FLASHBACK

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"They said there would be a desert enclosure somewhere around here"

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"What exactly made you want to choose a desert enclosure in the first place?" "Yeah, what's so good about a desert?..."

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"...my family actually moved here from the Unova Region. I lived in Castelia City at first..."

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"...what's so funny about that?" "It's not that, you're sinking in the sand"

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"Hold on Caleb, I'll try & help you out!"

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"There it is! That's the Pokemon that helped me get back to my parents in the desert"

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"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!"... "Oh it's fine, nothing to worry about"

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"...yeah I am, but I'm actually looking for something"

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"Would you like some help?..." "...I could probably get attacked so I'll take your offer"

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"...This isn't like her to just disappear without any notice, let's go look for her before she gets herself hurt looking for a Pokemon"

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"Vee Vuii!" "What on earth was that?" "Whatever that was might be what you're looking for, and it sounds like it's in trouble"

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"Hey little buddy, we're not here to hurt you..." "..oh no, the Beedrill found us!"

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"You aren't the only one that's capable of sneaking away from a crowd sis"

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"...looks like our little brother just got his first Pokemon as well!"

FLASHBACK OVER

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The scene would cut to the group roaming around the lab amongst a plethora of other people, getting to know each other a little bit better after the experience they were all put into. Both Daniel & Caleb would be spouting stories of things that have happened in their respective hometowns & eventually the conversation would shift towards Robin & Freddie obtaining their first ever Pokemon while also being put into their first real & more intense style of Pokemon Battling, and soon the conversation would shift once more about everyone starting their own journeys & what expectations they have for themselves... something seems slightly off balance however..

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"I can't believe you would go ahead & do something like that Robin!" Solange would be scolding her close friend for her reckless actions. "You're lucky this man was in there when you wandered in that habitat. Who knows what else could have happened to you if you were by yourself? You could have gotten yourself injured badly by all those Beedrill y'know.." Solange would continue with crossed arms & a pouting face. Robin would look nervously at her friend before she responded. "Listen Sol, I understand that what I did could have gotten me hurt & I'm really sorry for worrying you & everybody else. You're right about me being lucky with Daniel being there, I wouldn't have expected that habitat being littered by Beedrill" Robin would say to her friend reassuringly before looking at the small pink Pokemon in her arms & continuing her response. "Besides... I think that risk was pretty worth it in the end. Isn't he the cutest?" She would say while cuddling her first Pokemon with genuine affection.

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Solange would look at her friend & her Pokemon enjoying eachothers company & soften up just a little bit. "I guess it was sort of worth it.. he is adorable" Solange would say with a smile before continuing her rant with crossed arms. "But that still doesn't excuse the fact that you separated yourself from the pack & put yourself in heaps of danger!" Robin would have a look of guilt on her face & Solange would notice. "You know I'm not trying to be a nag, Robbie. With you being a really close friend of mine, I only want what's best for you" Solange would say before running up & embracing Robin from behind with tenderness. Robin tried to hide the fact that her friend's hug & worries didn't affect her, but she ended up smiling & laughing in short time. "I know you do, Sol. I appreciate you for that.."

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"Are these two always like this?" Katalina would ask after witnessing the mini-argument between friends. "Emotional? Overly sensitive? Touchy-feely?" Ravin would respond to her friend. "They are like two peas in a pod the way they are with one another" She would finish her response before continuing. "Some days, I find it hard to believe that girly-girl over there is my twin sister, we act nothing alike" She would chuckle after her statement. "How can you say that about your sister? You guys lived together" Caleb would say out of curiosity. "It's because she's allowed to say it Caleb. She's her twin sister" Katalina would butt in for her close friend.

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"It's nothing serious. That's just some sibling humor we share with one another. You wouldn't understand it because you're an only child... no offense" She would finish her statement putting her hands up in defense of that last part. "You guys make some good points. It's like both of you were born with completely opposite personalities" Caleb would say. "Despite us being completely different, that's still my sister at the end of the day & I would do anything for her.." She would say with a serious expression on her face. "Are those feelings I hear?.. coming from the big bad Ravin?" Caleb would say jokingly with a grin before quickly weaving backwards & avoiding a rapid slap to the face by Ravin.

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While everybody conversed with one another in their respective groups, Freddie & Daniel would be in the back of the pack getting acquainted with one another..

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As everybody continued walking onwards, occasionally stopping to get a view of different habitats & the pokemon residing in them, Freddie would be looking at the PokeBall with his very first Pokemon inside of it, caught up in his own thoughts about everything that had just transpired before they started their walk back to the lab. 'What if that went any differently? Would I have lost my sister over her own curiosity?...why did Grookey choose me to be it's trainer after helping me?...could things have gone different if I payed more attention?...does this stranger have any ulterior motive?...What if-' "Yo" Daniel would cut off Freddie's racing mind before continuing. "Those were some sweet frickin' moves out there dude! Anybody witnessing wouldn't have thought that was your first ever battle" Daniel would compliment him on his fight against the Beedrill. "It was nothing, really" Freddie would reply to the male. "Grookey was the one you should really be giving the credit to. I wouldn't have been able to help save my sister if it wasn't for him" He would say with a proud smile.

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"I'm sorry, but I can't agree with you on that.." Daniel would say in response to his statement. Freddie would slow his walking pace to focus his gaze at the male in disbelief. "What makes you say that, ..stranger?" Freddie would tauntingly say towards Daniel, a hint of frustration in his vocal tone. Daniel quickly noticing some sort of hidden tension between himself & Freddie, would share some words of wisdom that would diffuse the situation & have him thinking more intuitively. " A car wouldn't go where you would need it to take you if it doesn't have any directions to follow.. Just like a Pokemon wouldn't be able to win a single battle without the proper directions from their Trainer!" The male would finish. "Ee, Vui Vui!" Eevee would exclaim, responding to his trainer's statement. "You sure seem to know a whole lot about being a Pokemon Trainer for someone who's starting their journey fresh & far from home.." Freddie would say with a hint of skepticism to the male walking beside him. "Just because I'm starting my journey doesn't mean I'm not knowledgeable on these things. I uhh.. did my research before, and also while making my way down here from Laverne" Daniel would say, scratching his head before continuing. "That's true I guess. You did have a head start since you woke up early to get here I'm assuming" Freddie would say before also continuing, unaware of Daniel's sigh of relief.

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"Now that you're officially a Pokemon Trainer, what are your expectations going into this journey with your sisters?" Daniel would ask Freddie as the whole group continued to explore habitats. Confused by his question, Freddie would ask the man to elaborate his question more. "What do you mean by 'Expectations going into this Journey'?" Daniel would smile before answering. "I mean like how are you, as a starting trainer, expecting this whole journey to turn out for you? What are you hoping to gain on this new experience with your friends & siblings? Stuff like that.." Freddie would put his finger up as if to answer, but finds himself stuck in the question that was asked to him. "You know I've always asked if I could go on my own Journey with my own Pokemon, but I haven't really put much thought on the foundations of everything now that you bring it up.." Freddie would tell the male with a disappointed look growing on his face. "Don't beat yourself up over the question, you actually gave me the perfect answer!" Daniel would say with a bright smile, patting him on the back. "You just started, you're still learning, but you've also got alot of learning ahead of you" He would say before continuing. "One step at a time, don't rush yourself trying to chase perfection.. 'cause otherwise you might miss some key moments along the way" Daniel would finish with a reassuring smile.

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After a bit more time of exploring different habitats & getting more familiar with one another through conversation, the group would finally go back to the lab where everyone was gathered at the beginning of this event where they would be greeted by none other than Maurice Hopkins. The same individual who introduced himself with a speech & informed all of the new trainers of everything a beginner trainer would need to know before allowing them all to roam around in search of their very first Pokemon. Some going as far as catching more than one after obtaining their first.

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One by one, members of the group would walk inside of the lab facility that was operated by the father of the three siblings. Once inside of the lab, they would all inspect the area around them to see the lab almost barren.. aside from a few interns here & there running around the lab attending to things. Eventually they would all be approached by the same big burly man that was giving the opening speech at the very beginning of this event. "So, you guys are all finished exploring the habitats for your first Pokemon?" Marcus would ask the group. "Definitely, dad" Ravin would say with a smile. "I never would have expected this building to house so many different habitats with Pokemon living in them" Caleb would say in awe of everything he saw. "Me & Freddie even got into our first ever battle with a wild Pokemon" Robin would say. "Yeah we did. We wouldn't have been able to win that battle if it wasn't for everyone else showing up when they did" Freddie would finish her statement. Marcus would grow a proud smile on his face after hearing those statements. "...Well? Let's see those Pokemon. Don't be shy now" Marcus would exclaim. Upon hearing those words, the whole group (Minus Daniel) would look at one another with smiles before collectively letting out all of their Pokemon. "COME ON OUT EVERYONE!" They would all say at once before throwing their PokeBalls in the air, emitting a white light from the center button down to the floor to reveal everyone's first Pokemon. "Grook-Grookey!" "Tinka-Tink, Tink!" "Whisss-murr~" "Gothita!" "Pip, Piplup!" "Sand-Sandile, Sand!" All of the Pokemon would let out their respective cries upon being let out of their PokeBall. "Vee, Vui!" Daniel's Eevee would jump from his shoulder onto the ground to play with all the other Pokemon.

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"You guys are all advancing a lot faster than I expected. I was going to get into what to do when battling wild Pokemon out in the open, but it seems as if you guys have got it all down pact by now.." The man would say before continuing. "..which brings me onto the next topic. Follow me everyone!" Marcus would say before directing everybody to a table that contained a sealed box with 'Fragile' labeling all over it & stopping directly in front of it before turning to face the whole group.

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"Alright everyone. What I have in this box behind me is a device that will be a really great asset to have on your journey" He would say before opening the box & taking out a brand new PokeDex. "This right here is a Pokedex" Marcus would say before stopping to show everyone one by one. "What this does is it records the data of whatever new Pokemon you encounter by simply taking it out while it's in sight. Simply just take it out, point it towards the wild encounter.. or ANY encounter really, and it tells you the species of Pokemon as well as detailed information about said Pokemon" He would explain in detail before continuing. "Not just that though, it also has a bunch of other cool features, like this map of the entire region.. incase you guys ever get lost or stranded" Marcus would say with a smile. "No way! These are pretty cool Mr. Hopkins. Thank you so much!" Caleb would thank him while examining his Dex. "Are all new trainers going to be receiving a new PokeDex?" Katalina would ask Marcus while inspecting her Dex. "Yes, all new trainers are required to get a Pokedex. However since you're all friends with my son & daughters, figured I'd go ahead & get the best ones for all of you guys" Marcus would say with a gleeful expression on his face.

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Each & every one of them (Minus Daniel) got finished checking out their brand new Pokédexes & all respectively gave Marcus Hopkins a proper thank you for all of the work & effort he had put into making sure all of their journeys would start off on a good note. "It's really not a problem you guys, I'm just glad I could prepare all of you properly for whatever you guys all have in store for yourselves." Marcus would respond to all of their gratuitous statements at once before continuing. "As you all might already be aware of... once you pass those doors to leave this lab, you are all going to be on your own from here on out. Now if you guys ever feel yourselves to be in a place of uncertainty regarding what path you wanna follow, just know that the possibilities are endless. You could choose to take the normal route most new trainers usually go for & start challenging the various gyms & travelling specialists scattered all over the region. Or you could go the separate route & choose to follow the path of a Pokemon Coordinator... or even a Pokemon Ranger.. Like I said, the possibilities are all endless, just make sure you all stray away from following a dark path" The man would say to all of them.

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After going on a long tangent about the different options of what they all might choose to do, eventually Marcus Hopkins would gather everybody's attention once more. "Alright. now that everybody's got their first Pokemon & have gotten familiar with their Dexes, I think now would be appropriate time to introduce everybody to the art of Pokémon Battling.." The man would begin before eyeing everybody that's apart of the group before continuing. "You see.. Pokémon Battles between trainers is similat to wild Pokemon Battles, except these Pokémon you're battling cannot be caught they already belong to somebody that has been training with or alongside them..." As Marcus kept explaining the fundamentals of Pokémon Battling, Freddie would relate what his Father just said to something Daniel had said to him earlier..

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{BRIEF FLASHBACK}

"It was nothing, really... Grookey was the one you should really be giving the credit to. I wouldn't have been able to help save my sister if it wasn't for him" "I'm sorry, but I can't agree with you on that.."

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"A car wouldn't go where you would need it to take you if it doesn't have any directions to follow..."

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"...Just like a Pokemon wouldn't be able to win a battle without the proper directions from their Trainer"

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{Brief Flashback Over..}

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"...-ie.."..."...-ddie.."..."...Freddie?.."

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"FREDDIE MCINTYRE!" Marcus Hopkins would bellow rather loudly, getting the attention of everybody inside the lab. "Daydreaming while I'm explaining different Pokémon types & what their strength & weaknesses are?" He would scold Freddie with his arms crossed. "Every new trainer has to be at least knowledgeable in the basics of these things you know.. were you even listening to any of the words I was saying just now?" Marcus would genuinely ask Freddie with a stern expression on his face. "Shame on you.." He would scold his son one last time. "I'm sorry dad... I was relating something you said earlier about Pokemon being trained alongside their own trainers with something Daniel had mentioned to me earlier" Freddie would say holding his arms up defensively to try & get his Father off his back. Marcus would then turn his gaze towards Daniel for what seemed like the first time, visually inspecting him all over with his eyes narrowed due to his own skepticism. Daniel didn't seem to be fazed by any of this. "...what did he say earlier that could correlate with what I'm talking about in present time?" Marcus would shift his gaze back to Freddie, waiting for an answer. The whole group was shaken by what was going on in front of them, but nobody felt compelled enough to try & stop the quarrel between Father & Son due to it being a Family Matter.. nobody was expecting this shift in mood from Marcus Hopkins at all.

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"If I remember correctly.." He would start before continuing his tangent. "...Daniel made a comparison about something like a car not going where it needs to without the proper directions from the right person... Similar to how a Pokémon would need to follow it's own trainers orders with full confidence in order to win a battle & gain experience from it.." Freddie would explain to his Father, proving to him that he was indeed paying attention to what he was saying in his lectures. Marcus would look at Daniel before looking back at his son & smiling, his stern energy dissipating once he heard what Freddie had to say. "I'm glad you were actually listening the whole time, that's actually a perfect comparison you've pointed out... and to believe I thought you were dozing off" Marcus would say the last part jokingly. Freddie would breathe a sigh of relief after being startled like that by his Father. "Don't think you got off scott-free, Freddie." Marcus would say to his male child. "I know you weren't paying attention to the different elements with their strengths & weaknesses. Therefore you have the liberty of being the first out of everyone in your group to have a Pokémon Battle... only this time, you'll be at a disadvantage for not listening to my rant earlier." Marcus would say with seriousness behind that statement. At the mention of a Pokémon battle, the group would all get excited to be able to witness a Pokémon Battle between two beginning trainers to see who comes out on top. The suspense was building up rapidly as time moved forward, anxious tensions rising within the room...

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After a quick inspection of the group & some brainstorming, a light bulb would go off inside the man's mind as he would smile. "Alright, I just got an idea" Marcus would say with a smile befre continuing. "Instead of just watching two people battling, you're all going to be participating in either a tag-team double battle... or a regular old single battle" The man would finish as the group would discuss amongst one another. "I'm gonna be sitting this one out" Ravin would exclaim before stepping back from the group & having a seat with her Whismur running towards her & jumping on her lap. "Whismur & I already had our first battle, I don't want to overwhelm him all in one day" "That's respectable of you Ravin, I'll allow it" Marcus would say.

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"Dan, would you like to take Ravin's place?" The man would ask the mysterious trainer. Daniel would contemplate for a bit before ultimately deciding. "I don't see why not, me & Eevee could definitely use the warm up" He would say, smiling as Eevee would jump on his shoulder. "I'd like to do the single battle if that's alright with you" He would say to the man. "That's alright with me. The rest of you are gonna have to discuss amongst yourselves to choose which battle style to do"

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Fun Fact: The fourth & strongest Beedrill in the group that jumped Eevee & Grookey right before the whole group knocked it out was actually the Kakuna that was watching both Robin & Daniel walk through the forest