---

---

As the sun rose high in the sky above the idyllic little buildings that made up Pallet Town, the sea breeze seemed to carry a fresh scent on it. A familiar scent, but also the scent of a new beginning. The sound of waves lapping at the beach was calming, as if to soothe anxious nerves that may be unready to take such a bold step on a brand new journey. A journey that was sure to be filled with ups and downs. New friends, new adventures, and a ton more cliches that could be spat out by a random bot.

One such person had seen them all through his many years in Pokemon research, and yet the day of handing out Pokedexes and Pokemon trainers always excited him. He straightened himself up in a long mirror, and smiled confidently. "Ah Pokemon League registration day!" Professor Samuel Oak exclaimed to no one in particular. "How I love it so! Getting see all those youngsters with their bright eyes and fresh faces ready to take on the world of Pokemon! Then I send them off with nothing but tiny creatures to protect them from forests and caves full of things that want to eat them alive! It's times like this that keep me young!" He brushed off his jacket for a third time before he stopped at the sound of footsteps clomping up the stairs.

A young man of 22 emerged from the ground floor, looking slightly irritated. He carried his bomber jacket a lot easily than Professor Oak wore his lab coat, which had the sleeves rolled up for some reason. As he brushed his hand through his sharply-spiked brown hair, Gary Oak let out a sigh. "Gramps?" the Viridian City Gym Leader asked. "Who are you talking to up here? Yourself?"

"No, my boy, I'm talking to the Pokemon! They always listen to me! Or at least they will until I give them to their trainers!" Oak didn't turn from the mirror for a second while answering his grandson.

Which means he didn't see how irked Gary was becoming. "You don't have any more Pokemon to give away, Gramps. Not since you gave that Bulbasaur to that homeless guy 10 years ago and he went on a spore-fueled rampage through Celadon City. The cops were asking what you were going to do about all the property damage, remember?"

"Ah yes, I know Johnny was very thrilled to get his Bulbasaur. But, if there are no Pokemon here, how will the new trainers get their first partners?"

"Pretty sure they all caught their own."

Professor Oak shook his head. "Kids these days with their smartphones and their zero-calorie colas. They think they are invicible! Well these 10-year-olds will learn soon enough how harsh the world of Pokemon can be."

This drew a facepalm out of Gary. "They definitely aren't 10-year-olds, Gramps. Pretty sure they are all my age at least. I think half of them were out at the Green Bull last night drinking!"

Another shake of the head came from the professor. "They grow up so fast." As he moved though, it was clear that his hair wasn't moving at the same rate at he was.

Gary looked at the professor skeptically. "What is going on with your head? ...Are you wearing a mop?!?

"How dare you! This is my natural hair!" Oak asserted as he finally turned around to address his grandson. "I grew it myself!"

"You were buzzcut and balding last week!" Gary exclaimed. Now that he could see Oak's face, it appeared the mop wasn't the only cosmetic adjustment made. "...Did you glue Mareep wool to your chin?" There was definitely something stuck there in an attempt at a soul patch.

"This is my hip new facial hair that all the kids respect!" Oak seemed to be having trouble with the main facial accessory he was sporting as he was now holding it onto his face. "Plus it goes great with my new glasses!"

"Those aren't glasses!" Gary asserted. A quick look around at Oak's workbench revealed what it actually was on the professor's face. "You cut arrows out of a Mountain Dew bottle and stuck them over your eyes, Grandpa!"

"Don't call me Grandpa! I am the mighty Grand! Grand Oak! the professor stated triumphantly. "And you're just jealous because I have the only pair in the world!" He pounded his fist into his palm. "Now come on, we got to get those new trainers their Pokedexes! I made them myself you know!"

Gary was well beyond irritated with his older relative at this point. "No you didn't. We had to start getting them shipped in from Kalos five years ago. Because the last one you built didn't contain Pokemon info. It was just a bunch of grocery lists and crude drawings of Pokemon made to look like humans. And I immediately had my Arcanine burn the hell out of that one, even if it couldn't burn that sight from my eyes." Gary shuddered. "Now let's go get this over with.

"Yes, it's time for those trainers to get on their way! Let's go get them started... uh..." Professor Oak looked very confused all of a sudden as he stared at his grandson. "What was your name again?"

A visible vein bulged above the Viridian Gym Leader's left eye. "GARY! SERIOUSLY, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, OLD MAN? GARY MOTHERFUCKIN' OAK! WE HAVE BEEN OVER THIS A THOUSAND TIMES! IT'S GARY!"

Clarity reached Oak's face. "Ah yes! I remember now! Your name is Gary! Well, come along Gary! No time to dilly-dally! We have trainers to christen!" The elder gentleman marched towards the stairs, everything falling off his face aside from the wool soul patch as he left his grandson to seethe.

"I can't believe I have to put up with this shit. I'm a gym leader. The best one. Make that loser Brock do this. Or that Tracey guy. Asshole must be off scarfing donuts or something. Definitely not doing his damn job! Gonna have Arcanine flame-broiled that douche..." Gary tromped down the steps after his grandfather, hoping he remembered the way to the main portion of the lab.

---

---

The door swung open on one of those picturesque homes along the beachfront, allowing a young woman to enter the sunlight for the first time today. She appeared dressed for colder weather, with a black-and-gray striped zip-up hoodie covering a black lace tank-top and a pair of black jean shorts. Her legs were protected from the sun by a pair of orange stockings that poked out of her combat boots. Still, the woman squinted as her eyes adjusted to the bright light.

"Ugh. Kanto is way too shiny," Lilith complained to something in particular, even if it didn't want to show itself yet. "Still, can't beat the price on that FlyB&B, huh Sia?"

A purple light flickered next to Lilith's black-and-orange locks as the rest of her companion materialized on her shoulder. Sia flicked the wax from her eye before it immediately settled back into place. "Lit...wick?"

"Ah, you don't care about trivial living matters like that. You just liked that giant dark closet."

This got a smile out of the Ghost/Fire type. "Lit! Litwicklit!"

Lilith smiled her usual sly grin. "Yeah, it was more than suitable. All right, let's go see this Professor and begin this quest," she stated, trying to work herself into character. There would surely be other trainers there, and they would need to know they were dealing with someone who commanded the souls of the damned. "Sooner we get out of this depressingly cheerful town, the better." Sia nodded in approval as the pair shut the door behind them. With a wheeled duffel bag in tow, they headed towards the giant hilltop laboratory that overlooked the town.

Kanto International Airport, Celadon City Outskirts, one day earlier

With her passport and international arrivals card in hand, a young woman with a suitcase stepped up to the security checkpoint when one of the men on duty waved the queue forward. "Anything to declare, Miss... Tatsuyama?"

"One Pokémon, sir," she promptly answered, presenting the passport and card for inspection. When in doubt, declare it, she remembered her parents saying. That was just one of the considerable number of recommendations she'd taken on board while making final preparations for the trip. So she had chosen not to pack any foodstuffs, in the hope of finding suitable ingredients after passing through Customs.

"Pawniard species, young female, hatched in the Sengun region. That correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you're here to take on the Indigo League?" He surveyed Hana with what she thought was a look of curiosity as he asked this question.

"Yes, sir."

"Do you have any food or similar on you? A sandwich from the flight?"

"No, sir."

"All right. Take the first left, follow the blue line to Pokémon screening."

"Thank you, sir." There was no need to be overly formal in her dealings with the airport staff, but Hana wanted to make a good impression. She was quick to collect her things and move along. No need to cause a disturbance; everyone else in the queue just wanted to get through and out to the airport proper as soon as possible. She soon found that Pokémon screening was a similar experience, though a smaller queue had formed here. People had Poké Balls close to hand, or containers holding large Eggs. Eventually she found that the queue split into several smaller lines. A computer terminal featuring recessed spaces to scan Poké Balls was installed at each line, with more staff on hand to check over the scan results.

This time a woman was on duty to double-check the details. Soon Hana's turn came around, and she presented the arrivals card and Satomi's Poké Ball, the latter typically secure on her belt.

"Any internal modifications to the Poké Ball?"

"No, ma'am."

"Has your Pokémon contracted any diseases recently? Infections, viruses, open injuries?"

"No, ma'am."

"Place the Ball in one of the slots for examination." Hana did so, and soon enough, a green tick mark showed up on the screen along with a Pawniard stock image. The attendant waved her through; with a brief word of thanks, Hana collected Satomi's Ball and began making her way to the designated carousel for baggage claim. She passed another security team with a pair of Growlithe on leads, and smiled at the sight of the hard-working Pokémon. One briefly pointed its nose in her direction and sniffed, but didn't react in any particular way.

Unfortunately, there had been several signs in the area discouraging people from giving the dogs on duty a scratch behind the ears.

Hana didn't have to hurry. But she wanted to make sure everything was all right. She hadn't packed her cooking tools in her carry-on. That much metal, especially the knives, would have set off about a dozen red flags the moment it went through a metal detector. She knew she could be trusted with such things, but security staff didn't, and they held higher authority than she did in this situation.

Others from the flight were already here, having cleared security before her. So she simply took a place by the carousel and waited. She had patience. It ran in the family. Her first priority after collecting her bag was to find a decent meal. Then she had to make her way into the city, where she needed to find a supermarket. There she would buy staple travelling needs according to the list she'd written on her phone. And then...

The first few bags were making their way along the carousel. Hana briefly studied them, looking for a familiar shape and colour. None to be had just yet. So, not for the first time, she reviewed her plans. She had to set out for Celadon, then Vermilion, she remembered. And from there, a ferry to Pallet Town to meet with Professor Oak. He would be able to point her in the right direction. And then she would travel on foot throughout Kanto, to explore and begin training Satomi against the local Pokémon. Perhaps catching some of the local species to start building a team. The idea of adventuring in a new land, sleeping under the stars, was exciting.

Minutes passed. Some folks were fidgeting with their bags or trolleys. Hana was comfortable with waiting, even if she did pace back and forth while she did so. That wasn't because she was restless: it was to help bring back the feeling in her legs. Being stuck in a plane for hours on end was not something she was used to. The skyship on which she'd travelled to Eyria from Platinos had been much more comfortable. And eventually, there it was: a black, white, and silver backpacker's pack, with the Tatsuyama family's silver shield emblem sewn prominently into one side.

---

Pallet Town, present day

Dressed in her usual style of a white T-shirt with black hem, blue ankle-length skirt, running shoes, and lightweight coat, Hana Tatsuyama was among the first off the hourly Vermilion-Kanto ferry, making her way off the wharf and onto land as soon as possible. Travel by sea was not something she was used to in the slightest, as she found a bench and sat down to collect herself. She didn't even bother to shrug the backpack off her shoulders. Several minutes passed as she attempted to gather herself and get reacquainted with solid ground.

"All right... all right," she eventually said to herself as she pressed the base of her palms to her temples, holding it for a few seconds before letting go and finally opening her eyes again. She felt better for doing so. At least it was a reasonably short trip; all the fitness training and mental preparation for this adventure hadn't saved her from the unfamiliar experience of travelling by boat. But what mattered was that she was here now. The first leg was done: actually making the trip to Pallet Town for League registration.

She got back to her feet, lifting the backpacker's pack with no difficulty and collecting her suitcase in one hand. With her free hand, however, she took the Poké Ball from her belt and released Satomi. Eyes narrowed, the young Pawniard raised her bladed arms as if to start a fight, but Hana intervened. "Patience, Satomi, we're just going for a walk right now. Stretching our legs after the ferry. Okay?"

Satomi's combat tension began to fade away as she turned to face her Trainer, stretching her limbs for a second before she lowered the sharp edges. "Pawn... Pawn-ya."

Hana quickly translated: Okay. But we haven't properly trained in some time. She just smiled. "I know, Satomi. We haven't had the time, what with the flight and everything. We'll go as soon as we meet with the Professor. And that's our first priority. Stay close, I'll lead the way." With that, she led the way to an intersection, and from there began to find her way. The streets were labelled, and additional signposts pointed the way to notable buildings. Oak Pokémon Research Lab was one of the most prominent signs, well-maintained with a clear arrow pointing the way. Perfect.

Content to let the signposts guide her, Hana soon spotted the research building that was quite apparent as one of the major features of Pallet Town. But as she walked, she began to fidget with small things about her person, making sure her shield pin wasn't crooked, tucking loose hair behind her ears, and double-checking the clasps on her suitcase were properly secured. Everything squared away? ... I think so. Okay. Nothing to worry about.

This was a Professor she was about to see, after all. She had to make a good impression. She'd do the same for either of the Ilex siblings back home - fidgeting included.

It had been quite the enjoyable flight for Lizbeth, not in the least due to her mum working on it. But it would take a bit for her to get used to being on land again, what with this being her very first flight and all. They landed safely near Celadon, and Lizbeth got to grabbing her things to get off the flight. Before she did, however, her mum stopped her.

"Oh, Lizzie, do take care of yourself, will you?" Isabella was a little worried about her daughter, but was doing her best to not just want to take her back home. "If you ever get homesick, or just want to hear from us, you have our numbers in your Rotom phone."

Lizbeth looked towards her mum with a smile. "No worries, Mum, I'm a big girl now. Besides, I'll have Ace with me. I know he won't let anyone mess with me." She patted the Dusk Ball on her belt as she said that.

With that, the two hugged, and Lizbeth made her way through customs. It took a bit longer than she expected, but she was looking too much forward to exploring a new region to let a little wait bother her. As her bag had been too big for carry-on, especially with the tent and sleeping bag attached to it, she had to wait to get it off the conveyor belt. Once she got it, she strapped it onto her back and headed out.

---

Lizbeth began her trek over to Vermillion, going by the map she had purchased at the airport, which would take some time to get to, but a walk after the flight would do her some good. And besides, it could provide her with some good photo ops. She gave a small giggle at the idea.

"Alrighty, Rotom, you're up." It didn't take long for the smartphone occupying Pokémon to wake up, since it had been on sleep mode during the flight. "Bzzrt!" the Rotom said as it flew out of her inner jacket pocket. "As always, we're gonna grab some nice photos as we go along. I wanna send Mum and Dad some nice first Kanto pictures." The Rotom gave her a little salute with one of its little arm like things, and got into camera mode.

There were plenty of things to take pictures of. The airport, Celadon City itself, the many Pokémon Lizbeth saw walking around with their owners, Celadon Department Store, the Pokécenter. And that was just within Celadon City itself. When she went to check out the Pokécenter, she was shocked to see that they didn't include a shop there like in the Galar region. "How quaint." she said to herself before continuing her journey.

The small spot between Celadon City and Saffron City was lovely to Lizbeth, and she snapped a quick picture of it before moving over to Saffron itself. Passing through the gate, the first thing she noticed was the giant Silph Co building right in the middle of the city. "Oh my, what a large building that is." It made her think of Rose Tower back in Wyndon, as well as the many buildings in Wyndon, but there, the regular buildings were all at about the same height. Here, Silph Co clearly stood out amongst the other buildings in Saffron. She went in front of it and grabbed a picture of it, then headed to the next gate, which would lead towards Vermillion.

---

There was another small path between the gate and Vermillion, much like there had been between Celadon and Saffron, though a bit longer and with a pond in it. Going past it, she reached Vermillion, where she got herself a few more pictures, including the Gym there, the police station, and the cave just outside the city, before going to the port to get herself a ticket over to Pallet. She hummed one of her favorite Piers songs while she waited for the ferry to arrive, and made it safely enough.

Having reached land, and taking some time to get used to land again since she wasn't too used to boat rides, she let Ace out of his Dusk Ball. The little Impidimp stretched out and looked around himself.

"Impimp! Dimpimp!" He pointed excitedly at the small town in front of them, he himself excited to see what other Pokémon there would be. "As excited as I am, you little scamp?" Lizbeth giggled at Ace's energy. Not like he had to really deal with the boat ride, but it was fine.

"Come here, you. Gonna want to send Mum and Dad a picture of us together here at Pallet town." Lizbeth reached out to Ace, who walked up her arm and sat upon her shoulder. Rotom snapped a selfie of the two of them, both doing the same pose, Lizbeth with her thumb, index and middle fingers sticking out towards and near her face, with her ring finger and pinkie tucked in as well as her elbow sticking out, while Ace had to settle for two fingers out and one tucked in.

Lizbeth sent her parents the pictures she'd taken, including one of a passing Gyarados from her ferry ride, and made her way towards the Professor's lab.

A compact sedan carefully traveled through a packed parking deck, the bright orange fluorescence of outdoor lighting created a searing ambiance contrasting the twilight of a humid Alolan morning. Within the aged car, two siblings worked in tandem to find a suitable parking spot, one looking near while the other looked far. In time the search bore successful fruit, after seeming like they could’ve circled that deck an innumerous amount of times. The sister backed her little red car into the parking space, and the brother began collecting his things.

“You got all your stuff? Phone, wallet, keys?” Esmerelda Daly doted as the sibling pair transitioned from the drab parking lot into the airport’s expansive lobby. Ezra Daly quickly replied in kind, patting down his overly baggy grey sweatpants for the listed items. Patting progressed to his equally baggy grey hoodie to continue the search. His long gait slowed to a stop as his hands quickly moved about his person to locate the items. He began to break into a bit of a goofy dance to find his stuff.

“Has- to- be- here- some- where-” He assumed a wide stance as he patted to a rhythm, causing Esmerelda to notice.

“Seriously, Eazy? I know you ain’t leave that stuff at home.” Her serious tone undercut the smile stretched across her face. As she chuckled, he procured two of the three items.

“Phone and wallet, check.” He smiled back.

“Keys?”

“Y’really think I’d need them? I gave ‘em to Tawny. If we’re both gone, they’re gonna need them to get in if dad’s at work.”

“I’m just saying you coulda kept yours since I gave mine to Eli.”

“...Oh. We probably should’ve discussed this beforehand.” Ezra suggested with a formal tone. With a shrug shared between the two, they continued into the airport. The boy rummaged through the wallet as they walked.

“Passport card...spending money...the joint account debit card~”

“That you’ll only use in emergencies~” Esmerelda sang back. “Swear to god Eazy I better not see that hit account the red, it’s supposed to be for both of us-”

“Speak for yourself, Ezzie!” Ezra raised his voice, feeling attacked. “I ain’t gonna let you and Sammi just go on a shopping spree in Goldenrod.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The girl feigned ignorance in defense. The conversation died down as the two crossed a threshold of large sliding doors, greeted by a large gust of wind as they entered the bright, clean lobby. Ezra made a verbal thought of getting to the right terminal, and the two were sure to head in the correct direction.

“...Think Dad can handle the kids without us?” Ezra eventually brought up.

“Well, he handled us, didn’t he? Besides, the boys are old enough to handle the load of the girls.” His sister rationalized.

“They’re gonna be so sad when they wake up…” Baby sisters Ester and Elena reminded the boy of himself at their age, always reduced to a whining, crying mess when a parent was out of sight for too long. He knew they weren’t going to be too happy once they realized he and his sister would be missing from the picture.

“Just make sure to call when you can. Put us all in a group call.”

“Yeah, you already know.” Ezra nodded back with a smirk. He’d probably call on the flight over, but he knew he’d have to wait to hit solid ground again before he could do so.

The conversation went quiet again as the two traversed the massive establishment. Even at that time of the morning, the place was busy with employees, commuters, tourists, and security with their service pokemon in tow. Ezra was sure to not get too distracted before he found his flight. He read over the printed boarding passes once more, double and triple-checking the letters and numbers of his assigned gate.

“E6, dead ahead,” Esmerelda announced, bringing his attention forward. Sure enough, a big blue placard hung from the ceiling, emblazoned with the location the two were searching for.

“Siiiiick.” Ezra sped up his walk, the jostle of his duffel bag making noise as it jiggled about on his back. Esmerelda was quick to get ahead of him before his excitement gave him tunnel vision.

“Now I know you ain’t gonna leave without saying goodbye.” She stopped him dead in his tracks.

“‘Course not.” He replied with a hug that was immediately followed by an elaborate handshake, complete with no less than three fistbumps, some pattycake, a little synchronized jig, and other elaborate hand gestures. The two quickly stopped and chuckled once they realized a line was forming behind them.

“I’ll touch base when I make landfall, and meet up with Zappollopher. He said he’ll meet me in Celadon.” Ezra added lastly, having to leave his sister behind as he crossed the metal detectors.

“And I’ll call when me and Sammi get to Aunty Dalia’s!” Esmerelda called back, the quickly moving line creating distance between the two siblings.

“Bet! I wanna see how big Charlie’s gotten!” The brother loudly replied as security examined his bag and person. A couple of feet between the siblings almost felt like miles. Esmerelda stood by and watched her brother move through processing. As he reached the end of the line, he got a brief chance to look back to his sister in waiting. He found her waving at him over the crowd.

“Have fun, bro! Love ya!” She practically yelled, almost creating a bit of a scene.

“Love you too!” He yelled back, showing a toothy grin as he waved himself. In time, he merged with the crowd to another side of the airport, and Esmerelda disappeared from view. The family always shared loud, lengthy farewells. Today would be no different. Under other circumstances, the whole clan would’ve been present to see him off, creating a commotion of excitement and happiness and sadness all along the way.

Those feelings were still there in this case of separation, naturally. Ezra took a quick breath as he found himself alone. Pokemon wasn’t allowed outside their balls unless they were performing a service, so Brie would have to wait until they reached Kanto before she could come out. The boy’s quick breath turned into a seemingly troubled sigh as he found somewhere to sit. They got to the terminal pretty early, he knew was going to wait a while before they could board the aircraft.

Hours later, Ezra shuffled with the rest of the boarding crowd onto the plane. His duffel bag was just big enough to stow under his seat. He was was grateful to get to his window seat without any hiccups. The formalities of flight proceeded without a hitch, attendants capturing the attention of the travelers and instructing them on the rules of flying.

In time, everyone got seated, and the plane began down the runway. Ezra brought forth his phone, seating his earbuds comfortably as he gazed out of the window. He put on a favorite playlist as the plane took up speed.

The first song came on, an oldie-but-goodie about a woman soulfully reminiscing about times past, reveling in old love and family and friends that came and gone, sad for the times passed but grateful for the times spent and shared. An emotional number Ezra couldn’t help but softly sing along with. Such a song sent the boy on his own path down memory lane. It was his mom’s favorite song, after all.

Briefly, his gaze shifted downward as he let out a regulating exhale, the edges of his lips curled in a small, wistful smirk. He succumbed to the lyrics and got lost in the music as the airplane took off.

---

In about nine hours, the plane successfully landed in the Kanto region. Ezra was sure to stretch his legs as he made his way off the flight, following the crowd into another bout of extraneous processing.

With all that said and done, Ezra couldn’t help but feel like a stranger in a strange land. He was easily towering over the average pedestrian as he proceeded out of the small airport, most of which did well to give the boy a wide berth. Ezra failed to notice such trivialities, however, as he was quick to bring his phone forth. He quickly rung up his cousin on video chat, eager to let him know he had arrived in the region.

The call rung several times before going to voicemail.

“Seriously, Zapp?” He muttered, opting to call one his cousin’s sisters. Franny’s call went straight to voicemail, but he managed to get ahold of Kelly.

“Kells? Hey. I made it to Kanto. I thought Zapp was meeting me at the airport? He’s not picking up his phone.” Ezra quickly explained as he surveyed the hustle and bustle of his surroundings, watched what looked like a pointy red phone zoom out of a girl’s bag and hover around her.

“Uh yeah, he was supposed to…” She explained. “Me and Franny are at work, so he doesn’t have much of a choice.” The two were interrupted by another call. Ezra added the tardy cousin into the conversation.

“Where you at, Zapp?” The two asked at the same time.

“Shit Eazy, I forgot all about picking you up!” Zapp replied, his husky voice taking on a tinge of panic. “I’m at an interview right now, got offered a gig at the Safari Zone in Fushia!” The panic in his voice was quickly replaced with excitement.

“You’re doing the league challenge anyway, right?” Zapp added. “All I would’ve done was escort you to Pallet Town. Catch a cab to Vermillion, and from there you can ferry over to Pallet. The docks are pretty big, so you shouldn’t miss ‘em.” He explained.

“You seem pretty quick to brush our cousin off, Zapp,” Kelly replied through gritted teeth. Ezra’s expression stretched into a grin of opportunity.

“Don’t sweat it, Kells. It shouldn’t be too much to find my way.” He was already flagging down a taxi. “I’ll meet you guys in Saffron, okay?” He signed off as he entered a vacant cab.

As he told the driver of his destination, he released his young otter from her capsule. The Oshawott yawned and stretched as her settings faded into view.

“Wott…? Oshawott?” She asked through another yawn. He had no idea what she was saying, but a bipedal pokemon such as herself gestured enough to make most intentions known. He figured she was asking if they had arrived.

“Yup, we’re here. Sorry for the wait. S’gonna be a short drive, then we gotta hop on a ferry, then we’ll be in Pallet.” He caught the pokemon up to current events.

“Osh osh.” She quietly confirmed, gripping at the sleeve of his hoodie to stave off disorientation.

Fary was getting ready to leave for Pallet Town just outside of Fuchsia City; she had a few last-minute things to square away before she could set out on her adventure. Her 18-year-old assistant Duska, however, was panicking, she had been with Fary since she had moved from Unova 4 years ago.

"Now Duska, if anything happens, call me on my Xtransceiver. You've been studying under me for 4 years now, and you are MORE than ready for this. You shouldn't have too many requests coming in because everyone knows I'm away, but you've still become a great breeder. I have faith in you!" Fary put a comforting hand Duska's shoulder, smiling softly at the worried woman.

"I know... this is just the first time I'll be on my own in the shop. I've only bred a few pokemon on my own. Promise you'll check in when you get to the Pewter City?" Duska hugged Fary, clearly feeling a bit better about being left on her own.

Fary smile and hugged her back. "I promise. Now, Emily and I have to get going, but I'll be back before you know it. Fary picked up her pack, and Emily, the Zorua jumped on her shoulder.

"Zorzor, ruuuuu ruuu." Emily snuggled into Fary's shoulders, ready to go out in the world.

Fary laughed softly, and opened the door of her shop, and turned back to wave to Duska. "I'm heading out Duska. I trust you to keep things in check. Remember, you'll be fine, and don't hesitate to call me if you need me."

"Take care Fary. I promise things will be great while you're gone. Look forward to hearing about you taking on the champion!' Duska waved Fary off as she called for their Pidgeot they used for the business, and took off at high speed for Pallet.

---

Fary landed just outside of Pallet Town and gave her faithful Pidgeot a treat before sending it back to Duska. "Take care of Duska for me ok?."

The Pidgeot nodded and cooed at her before taking off at lightning speed to return to Fuchsia City, and was soon out of sight.

"Zorrr ZORUA!" Emily clearly didn't like flying and was shaking in Fary's arms during the flight.

"Now now Emily, it's ok. We're on the ground and on our way to meet Professor Oak." Fery gave Emily an uneasy pat. She was still feeling a bit distant from her pokemon, after all, they had just met, and Fary was combating some trauma from her past. She wasn't going to let that keep her from her adventure though.

Fary walked through the gates of Pallet Town, marveling at how cute and small it was. She was so used to living in cities that towns just felt so... quaint to her. She missed the hustle and bustle of Castelia, and even more so she missed her parents. They were just here for her birthday, but she already wished to see them again.

Fary decided it was a good time to pull out her Xtransceiver, and called her parents. It rang for a moment until the face of her father appeared.

"Fary, how are you, sweety? Did you make it to Pallet Town safely? I see Emily is still doing well."

"Yea, I'm good, just a little homesick that's all. Is mom there too?"

Her mom appeared on the screen as well, waving. "I'm right here dear! We miss you too dear, but we're so proud of you making a name for yourself in Kanto. By the time you come home, you'll be a better breeder than your father! Her mother nudged her husband laughing slightly.

"Awww, thanks mom, but we both know no one is better than dad! Anyway, I'm excited to get started on my journey and catch some new pokemon. After all, if I want to be a gym leader, I need to prove myself as a trainer first!" Fary smile, feeling herself relaxing a bit, Emily snuggling back into her shoulders.

"Well, we both know you can do it. Anyway, Fary I have an appointment I have to get to soon, but it's really good to hear from you."

"We love you Fary, and are so happy to see you doing so well. Keep us up to date on how your adventure is going! See you later dear!" Her parents imagine vanished as they ended the call.

Fary put away her Xtransceiver, and started to follow the signs to Professor Oak's lab, unsure of how many others she would be traveling with.

"Zor rrrrr zorua!" Emily woke up as they got closer to the lab.

"Looking forward to making some friends Emily?" Fary smiled and started to walk up the hill leading to the lab.

“Easy, Eazy! Why the tears, love? I won’t be gone for long. I’ll be here when you get out, okay? Go on, learn your teacher’s name, make some friends, find a crush! I’ll be back before you know it, okay?”

---

In time, the two arrived at their destination. Ezra was quick to pay his fare and the driver was nice enough to point the boy towards the wharf before taking off. He didn’t really have the time to take in the sights of Vermillion city, only making mental remarks of what laid in immediate sight. By the sound of things, the ferry he needed to get on was already getting ready to leave. He didn’t want to wait any longer than he needed to, so he scooped up Brie and broke into a light jog to make his way to the water.

He paid his fare and hopped aboard. As the big boat took off, Ezra and Brie felt free to roam the deck. Not for long, at least. Eventually, Ezra found himself keeping his Oshawott from hopping in the water for a swim. He picked her up and pointed into those murky depths.

“Check that out.” He told, his finger pointing towards the curious Gyarados lurking about the boat’s edges. “You won’t be sea monster food today, Brie.” He smiled at the Oshawott, but his tone remained flat and cautious.

“Awott osha wo.” She replied, crossing her flippers in some disappointment.

As she sulked, Ezra brought forth his own phone. He figured Esmerelda might’ve only been in the middle of her flight, so he opted to call up his father instead. The older gentleman picked up the video call immediately, and instantly Ezra could hear a commotion filling in the background. Something between crying, shouting, and general shenanigans drowned out old Ezekiel as he tried communicating with his eldest son.

“Sounds like everyone’s awake.” Ezra greeted, smiling at his father’s appearance.

“They are, sure. Me? I’m ready to go back to bed.” Zeke replied, panning his phone around their Alolan home to give Ezra a glimpse of the chaos. Eli was enjoying a bowl of cereal at the kitchen table, while Tawny chased a shirtless, whining Elena around the living room. Esther sat at her father’s feet, crying in distraught. As Zeke lowered his phone closer to the youngest sister, her cries were loud enough to ring throughout the boat.

Ezra felt the need to pacify the situation before anyone began staring. “Esther? Esther!” He called through her cries, instantly gaining her attention.

“Eeeeeeazy! Come hooooome!” She sobbed loudly, easily melting the boy’s heart. He probably would’ve canceled the whole trip right then and there if he were any closer. The remaining siblings quickly crowded the phone once they realized the youngest was talking to their oldest.

“Yeah! Come back right now! Who said you can leave?!” Elena shouted. She was always more articulate than her twin sister, and she never hesitated to let anyone know.

“How’s about you put a shirt on first?” Ezra chuckled in reply, giving his brother a chance to do just that.

“Hey, Eazy.” Tawny casually greeted, wrestling his sister into the holes of the blouse. “See any cute girls yet?” He asked.

“Nope, I just got here. Where are my keys?”

“Uhhh…”

“Don’t you lose my keys, pipsqueak. Find them, and put them up until you need them.” Ezra’s tone lowered, and Tawny ran off. Eli played the background, pausing mid-bite once the camera fell on him.

“Eli, help Dad, please. Get Esther dressed.”

“Kay, Eazy. Imma finish eating first!” The twin brother replied with his mouth full. Seemed the oldest brother killed the commotion with some simple commands.

“I could’ve done that, y’know.” Zeke replied, bringing the phone back to his face.

“Wasn’t downplaying ya, Pops, I just wanted to help.”

“Yeah, I appreciate it, Eazy. You talk to your cousins, yet?”

“Yup. Zapp was supposed to come through, turned out he had an interview today.”

“So how’re you getting around?”

“I’m on a ferry right now. I guess I’ll be walking the rest of the way.”

“Make sure you find the time to take a break when you can. No need to run yourself ragged.”

“Oh yeah, no doubt. I’m sure the first soft cushion I come in contact with I’m collapsing into.” Ezra chuckled.

“Hey.” Zeke got serious. “Y’know you can talk to me about anything, right? I’m here if you need me.” He would’ve put a hand on his son’s shoulder if he could.

“I know, Dad.” Ezra appreciated the sentiment, but really felt it was the wrong time to make it known. He diverted his gaze in that moment and realized the ferry was nearing land.

“We’re getting ready to dock Pops. I’ll catch up with you guys later.” Ezra concluded the conversation. Zeke frowned a bit, but the two shared a wave before ending the call.

---

The duo soon proceeded down the wharf. With their brief trek successful, the next step looked to be to find the Pokemon professor’s lab. “Guess the quicker we get this show on the road, the better, huh?” He asked Brie.

“Wotta wott.” Brie, tired of being cradled, transitioned across his shoulders to ride on his backpack. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the girl from earlier, posing with her phone and some sort of pink goblin on her shoulder. Her floating robot-phone-thing snapped a couple of pics of the two, no doubt documenting the journey the two were embarking on. Ezra was too focused on finding the lab to make any real observations on the girl’s peculiar style and Pokemon.

As Lizbeth walked towards the lab, she noticed a man walking alongside her, carrying a strange Pokémon by him. Well, perhaps strange wasn't the right word, but it was a Pokémon she herself had never seen. It was quite "adorable..."

She clasped her mouth quickly, having realized she just said that out loud, though only in a kind of hushed voice. Maybe he hadn't heard her. Maybe she could just keep walking and he wouldn't turn towards her. Maybe he thought she was weird for just saying something like that randomly. Maybemaybemaybemaybemaybemaybemaybe...

As those thoughts filled her head, she began to blush until her face was bright red under her tan skin. Ace was familiar with this behaviour from her, and so he urged her to continue walking by tugging at her jacket collar and pointing towards the lab. She nodded, her head a little clearer, but her face still a beat red, and walked faster than the man did.

But her walking speed made her body rock up and down a bit more than usual, and so her wallet accidentally fell out of her pocket. Lisbeth gasped. "Oh no!" What the wallet contained wasn't much, and at least her card hadn't fallen out, but her two trainer cards were standing out of it now. She scrambled to pick it back up and put the two cards away again, and she didn't bring herself to look back at the man to see if he had noticed them.

"Satomi! Don't go too far ahead!"

Having found the main road to the Oak Research Lab, Hana and Satomi had begun the uphill trek to the front doors. Being both lighter in weight and not having to carry a backpack and suitcase, the little Pokémon had simply dashed ahead as if she were in a race with Hana. She paused about twenty feet ahead of her Trainer at regular intervals, then sped uphill again as Hana got closer. But eventually Satomi ran out of road to travel, and Hana caught up with her at the top of the hill.

"You're a little rascal sometimes, you know that?" Hana crouched down and lightly scratched the underside of Satomi's helmet-shaped head with one fingernail. It was a ticklish spot that she'd discovered early on in caring for Satomi when she was still super young. Even Steel-type Pokémon could be ticklish, and Satomi wriggled away, half-squeaking and half-laughing as she did so.

"At any rate, we're here. But I think we might need to wait for more Trainers to arrive for registration." It'll be easier to speak with the Professor as part of a group, was the part she left unsaid. There were some wooden benches outside the Lab, looking down at the rest of Pallet Town, and Hana took a seat, setting her suitcase and backpack down as she did so. From the former, she dug out a half-finished case of Pokémon food and set a cube of it down on the grass. Satomi instantly rushed over.

But Hana raised a finger. "Not so fast. You can have half now, and half when we start on the road out of town. Okay?" Satomi raised one bladed arm and obligingly cut the cube down the middle, taking one piece for herself. As she returned the other half to the case and put the food away, Hana sat back on the bench and did her best to relax after the effort of the walk.

“Adorable…”

Ezra was too encompassed in his phone to notice the murmurs of the girl glancing in his direction, but Brie certainly caught the claim.

“Osha osh-osh, wott.” I think she just called you cute, Eazy. Brie replied, tugging on the boy’s hood to acquire his attention. The young Oshawott almost recoiled at the sight of the weird pink imp trying to get its trainer under control.

“Huh? What’s up, Brie?” As he looked up from his smart device, the girl from the airport went red in the face in an attempt to get away from him. He hadn’t even realized she was so close until just now. “Is she-?” His personal trainer mode was taking over. Considering the two seemed to have arrived from the airport at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was feeling some extreme case of jet lag. “She could be overexerting herself. Not good for the body in the long run.” Instinctively, Ezra slowed his gait as she sped up, to better assess the situation.

“Oh no!”

Then she dropped her wallet in her attempts to speed walk. On reflex, Ezra practically jumped at the chance to help, but she was in better control of the situation than he anticipated. “What’s that accent? Is she from-?” As he thought, he caught a quick glance at the contents spilling out of her wallet. Looked like a pair of cards. One had a black-haired girl with a cool side cut that racked the boy’s brain. “Swear I’ve seen that one somewhere before. Online, I think? Or on a magazine or something…”

Quite quickly, the girl recovered from her spill and carried on. Ezra and Brie both raised curious eyebrows at the scene. “Oshawott?” She’s a weird one, huh? Brie muttered.

Seemed she had no problem traveling along the incline the path was quickly turning into. As Ezra looked on, He noticed they both were heading towards the Professor’s lab. “Guess I’ll ask about her condition when we reach the top of this hill.” He continued up the paved road, sure to stay a couple of paces behind the girl. If she got too tired to go any further, he’d figure the least he could do was offer his help.

Walking was not Lilith's favorite manner of exercise. Granted her top choice for exercise was "nothing" but still, walking was low. It was a necessary evil though as she headed uphill towards the Professor's lab. It was tough to gauge how much further she needed to go, but it looked like she was closing in. Sia seemed optimistic, even in the light of the sun. The little Candle Pokemon was content to remain rooted to Lilith's shoulder, taking in the sights as the two climbed up towards the starting line.

As Lilith approached the gateway to the lab, it was clear she wasn't the only one attempting to kickstart her league challenge today. A woman sat on a bench near the entrance, seemingly content to live in her own world. There was a Pokemon with her as well, although Lilith couldn't place it immediately. The sharp hands seemed to identify it as a Steel-type, but the little creature attacked its food with a level of aggression that didn't seem to fit the narrative. I'll have to ask about just what that Pokemon is later. I mean, it has to be a Pokemon, right?

Upon approach, Lilith cleared her throat as softly as she could and proceeded to the benches. She had an image to maintain and it wasn't going to be blown on day one. "So, is this the line-up to see the great and powerful Professor?" she asked the woman. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a peasant bus stop instead. Rather disappointing."

Hana had been keeping an eye on Satomi, but she sat up straighter and looked up as a voice reached her. "So, is this the line-up to see the great and powerful Professor? If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a peasant bus stop instead. Rather disappointing." The newcomer, dressed in black and orange with a candle-shaped Pokémon on her shoulder, sounded particularly disappointed in the research lab's exterior. Hana felt that she took her descriptions a little too far, but she herself would never say such things to a complete stranger.

"I would say 'rustic' is the most apt descriptor," she began. "The Oak Research Laboratory is renowned across many regions, and is doubtless popular; perhaps renovating it might have had an impact on that popularity. Are you here for League registration as well?"

"That is a fair assumption," Lilith confirmed. "I figure since I'm here completing research, I may as well take the chance to relieve some poor fools of their money and prizes to help assuage the spirits and provide them penance for their previous sufferings. Besides, my Pokemon could use some fun." Sia had taken the opportunity to ghost herself. She knew how Karen played this game, and she played her part well.

Hana blinked. It was the one giveaway that suggested the other girl's choice of words had surprised her. Because it absolutely had: she knew of no-one who spoke in such a grim and dour tone, not even the folk who came from the northern mountains where Ghost Pokémon lingered. And at the sight of her Pokémon - or more accurately, the lack thereof, as the shoulder-mounted candle was no longer visible - it soon became clear to her that this gloomy Trainer had a certain affinity, much as she did.

"I see." She got to her feet. "Perhaps some introductions wouldn't go amiss. I am Hana Tatsuyama, of the Sengun region's Kingdom of Platinos." She sketched a short bow of greeting, in the style of her people: bending from the waist, with her arms at her sides. Straightening up, she let her ponytail rest on one shoulder and indicated her own Pokémon. "And that is Satomi. If I may ask, who might you and your Pokémon be, and where are you from?"

The intro caught Lilith by surprise. Sengun? Do I know a Sengun? I don't think they have a league. At least not when I was doing my research....wait.... wait, wait, wait. Montfroza. The Ghost Mountain. That's where that is! Still a long way from here though...

"Reveal yourself, Sia," the Unovan stated as her Candle Pokemon reappeared on her shoulder.

Sia gave a bow in response, dipping its flame forward. "Litwick!" she chimed.

"I go by Lilith, the Mistress of Lost Souls," she informed Hana. "I am a child of Icirrus and have traveled here from Mistralton City in Unova to complete my thesis on the Ghost Pokemon of Kanto and how the aural energy of the continent was altered when their home was destroyed to make room for a radio tower, among other things. Sia here is my partner in that assigned task." The young Litwick gave a smile. "She is a good ally, as her light keeps me going in those long hours, even if she requires a bit of life force to do so."

Lilith and Sia. Hana committed the names to memory, matching them to both face and voice. She chose to bypass the comment about the Litwick needing to siphon life energy from Lilith, though. That was a less than proper subject to discuss so openly, she thought. "I see. I am here for the Indigo League, but also to act as an ambassador for Sengun if it is required of me. Shall we wait and see if there are others coming to register before going inside?"

"Hmmm, I suppose," Lilith agreed. "Although hopefully we aren't kept waiting for too long. The sun is rather bright here in Pallet. I don't care for it."

“Oh no!”

Fary heard a small commotion ahead of her and rushed forward to see what was going on. She saw a redhead knelt over, scrambling to pick up her wallet with a Pokemon she didn't recognize. She looked flustered, and Fary wanted to make sure she was ok, so she hurried to walk up to the girl. "Hey, are you ok? You seem a bit flustered and I wanted to see if you needed any help." Fary smiled softly, offering the woman a hand up after she picked up her wallet.

Emily perked up on Fary's shoulders to investigate the strange pink thing, sniffing the air. "Zoooor ruru zorua? Ruuu zoruuua zoruuaaa?" What are you? Fary do you know what this is? Emily turned her head to the side yipping slightly.

"Seems my Zorua Emily is interested in your Pokemon. I have to admit, I've never seen that Pokemon before so I'm a bit curious as well. My name is Fary Nitashi, I'm from Unova, but I currently live here in Kanto in Fuschia City. It's nice to meet you." Fary scrached Emily behand the ears as she yipped at the woman's Pokemon, wanting to great it.

"Hey, are you ok? You seem a bit flustered and I wanted to see if you needed any help."

Lizbeth was startled by the sudden appearance of a woman appearing next to her. Probably more startled than she should have been due to how she'd been in her own head just a moment ago. The woman offered her hand, and kind of without thinking, Lizbeth took it. She was super embarrassed that she had to be helped just due to a slip of the tongue, and was still a bit red in the face. She simply nodded her head about being okay before the Pokémon on the woman's shoulder started sniffing at Ace.

"Impdimp! Imp!" Hey, hey! Nose where I can see it! He wasn't too fond of another Pokémon sniffing at him, but it reminded him of the Vulpix he'd seen before when trainers had gone through Glimwood Tangle. He knew it was just curious about him like they had been, but he wasn't gonna let it have its way, and climbed under Lizbeth's beret, peeking at the other Pokémon from under it.

"Seems my Zorua Emily is interested in your Pokemon. I have to admit, I've never seen that Pokemon before so I'm a bit curious as well. My name is Fary Nitashi, I'm from Unova, but I currently live here in Kanto in Fuschia City. It's nice to meet you."

Lizbeth was surprised at how much the woman mentioned about herself right away. She would never have been able to say all that on first contact with someone else. She let go of Fary's hand to pet the beret with Ace under it to calm him down. "N-nice to meet you too. I'm Lizbeth Rowe, a-and I'm from Galar." A bit nervous to speak to someone new, she had a small tendancy to stutter two or three words while getting used to them.

"My P-Pokémon here is Ace, an Impidimp. Don't mind him h-hiding under there, he's kinda s-shy as well around new Pokémon." She pointed with her non-petting hand when mentioning the little goblin hiding under her beret. "I've n-never seen a Zorua b-before. She's...adorable..." The last word kinda trailed off as she said it since she realised she just said it again to another Pokémon, but it should have been still audible enough for Fary to pick up.

As she started walking again towards the lab, she wanted to get to know this new stranger a little more. "I don't mean to p-presume, but are you taking the L-League challenge? I kind o-of am, but I'm mostly interested in...photography..." Her Rotom phone popped out of her pocket to show itself, placing itself in her hands and displayed her gallery of Kanto pictures from the little time she'd already spent there.

Ezra looked on as the scene he thought ended continued to play out in front of him. The clumsy redhead was approached by another girl, one that was ahead of them both. Once he realized the road was more active than he thought, he figured he should’ve opened his eyes just a little more.

The blue-haired girl seemed pretty eager to help the red-haired girl, and just couldn’t help but air out her whole life’s story in the process. Ezra had no problem hearing Fary Nitashi (the name she called herself), but the other girl was fairly soft-spoken in comparison. The exclamation the redhead made earlier was a noticeable difference next to what Ezra could only assume was her natural speaking voice.

All the while, Fary’s helpful incentive left the boy with a tinge of guilt in the process. She reminded him of his usual attitude, how he would’ve been if he was home or working at his fitness studio. He thought he was being courteous and respectful by keeping his distance. But, what if he wasn’t? Maybe he should’ve acted first? What if she was really hurt? Would he have just stood by and watched? For a flash of a second, some of his darker thoughts broke to the front of his mind. He wondered if coming out to Kanto was a good idea.

He stared into his phone as he tried shaking away the negativity. Brie, on the other hand, found herself overtaken with curiosity. As Ezra slowed down, the Oshawott sped up, jumping down from his duffel bag to get a closer look at the unique Pokémon on display.

The pink goblin disappeared underneath the redhead’s hat, but the little black beast on Fary’s shoulder was out in full display. Brie got as close as she could to the two girls, practically jumping on Fary’s heels as she waved down her Pokémon.

“Osha osh-a! Oshawott!” Whoa, you're a Zorua! Haven’t one of you guys in a long while! She exclaimed, surprised to see another Unova-native pokemon in this strange new land.

Ezra perked up in a bit of a panic as he heard Brie’s cries in the distance. Looked like she was trying to introduce herself. “Wuh-oh.” He mumbled some before starting in a light trot to close the distance between them.

Fary turned to look at Lizbeth, and gave her a slight nod. "Yea, I am planning on taking a League challenge! I wanna get out there and see as many Pokémon as I can. That's interesting that you are into photography."

Emily was still watching Ace out of curiosity. "Zoooor zorua zorrrzzor." Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. She settled into Fary's shoulders again.

"Oh, th-thank you. I just l-like looking around and finding i-interesting sceneries, and capturing the moment, s-so to speak." While Lizbeth talked to Fary, Ace poked his head a little from under the beret. "Impi! Dimp!" Oh, no worries, I ain't mad! I just...I ain't so hot with Pokémon I don't know!

”Osha! Oshaosha!” Hey! Down here! Brie continued in her attempts to capture the Zorua’s attention, hopping about and waving her flippers. Unsatisfied with being ignored, she began to brandish her schalchop.

Oshawotta wott. ” Guess I’ll just bring her down to my level. She muttered with a devilish grin. With the shell aimed for Fary’s shin, the devious Oshawott raised her flipper. Ezra was quick to catch her in the act, and his jog broke into a sprint.

“Brie, No!” Ezra was quick, upon the girls in no time at all. The tall shadow he cast over the two was long but brief as he ducked down to scoop up the Oshawott. It was a deft performance that enabled him to reacquire the Pokémon without barreling through the two trainers, though the sudden action mixed with the extra weight and shape of his bag left him in a bit of an awkward position to recover from.

”Seriously, Brie? Just because we play like that, doesn’t mean you can do it to others!” He scolded as he stood up straight. Granted, with his face full of hair, the reprimand fell a little flat for the young otter.

”Osha.” Whatever. She replied, crossing her flippers and turning up her nose.

Lizbeth's Rotom phone went back into her pocket, its job done for the time being, and she looked around as she heard another Pokémon's cry. "Why, hello there. Aren't you the one I saw earlier?" It seemed her nervousness lifted momentarily while she greeted the little Oshawott.

Emily looked over at the noise behind them, and perked up seeing another Unovan Pokemon. "Zorua zoru zorua ZORZOR!" Fary, look, it's a Pokemon from home.

Fary looked back to see someone else had joined them and noticed the Oshawott. "I haven't seen an Oshawott in ages! You seem like a little handful and a cutie!"

Ezra chuckled as he shifted the Oshawott into one arm, using his free hand to wrangle his name the best he could. “Heh, yeah. Sorry ‘bout that, ladies. She must’ve got a little excited when she spotted the Zorua. I only got to see one once when I was in Unova, and it definitely wasn’t this close.” He addressed. Brie was loving the attention she was suddenly receiving.

Fary gave Emily a pet when she was mentioned, and pulled her into her arms much to Emily's protests. "Yea, Zoruas are a bit rare even in Unova. I heard a rumor that some guy handed one out in Castelia City randomly."

"Zorua! Zorzor!" Hey! Let me go!" Emily wiggled and squirmed, but ended up nose to nose with the Oshawott.

"Anyway, I'm Fary, and this here is Emily. Nice to meet you."

Looking up at Ezra, Lizbeth was once again overcome by nervousness, mainly because of her previous train of thought when she let the word adorable slip near him and the Oshawott, as Fary called it. Choosing to look at his Pokémon and not him for the time being, she replied. "O-oh, don't worry a-about it. It d-didn't bother me..." She spoke even softer than she'd done when Fary first greeted her.

With Fary introducing herself and Emily, Lizbeth reached up to take her beret off for a moment to do the same. "My name i-is Lizbeth, and the l-little one on m-my head is Ace. H-he's an Impidimp, in c-case you didn't k-know."

Ace was not at all pleased with the removing of the beret, and tried reaching back down to get it. "Imp imp!" Hey, give it back, I need it! With the addition of a second new Pokémon, another one he hadn't seen, he didn't want to be so exposed to them. But instead of getting the beret, Lizbeth instead just grabbed him with her hand, hugging him with both arms like a teddy bear.

“Lizbeth,” He pointed to the redhead. “Fary,” Then pointed to the bluehead. “Emily,” A point to the Zorua. “Ace?” Lastly, the weird new Pokémon Lizbeth called a Impidimp. Then, pointed a thumb to himself. “I’m Ezra.” With his name on the wind, the only thing that could follow one of his introductions was a big toothy grin.

“This little troublemaker is Brie!” He gestured towards his plucky Oshawott, who was still sniffing at the Zorua in her space. ”Oshaosha...” You don’t smell like a sewer...Are you sure you’re from Unova? She mumbled as she examined Emily.

Emily snapped back, clearly slighted offended. ZORRUA! Zorrrr zorua zorua ZOR!" The sewer? Unova doesn't smell like the SEWER! Emily's head dropped down.

"Nice to meet the both of you. Seems Brie had something to say to Emily though." Fary put the sulking Emily back on her shoulder where she snuggled back down.

"Anyway, we're heading to Professor Oak's lab, do you want to walk with us?" She pointed her thumb behind her towards the building in the background.

"That s-sounds wonderful. E-even if he's not g-going there himself, we could still all walk tog-gether." Lizbeth quickly turned around and started walking towards the lab, with the other two slightly behind her as she was subconsciously walking a little faster. As they approached the lab, they saw that two other women had already gathered there, with what seemed to be their own Pokémon out of their Pokéballs as well.

Hoenn Region - Lavaridge Town

---

"So tell me about your proposal again sir? What do you intend for my granddaughter?" The old woman's gaze was peircing, the man sitting across the table from her squirming in his seat, his Gallade trying not to make eye contact with the frightening human woman while his Gardevoir stared back as if it were a challenge.

"Well, Quite honestly I was suggesting she take the Kanto Pokemon League Challenge... She shows quite a bit of talent in the care of Pokemon at least, and something tells me she could get somewhere in a place like Kanto. Money would not be an issue, at least early on. With how well she cared for my two admittedly bratty Pokemon here I would be more than willing to pay for her trip to and fro as well as provide enough money for the first two weeks."

Vivian's grandmother grinned as the man rambled on as if he were a teenager again, the old Daycare Lady had that sort of effect on people and Pokemon alike. "Well, it's all up to her but you seem honest in your praise. I'll let you and her mother know of the young lady's decision.

Vivian mumbled on the couch, her grey overalls and white t-shirt stained green from the grass as she lay face-first on the overly soft surface, snoring softly alongside Curry, who lay on the back of her head. "I can tell the girl works hard, but lacks a certain maturity. The trip would be good for her and her Pokemon..." The man stood, reaching down to grasp a large egg wrapped in a green cloth. Vivian had rolled over by this point, Curry grumbling in it's sleep as it rolled down Vivian to rest near her legs. The old man sighed as he placed the egg near the Budew, who almost immediately lay against it in the corner of the couch. "Take care of this egg kid, I'm sure it will make a great partner..."

Kanto - Somewhere below a tree

---

To be perfectly honest, Vivian had been in Kanto for a good four days at this point, however she spent most of it finding comfortable places to laze about while waiting for... well she didn't quite know what she was waiting for. The slow murmur that was building in the area around the Lab however, did end up waking her.

Vivian rose slowly out of the grass that hid her sleeping form, startling the Pidgey that had taken to sleeping on the Trainer's head. This woke Curry, who reacted by throwing herself at the Pokemon and missing, slamming face-first into Vivian with a solid whack. "... Ow, cmon Curry it's too early for getting rough like that..." The trainer grimaced at the sun in the sky " At least it WAS early... ah well then. Let's get a move on."

Vivian stood, picking up the egg bundled in red cloth as she moved for the Pokemon Lab. "Bud, Budew!" God, slow down long legs! Curry shouted, waddling down the hill at breakneck speed until she eventually tripped over herself and rolled away from Vivian uncontrollably, finally stopping near a whole crowd of Trainers and their Pokemon. "B-Bud" Owowow Vivian sped up to a jog, bending her knees a bit as she tried to stop herself from falling over like Curry did. "Cmon Curry, we both knew what would happen if you ran downhill. You ok?"

"Bud-budew!"Of course I'm ok! The Pokemon leapt to it's feet after rolling on the floor in a circle for a moment, waddling to it's place between Vivian's feet as the Trainer stopped near the crowd, patting the egg that was now strapped to her by the cloth that was wrapped around her to make a cradle of sorts."Seems I overslept again, hope I'm not late."

All of a sudden, the little bench outside the lab had gotten more crowded. It wasn't to Lilith's liking, as she preferred relative solitude or one-on-one interactions. Although the addition of what appeared to be a magnificent specimen of a beach bod to the group didn't hurt. Even she could admit that. Still, as the trio of new challengers approached, followed soon after by a tumbling plant of some sort, it became clear that there would be a sizable group heading up to the lab at this point. One that she was intent on getting ahead of.

"Enough of this prattle," Lilith stated. "Let's get this over with so Kanto can feel the spirits' wrath." She purposefully started up the path towards the sprawling Oak Laboratory with Sia clinging onto her shoulder as tightly as her wax body would allow. The others began to follow suit to get this journey started...

---

"I'm telling you! That's not how that works!"

Professor Samuel Oak looked perplexed as he got yelled at by his grandson. "But I read about it in the research papers! There is a Galarian scientist who discovered new Pokemon by combining fossils! This has to be a brand new way to create new Pokemon species!"

The vein in Gary Oak's forehead bulged even more. "But you can't duct tape a knife to a Pidgey and call it a Pokemon!" he exclaimed. "How did you even manage to get that knife to stay on it's head?"

"I told you! It is a part of it's body! I'm going to call this Pokemon... Stabling! Yes! That's a fine name for this species!"

The Pidgey weakly tried to fly away, but the giant butcher knife attached to its crown of feathers made it difficult and it stayed rooted to the table.

"For fucks sake, Gramps!" Gary rushed over to try and delicately peel the tape off the Tiny Bird Pokemon's head. "This is borderline cruelty!" He managed to get most of the adhesive off with only a couple small feathers attached to the strip of tape. The Pidgey shook its head, chirped softly and flew out towards the vast green pastures beyond the open window.

"Gary! How could you let that Stabling get away! I didn't properly document it yet!"

"With what, old man? You got a notebook with the words KNIFE BIRD written out in block capitals... 24 times!" Gary snapped back. "Ugh, at least you remembered my name."

The argument on Professor Oak's latest discovery was interrupted by the sounds of Dodrio calls that acted as the doorbell.

"All right, that should be the new group. Hopefully they are all here and I can get out of here sooner rather than later."

As the two Oaks emerged from the partitioned doorway out to the main lobby, they could see the group of six trainers in front of them. "All right! A full group! Just what I wanted to see!" Gary said, clapping his hands. "Wel-"

"HELLO LITTLE GIRL!" Professor Oak shouted into Lizbeth's face. "Are you here to get your first Pokemon?"

"For fucks sake, Gramps! She has a Pokemon on her shoulder!" Gary stated, motioning to the Impidimp perched on her shoulder. "Although that is definitely a rare sight around here. Anyway, ignore the Professor," the younger Oak apologized, air quotes hovering around Professor. "My name is Gary Oak. Some of you may have heard of me, but for those foreigners here, I am the leader of the Viridian City Gym. I'm here because my grandfather..." Gary looked around, but the elder Oak was nowhere to be seen. He let out a sigh. "Does things like that, and his fat assistant Tracey went and disappeared. Probably off getting drunk or something. So it's up to me to get you all registered to take on the Indigo Pokemon League challenge! Hopefully as quickly as possible. So, are there any questions to start?"

Lilith just stood there with a blank look on her face. Is this your professor? Is this... your professor, Kanto? Sia remained calm as ever, still smiling.

Hana had gone into the Oak Research Laboratory expecting some degree of ceremony and reverence around registering a group of Trainers. As the group began to assemble into a solid half-dozen, she had recalled Satomi back into her Poké Ball both as a courtesy to the others and in line with her expectations for registration day.

Upon her first sight of the ageing Professor and his makeshift wig and glasses, and seeing the direct invasion of personal space, her expression turned into one of abject mortification. She tried her best to retain her usual composure, but it wasn't working. A half-dozen thoughts all ran through her mind at once: This is the internationally-renowned Professor Samuel Oak? This is the man who starts Kantonian Trainers on their Pokémon League challenge?

This is the man who is going to start me on mine?!

This man needs supervision and care, and he most certainly cannot be left to his own devices in a laboratory by himself all day! Surely a successor is due to take on the role of Professor! Are the authorities aware of the state of the Indigo League's beginning? If so, why has something not been done?

However, she said none of this aloud immediately; it would be out of place for her, a complete stranger, to launch into such statements out of the blue. Inwardly, she thanked the heavens that there was at least someone here today to do what the Professor seemed eager to handle himself but, in her opinion, was clearly ill-suited to the task. Before speaking up, she shot a quick, still somewhat shocked glance at the rest of the group who had gathered. Each of them seemed to already possess a Pokémon, so perhaps their visit would be shorter than she expected.

"I, er, have one question, sir." She faltered as she spoke up, but soon regained a modicum of composure. "Where do we begin? With yourself in Viridian, or another Gym?"

Following the rest of the group into the lab, doing her best to stay in the back, she had hoped that the lab of another region would be exciting to see. After all, the Professor of Galar had been lovely to see doing her job back at home, fitting well into her new role as Professor, so she was looking forward to seeing the Professor of Kanto.

What she hadn't expected was that despite staying in the back, she still got yelled at for no reason by an old man.

"HELLO LITTLE GIRL! Are you here to get your first Pokemon?"

With the man being right up in her face, Lizbeth got so startled, she couldn't make a coherent sentence, merely screaming in fear before making noises, then she went and hid behind the only person she knew there who was taller than her, Ezra. She clung tightly to his back as she hyperventilated due to the extreme interaction she just had, and tears forming in her eyes, a few rolling down her cheeks here and there. Ace was just about ready to clobber the old man, but he was more concerned with Lizbeth, and opted to stay on her shoulder, patting her cheek.

It took her a few moments to calm down enough to hear what the other man who'd been in the lab was saying, but she didn't catch more than just the tail end of his little speech. Specifically, just his question if they had any for him.

She wiped the tears off her face with her arm and peaked from behind Ezra's back as she spoke. "I...I have one...who in the blazing hell was that?" Lizbeth talked with a squeakier voice than she intended, but she had just been scared half to death by a man she had no idea who he was, and she didn't think he would be the Professor they were supposed to see. Maybe he was some homeless man who had barged in and stolen a lab coat?

Lizbeth was also too scared to actually feel nervous enough to stutter, so that was probably the one good thing the old man yelling at her had done. After seeing that the old man wasn't there, she braved forward to speak to the man again, hopefully not getting yelled at again. "I'm sorry, I actually didn't catch any of what you just said. That old man scared me too much for me to hear what you told us..." She hung her head low, Ace instead looking up at the man, obviously not happy about how Lizbeth had just been treated.

Ezra found himself awestruck. His eyes almost bugged out of their sockets as he took witness of the legendary pokemon professor. In hindsight, he kicked himself mentally. He was in Kanto partaking in the Indigo challenge, of course he was going to encounter him! It’s one of the few things most trainers do when taking on a region challenge, it was only natural.

Ezra himself encountered Kukui a couple of times during his life, though never in this context. It was usually through family terms, outside of his lab. Ezra's mother and father usually brought up a casual conversation with the professor and his wife. Esmerelda was the one who did all the fighting, so she would’ve been the one to approach him about taking on the league or something similar. Ezra was usually just there for support, but not much else. This scenario was new to the boy, and he found himself in rarified air. Rare in the sense that he was in the presence of an amazing man, and also in the sense that he found himself in stunned silence.

...Also, Gary was there.

Ezra wanted to overwhelm Professor Oak with questions, reminisce over his nature documentaries and television appearances, compliment him on his flashy-yet-intelligent sense of style and fashion, maybe even obtain a slice of his limitless wisdom alongside an autograph or a picture. But before the boy could open his mouth to speak, the good professor shouted down the punk-clad Lizbeth with an interesting query.

"HELLO LITTLE GIRL! Are you here to get your first Pokemon?"

The peculiar outburst surprised the boy as much as it did Lizbeth. He was loud and moved faster than Ezra anticipated, and even spooked Brie. The tall trainer found his eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape, prepared to make a dumb reply. Instead, he found his balance shifted slightly once the frightened redhead yanked on his bag to cower behind him. Like a Sawsbuck in headlights, Ezra was also petrified by the happenstance, and could only look on as the younger Oak reined in his eccentric grandfather.

On his opposite shoulder, Brie tracked the punky trainer burying herself into the boy’s duffel, taking notes on her clear and present panic attack. Professor Oak vanished from the scene and, like the world’s most interesting tornado, left everyone to comment on his ways.

Lizbeth spoke up, and in the moment, Ezra was able to properly identify her accent. “She’s from Galar! I knew I've heard it somewhere before!” He thought, noting the accent as one he’s picked up from movies and tourists visiting Alola.

He lifted his arm and twisted a bit to get a look at her, but she began to recover and took a step towards the gym leader.

"I'm sorry, I actually didn't catch any of what you just said. That old man scared me too much for me to hear what you told us..." Her voice was the clearest it seemed since she introduced herself. Sobering words that brought Ezra back to the moment.

“Heh, yeah, me too. He kinda caught me off guard with that outburst…” He backed her up bashfully, getting a hand lost in his hair as he chuckled and grinned. He probably could’ve asked about local lodging opportunities, but was too busy recovering mentally to think about it.

“What the heck-? This is crazy…” The circumstances of the situation were finally beginning to take hold in the boy’s brain.