stays there when you leave," William said. "You aren't driving off anywhere until I get Mew."

"Mew is not under my truck!" Ken said. "Are you crazy? Why would a legendary Pokémon be hiding under a truck parked on a dock?"

"Mew works in mysterious ways," William replied.

"What does that even mean?" Ken said.

Fennekin continued to give Machop a dirty look.

"If you won't let me move this truck so I can battle Mew than I'll battle you for that right," William said boldly.

"I'm not going to battle Pokémon over something this silly," Ken said. "Let me do my job. I've only got one Pokémon anyway."

"A one-on-one fight it is," William declared. "Your sickly Jolteon is going down. Machop return. Go Bellsprout!"

William swapped his Pokémon.

"It's time to take out this highway trash," William said confidently.

Ken was about to call dock security when suddenly Fennekin darted into a battle position and barked to his trainer. He then held up a paw toward the Bellsprout and extended his claws if to get ready for a scratch attack; only to instead use them to make a "bring it" gesture.

"You want a battle?" Ken asked Fennekin.

"Fen," Fennekin replied.

"Alright, we'll do this for you then," Ken replied. "It's on kid. Just one thing before we start. Fennekin here isn't a Jolteon."

William went for his Pokédex as he suddenly realized he may have made a serious tactical error.

"Fennekin, drop the hammer," Ken called out, mentally noting he liked the sound of that much more than "I choose you." "Scratch attack now!"

"Fen," Fennekin replied as he charged into his first battle for his new trainer.