Alex looked in the mirror at his messy hair. It was medium length and the same brown colour that his Mum had but it had a mind of its own. Every day after his shower, he would have to spend some time sculpting out some curls that had turned up somewhere. By the time he'd finished, it was still scruffy, but now all of the stray curls were gone and only the front curled upwards into a half-quiff-thing. He hadn't decided upon a name for the style yet.

He walked back from the bathroom into his new room in the Azelf dorm. There were five dorms for each gender and they all consisted of five beds and five desks for the five people living in them. Alex's bag was carelessly laid against his desk, half unpacked, clothes all over his area of the dorm.

"Finally." Lenny sighed. "We need to leave soon for our first lesson."

"I haven't even had breakfast yet!" Alex moaned. Lenny's section was perfectly clean and organised and he was up, showered, dressed and had eaten his breakfast ages ago. Alex had opted to stay in bed a little bit later.

"Well that's your mistake for sleeping in too late," Lenny stated, "Now c'mon, the others are leaving already!"

"Alright, fine." Alex grumbled. "Let's go."

Lenny lead the way out of the dorm room, down a corridor and out the front entrance of their building where every other first year of Azelf was waiting. Brock stood in front of them, ticking off names in a register. Alex spotted Edward, along with the two other boys in their dorm, Elliot and Owen so they moved to stand alongside them.

"Good, everyone's here," Brock said, after finishing the register, "Now we can start moving." Brock quickly set off, heading for a nearby river. The first years followed. Brock lead them over a red brick bridge and to the edge of a thick forest where they stopped to allow everyone to catch up. "Ok, this is our meeting point." he stated. "If anyone doesn't already have a Pokémon, I can lend you some for today so that you'll be able to catch your own."

A few people walked up to Brock and gathered a collection of Pokéballs. Whilst they were being sorted, Alex took a better look around. They'd crossed the river that ran straight by the Azelf house and could now clearly see snowy mountain tops in the distance. If they hadn't crossed the bridge, they would've followed along the river's path to the deep blue ocean and the beautiful sandy beaches. Cynthia wasn't kidding when she said this island was incredible.

"OK, everyone's sorted." Brock smiled. "Now for a demonstration of catching a Pokémon. Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it."

"Excellent!" Brock grinned. "And what might your name be?"

"Arabella Hughes." Bella stepped forward from their group, looking confident.

"So Miss Hughes, what's your experience in catching Pokémon?" Brock asked.

"I've caught a few before." She answered.

"So you know what you're doing then?" Brock smiled. Bella nodded. "I'll let you go on ahead then. Find, battle and capture."

"Thank you sir." Bella smiled. She brought out a Pokéball from inside her blazer and threw it up in the air. "Riolu!" The ball opened and small Pokémon jumped out from a flash of light. It was mostly sky blue, except its chest and floppy ears with were a dark grey. It was cute but it looked serious. "Use your aura to find nearby Pokémon." Bella said softly.

"Riolu!" Bella's Riolu barked. It went down on one knee and started glowing. Suddenly, its ears jerked upwards and its eyes lit up. The pair swiftly set off to the left, followed by Brock and the group of first years from Azelf but they were brought to an abrupt halt when they came to a small cave entrance in a low lying cliff.

Bella signalled to Riolu to crouch and it obeyed, moving stealthily forwards before Bella gave a second hand signal. "Quick Attack!" She cried out and Riolu immediately dashed into the mouth of the cave, making heavy contact with a wild Pokémon and pushing it out into the open. Its size was similar to Riolu's but it had a huge second jaw protruding out from the back of its head.

"Miss Hughes has found a Mawile!" Brock yelled as the battle began.

"Force Palm!" Bella ordered as the Mawile took a swing with its giant jaw. Riolu batted the jaw away with its powerful palm before spinning and connecting another blow to the Mawile's face. Sparks surrounded the Mawile as it crashed to the floor.

"Excellently done!" Brock cheered. "Using moves that can have added effects such as Paralysis are very useful for catching Pokémon!"

"Now Pokéball, go!" Bella cried as she threw an empty Pokéball at the near motionless Mawile, sucking it inside before shaking uncontrollably and popping back out after a flash of light.

"It looks like you need some more damage on the board." Brock said as the Mawile was soon back on its feet and back in control of the battle, swinging its jaw like a cricket bat to hit Riolu in the stomach, launching it back a few feet. Before Riolu could get up, Mawile pounced, grabbing Bella's Pokémon within its jaw and slamming it against the floor.

"Counter!" Bella urged her struggling partner. Suddenly, Mawile jarred and went limp, falling to the ground and releasing its grip on Riolu. From within its mouth, Riolu must've pulled off a seriously powerful attack to put a complete stop to Mawile's rampage. "Now let's try this again, Pokéball go!" Bella hurled a second Pokéball at the immobile Pokémon, this time not even shaking before giving a satisfying dink, indicating Mawile's capture.

"Well there you go." Brock said, looking impressed as Bella picked up her new Pokémon. "That was very well done Miss Hughes, you and Riolu seem to have a very good feel for each other's style and the way you came back when it looked as though the fight was turning was very well done."

"Thank you sir." Bella smiled as she called her Riolu back to its ball.

"Now then, if you still don't understand, let me explain." Brock said. "First you find a wild Pokémon. Then you weaken it and try to hit it with attacks that cause status ailments such as Paralysis and Sleep, that'll make it much easier to capture. Then, you throw a Pokéball and hope for the best! Now let's say that we'll head out in small groups of three to five and meet back at the bridge in two hours. If you're still really unsure, I'll be leading a group out myself to help you out."

When Brock finished talking, the large group of first years split apart into their own separate groups to capture their own Pokémon. Alex looked over at Bella who now had several people crowding around her asking for tips and for her to help them out, ruling her out for helping him.

"Alex?" Lenny said after a few seconds. "Hello?"

"Sorry Lenny, lost myself for a moment there." Alex replied, shaking himself free of his thoughts. "So, we gonna go catch ourselves some awesome Pokémon?"

"As soon as we find another person for our group." Lenny said. "We've only got two."

"Where'd Edward go?" Alex asked.

"You remember what he said yesterday right? He's already got loads of powerful Pokémon so I reckon he's gone off to train somewhere."

"Oh." Alex said. "Makes sense I guess. Well then, we'll have to go on our own."

"What is it with you two not listening to teachers?" Alex heard Bella say from behind him. He turned to face her with an idea.

"Oh, we were listening." Alex protested. "But we don't have a third person for our group, unless you want to tag along."

"Fine." She conceded, walking away from the crowd she had attracted, leaving them with Brock. Already, Bella was becoming popular.

"It's settled then." Alex said triumphantly. "So now what?"

"First step, you find a wild Pokémon." Bella explained. "There are a lot of different areas on this island so it would probably be best to select one type of area and stick with it."

"How about this cave that you found?" Alex suggested, pointing to the mouth of the cave where Bella had found her Mawile.

"If you want to go for caves then this one probably isn't the best." Bella said. "With all of the loud noises caused by my battle, the other Pokémon living in there will have most likely been scared off and will be hiding. It would be better to search for another cave."

"Hey, you know your stuff." Alex smiled.

"I've been researching how to be the best for a good couple of years now. If you put in the effort, maybe you would already know as much as me."

"Yeah but research is boring." Alex laughed. "Going out to find some Pokémon and battle - now that sounds fun! Let's go Lenny!" Without saying another word, Alex sprinted off, following the line of the cliff, leaving the other two behind. After about fifteen minutes, he spotted another cave entrance.

"Alex." Lenny panted, when he and Bella had caught up to him. "Can we go a little slower next time?"

"No way!" Alex grinned. "Fast is how my brain works. No time for stopping. Now let's explore this cave."

"Stop!" Bella cried out as Alex began to enter. "Don't you think it's a good idea to send out your Pokémon first?"

"Oh yeah." Alex relied. Moving his hand to his belt, he opened up an attached pouch before picking up the Pokéball within and throwing it up in the air. After a flash, Butterfree popped out. "Hi Butter."

"Free!" Butterfree chirped.

"I know," Alex smiled, "But it's a lot of syllables so it's easier to shorten it."

"Chinchou." Lenny said as he threw his own Pokéball up in the air. The Pokémon that emerged was small and blue, with two glowing antennae protruding from its head.

"Wow Lenny, that's an awesome Pokémon!" Alex said.

"I guess," Lenny smiled. From what Lenny had told him on the boat, he figured that he didn't get compliments often so Alex was going to do his best to right that wrong.

"We could use those glowing things to light up the cave for us." Alex suggested.

"Good idea." Lenny said. "Chinchou, lead the way."

"Chin!" Chinchou smiled as it hopped ahead of the three trainers into the cave. Its antennae did a brilliant job of illuminating the cave, casting a golden glow on every single pebble within. After only a few seconds, they heard a cry of anger and a wild Pokémon jumped in their way.

"It's a Honedge, a Steel and Ghost type." Bella said, identifying the Pokémon. It looked like a sword which had unsheathed itself using a hand like piece of blue cloth. "From the looks of things, our light woke it up and it's not happy!"

"Lenny, this one's on you!" Alex said, gesturing to the Honedge which was preparing an attack.

"Um, ok then." Lenny said. The look on his face was unsure but he needed to be - the Honedge was already attacking!

"Lenny, look out!" Alex cried as the Honedge launched its sharp blade at Chinchou.

"Dodge it!" Lenny yelled at the last second, giving Chinchou just enough time to duck beneath the attack. "Use Bubble!" Chinchou stood back up and fired off a couple of bubbles at the Honedge, whose momentum had carried it well past its chosen target. By the time it could re-adjust itself for another attack, Chinchou's Bubble had made contact, pushing it to ground.

"Remember; use status to your advantage." Bella reminded Lenny.

"Oh yeah," Lenny nodded, his confidence growing with every second, "Chinchou, use Thunder Wave!" Chinchou quickly aimed its antennae at the Honedge, sending off sparks of electricity which surrounded the Honedge in a ring before closing in and paralysing the defenceless Pokémon.

"Try a Pokéball." Alex suggested. Lenny nodded again, grabbing a Pokéball from his belt and throwing it at the unmoving sword. The Honedge was sucked up into the ball before shaking vigorously and then giving the same dink that Bella's gave when she caught her Mawile.

"I did it." Lenny breathed, a vague expression of happiness on his face when he picked up the Pokéball that contained his new Pokémon.

"Not bad for a first try." Bella said.

"Not bad? That was a sweet battle man!" Alex grinned, patting Lenny on the back.

"Thanks," Lenny said as he pocketed his new Pokémon.

"Now it's my turn." Alex said, turning to face Butterfree. Butterfree nodded.

"Wait, don't you think we should go find another cave first?" Bella suggested.

"But I want to catch a Pokémon now!" Alex whined.

"And it'll be easier if we find another cave because of all of the commotion we caused in this one."

"Fine." Alex sighed. This could take all day if they kept on going to find new caves but Bella seemed to know a lot more than Alex, so he trusted her on this one. "Butter, let's go find a cave."

"Wait!" Lenny cried out before Alex took off again, sprinting out of their current cave and once again running parallel to the Cliffside in search of a cave.

"Free!" Butterfree chirped from behind him. Alex stopped running and looked back at Bella and Lenny who were still a good distance away.

"What is it pal?" Alex asked.

"Free, free, free!"

"Up there?" Alex gasped, looking up at the top of the cliff where he could just make out the shape of a Pokémon. "Great spot Butter, but how do we get there?" The cliff may have been fairly low for a cliff but it was still a cliff and he was no climber.

"Free..." Butterfree shook its head, almost in a way that resembled sighing. Before Alex could respond, he felt something grab his shoulders and lift him into the air.

"Whoa!" Alex cried as his feet left the ground and were left dangling beneath him. He looked up and saw Butterfree's eyes glowing as Butterfree slowly flew upwards. Alex understood what was happening. This was Butterfree's psychic powers lifting him, not something grabbing him, although the feeling was extremely peculiar as it felt just like a pair of hands despite nothing actually being there.

"Alex?!" Lenny cried out from below. Alex opened his mouth to respond but a wave of sickness took over him as he rose higher and higher so he instead signalled an "ok" sign with his hand. Throwing up all over his friends was not on his agenda for the day. Thankfully, the ride ended quickly with Butterfree lowering him onto a plateau and his feet being reunited with the ground.

"Little warning next time would be great Butter." He panted as he shook off his momentary nausea. "Now where's this Pokémon got to?"

"Free." Butterfree chirped quietly, nodding its head to Alex's right. He turned and gave the area a quick visual scan before he found it, crouching down behind a small rock. It was small and brown with a tiny tail and a bone in one hand that it wielded like a sword. What was really interesting was the skull that it wore on its head, showing only the eyes of the Pokémon. It was staring at the pair intensely and it looked very cautious. One false move and it could scarper faster than the Extreme Speed of a Rayquaza.

"Butter, slowly make your way around behind it. I'll distract it and then you use Sleep Powder, OK?" Alex said. Butterfree nodded and did exactly what Alex said, slowly meandering in a wide circle, making its way towards the Pokémon but discreetly. "Hey there," Alex called out to the Pokémon, "Do you have a name?"

"Cubone!" It cried out, waving its bone at Alex in what was probably meant to be scary. In reality, it was just way too cute.

"Alright, ok, I won't hurt you." Alex said, putting his arms in the air. "I just want to talk."

"Cu-u-u-BONE!" the Cubone screeched, hurling its bone at Alex. He ducked quickly, avoiding the attack but his victory was short lived as the bone came right back, slamming into the back of his head and knocking him to the ground. So it could use its bone like a boomerang - now Alex just had to catch this Cubone, it just got cooler by the second.

"Butterfree, now!" Alex yelled as Butterfree swooped down on the unsuspecting Pokémon, covering it in a layer of green powder which immediately took effect as the Cubone stumbled to the ground, fast asleep. "Now then, time for a Pokéball, go!" Alex said as he threw the ball at the still Cubone, turning it into a flash before opening up and dragging it in, then rolling on the ground before a dink told him that the capture was a success.

"Free!" Butterfree swirled around, dancing in celebration at their very first capture together.

"Yes!" Alex said, punching the air. They'd managed to pull off the capture and they'd done it fairly easily and now, he had an awesome new Pokémon to show for it. He picked up the Pokéball and looked at it smiling, before he pocketed it and looked out across the island and the horizon. "Now I'm really a trainer." He grinned. This was only the beginning of his adventures here at New Moon Academy but already, he was having a blast. This was going to be an epic year.