---

The city of Regala was, as would be expected of the capital of the Sengun region, a hive of activity even in the mid-morning. This was the first impression that Alix Pearce gathered as she walked out of the SailFlight building and onto one of the main streets of the city. All around her, people were stopping off at newspaper stands or cafés, catching up before heading to work, or just generally out and about. There were plenty of Pokémon Trainers nearby as well; Alix could pick out species of all types and sizes. One in particular caught her eye, a graceful Karagrin - a Flying-type Pokémon native to Sengun - sailing the skies.

She was almost immediately bumped aside by the many others who had followed her out of the building to go their separate ways. Kicking herself a little for zoning out, she approached a signpost topped with a sculpture of a sleeping Eevee. She studied the signs for a few seconds before finding the one pointing the way to Ilex Laboratories, and set off.

Five minutes later, she rounded a street corner and found the city's central courtyard. Three magnificent buildings took pride of place, lit up by the morning sun. First, the dominating feature of the vista: the Palace of Regala, home to the ruling King Isaac Paros and seat of Sengun government, bedecked with spires and statuary. Second, the skyscraper, Victory Tower, where the best and strongest Trainers gathered to challenge the Pokémon League. And last, the smallest of the trio, Ilex Laboratories. It would have been like any other research lab, were it not for the enormous oak tree growing from the roof. The effect of seeing the three buildings together was definitely something. No wonder there was a photographer selling snapshots to tourists.

Alix pressed on, taking the road to the Labs. Up close, it was just as impressive as from a distance. Taking a moment to examine her reflection in one of the windows - she had to make a good first impression, and had chosen one of her best outfits for the occasion - she set some stray hairs back into place before making for the double doors, which swooshed open for her.

The Lab reception was a comfortable-looking room, with several seats around the place and a receptionist on duty. "Hey there!" he called out as Alix approached. "You here for registration with the Professors?"

"Yep. Also to pick up a Pokémon I reserved. Name's Alix Pearce, called from Eyria a few days ago."

The receptionist consulted his computer, tapping a few keys. "Ah, there you are, Miss Pearce. Torchic and Pokédex on reserve. I'll give the Professors a heads-up, let them know people are arriving for morning regs. They'll want to wait for more Trainers to get here before seeing you all at once. Take a seat, and I'll let everyone know when they're ready for you."

"Thanks very much." Alix chose a seat and settled in for the wait. Not a minute later, a kid hardly older than fifteen strolled into the Lab with a Mareep in tow. He gave the receptionist a casual wave before reaching the desk. "Morning, Sam. Are the Professors busy right now? I got the samples they wanted."

"Acer might be. I know you like to deliver them yourself, Ato, but morning registrations have started up. Leave 'em with me and I'll be sure to get 'em in the right hands."

The kid, Ato, just sighed and passed a small silver case over the counter. "Works for me, I suppose. C'mon, little guy." He took a seat on the opposite side of the reception, quickly busying himself preparing some form of snack for his Pokémon. Alix had to smile; the Electric-type was rather cute.

To Shinsuke, the seemingly-organized chaotic nature of the city of Regala was not one he cared much for; having spent the last few years of his life cooped up in his home (with the occasional venture outdoors for chores and the like), a place like this was a far cry from what he was used to. No, rather, it was the complete opposite of the leisurely life he led back home, where the most exciting part of his day would be finding a dusty old book and cleaning it off to see its contents. Granted, it wasn't much excitement (and to most, it'd probably be nothing more than a relic of a bygone past), but to him it had been his livelihood. But, of course, he tired of the constant comparisons, the pity, the disdain... And thus, he made his decision to follow along the beaten path, hoping it would lead to a route different from what he had seen time and time again.

Yes, he hoped for change, but he didn't wish for the same cookie-cutter journey that everyone else had been through. Journeying through a region, be it alone or with others, always seemed to play out the same; his conversations with his former peers told him as much. No, he wanted something different, and though he knew that most journeys were unique in their own strange way, he wanted something a bit more than the standard romp around Hoenn, which he knew far too well from his parents' infrequent visits to other cities within the region. Of course, the arrival of Hanzo- the Froakie currently sitting on top of his head- and the suggestion to compete in the Sengun region instead had been a blessing of sorts. Of course, most people preferred not to change from what was known (he was, of course, no exception to this rule), so it was only after a bit of steady deliberation with his parents that he decided to push through with it. They were ecstatic, so Shinsuke thought he should be as well- or, at the very least, somewhat happy. After all, their only son was finally going off to see the world with his own eyes.

The boat ride over to the Sengun region was fairly uneventful; his father's friend, who had accompanied him there, had encouraged him to spend the trip worrying less about the journey to come and more taking joy in the here-and-now. So he did. With all of his goods fully packed away in his bag and all of his other belonging safely tucked away within his pockets, Shinsuke had spent the trip trying to communicate with Hanzo. The endeavor was met with varying degrees of success, and seeing as how Pokemon didn't exactly speak the human language at all (those rare few exceptions he had heard of aside), Shinsuke had to rely on a long series of trial-and-error tests in order to see what the Froakie did and did not understand. The trip had ended uneventfully, for the most part; the best thing that the relationship between the two could be described as afterwards was 'acquainted with one another.' The day they had spent in Mystriver, too, was spent in much of the same way. On the upside, the town felt familiar to Shinsuke, who, having grown up in Sootopolis City, was used to the excess of water surrounding him. The next day, he had taken the Airship over to Regala, which had led him to where he was now.

The atmosphere was suffocating at worst and overly cramped at best to him, but since he was here now there was no turning back. Left with a map of the city and an encouraging message from his father's acquaintance (along with all of his other packed goods), Shinsuke looked around the streets where he was now and tried to put his map into perspective. His choice of attire- his usual getup combined with his lab coat- probably made him stand out among the crowd, and probably even moreso as he continued trying to interpret the map.

"Hm... If this is as I believe it to be..." he muttered under his breath as Hanzo, sitting casually on his shoulder, yawned as it waited for Shinsuke to make his move.

"Oh, alright. That doesn't seem to be too far from here. Convenient."

With that, Shinsuke rapidly folded up the map and placed it in one his his labcoat's pockets before heading off towards the laboratory. The walk was short, luckily enough, and the view of the kingdom's castle was pleasantly surprising. He marveled at the grandeur of the complex for moment, but no more; he could take it in more after he had registered for the region's League. Acting as if he was on a time limit, Shinsuke quickly walked up to the lab's doors. Now THIS... THIS was a place he could get behind. Though the giant tree was a bit strange, it remained a laboratory. A place of intellectual pursuit was one that suited him best, it seemed.

Taking a deep breath, Shinsuke walked forward, the doors parting in front of him, almost as if beckoning him to enter. He obliged, and was met with a well-lit, clean, and calm reception room. Taking a look around him, Shinsuke noticed a few people sitting around... And the receptionist at the desk. Right. He should get on that.

"Erm... Excuse me, sir." he said, bowing slightly to the man. "The Trainer registrations are here today, correct?"
"Yes, you'd be right about that." the man responded in turned, tapping away at his computer. "May I have a name so we can prepare everything for you after everything's been said and done?"
"Oh, right. Sorry for my rudeness. My name's Shinsuke Yamada; I came here from Sootopolis City in the Hoenn region." Shinsuke said, bowing again towards the man.
"No need to be so formal. Sootopolis, huh? Hear it's a pretty nice place. Anyhow, just sit down over there and relax; we'll call you up when everything's ready."

Thanking the man, Shinsuke walked over to a nearby seat and promptly sat down. Well, this was to be expected, after all...

"Waaaaaaaaaaaahahaha!" The moment she touched ground in Regala, Evie had to make some noise. She wasn't scared of flying, in particular, but at the same time, she couldn't really deny the charm of having your feet planted on the earth either. She was excited to be back in a big city. Unova or Kalos, it didn't matter where, people in this world just seemed to enjoy their quiet country life. But not her. The city was where people were, where culture was. And culture was what made society move. With practiced ease, she dodged between the shoulders and awkward stares of the people around her. It's not like she blamed them for staring, she was shouting in the middle of a busy city street, dressed like she was. But she couldn't ignore the looming possibility of having to show up late to her first impression in Sengun. She had a date with the professors here, and if she botched it, there was a good chance she'd have to get back in the air and fly home.

The people here definitely seemed different from back home. If she'd done her studying properly, they had a kingdom-based system of government here, and a heavy tradition based around Pokemon 'Warriors,' which were apparently similar to trainers, but they formed links with pokemon and participated more heavily in battles themselves. It was super interesting, and she was enthusiastic about learning how to do it herself, but apparently it was a skill based around potential. Either you have it or you don't. And there was no way she had it herself, which was a damned shame. She would be interested to do a bit more field research while on the road here, but couldn't deny that her enthusiasm was dulled just a bit. Of course, that whole plan was assuming she could make her appointments in the first place.

Lucky for her, the signage here was clear enough. She just kept following the signs that said "Ilex Labs" and, of course, they led to her destination. It seems like she wasn't late after all, thankfully. Taking a deep breath before the doors, she pounded her fists together excitedly, making sure her blood was pumping, and reassuring herself with the satisfying "klink" sound of the large chain dangling eternally from her right wrist. Now that her mind was at ease, she strode confidently through the double-doors toward the desk.

"'Scuse me mister," she directed her attention to the friendly-looking man working reception, who glanced her way with a warm smile. "I'm, uh, here to register for the league. I called ahead, just need a pokedex, yeah?"

"Oh, excellent. It looks like the professors will be busy today. Your name, please?"

"It's, uh, Evie. That's E V I E, right? Black, like the color."

"Black... Yes, we have your registration. Your pack seems a bit light for such a long journey from so far away though, if you don't mind me saying. Are you gonna be alright?"

Evie blanked, unsure what he was talking about immediately. But sure enough as she looked around, the trainers she saw all seemed fairly prepared. Her pack was, in comparison, somewhat large, but pretty obviously barren. "Aha, ahaha, good on you for noticing. But I'll be fine! This is also monastic training, to strengthen my spirit! Boy, when I beat your league here, I'll be so mature and great. And I'll look back on how, like, little I brought with me, and I'll be amazed!"

The receptionist seemed to have to stifle a groan, but like a trooper, he pressed forward. "Well, you're all processed. If you don't mind taking a seat, you'll be called when they're ready to see you."

"Right!" Evie pumped her fist and disengaged from that conversation post-haste, sitting down beside the folks who had already gathered, trying not to make eye contact with anybody. She wouldn't be able to take it if the noble-looking girl sitting close by were to be staring daggers at her, so it was better not to know.

The young woman with the dark skin shook the cobwebs loose off of her body as she stepped off of the huge Sail-branded airship that had just docked in Regala. Between the long and cramped boat journey from Castelia City to Port Fae, the long and frankly way too expensive cab ride from Port Fae to Spirivic, and then the airship ride from Spirivic to Regala, she had been doing a lot more sitting and laying still than she had been used to. Her right leg was feeling the effects of it and she reached down to rub at the weakened limb. As she did so, the young Petilil that she held in her arm scrambled up from the crook it formed to atop her shoulder, the Grass-type not a fan of being horizontal for survival reasons. While adjusting the brace, the woman grimaced slightly.

"Damn. My legs must have said screw sleep and went straight to hibernation. That's a long ass trip." She reached up onto her shoulder and steadied the nomadic Nina as she stood back up. "Thanks for not going too crazy on the whole thing, Nina. I know you're not the kind to stay still."

"Lillil! Petilil!" Nina seemed to appreciate the praise for her efforts.

Robyn surveyed the area outside of the station, and was immediately struck with a sense of deja vu. Regala seemed to be very similar to her hometown of Castelia, only if a king had gotten to make all the design calls. As she walked, she took in all the sights and sounds that were new to her, yet all too familiar. The names may have changed but the calls stayed the same. Street peddlers hawking their wares, frantic businessfolk trying to catch cabs that were already full, people telling other people the various holes in which they could shove their newspapers. She definitely wasn't homesick with this kind of action going on around her.

It wasn't hard to find the path to the Ilex Laboratories. The streets that led to the Palace nearby might as well have been paved with gold. It was like something out of the houses of the most egomaniacal of rap stars. And next door, of course, was the finish line for this little quest. The massive tower that spiraled into the sky like Robyn used to...would soon be doing again. Victory Tower was the final level for this challenge, but clearly she was not ready for the big time yet. Nina was small, yet to be in a real battle, and...completely lost in her own little bulby head. Swaying in Robyn's arms to a beat only she could hear. The headphone wasn't even dropped down for her. Maybe she's finally remembering her own tunes. Hopefully I can still teach her a fourth move...

Ilex Labs stood out as the only one with an actual tree on top of it. As defining features go, in a city of buildings it worked really well. As Robyn walked in past the swooshing double doors, the reception area again had a hint of deja vu to it. This feeling however was not as welcome as previous ones, as it harkened back to the reason why Robyn was doing this in the first place. She walked up to the receptionist, who was typing away at the computer he was working on. As Robyn plopped Nina onto the counter, he looked up.

"Ah, good morning!" He seemed chipper, and gave a quick look to the Petilil still bobbing on the table. "Here to pick up a Pokédex and take the League Challenge?"

Robyn nodded. "Yep, that's the plan! Me and Nina gonna kick ass!"

Nina perked up upon hearing her name and smiled. "Lillil!"

"That's what we want to hear!" He turned back to the screen. "And your last name?"

"Springs."

It took a second for the receptionist to find her application. "Excellent. Have a seat over there and the Professors will be calling you in with some of the others."

Robyn nodded again and picked up Nina, heading over to a second where a couple other people were waiting. She gave a slight wave as she gingerly set herself and Nina down, awaiting their journey's official start.

Liam looked around in amazement at the city of Regala and capital of the Sengun region. It was such a large city and, even though Platinos was large, it was larger than any city he had been in. Then again, Liam hadn't been in many cities in his life since he had rarely left Platinos. His SailFlight had been rather uneventful except for a fight nearly breaking out but it had been interrupted quickly and the ship arrived early in the morning at Regala's station. Since then, Liam had been wandering through Regala looking at the myriad of shops and tourist wandering about quite like him. There were so many more people than he was use to seeing and they were just as varied as the food street vendors were selling. Liam's stomach growled after having walked what he thought had to be at least four miles and he decided to go to one of the park's in the city.

The small park Liam had decided to stop at was beautiful with trainers and their pokemon running all around. There was also the occasional warrior training the park but they were doing nothing more than working out. It had been a while since Liam had left Platinos but he had let Spalder out every day no matter what. As such, he pressed the small button on his pokeball and Spalder appeared in a flash of light. Like other denhun's, Spalder saw Liam as his pack leader and, as such, Liam often had to keep Spalder close so that he didn't get into trouble. "Are you hungry little guy? I'm pretty hungry I can tell ya that much. I'm going to make us both a meal so don't worry about it." Liam said to Spalder as he withdrew his ponigiri kit and one of the packs of ingredients he had in his pack. With ease, Liam prepared a meal of ponigiri for himself and Spalder to eat. Spalder set upon his small meal like a rabid puppyre on a piece of meat that had been thrown at him. Liam just casually ate his meal while watching the cute little electric type. Both finished their meals and Liam repacked all the supplies into his pack and stood up. "Alright, come here Spalder. This city has lots of big crowds and I am not taking a chance on you getting lost." Liam said as he picked up his little pokemon.

It was easy for Liam to find his way to center of the city where three building sat. He knew all of them without even looking at the signs with their names. They were the Palace of Regala, Victory Tower, and Ilex Laboratories with the first two begin rather tall and magnificent and the third building being shorter but had a tree growing on it's roof. It was rather odd for the lab to have an oak tree growing on its roof but Liam knew better than to question what some people do. Ilex Laboratories was Liam's destination as he still had to register for the League but he couldn't help but gawk at the other buildings. Upon walking into the lab, Liam noticed that there were several others that had arrived here before him. "Sir, what can I help you with?" called a receptionist in the lobby to Liam.

Liam walked forward to the desk with Spalder resting on his duffle bag. "I'm here to sign up for the the League. I already have a pokemon but I still need a pokedex. My name is Liam, L-I-A-M, Hamne, H-A-M-N-E." Liam said to the man.

"Alright, you can take a seat as we wait for any more Trainers." the recptionist responded to Liam. Liam walked away from the desk and took a seat away from msot of the others. Spalder shifted slightly in his sleep as Liam moved him off of the pack and set him on his lap.

Alix took a minute or so to cast an eye across the others that had turned up for registration. A somewhat ditzy-looking girl in full black, a younger kid in a lab coat with a Froakie on his shoulder, a darker-skinned guy presumably from Platinos judging by the Denhun taking a nap, and another girl with some sort of medical-looking attachment on her right leg, a Petilil in her arms. Alix returned the wave that this last girl gave. The first impressions were... never something to go on, she reminded herself. Besides, these Trainers all looked like they had Pokémon with them, and she didn't even have hers yet.

The receptionist, Sam, touched a finger to the earpiece in his left ear, then quickly glanced around the group waiting for registrations. "Five, Professor, plus Ato has returned from the courier job. Shall I bring them in?" A pause. "All right, they're on their way." He stood up. "The Professors Ilex are ready for you now, if you'll follow me." Alix was up on her feet almost immediately, soon followed by the others. With everyone ready, Sam led the way into the building proper.

The central room of Ilex Labs was an open, spacious one. Assistants in lab coats were hard at work in corners; through a glass door, two more were outside, distributing bowls of food before a large group of small Pokémon. Their scuffling and jockeying for position was audible from inside the Lab. Standing in the center of the room, beside a large desk laden with gadgetry, were the Professors Ilex: twin siblings, though you'd never know it from their appearances. Acer, the taller of the two, had brown skin and short black hair, while Yang was paler and styled her blonde locks in a hime cut much like Alix wore herself. Both wore lab coats, lanyards and worker's boots.

"Professors Acer and Yang Ilex, these are Miss Alix Pearce, Mr Shinsuke Yamada, Miss Evie Black, Miss Robyn Springs, and Mr Liam Hamne," Sam introduced the younger Trainers. As he spoke, the kid, Ato, left the group to stand with the Professors, his Mareep in tow.

"A good morning to the five of you. For the three that are unfamiliar with who we are and what we do, I, Acer Ilex, am a historian by trade. Among other things, I study the history of Sengun's Warriors, how Pokémon adapt and change over the years, and the effects of both on the present day."

His sister chimed in. "I'm Yang, and I examine the ways Pokémon adapt to their environments, as well as the habits and behaviours of some species in the Sengun region. Our research often leads to both of us drawing close parallels, which is why we work together on a regular basis."

---

"Before we get to further business, there is one item that we need to take care of. Miss Pearce, you requested a Torchic be reserved for pickup?" At Alix's nod, Yang beckoned to her to follow. She led the way to the door leading to the open-air pen, and several of the Pokémon present looked up to see what was going on. At one of the bowls of food, several Torchics were chirping to one another while their siblings scuffled over the food. Yang opened the door, and gestured to Alix that she should choose one. Tentatively, the aspiring Trainer picked her way through the groups of busy Pokémon to reach the small Fire-types, and knelt down to examine them closer. Some shied away, but two of them, one male, one female, hopped closer, looking up with curiosity. "Tor?"

Alix chose the female of the two that hadn't backed away, reaching out to pick up the Chick Pokémon. She was super warm, and quickly settled into her new friend's arms, chirruping and shifting around a bit before she quieted down. Smiling, happy with her choice, Alix picked her way back through the pen to the door. Yang was smiling. "Aw, she likes you. Sometimes the Pokémon we give out are a bit skittish about meeting new people. Here, you'll need this." She tucked a Poké Ball into the crook of Alix's arm, since the Trainer's hands were rather occupied by the ball of orange fuzz and feathers, and led the way back to the others.

---

As Yang and Alix headed off, Acer was explaining the presence of their teenage assistant. "Young Ato Redfern here, whom you met earlier, is one of my younger assistants. We run a work experience program for those who wish to learn more in addition to their studies. Ato helps with odd jobs around the Lab, working with several different research teams, and occasionally runs back and forth between cities as a courier."

Ato nodded. "The Lab is a fascinating place. Always something new to discover."

"But we digress. Here, we have the Sengun Pokédex. Designed to record information on the Pokémon you see or catch, our model's scanning feature also allows Trainers to assess the health and fitness of Pokémon in the owner's care, and the device can apply the contents of a TM with ease." As Alix and Yang returned to the group, Acer took up a tray of Pokédexes and passed one to each of the five, along with a map of the Sengun region. Alix quickly tucked hers into a pocket, wanting to keep her new acquaintance secure in her arms.

"So there you have it. Your Pokédex has been pre-loaded with your ID as a participant in Sengun's Pokémon League... which leads to the other point we should discuss. The League itself. Once you've started to build up your team, the first Gym Leader you'll challenge is Kelsea, on Mystriver Isle to the northeast. To get there, you'll need to pass through the East Sengun Forest, in Verdan territory. Who knows, you might find a Pokémon that could help you out against Kelsea's challenge, if you don't already have one." Yang gave a short laugh, having noticed the sleeping Denhun that Liam carried.

"If anyone has any questions about the Sengun League, now's the time to ask them. Otherwise, Ato will lead the five of you out of Regala and through the forest to Verdan. From there you can head north to Mystriver Isle," Acer concluded.

As Hanzo perked up at the sight of more and more people coming in, Shinsuke let out a sigh of relief. The arrival of other aspiring trainers, most of whom seemed to be about his age, if not older, put him at ease. They, too, seemed to have come prepared, which meant that his own preparation was probably not unwarranted. It was reassuring, in a sense; at least he could have predicted this much.

When the receptionist called the congregating group of to-be Trainers into the lab itself, Shinsuke stood up straight, with Hanzo shaking a bit as it attempted to retain balance on his owner's shoulder. Tugging the strap holding his pack around him to assure himself of its presence, Shinsuke straightened his lab coat and followed the brown-haired girl that had moved in before him; the others would surely follow suit anyhow, and he himself was curious as to how the lab was laid out.

Needless to say, Shinsuke was pleasantly surprised by how his expectations weren't betrayed... Well, that was kind of a lie. He had expected such work to be a tad more methodical and a bit less chaotic, though he soon rationalized the matter to himself by stating Pokemon as the reason behind the chaos. This seemed to prove true as he glanced through a doorway that showed him a glimpse of Pokemon being cared for by other assistants. At least his hypothesis seemed to be correct at first glance...

Shinsuke's attention, though, rapidly shifted back to the Professors as he walked towards them and the receptionist from earlier introduced the to-be Trainers, one by one, to the two standing in front of them. Their outfits felt a little more mismatched than his, but that simply meant that they worked a bit more out in the field, right?

As his own name was called out, Shinsuke bowed to both of the professors, a sign of respect developed out of some habit or another. Hanzo, too, mimicked the act, though with a bit less grace as it struggled to keep balance on Shinsuke's shoulder. As the introductions went by one after the other and the explanations began, Shinsuke nodded his head in both understanding and approval. His earlier studies would've been much easier had he been a protege to someone rather than a self-taught student for sure.

As the standardized tools were handed out to each member of the group, Shinsuke deftly slipped them into his coat pockets and once again bowed, thanking them for the items. It was only fair, after all; a gesture of thanks was the absolute minimum he could provide to them at this given time. Of course, with no further questions for him to ask, Shinsuke nodded at the professors' directions to have the group led out; he didn't like wasting time, after all.

Evie nodded firmly to herself as she heard her name. She was decidedly trying not to look at the other folks coming in. If she looked at them, she'd have to make an introduction, and it wasn't time for that yet. Once everybody was settled and their business was concluded, she could make her grand entrance. Still, she took a note of all of their names, mentally storing that info away for later. Likewise, as the professors came out, she locked their names away as well. As everybody had been led into the lab, Evie tried not to let herself get caught up in the moment, seeing all of the lab techs working hard, and all of the cool stuff happening around them. It was the time to focus.

The girl she'd noticed before was led away by one of the professors, to pick up a pokemon, apparently, while the rest of the group received a bit of an explanation on the lab and other info. Soon enough, however, it was Pokedex time. The time she'd been waiting for. As she grabbed her device off of the tray, Evie couldn't help but feel a sense of expectation, and excitement. It was time to break free of her slummy lifestyle and onto something greater. It was time for Sengun to rock to her beat! She cracked a grin, resisting the urge to fall too deeply into her own daydreams. She had to listen intently so she would know where to go. North east through a forest, or so it seemed to be. She was excited about the possibility of encountering a new pokemon she'd never seen before, and of course, there was a list of familiar pokemon in her head that she wouldn't mind running across on her journey as well. Her first challenge target was Kelsea, who used... some kind of pokemon, she didn't remember. Tch. Well, I'll figure it out along the way. Maybe I could weasel it out of one of these other guys.

Evie was busy thinking about how to get the answer she was looking for, so she was startled out of her thoughts when the professors asked the group for any last-minute questions. Of course there was one burning a hole through her brain, but it wasn't the right time dammit. Rather than look stupid asking what was probably an obvious question, she'd proceed as planned and knock it out of somebody later, quietly.

"Nope, no questions here, boss. Ready to rock out whenever everybody else is. I hope we get to tag along together for some time. Loners are so yesterday, right Shinzo?" She tossed a friendly punch to the shoulder of the quiet boy nearby, who had been bowing to everybody and everything since he got here. In truth, she only picked him because he was close and it seemed like he was the type to just stand there and take it. It was a rhetorical question, after all. Still, if picking on a younger guy was how she'd be spending the first leg of her long journey, things could be a lot worse. Heck, if he stayed quiet here, he'd be prime material to squeeze her answers from later on. The others... Well, she'd be able to judge them more clearly seeing their actions here.

The decision to sit down was one Robyn regretted as soon as she stood up. The walk over didn't help her leg much as it was still sore from the crossing. Fuck my knee...Just all the more reason to get the championship money, Robyn... She lagged behind the other members of the party as they entered the heart of the laboratory.

The laboratory was really something. Robyn had never seen so many Pokémon gather in one place before. The flocks of Pidove back in Castelia had no shot against the sheer numbers this lab was packing. As the group approached the Ilexs, they definitely looked like professors, aside from the woman's hair. That looked more like a cut Elesa would wear for a magazine shoot, and less like something that kept its shape while working with Pokémon. They sounded smart anyway. Robyn didn't have all that much experience with smart people to judge from, but it sounded right.

The first girl who was there, Alix if the introductions were anything to go by, she was led off into a separate room. Everything was glass so it's not like the others couldn't see what was going on. Alix was led to the pen and walked amongst it for a few minutes before plucking a orange ball of fluff off the ground. Robyn couldn't really see it well, it was at a distance but as Alix returned to the group she saw the adorable little Torchic chirping in Alix's arms and she got jealous. That thing is super cute! I want it...

Almost as if sensing her trainer's jealousy, or maybe just unsettled by the presence of the Fire-type, Nina squirmed in Robyn's arms. "Lillil! Petiiiii!"

Robyn shifted her arms to stroke the Bulb Pokemon's head, tickling around the base of the leaves. "Calm down, girl. She's not going to hurt you. She's got nothing on you." Nina seemed to calm down as her trainer assuaged her concerns.

Once Alix was back in place, the matter of Pokedexes finally was discussed and Robyn quickly slid hers along with her map into her backpack, not wanting to jostle Nina while she was calm. There would be time for playing with it later. She did have a couple of questions for the professors. "So what kind of Pokemon live in the forest? Kickass ones? Also how rough is it going to be out in the forest? Never been here so I'd like to know what to expect." She didn't want to let on why she would need that info, but it probably wasn't necessary to point it out. Everyone could see the bulky brace for what it was.

"So what kind of Pokemon live in the forest? Kickass ones? Also how rough is it going to be out in the forest? Never been here so I'd like to know what to expect."

"The path through the forest is relatively straightforward: a road runs straight through to Verdan's city gates. Or if you're more interested in taking a less traditional path, there's a hiking trail right beside it. The road is easier to travel, but the trail offers splinter paths where you might find an uncommon Pokémon or a group of battling Trainers." Acer unfolded one of the spare maps as he spoke, indicating the two paths side by side.

"As for what kinds of Pokémon you might find, each Kingdom favours one or two types of Pokémon. Verdan is home to Grass and Bug Pokémon, like your Petilil, or the Birchlings and Turtwigs we have here at the Lab," Yang chipped in. "Though that's not to say Grass or Bug-types are the only Pokémon found in the forest, of course. Like in every region, most species naturally favour one particular environment instead of others. Who knows what you'll find? No sense in spoiling the surprise for our overseas Trainers."

"Better that you see it all for yourselves than hear about it from us. Knowing beforehand takes all the fun out of it!" The Ilexes laughed together, joined by a quiet Ato. Acer looked to the younger boy. "But it's time you were on your way. You have quite the journey ahead, and we wish you the best of luck against Kelsea and all the others you'll face. Ato, if you will escort these five through to Verdan?"

"Of course, Professor." Ato produced a Poké Ball and recalled his Mareep back into it, causing the Electric-type to vanish in a beam of light. With that out of the way, the teenager rejoined the party of five. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you the way to the forest." With that, the six of them left the Laboratory, Ato leading the way.

"Tor!" Alix's Torchic gave a rather loud and cheery chirp, bouncing a little in Alix's arms as the Trainer followed at the back of the group. The Fire-type seemed eager to get out of the Lab... it was then that Alix realised she hadn't given her new partner a name. What was the name she had picked out when she was looking at the options online? Something that sounded like the name of a fighter... Jamie? Jasmine? No, no... Jen! That was it. Short, sharp, little bit of a kick to it.

"All right, little one, if you and I are going to work together, you'll need a name. How's Jen sound?"

"Rrr!" Jen chirruped again, eyes bright, and nestled herself deeper into Alix's embrace for a few seconds. Alix took that as an 'okay', and smiled down at her charge. She didn't clearly understand the Torchic's speech, as Jen didn't yet belong to the Fighting type, which was one of Alix's specialties as a Warrior. Still, it was good to know that Jen was happy with her name.

While this one-sided conversation was taking place, Ato continued to lead the way through the streets of Regala, with the newly registered Trainers in his wake. It seemed he was familiar with the layout of the city, as he didn't seem particularly flustered by the hustle and bustle of passersby, and he knew the right places to turn down one street or another.

As the group progressed, he chose to try starting up a new conversation. "So... Shinsuke, was it? I heard you mention to the receptionist you were from Hoenn. What about the rest of you? Where'd you all come from?"

Listening to the overview of Verdan Forest, Robyn shouldn't have been too surprised. It sounded an awful lot like Pinwheel Forest back home, lots of Bug and Grass-types, and it meant she probably wouldn't find much to her liking in there. I already have Nina. I don't need another Grass-type if I've got her. It was clear the Ilexes were holding all the cards to their chests. Well, so much for being prepared for this. She was ready to get going now.

The girl with the new Torchic seemed to be getting to know her new charge as the kid led the party out of the lab. Regala was no Castelia, but it was still rather large, so she was thankful to have someone guiding the way through the city. Nina seemed at ease with the hustle and bustle, but the dropped headphone probably helped matters as well. The sounds of Cirrus served as calming notes for most of the trip and they wouldn't stop now. If it was anyone else playing, Robyn might have missed the question.

"What about the rest of you? Where'd you all come from?"

"Castelia City, born and bred," she proudly proclaimed. "Got that Unova swagger, you know? Gonna use it to dominate this place. Nina's gonna clean up." Nina was still bobbing to her own sounds, the Petilil's leaves swaying side to side as they traveled to the gate.

Evie listened carefully to the professors' explanation. It seemed like the forest would, predicatbly, be filled with grass and bug pokemon. Short work for her poisonous Venipede, but it might not be much help in trying to expand her roster variety. Still, if she could catch something she'd never seen before, she'd be happy even if it was another bug. Still, glancing at Alix's torchic, Evie found herself a bit jealous. Of course pokemon had strengths and weaknesses, but Torchic's fire would be quite useful in the forest, for sure. She knew that water types would stuff it later, but it was hard to think ahead so much.

It was also nice how she was able to travel with her pokemon out of the ball like she did. This was one of Sengun's secrets that Evie wanted to know more about. But she'd find a quiet moment to ask about that, rather than right this second. At the moment, the question seemed to turn towards peoples' home towns, and she was surprised to hear the dark-skinned girl in the group announce her hometown proudly as Castelia. That made it difficult for Evie to respond. Felt like somebody was moving in on her turf or something. But it wasn't like she was happy to call Castelia home or anything. Even to this day she was happier running with the old gang outside Lumiose. So what should she say?

"Castelia, is it? Respect, girl, I guess you and I are kindred spirits. City's alright I guess. Not exactly on the cutting edge, but it's got that big city flair. I guess I should be happy to call it home. I prefer travelling to staying in one spot, though. It gets a little, like, stuffy in Unova, doesn't it?"

Ah, cripes, that sounded like I was trying to start a fight or something. Damn. Too late to save it. Thanks, big mouth. She didn't mean to sound pretentious, but it was easy to put your foot in your mouth when you were trying to brag just a little.

Shinsuke simply nodded at the professors' rundown of the location they were to head through; though he himself had put aside time to familiarize himself with the region's layout, it was by no means a replacement for going out there and checking the place out himself. He could at least understand that much. After one of the girls tossing out a halfhearted remark (and failing to say his name correcly), Shinsuke silently walked along the rest of the group following behind the boy from earlier, listening to the conversation unfolding in front of him. It seemed that the questions weren't directed towards him anyhow, so he was content to listen idly as the group continued chatting away.

The interesting part about it all, though, was the fact that it seemed that two of them seemed to be from Unova. He himself had never really been interested in the region, but the things he HAD read (mainly the whole spectacle of building skyscrapers) had caught his attention... Momentarily. In truth, he really had no way to relate to these people in the least, which wasn't very good considering how he would have to travel alongside them for the remainder of this journey.

Through under normal circumstances he would have liked to maybe try and inject himself into the conversation, Shinsuke found himself unable to do so, be it out of hesitance or uncertainty; even he himself wasn't quite sure of the reason why. So in the end, he remained silent as the rest of the group continued through the streets, which continued to emanate this air of grandeur and amazement...

Well, to him, at least.

The punk girl who said she was from Castelia as well didn't seem to be as thrilled to be representing the Big Cream as Robyn was. Sounded almost like she was dissing the city. Now there was credit where credit was due. Robyn didn't like people taking pot shots at her home burg, but at least she was a native. Natives had the right to go after it. One of those Kalos types, they would have beef on their hands. If this girl lived the life and got out though, well there was no faulting that.

"Only thing stuffy was that dinky tub ride over here," she announced to her fellow Castelian. Now that she thought about it, she did look like she spent an awful lot of time across the inlet near Virbank. They were all about that grunge life over there. Didn't know street living, but whatever. It was a scene. "I dunno bout the city though. This is my first real...trip outside Castelia, so maybe I can't say nothing." Robyn preferred to leave it at that. There were more important things to focus on than being Castelia's unofficial public spokesperson. There were Pokemon to catch, gym leaders to battle, prizes to be won.

Alix finally tuned back into the conversation. "Oh, we're sharing a bit more? Cool. I was born and raised in Sengun. Specifically, Eyria, in the western mountains."

"Seems we've got people from all over the place," Ato brightly noted. "I'm also a Sengun native. Mystriver's my home, though I haven't been back in quite a while. Work at the Lab keeps me busy. Ah, here we are, the gate to Verdan Forest!" Sure enough, beyond the city gates was a wide expanse of plains bedecked in tall grass and the occasional tree, with the forest standing tall in the distance. A river ran through the middle of the plain, with three bridges spanning the gap.

It was a beautiful sight... if you could ignore the shouts of Trainers young and old rustling through the grass or climbing trees close to the city. The group of five passed through the gates and a short distance onto the route, past the majority of the noisemakers; several schoolchildren dashed past them back into the borders of Regala.

"Okay, team, first steps on your road. Don't let me keep you: have a hunt through the grass, see what you can find. I'll go on ahead, but I'll wait for you guys just past the middle bridge. Gives you a chance to get some early battling in. Sound good?" The commentary came from Ato, who spoke up a little just in case someone or something could drown him out.

Alix nodded. Now would be a good time to start working on training Jen, see how she acted and reacted in battle. Of course, at the same time, she needed to find something to catch to back up Jen for the first Gym challenge. Hang on... Kelsea favours Water-types. Of course she does, Alix, her city's on an island in the middle of a lake! Dangit, I'll have to catch something to take over for Jen in that battle. To that end, she took the lead, heading off the beaten path straight into the grass to stir something up. Jen shifted a little in her arms, curious about the world outside of the Lab.

As she headed off, Ato spotted a familiar face near the river, and hurried to catch up with him. "Ezra? I thought you'd have moved on by now, since you registered yesterday. Or did you only start proper this morning?"

---

Usually, Ezra wouldn't be the one to dwell too long in one spot. If the sun was up, then he would be on the move. But, this was his first time being back in the Regala kingdom since he was a child. Seemed a lot of the place changed in his absence. It was only reasonable that he would linger around the city just a little longer than most. He had resigned to the river leading into the forest, taking a moment to enjoy the fresh water. He sat his sneakers beside him, and set his feet into the cool, babbling stream. "Ahhh~" He sighed in content. "Them dogs were beginning to bark. I needed this." He sighed again. A petite little sea otter joined him at his side, receiving a scratch under its chin before diving into the river. As the Oshawott splashed about, Ezra could only look on in some envy.

“Really, B? Don’t tease me like that.” He really wanted to dive in after her. But, he did his best to resist the temptation. ”I know if I go in, i’ll never want to get out!” The Oshawott breached the water surface as majestically as she possibly could, to really rub it in. ”Osha? Oshawott!” ”Are you coming in? This water feels wonderful!” She called. Ezra had to decline.

“Negatory, Brie! I don’t wanna get my underwear soaked!” He called back. She seemed to scoff at such an excuse. ”Osha? Osh osha! Osh!” ”Really? Don’t give me that! You'll get wet anyway when you sweat!” Before he could reply proper, the mischievous little Oshawott shot a formidable stream of water at her trainer, completely soaking his shirt. ”Wotta oshosh!” ”There! Now you’re all wet! Get in here!” She trilled as she splashed about. Ezra made a wild grin as he scrambled to his feet. “Really? Is that how you’re gonna do it?!” He was halfway out of his shirt and ready to jump in, when a voice called his name.

"Ezra? I thought you'd have moved on by now, since you registered yesterday. Or did you only start proper this morning?” Struggling back into his shirt proper, Ezra could notice the young lab assistant he acquainted himself with from the day before. “Ato! S’good to see ya again, little bro!” He took for the boy’s hand, providing a firm, vigorous shaking. “Well, I would’ve been off for the forest by now, but I spotted this cool looking river, and chilled here for a bit. A little Azurill bounced up beside me, and said he wanted to see the world!” He displayed pokeball the little mouse rested in, unclipping it from his rucksack. “How could I say no to that? He’s a young’un too, just a bit younger than Brie. Speaking’a which…” He let out a sharp whistle towards the river. “Hey Brie, come out and say hi to Ato!”

Bursting out in a plume of water, the petite Oshawott trotted onto land, shaking herself dry in the process. “Well, if I wasn’t wet from earlier, that certainly would’ve done the trick.” Ezra commented with a chuckle. ”Oshawott…” ”Well, I told you to get in, but you didn’t want to listen…” She replied as she slapped a flipper at Ato’s shin, her own personal greeting. “Welp, I guess we can start on our journey proper…” Ezra slipped back into his sneakers and patted himself down, making sure he had all his items. Soon, his PokeLink went off. “Must be Melanie.” A cousin of his who was about as chatty as he was.

“I gotta take this, A. Catch ya on the flipside, yeah?” He tightened the straps on his rucksack, gave Ato a heavy shoulder pat, and broke into light trot down the route. "Make sure you keep in touch!" He added. Brie, while small, could easily keep the pace beside her trainer. With his earbuds plugged in, Ezra started up the call. “Hey Mel, what’s uuuuup?” Soon, he jogged to thump of his own tempo, and got lost in the conversation.

"Okay, Jen... let's see what we can find. Going to need to spend a bit of time in the forest to pick up a Grass Pokémon..."

"Torchictor?" Jen sounded concerned.

"Well, I wouldn't replace you, if that's what you're asking - "

"Chee-yen!" A short bark, in the grass close by. Sure enough, a small grey-furred Pokémon poked its head out of the grass. It paused, looking up at the tall human invading its territory, then gave a whine and retreated. Alix raised her eyebrows, then remembered that Poochyena was a Dark-type, and would naturally avoid her as a result because she specialised in Fighting-type Pokémon. It was a good option for a beginner, but one that she would have to skip. "Ah well. There must be something else around here..."

Sure enough, in one of the trees, she spotted a pair of bird Pokémon chirping at each other. The Kestra, brown with a prominent crest of feathers that gave it an impression of angry eyebrows, was trying to imitate the melodious trills and tail flicks of the grey and orange Fletchling. Both, however, paused when Alix carefully approached.

"Trra?" The Kestra was the first to make a move, hopping out to the end of its branch. It regarded Alix with a look, and she held its gaze. The Fletchling, however, took flight, looping once around the tree before sailing off elsewhere, singing as it flew.

Alix stepped back a pace, and set Jen on the ground before her. "Okay, Jen, time to see how we fight." As she spoke, the Kestra began hopping from branch to branch, picking its way down the tree to reach the grass below. Jen began bouncing up and down a little: was she eager, worried, both, or neither? The Kestra was the first to make a move: from the lowest branch of the tree, it jumped and opened its wings as it fell, performing a short dive to land in front of Jen. Before Alix's Pokémon could respond, the Kestra poked at her a few times with its beak, then sprang back. "Tra!" Challenge! Alix understood the wild Pokémon's chirp this time.

"Okay, Jen, let's go!" Jen scuttled forward, swiping at the bird with one foot in an unbalanced manner before she dashed back to her Trainer. Alix cracked a smile at how cute she was when she ran around. But the Kestra's retaliatory Peck attack reminded her that now wasn't the time to focus on the cutesy side of her Pokémon. "Again, Jen! We've got to wear it down!"

"Tor!" Again Jen ran up, but this time she balanced herself on one foot before preparing her own attack. The Kestra, unfamiliar with the action, flicked its feather crest and ruffled the rest of its feathers before Jen Scratched it and ran back to Alix. Her opponent gave a short cry and flew forward a little before it delivered another Peck.

Jen gave a loud "TOR!" and hid behind Alix, with a worried look on her face. She had a few scratch marks... but the Kestra had just as many. Either Jen had done some damage, or the Kestra was a young one. Either way, now was the time to recruit the Flying-type to the team.

Alix pulled a Poké Ball from her satchel, briefly weighing it in her hand before she tossed it towards the bird Pokémon. The Ball did its work, opening up and drawing the Kestra into its hollow insides before closing of its own accord and resting in the grass. It twitched once, then twice... a third... then a click emitted from the Ball and it stopped moving.

A muffled ding came from Alix's pocket seconds later. "Huh?" She rummaged through the pocket in question to find her new Pokédex had a blinking light on the top and a symbol of a Poké Ball on the screen.

2 New Pokémon Recognised
Kestra: Falcon Pokémon ♂ |
Moves: Peck, Growl
Ability: Sniper (This Pokémon looks for weak points in the defenses of an opponent.)

Description: As they learn to swoop down at their landbound prey, Kestra make nests in trees further and further from the ground.

---

Torchic: Chick Pokémon ♀ |
Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember
Ability: Speed Boost (This Pokémon moves faster as a battle progresses.)

Description: Torchic has a place inside its body where it keeps its flame. Give it a hug - it will be glowing with warmth. This Pokémon is covered all over by a fluffy coat of down.

Alix stowed the Pokédex after giving it a cursory glance. So her new acquisition had the Sniper ability... that explained why Jen tried to hide after the last attack. The Trainer sat down in the grass facing her charge, and picked her up. "You okay, little one? You took a few hits there."

"Rrrr... chic chic." Jen wasn't happy with the results of her first battle, even though she'd won. Alix held her carefully in one arm while she tentatively brushed the scratch marks away. "It's okay, Jen. We won. See? Good as new." Jen just chirruped, settling in and picking at her fuzzy feathers. Maybe she didn't like battling... although now that Alix knew about the Fire-type move in her arsenal, the next battle would be different.

Somehow, their party picked up a new member. Evie was happy. The more the merrier, as she had said before, and it wasn't like she was even expecting to travel as a group before she got here. Everything seemed to be looking up, and with that, the world of Sengun opened up to her. The group was about to enter the forest, and with that, it was time to find a new pokemon to catch. Lots of critters wandering around here, birds, small mammals, things like that. She saw a lot of pokemon she recognized in the grass, as well as a small bird that she didn't recognize at all... So that's a Sengun pokemon, huh? Her pokedex revealed that its name was 'Kestra.' It was what she wanted, for sure, but birds were problematic for her. As it stood now, she stood a chance of taking one out, but she didn't want to risk trying to catch one. Trying to catch it meant conceivably leaving her bug-type Venipede in against flying attacks for an unknown amount of time, and she just didn't want to risk it. Not without a backup plan, anyway. She shook her fist at the small bird nearby, who just sort of seemed confused. Next time...

She needed to have a fallback plan. If it wasn't going to be something new it had to be something totally radical. Something like a cool black dog or something. One that looked super pissed and like it wanted to bite somebody. Yeah... something like that. Something like the Poochyena eyeing her up right about now...

The script was writing itself, here.

Of course she had to catch it. Poochyena looked like it was gonna either battle her pokemon or else it'd battle her face, so this was only gonna end one way. "Get out here, Venipede, we've got a battle on our hands!" As it flew out of her pokeball, Venipede looked ready to fight, as if it had been antsy the whole time. "Vennn..." it muttered under its breath. Heck yeah, we're set to go.

It would have been nice to have a super flashy battle or something, but at such a low level, there were an awful lot of tackles and poison stings flying around and not much else. Only so many times you can shout "Venipede, use poison sting!" with flair. Evie slowly had become aware that she probably looked like an idiot. Again. But it didn't matter. A few pokeballs down the hole and she was one teammate richer.

Venipede made out with minimal bumps and bruises, and her newest canine comrade had been poisoned and couldn't even summon the energy to to be mad anymore. Evie herself was tired and just a little bored thanks to her notoriously short attention span. But she was happy to have filled out her roster even just this small amount more. Tossing the newly-filled pokeball out, her new Poochyena slumped lethargically out of it and onto the ground.

"Pathetic showing, man, come on, where's your energy?" Evie rustled through her back searching for something before finding what she was looking for. "Here, good for you I brought these with. You'd be surprised how often they get left behind. Don't want you wasting away in that ball, right?" Poochyena whimpered lazily in response. After she administered the antidote to heal its poison, the little dog seemed to want nothing more than to just sleep. Maybe it's a low health thing. Gotta admit I know how that feels.

Still, she was curious about her new battle partner. Sure they looked cool, but what could they actually do? Her pokedex held the answer. She began mumbling to herself, to solidify the information in her brain.

"Female Poochyena... dark type... coulda told you that. Knows Tackle and Howl... kinda useful I guess... Quick Feet... so it was actually faster when it was poisoned? Guess I didn't notice... Yeah, alright. Rock on, little dude... er, little chick? Everybody's got nicknames for their Pokemon, and it looks like I missed that boat, so I guess I'll figure out what to call you. Gotta be something cool... something with feeling..." What would she call her Pokemon...? "Is Fang too generic? Too last year? I need a name that's super cool. Rad as heck. Totally rad. The raddest." The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. "Yeah... 'Rad' is about as good as anything. Not the most ladylike but hey. Nobody's gonna care when you're trying to bite their face off, right?"

The immediate breaking-up of the group as everyone walked into the forest caught Shinsuke off-guard. While everyone else seemed to know exactly what they were going to do and seemingly had a plan in mind, he was left standing awkwardly along the path towards the bridge. Their younger guide had said something about battling, and though he knew that was how the whole system worked, Shinsuke found himself unable to follow the two girls who had already broken away. Instead, he opted to silently walk along the path; he had had enough chaos for now, and this breath of fresh air would (hopefully) do him some good.

As he continued walking along, the sights and sounds of nature seemed to come to life for him. THIS was what he envisioned his journey to be; not a continuous slaughterfest and struggles between man and nature, but one of some semblance of peace that he could only dream of back at home. It was nowhere near the mood of his room, filled to the brim with documentation, but this was a different sort of peace.

"I can see why so many people love traveling like this..." Shinsuke mused to himself as Hanzo casually hopped off of his shoulder and started to walk alongside him instead. The din of the other Trainers seemed to disappear as Shinsuke finally found himself wandering off the main path and past the trees that had been lining it, instead being replaced by the cries and chirps of Pokemon abound. It was new; not necessarily exciting, but it was new.

Though many of the cries were unfamiliar to Shinsuke, there were a few Pokemon that he recognized as he continued on through the trees. The occasional growl of a Poochyena or the mewling of a Skitty made their way to is ears, which comforted him somewhat. His mother had always liked keeping one of the latter at home, if only for its appearance. He really couldn't understand the appeal of how they looked but... Well, to each their own.

A few more minutes of treading among the forest later, Shinsuke found himself at a small brook, clean water flowing through it and down towards lower ground. As he stepped forward and motioned Hanzo to check it out with him, Shinsuke felt something land on his head. It wasn't a branch or anything- No, rather, this felt like a bird or something. Cautiously reaching for whatever was on him with both hands, Shinsuke was surprised to find that whatever it was, it felt like... A pillow?

"...Wait a second..." Shinsuke said before slowly reaching for his Pokedex and taking it out before aiming it right above his head. The description that he read soon after came as no surprise; these things were all over the place back home... Well, mainly on the other side of the region, but still.

"A Swablu, huh?" he asked himself, walking to the brook and taking a seat nearby before carefully plucking the Pokemon off of his head and placing in in front of him. The Swablu simply cocked its head in curiosity as he did so, making no suggestion as to if it was hostile or not. Well, from what he had read in the description, these things didn't exactly fear humans... No, rather, they seemed to do silly things like that more than anything else. As Hanzo finally made his way over to the brook, Shinsuke and the Swablu found themselves staring at one another, waiting for the other side to make a move. It was strange, sure, but it was intriguing more than anything else.

After what seemed to be an eternity for both sides (though in actuality, it was nothing more than a few minutes), Shinsuke finally began to speak, in what was his attempt at communication.

"Do you want to join us?"

It was a simple question, but Shinsuke's point seemed to get to the little Swablu as it turned to face Hanzo, a playful expression on the former's face. Seemed it was time for a fight.

"...I guess that's how this works, right?" Shinsuke sighed, motioning towards the Swablu as is this was some rehearsed play of some sort. "Hanzo: Bubble, Bubble, Pound. Use the trees to your advantage; don't let up."

The words came out of his mouth like clockwork, and Hanzo followed accordingly, slipping between the trees and occasionally scaling them or diving behind them to get out of the way of the Swablu's constant attempts to Peck and attacking the Swablu from its blind spots. The constant hit-and-run was, of course, a bit underhanded, but this was a battlefield, after all. Only a few minutes of this back-and-forth later, and the Swablu was put to near-exhaustion, teetering left and right as it struggled to keep its balance. Now was the time.

With a flick of his hand, Shinsuke tossed a Pokeball at the little Pokemon, the ball shaking left and right as the Swablu struggled to make its way out. Sadly, that too was in vain, and Shinsuke found himself with a new party member. But before anything else, he needed to treat its wounds. Sending out the Swablu next to the brook, Shinsuke opened his Pokedex to check over the stats of the Cotton Bird as it attempted to recover..

Aas the Swablu carefully preened its feathers next to the water, washing away all the dirt and grime it had accumulated from the battle, Shinsuke read the Pokedex's documentation out loud, just as he had done with his texts back home. "Let's see... Female. Normal and Flying. Knows Peck and Growl. Ability is Natural Cure..."

As he rattled off the stats that popped up on the Pokedex, Shinsuke found himself remembering that he needed to name the Swablu. Right. Well, this was always the hardest part about it all.

"Erm... How does the name 'Kumie' sound?" he asked the Swablu tentatively, waiting for a response. What he got was a simple nod, which he could only assume it was okay with. Well, that was simple.

"Alright, Kumie it is. It's a pleasure to have you with us. Now... Which way is the main road?"

"...And you KNOW just how vulnerable it is to be when you're taking a shower! You're wet and naked and slipping and sliding all over the damn place!" Ezra laughed as he made his way down the mostly linear trail, having a rollicking good time conversing with his cousin.

"Of course imma freak out if something lands on my face while I'm washing up, I don't care how many black belts I have!" He laughed some more. Through his earbuds came a series of beeps, indicating a incoming call. "Hold on Mel, someone else is calling." He switched over. "Hulloooo?" Ezra slowed down his jog to walking speed. It was Ato calling.

"Hey, Ezra, just me. Had a thought. Y'know how there were three or four others who signed up yesterday, before you turned up? Might be a bit late to catch up to that group, but there's a bunch of newcomers registered this morning. Just got out of Regala, on their way to Mystriver. Maybe you could tag along with these guys, if you want company on the road?"

Naturally if it meant new forms of social interaction, Ezra was intrigued. "Really? Shouldn't be much to catch up to them, doubt they gotten to Mistriver already...d'you remember any of their names? What should I be looking out for?" He asked.

"They're a bit of a mix and match. Most of them came in from overseas. One's from Hoenn, two from Unova, and one from Sengun. I'm supposed to be leading them through the forest to Verdan, so they'll catch up to me soon enough."

"Overseas?" Now Ezra was excited. It would be his first time meeting someone from out of region. "Now I REALLY gotta meet up with 'em. What's one of them look like? D'you remember?"

"Take your pick. Lab coat and glasses, dark-skinned girl with a Petilil, or the tall one with the hime cut."

"Hime cut..." Ezra reiterated. "Alright. I'll be on the lookout. Meet you at the forest." As Ato hung up, Ezra patched back over to his cousin. "Sorry for the wait Mel. Turns out there are people coming from all over the place to take the league challenge! Hoenn, Unova...wait, did he say Mistriver?" He paused.

"Ain't the first gym leader here?" Melanie asked her cousin. Ezra almost kicked himself for overlooking such a detail. "Had no idea...well damn, if that were the case, I could've just stayed home and saved the money!" He chuckled and sighed. "Okay, let's see if I can find any of these trainers..." His voice trailed off as he surveyed the scene. "Lab coat...dark skin...tall...hey Brie, d'you know what a Petilil looks like?" He asked the Oshawott.

"Oshawott." "Nope." She shrugged back.