"...y! ...y, are you okay?! Wake up!"

Lucia groaned in pain, opening her eyes slowly. Her vision was slightly blurred but she was able to make out Ame and a Pokémon who looked like Arlow standing over her. Her hand rushed to her head, feeling the unbearable pain.

Ame stood over her with an outstretched hand, "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"What the— what the hell happened?" She carefully pushed herself into a sitting position before grabbing Ame's hand who pulled her to her feet.

"The train exploded right as we pulled into the station." Ame let go of Lucia's hand and she almost tumbled over but was stopped by Arlow pressing himself against her legs to keep her upright. Lucia smiled at him and petted him quietly before turning her attention back to Ame who was now muttering, "I'm just glad I could get us out of there in time, but everyone else... Well, I suppose there's no use thinking about it now."

Finally able to see clearly again Lucia surveyed the damage. What she thinks was the industrial station... or what's left of it... the train inside was covered in holes with a thin stream of smoke pouring out. Debris and rubble covered the diamond pattern road. Police swarmed the area shouting about the commotion.

Ame sighed in distress again, "Why did this have to happen...? Reborn was supposed to be safe... Who would even was cut off by a high-pitched voice giggling. Ame's eyes widened, "...Fucking hell, what have you done now?"

A woman that looked slightly younger than Ame skipped over. Her hair was lime green as were her eyes and her yellow-orange cheerleader outfit seemed just as flashy as her personality.

Ame turned around and glared at the woman, "Julia, what the hell did you do?"

Julia placed both her hands on her hips, "Whaaat? I didn't do anything! I was just at the Gymmie-Gym and then suddenly... BOOM! So... I came running!" She rolled her eyes, "Cuz, you know, if things are exploding, I've got to be there to see it!!!"

"Uh huh." She turned back over to the wreckage of the station, "Based on the timing, this must have been a deliberate attack. Somebody rigged the train to destroy Grandview Station. Or maybe it was..."

Julia rolled her eyes again and threw her arm over Ame's shoulder, "If they wanted to destroy it, they could've at least tried a little harder! I mean, seriously! The structure is still standing! The hell is up with that?! This is like a six out of ten job, at best!"

Ame stayed silent and shoved Julia's arm off her, "Anyway... whoever was behind it could still be near monitoring from nearby. I'll have the perimeter locked down. We may be able to catch them..." She was about to walk off, but she turned back to Lucia. She sighed and turned around towards the girl, "I'm going ahead, Lucia. There's another trainer who should be registering with you, find her and then come see me. I'll be in the Grand Hall down the road. Trust me, you can't miss it."

Ame sighed again, "And please don't worry about all of this. I'll make sure it's taken care of. After all, I've got some perp to catch." She nodded and began walking away, "I'll see you there Lucia." Ame then ran off letting out a Lopunny who ran with her.

For the most part Lucia was still out of it which was proven when Julia skipped over to her and she jumped slightly in surprise, "So you're Lucia? Nice to meet you!"

Lucia sighed and nodded, "Yeah, nice to meet you too."

"Anyways, I'm the captain of cheer and pep, and all things bubbly and bright! I'm the electric Gym Leader so you better challenge me first! And after we battle, we'll have a party! We'll stay up all night, watch a movie, drink coffee, blow shit up—"

If Lucia had been drinking something she would've spit it out, "Excuse me?"

"Nothing! Now, go on! Get down to the Grand Hall already and I'll bring you home after!" Julia smiled cheerily.

She slinged her retrieved yet slightly burnt backpack over her shoulder and returned Arlow to his Pokéball, "Guess I'll get going now. See you."

"See you too!" Lucia waved goodbye to Julia and began walking towards the ruined city of Reborn.

The first thing Lucia noticed was the people of the city. Everyone looked absolutely pissed. People were cussing out police officers blocking the way and two thugs were in a fist fight with each other. Then there were the others, sad and injured people who had gotten hurt during the explosion or lost loved ones that were on the train. She just walked by, doing her best to avoid eye contact with anyone.

There were others muttering about how horrid the city was, and Lucia couldn't blame them. The streets were covered in a thin layer of dust, and she realized that the guy back at the train station was right. The water looked like acid, and she assumed that if you jumped into it you would dissolve. The smell was putrid as well, causing her to cough whenever she inhaled through her nose.

Lucia scowled at everything before heading up the steps towards the Grand Hall. The Grand Hall was a large dome-shaped building with the symbol of Reborn layer out on it. In front of the building stood a girl around Lucia's age, maybe a year older, with long jet-black hair. Her clothes made her look like she was a samurai of some type. With how muscular that girl was she would most definitely be able to snap her in half like a twig if she so pleased.

The girl noticed Lucia looking at her, "Hey, are you Lucia? I'm Victoria, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Lucia walked up towards her, "Nice to meet you as well."

Victoria looked at her with worry, "Is everything okay? I heard what happened at the station..."

"Everything's fine. Just a few cuts and bruises."

"Well, you're here, so I guess you would be all right. Are you ready to go in and get registered? It won't take long." She began walking in and Lucia trailed behind her.

The interior looked almost identical to the outside, black floor and walls with the floor predictably having the symbol of Reborn on it once more. They walked towards the front desk which had Ame standing at it, "Oh, you're here already. Good. There's no sign of any suspect yet, but I've got several officers out searching the area."

"Suspect? Like in the station bombing?" Victoria asked.

Ame nodded solemnly, "Yes. When we find whoever's responsible for the incident they'll pay." She sighed, "But until then, we will have to restrict travel between the wards. You two don't need to worry about that though, we'll have it taken care of. Now, let's finish your registrations. I know that both of you only have two Pokémon so you will both need another." She flicked her head motioning the two girls to follow her, "Come with me, just up these stairs."

Lucia felt her stomach drop as soon as Ame said that she would need another Pokémon. She didn't want to drag another Pokémon into the mess that her life was, "Wait, Ame, why do we need three Pokémon?"

She turned around to look at her, "I guess you don't know. Each Gym Leader has six Pokémon, so it's required that every trainer challenging the league has three Pokémon."

"Oh. That makes sense." She followed Ame and Victoria up the stairs knowing that she would now have to have another Pokémon added onto her team. Oh well. At least it would be more protection if they... showed up again.

The upstairs room looked almost identical to the downstairs. The only difference was the many Pokéballs laid out on a large crescent shaped table. The table was sectioned off three ways with the left side being grass type starters, the middle being fire types, and the end being water types. Each section had seven Pokéballs on it from different regions.

Ame motioned towards the table, "These Pokémon are all set aside from trainers to choose from when they start the league. Victoria, go ahead and take any one you like, but Lucia I want to speak to you before you make your choice." Victoria nodded her head and went towards the table.

Lucia raised an eyebrow at Ame, "What is it?"

"I have a few questions for you. You have your Titaneon but what is your other Pokémon?"

"A Garchomp."

"Did you train them?"

"Yeah. Since I was twelve."

"Then I think you'd be able to help me." A serious look appeared on her face, "Have you ever heard of a strange phenomenon where Hidden Power manifests into an actual move of its type?"

"I think I read something about it once..."

"Well, there's a Pokémon who did just that here. A Snivy. It's Hidden Power type was fire, and the move turned into Ember. The problem is that Snivy can't control the move and is afraid of the fire. Which you can imagine doesn't make for the best combination." She gestured to the table, "From what I know about you, you seem to be a capable trainer. I'd like you to take this Pokémon and help train it. I know it's a big ask but—"

"I'll do it." Lucia wasn't sure what came over her, but the words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. It was likely because she had been in a similar boat before and already felt sympathy for the Pokémon.

Ame's eyes widened at how quickly Lucia agreed, "That's great. Thank you. The Pokémon is there on the table in its ball."

Lucia nodded and walked over to the table where the Pokéballs were. She grabbed the Pokéball labeled Snivy and immediately clicked the Pokéball to let Snivy out. Snivy popped out of the ball onto the table. The small bipedal, snake-like Pokémon had an almost entirely green body except for a cream underbelly and a yellow stripe down his back. Snivy had a leaf tail and a pointed face. He stared up at her with brown eyes and a blank expression and cocked his head.

She reached out her hand for Snivy to sniff. The Pokémon sniffed her hand before smiling and nuzzling his head into her hand. Lucia smiled back at the small Pokémon, "What do you think of the name Theros?"

"Sniiii!" The Pokémon nodded, and Lucia picked him up gently.

"Theros it is then."

Victoria walked over to Lucia, "Cute name.

"Thanks, which Pokémon did you pick?"

"Litten. I already knew who I was going to pick."

The two walked back over to where Ame was who seemed pleased, "All right then. Lucia, you can head back downstairs. I want to speak to Victoria as well."

Lucia nodded, "Thanks, Ame." She headed back down the stairs and waited in front of the desk where Ame had stood. Having nothing to do she scrolled through Pokégram, looking at what her old friends were up to. That was until she heard someone come up to her.

"Heyyy, you're cute." Lucia looked up to see a boy who looked like the color purple threw up on him. The emo looking boy had his purple hair up in a ponytail with a large chunk of his hair covering his left eye. He wore a light purple plaid jacket over a black t-shirt along with dark purple pants and tall black boots.

"What was that?" She shot the taller boy a glare.

"What?" He feigned innocence, "Haha, no, I didn't say anything! Sorry if I came off strong. Was Ame just here?"

"She was a few minutes ago." Her glare softened, "She's upstairs with someone right now."

"Okay, thanks. My name's Cain, how about yours?"

"It's Lucia, nice to meet you." She extended her hand to shake.

"Pretty name. Nice to meet you too." He took her outstretched hand and shook it before letting go a few seconds later, "Did you just get your first Pokémon?"

"Yes, a Snivy."

"Are you going to challenge the league?"

"I am. Are you going to as well?"

"I'm here to start over, so yes." Cain smiled cheerily and grabbed a Pokéball from his checkered belt, "So, Lucia, what do you say to a battle? I have a new Pokémon as well."

Lucia shifted her weight from foot to foot, "Uh, yeah sure. Let's see how this goes."

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle. Let's go Swablu!" He clicked the button on the ball, sending out a Swablu.

Lucia clicked her own Pokéball, "Come on, Theros. Let's do this." Theros popped out of the Pokéball in front of Lucia. He looked at her nervously and she smiled in reassurance, "Don't worry about it. Just use tackle." Theros nodded and turned to Swablu, ready to battle.

Cain smiled cheerily again, "Let's start this! Swablu Astonish!" the bird Pokémon disappeared for a brief moment before reappearing behind Theros.

"Dodge it, quick!" As the Swablu went for the attack Theros jumped out of the way, "Tackle!" He spun back and hit the Swablu with his head, causing the Pokémon to be knocked back towards Cain, "Leer!" Theros' eyes glowed red, the glare at Swablu lowering the bird's defense.

"Peck!" The Swablu flew towards Theros and hit him with its beak. Theros skidded back, hurt from the super effective attack.

"Theros, Tackle!" He ran back towards the Swablu and hit it once more with the move. This time the attack knocked Swablu unconscious. Lucia and Theros had won their first battle together.

Cain's grin widened, "Cute and talented! Very nice!" He returned Swablu to its Pokéball, "You do know how a Pokémon Center works, right?"

"Of course I do." Theros jumped into her arms once more.

A few moments later Ame and Victoria came down the stairs. Ame eyed Cain for a moment before a look of recognition appeared on her face, "Oh, Cain, right. I forgot you were coming by."

Cain's smile somehow grew even wider, "It's okay! While you were gone, I met Lucia, and we had some fun."

Victoria's looked between Cain and Lucia, "Had some fun? I didn't know you were that type of person Lucia."

Lucia shot Victoria a glare, "Get your mind out of the gutter. We just had a battle."

Her face flushed red, "Sorry!" A smile appeared on her face a few seconds later, "A battle does sound like fun though. I want to try out my new Pokémon too. So, Lucia are you and Theros up for another battle?"

"I always am." Theros looked nervous but more confident than he was during the battle with Cain.

Ame, who was watching the interaction gestured for Cain to come up to the front desk, "Cain, I'll get you registered as a challenger while they battle.

Cain spoke in a sing-song voice, "Of course, ma'am!" He went up to the desk and him and Ame began the registration process.

Victoria smiled at Lucia and held out her Pokéball, "Let's begin then!" She clicked the ball and her Litten came out in a flash of red light.

Lucia nodded at Theros, "Let's do this, bud." Theros jumped out of her arms, ready to face Litten, "Leer!" Theros shot Litten the same glare he had shot Swablu earlier to lower the Pokémon's defense.

"Litten, Scratch!" The small cat Pokémon scratched Theros across his stomach.

Theros recoiled from the attack, "Tackle!" He fought back against Litten and hit the Pokémon with his full body.

"Scratch, again!" Litten slashed at Theros again, knocking him back slightly.

"Theros, Tackle!" Lucia finally saw what Ame meant when she said that Theros couldn't control the fire. As he charged towards and hit Litten, fire surrounded his body. After he hit Litten he curled himself into a ball as the fire continued to swirl around him. She could see his expression, his eyes closed and gritting his small teeth.

Lucia rushed forward towards him despite the fire. She kneeled down and placed a hand on his head and pet him, soothing the Pokémon. Luckily Pokémon fire, especially from a weaker Pokémon, isn't as strong as regular fire so she'd only be left with mild burns on her left hand. She winced in pain but kept petting Theros until the fire around him died down and eventually stopped.

The Pokémon looked up at her, still quivering, he looked guilty of what he'd done. Lucia sighed and continued petting him, her voice soft, "It's not your fault. I'm just glad you're okay." She looked up at Victoria who was staring at her in shock. She noticed other people were looking at her with the same expression as well, "Is it alright if we cut this battle short?"

Victoria nodded immediately, "Of course. You're no ordinary trainer, are you?"

"I guess not..." She shrugged, "And thank you. He's not in a state to battle."

Cain walked over and looked at the situation, "Hey, if you guys are ready Ame's waiting on you two."

"Right." Lucia gently picked up Theros, who nuzzled into her shoulder.

"Before I leave can I get your guy's numbers?"

The two girls nodded their heads and the three of them exchanged numbers. Victoria looked up at Lucia, "Hey, Lucia how do you spell your name? I don't want to get it wrong."

Lucia looked back at Victoria and gave a small smile, "You can just call me Lucy."

"Sounds good! You can call me Vicky as well."

Cain nodded and when he had their numbers he smiled before walking off, "I'm all set so I'm going to hit the road. See you!"

The two waved goodbye to Cain. Victoria sighed and picked up Litten, "Let's go see what Ame needs." They went over to the desk to Ame, "Sorry if we kept you waiting!"

Ame nodded her head, "No worries. I already took care of the necessary documentation." She looked at Lucia and sighed, "I saw what happened with the fire. I'm glad you and your Pokémon are alright."

Lucia pet Theros' head, "Thank you. I'm just happy that I was able to get him out of it before something worse happened."

"Good. All that's left before you two can get on your way is that I have to give you your Pokédex. I'm sure you two know the whole spiel about it." She handed the red device to both of them. It looked like a phone, "Also make sure to download the Field Notes app on your phones. It will help you out in the long run. With that you'll be all set! I'm afraid I'll have to leave you two now, I've got more damage control to do.

Victoria nodded slightly, "We'll be fine. Thank you for the help!

"Good luck out there. Both of you. Also send a tip to your local officer if you see anyone who looks like they might want to blow up a train station. Julia doesn't count. Until then!" She waved goodbye to them and headed down the stairs into the basement.

Lucia and Victoria turned towards each other. A smile appeared on Victoria's face, "All right, I'll get going and check in with Kiki."

Lucia raised an eyebrow, "Who's Kiki?"

"Oh, she's my teacher! I'm an apprentice at Apophyll Academy, across the lake from the city. If you're ever in the area, I'm sure they'd love it if you dropped by. So, what is your plan now?"

"To explore the city. And help train Theros. I'll see you around, Vicky."

"See you around, Lucy!" She waved goodbye and left the Grand Hall.

Lucia sighed and looked down at Theros, "Don't worry we'll figure this out." A few moments later she followed Victoria's tracks and began to walk out of the Grand Hall, stopping to heal Theros first.

As she stepped out into the disgusting air of Reborn City, her journey here finally started.