Chapter 1 - Welcome to Acria

Warmest greetings, Trainer.

We thank you for the effort you expended to participate in our selection tourney. We apologize for the inclimate weather, but we were pleased with how you and the other applicants operated under pressure. After reviewing the battle data, written tests, and the individual interviews, the Acria Pokemon League and the Acria Elite Four have decided to appoint you as the newest of our Gym Leaders. Congratulations are in order.

Included with this letter are the essential documents and resources needed for your relocation. We will give you a year's time to settle any outstanding matters you may have. During this time, we will post a temporary Gym Leader at your post in Old Sun City. Should you decide to arrive earlier or require additional time, please contact The League via PokéGEAR as soon as possible so we may make arrangements. We also provide both financial and logistical support for trainers from out of region, should that be a prohibiting factor in this relocation.

We do impose a hard limit of three (3) new Pokémon species that a trainer may bring to Acria at any given time. This is a regulation imposed by a branch of The Aether Foundation to slowly introduce new species to the region. You will find a list of Pokémon native to the region included with this letter and may bring as many as you desire. As you will be living and working here, it is expected that you will do your part to protect our delicate ecosystem.

Please report to Mayor Wilkins when you arrive at Old Sun City. His contact information has been included below, and he has expressed his great relief and joy to hear that a new Gym Leader has been appointed.

We look forward to your continued growth as a trainer. Best of luck to you.

Sincerely,

Ernest Howell, Chairman of The League

Teresa Reiner, League Champion

Lucian took a deep breath, a broad smile on his face as he read and reread the document for what had to have been the twelfth time since he boarded the ship. Time had simply flown away. Within two months, he was ready for the move. His Pokémon were as much a buzz as he was. He was a collector at heart, so it took some time to find a home for all of the Pokémon he wouldn't be able to bring with him. He said many painful goodbyes, but he was sure it was for the best. He had packed twenty Pokéballs away in his bag, but one was currently in his hand. He played with it absently as he steadied his nerves and excitement.

The boat horn sounded, and Lucian grabbed his bag before rushing towards the top deck to see the approaching landmass. Acria looked so different from the sea compared to the air during his first visit. Bad weather had obscured most of the coast, but now under clear skies he could see the beauty of the region. Unlike Unova and Kalos with their imposing coastal cities, the small town of Glisterport was cozy and inviting. Hardly a stone's throw away from his destination, the historical Old Sun City. He stepped off the boat and took a deep breath. This was exciting - a new journey unlike any he had ever had.

The good mood didn't last very long, however. As Lucian was walking down the wide street towards Route 8 - the main pathway through the whole region - he spied a group of rough characters blocking the road ahead. They had their Pokémon out, a grand total of eight bullies and eight Pokémon. In front of them was a woman, about his age maybe a bit older, hands on her hips giving them a thorough tongue-lashing. He wasnt close enough to get all of it, but he was cringing in terror just at her tone.

"I said move! I don't have time to deal with your nonsense today." It was more of annoyance rather than anger, like she couldn't be bothered to be angry. Despite that, one hand was clearly resting on a Pokéball, and she was ready to fight them. Clearly these weren't just some prick teenagers. This was getting serious. Lucian started approaching when another man put his hand up.

"I wouldn't get involved right now…you don't mess with the Crossbones." He hissed, holding him back almost. Lucian looked back at the gang blocking the road. They were all dressed the same way - dark clothing, long black coats with the sleeves cut off, and a tattoo of a skull and crossbones on their shoulder or forehead. Sure, some had little splashes of color and personal flair, but it was clear this group was at least decently committed to a uniform. "Poor woman. Locals ought to know better…"

Just as the man said that, the woman made her play. With lightning speed, she rather clumsily sent out her pokemon, a Slowpoke. The pink creature yawned lazily, even while being stared down by a small army of Pokemon. The woman looked almost just as confident, but Lucian still didn't like the odds that had been stacked against her. Just as he was about to make his move, the battle had started. "Use Surf!" The woman ordered and her Slowpoke snapped to attention.

The creature let out a noise similar to a roar and lumbered forward with surprising speed. It leapt into the air, and opened its mouth. A blast of water like a tidal wave shot forward towards the waiting line of opponents. The trainers barked their orders, Lucian was too far away to hear, but the pokemon began scrambling to get out of the splash zone. It wasn't enough, and a few got washed away, causing their trainers to break formation and tend to their Pokémon. This Slowpoke was no pushover.

But neither were its opponents. The standing Pokémon rushed forward. Slowpoke and the woman barely had time to react to the onslaught. A Machop landed a Mega Punch, while a Sneasle lined up a Fury Cutter. But what caught Lucian's attention was the Poison Sting that had been fired at the trainer. He couldn't stand by and watch this anymore. He ran forward, fishing a Pokéball from his bag. "Go, Koffing!" He tossed the Pokéball desperately, sending out his Pokémon directly in the way of the attack. Koffing barely flinched as the attack harmless glanced off of it, a smile on its face. All eyes were on him now, and the Crossbone goons were paralyzed longer than the woman was. She quickly ran forward and picked up her fainted Pokémon while Lucian slowly approached.

"Smokescreen, please." He said while patting the flying gasball. Thick grey-green smoke poured from its body, shrouding the battlefield.

"Oi, what's the big idea, huh? Think you can stand up to the Crossbones?! Think you're so tough?!" Lucian took a few steps out of the smokescreen, listening to the pokemon inside flailing around trying to find Koffing.

"Return your Pokémon to their Pokéballs and leave or I'll have to defeat you all." Lucian said, a smirk growing on his face.

"The Crossbones never surrender! We'll end this right now. Sneasle! Use -"

"Koffing. Explosion." Lucian spoke with clarity and a bit of smug joy. A bright white light pierced the deep smog.

"Koffffffiiiiiiii-" a resounding boom shook the whole town. The smokescreen was blown away, leaving the remaining Pokémon knocked out and unable to continue. Koffing fell down and bounced once or twice before Lucian caught it.

"Good work buddy." He whispered before putting it back into the Pokéball. The line of trainers that had been blocking the way slowly backed up after seeing the carnage. He looked up at them and his expression hardened. He reached into his bag for another Pokéball, but the gang quickly changed their original tune.

"Hell, man, just go!" They grabbed their pokemon and started scattering. "We won't forget this! We'll be back!" Lucian kept his hand on a fresh Pokéball until the rest of the trainers had scattered. Once the coast was clear, the woman dusted off her skirt and walked up to him.

"Thank you…so much." She curtsied as best she could while carrying her unconscious Slowpoke. "That could have been bad. Idiots," she huffed, brushing a strand of brown hair behind her ear, "they don't normally come this far inland. Must be errand boys or new recruits…idiots all the same." Once she had properly vented, she put Slowpoke back in its ball and offered a small smile. "I'm Irena, pleased to meet you."

Lucian extended a hand. "Likewise. I'm Lucian." The two shook hands.

"What brings you to Glisterport? Vacation? Family or…?"

"Work, actually. I'm on my way to Old Sun City."

"Ah, I'm on my way there now!" She chuckled and put a hand on her hip. "What a coincidence, huh? Must be the work of Fate. Want to go together? I know some shortcuts." Lucian smiled. A local as a guide? That was good fortune indeed.

"Sure, I'd love that. Thank you. Do you need anything for…"

"Oh, no, she'll be fine. Let her rest for now and I'll visit the PokéCenter once we get to town." Irena picked up her discarded bag and swapped out her Slowpoke for another ball. She nodded to him, and he swapped Koffing for one of his others. "I've never seen that sort of strategy. Do you do that often?"

"Absolutely not. If those grunts were even slightly more organized, I wouldn't have tried it. It was a gamble, and one that paid off." Irena shook her head with a smile.

"Unbelievable." She couldn't suppress her laughter anymore, letting it echo across the gentle upward slope towards Old Sun. The City was built on a hill overlooking the Coast. Originally, it had been an observatory, but a small farming community grew around it. Eventually, a Gym was built inside the observatory-turned-tourist center. But Irena got quiet when discussing the Gym portion of the Observatory, instead focusing on the tourist-y aspects of it. Not that Lucian minded: he was new and needed all the information he could about his new home.

The city was beautiful, although there were a few empty plots full of rubble and some damaged buildings. A few of the old farms were still operational, while some of the bigger ones had been turned into Daycare centers. Not many wild Pokémon frolicked around the city, but trainers had their Pokémon walking or working alongside them. There seemed to be a lot of construction going on, although the mood was a little more somber than Glisterport. An older gentleman in a fine brown suit stood stroking his bushing mustache as a worker spoke to him about blueprints. Irena called out to him once they were close enough.

"Uncle! Sorry I'm late, I got tied up. They didn't have any extra lumber, but they'll be getting a shipment next week."

"Disappointing but not unexpected, thank you for checking." He smiled softly to the woman before turning to Lucian. "And who is this?"

"Ah! This is Lucian," she gestured to him, then back to her uncle, "This is my Uncle Sylvester Wilkins, the mayor here. Lucian helped me deal with some rude trainers at the Port."

"Lucian, hm? You must be our new Gym Leader. Welcome to Old Sun City."