Jacob was walking around the east side of Aspertia City, looking for something to do. He hadn't seen any cool shops, found anyone to talk to, or approached any interesting landmarks. Just then, an Eevee ran between Jacob's legs, causing him to stumble. "Pallet, get back here," Jacob heard someone say. He turned around to see a girl who looked to be a bit older than him, with short, strawberry-blonde hair chasing after the Eevee. Eager to have something to do, Jacob assisted the redhead in catching her Pokémon.

It ran all throughout the town, always managing to turn onto another street when they thought they had it. Eventually, they got it to the west side of the city, after many minutes of running. "Hey! Get it into that white building with the red roof," the redhead said, pointing to such a building. Jacob nodded and took a different path from her. He ran down a different street and stopped at the turn in front of the white building. Jacob looked at the Pokéball statues outside the building, with plaques on them that read 'Trainer School.'

He had no time to think about it, as the runaway Eevee has just turned the corner and bumped into him. Jacob quickly grabbed the Eevee as the redhead got to the corner. The Eevee was determined to escape, and kept biting and scratching Jacob. He only let go of it because the Eevee's owner told him to. The Eevee dashed into the Trainer School, and Jacob followed the redhead inside.

They chased the Eevee into a battling field in the back of the school. The Eevee was clearly tired at this point, and ran into a corner. Jacob grabbed it, as the redhead grabbed a white and red Premier Ball and returned the Eevee. "Whoo, thanks for that," the redhead said in between breaths. "I thought that I would be chasing him for a lot longer." "No problem! It at least gave me something to do," Jacob replied, trying to catch his breath.

"Well, if that's your idea of fun. I'm Lumen, nice to meet you!" "I'm Jacob, and I come from an area behind here." "Wow, there's an area outside of Aspertia City? That's not something you hear everyday. Well, while we're here, how about a battle?" "Well, alright! Voltaire, Louis, come on out!" Jacob grabbed two Pokéballs and tossed them into the air, releasing it's contents inside.

"Well, well, an Electivire and a Riolu! This is quite interesting! Now, what do you think of mine? Pallet, Leo, come on out!," Lumen said, tossing two Pokéballs into the air. The balls opened up, and her runaway Eevee came out, along with a large Pokémon, with a black and tan body, with a large red and orange mane around it's head. "Wow, what's that," Jacob said, opening his Pokédex and scanning it.

'Pyroar: The Noble Pokémon, and the evolved form of Litleo. The main difference between the two genders is their mane, with male Pyroar having a large mane around it's neck, and female Pyroar having a long ponytail-like mane. Their fiery breath can reach up to 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.' "Well, I've never seen a Pyroar before! I thought Luxray was the only lion-like Pokémon!" "It was, until Pyroar was discovered in Kalos. So, let's have a duel. Your Riolu versus my Eevee! Louis against Pallet!" "Ok, you're on!"

(Natalie's Experience)

Natalie was in the north of the city, looking around for anything to see. She got to a lookout platform at the top of the city, and looked out at what she could see. She saw all of Unova, from the houses in Nuvema Town, to the looming tower of the Pokémon League, to the train station of Anville Town. She was in awe with the view, as she had never know about this place.

She thought that she could see another region's shores behind Humilau City, and tried leaning over the railing to see a landmark, maybe the Mossdeep Space Center or Pokémon Tower. However, she leaned too far, and started to tumble over the edge, and onto the ground over 50 feet below. "Someone! Help!", Natalie cried, but she knew that it wouldn't work. She just closed her eyes, and embraced the end.

"Daisy! Vine Whip," a girl's voice said. Natalie felt some sort of smooth ropes grab her waist, and fling her back onto the platform. When she looked up, she saw a white-haired girl looking down at her, an Ivysaur at her side. "Oh my god, are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for that, I thought I was a goner. Wouldn't that be an awful way to start off my first day on an adventure." "Yeah, that would be a real anticlimax. I'm Sophia, by the way, and this is my partner, Daisy," she said, helping Natalie up. "Well, I'm Natalie, nice to meet you!"

"So, what Pokémon do you have?" "Well, I have a Magmortar named Corona, and a Togepi that I haven't named yet." "Whoa, a Togepi? Can I see it?" "Sure! I don't see why not," Natalie said, grabbing Togepi's Pokéball. She sent out her slightly unhatched partner, and Sophia was in a state of disbelief. Natalie's Togepi came out with a sense of bravery, as if it knew what it was. Natalie's Togepi was orange, with a slightly darker shell around it's legs. "Natalie, do you know what this Togepi is?" Natalie looked at her shelled sidekick closely. "Wait a second, are Togepi supposed to be orange?" "No, they aren't, Natalie. And I assume that you now see what I'm seeing." "Yeah, my Togepi is Shiny. Pretty cool, I guess."

"What? Don't you know how rare Shiny Pokémon are?" "Yeah, of course I do, but I've never really cared about that. I've always judged Pokémon on their strength, not on their rarity. If I have a Shiny Pokémon, if I find a Pokémon just like it, except not Shiny but instead with more power, I'd gladly change them out." "Wow, just when I thought today was going to be normal. Thank you for showing me that it won't." Natalie started laughing, and they started talking on the lookout about themselves.

(Megan's Experience)

Megan was in the town square, looking at all the shops. There were lunch stands, newspaper booths, a gift shop by the lookout platform, and even a nursery where you could have the status of an unhatched egg be checked. Megan was looking around the shops when Jacob passed by, helping a red haired girl chase an Eevee. Seeing Jacob with another girl made Megan slightly sad, for reasons that she couldn't determine. "Ah, I see you have feelings for that boy.", a black-haired woman in a booth behind Megan said. "I-I guess. I just met him today." "Well, I know I may sound like a traveling salesman, but I may have something for you."

She searched her stall and found a small device. "This is a Pokémon translator, and it allows whoever wears it in their ear to communicate with and listen to Pokémon." Megan didn't need it, but knowing that the others could use it, and that saying she didn't need it would cause some suspicion, she decided to take it. She paid for the translator, thanked the woman, and went on her way. She saw Josh leaning on a tree, and decided to talk to him.

The woman in the stall smiled to herself. "Always happy to help a wayward spirit," she said, before holding her hand to her ear, as if calling on an earpiece. "Malus, are you there? Come in, Malus!" "I'm here, Perfuga. What's up?" "The girl you are after fell for the trap. She has the tracking device on her as we speak." "Good, good. You have done well. Soon, our plans will be able to begin," Malus said, before laughing to herself.

(Josh's Experience)

Josh was walking by the edge of town, taking in the beauty of the mountains. He had never seen anything like this in Sinnoh, as he had never been a fan of climbing Mt. Coronet, not like his father was. Josh had to lean against a tree, as he was having a flashback of his father. He had his normal flashback, where it started in their backyard. "Now Josh, you must remember that all Pokémon are living beings. They are not tools to be manipulated, but are instead creatures that you should bond with. One day, I know that you will go on an adventure across this world, and when that time comes, your bonds will be put to the test, to both people, and Pokémon."

Josh was shaken out of his flashback by the sound of a Pokémon's pain stricken cries. "Thank Arceus for that. That flashback might have lasted longer than usual." He followed the cries to a Chansey that was slumped against a tree, badly poisoned. "Here, let me help you," Josh said. He found a Pecha Berry tree close by and made a paste with a few of them. He tried to give it to the Chansey, but it kept refusing. "Now, now, Chansey, you have to take this. You won't last long without it."

"Chan. Sey. Chansey," the Chansey said weakly, pointing to a Poké Ball that Josh had on his belt. "You, want me to capture you?" "Sey. Chansey." Josh held his hand on the Chansey's forehead, reading it's mind. "I see, you were abandoned, and your ability is Natural Cure. Well, I'll capture you, if you want me to." Josh detached a Poké Ball from his belt and threw it at the Chansey. The Chansey was absorbed into the ball, and after shaking three times, the ball clicked, signifying the Chansey's capture.

Josh sent out the Honedge he was taking care of, along with his new Chansey. "Okay, Chansey, this Honedge needs our help. It seems like he has some kind of disease. I need you to find out what's wrong with it." The Chansey nodded and began to give the Honedge a check-up, while Josh began to think. He felt another flashback coming along, so he leaned against a tree and let the flashback invade his mind.

"Josh! Megan! You need to go," their father said. "But daddy, why," Megan asked. Josh got up and held his hand on his father's forehead. He saw a group of people standing in front of their house. "Megan, we need to go. We'll get caught if we don't." "Daddy, will we ever see you again?" "I can't say for sure, but it's better then you not having a future." "Come on, Megan! We can't stay for long!" "Okay. Goodbye, Daddy. I hope that we meet again one day," Megan said. Josh and Megan got their bags together, grabbed their special charms, and hugged their father one last time, before getting on their Staraptor and flying away. "I fight today, so they can have a better tomorrow," their father whispered to himself, before confronting the men outside.

"That was over 7 years ago, and it still lingers in my mind. Malus, there will come a day soon that you wish that you had never destroyed my family. Your day of reckoning is coming, and Jacob and Natalie will make sure of it." "Hey, Josh," he heard Megan say. He opened his eyes to see Megan walking towards him, her dark grey hoodie concealing her hair. "I wonder if she ever experiences those accursed flashbacks. Hopefully not, the burden should only be mine to bear," Josh thought, before greeting Megan.

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Heyo! Just wanted to say that I introduced a new element into the story.
Any time a sentence is italicized, it means that this is a thought, and is not being spoken.
Example: "God, this kid is annoying." The italic font means that it is being thought, not spoken.
Well, until next time, Happy Reading!