=Aquacorde Town=

When I passed the gate connecting Route 1 and Aquacorde, I suppose you could say I was hit with a wave of homesickness.

Vaniville is cool and all, but it's nothing like Goldenrod. It's much quieter, everyone knows practically everyone, and there's no passing Trainers. It was obvious that Vaniville was that one town in each region that served as that small town where someone can be away from the Trainer and battling drama. The neighbors were nice, if not a little too welcoming. And while it was certainly a break from the Trainers with Gyarados-sized egos that always came to challenge Whitney, small towns didn't really do it for me.

Aquacorde was similar to Goldenrod in the sense that it had more life to it. More young children and teens with Pokéballs clipped to their waists or bag straps walked around here, mixed with the general population. Apartment buildings stood high below the terrace, while cafés and Trainer shops pandered to the passing Trainers. A fountain bubbled down below, and small children chased their Pokémon pets around said fountain. Tables were scattered on the terrace, giving people the full view of Aquacorde Town.

I took in a deep breath. No time for nostalgia, it's a new life now. Let's go.

After a bit of wandering around, I spotted two lone teens sitting on a spare table close to the edge of the terrace. A white poster board with "Starter Program Pokémon Here" scribbled on it with red marker sat beside the bookish-looking older teen's chair, who was poking at his Holo Caster lazily. A younger, bubbly girl sat opposite of the other, staring at a cylindrical case with excited anticipation.

Jogging over there caught the older teen's attention, and he straightened to address me. He gave me a quick look-over before saying, "Are you here for the Starter Program? Alix, I presume?"

I gave a small wave. "That'd be me."

The teen looked over me dubiously once more. "ID, please?"

"... Right." I opened the flap of the messenger bag and rooted through the multiple small pockets peppering the front. By now, the younger girl had shifted her attention from the case to me, eyebrows raised. Two minutes later, my fingers finally trailed over plastic in an inside pocket, and I hurriedly fished out the standard Johtonese Pokémon ID and presented it to the teen. He snatched it and compared it to a similar-looking ID on his Holo Caster, flipping over my ID to check the numbers, then handed it back to me.

"Well then. Go sit down. We should really get started now..." He looked disdainfully at the empty chair next to him, then at the two of us. "My partner is not able to attend, unfortunately, and we only have two available candidates for this year's Starter Research Program. My name is Trevor, and these..." He pressed two buttons that were both located on the sides of the container together, and the lid slowly swung open. "... Are your new partners."

There were three Pokéballs in the case, lined up in order. Stickers with the Fire, Water, and Grass motif distinguished the three different Starter Pokémon, but other than that they were identical. Both the girl and I leaned in to see the Pokéballs better, but Trevor slid them toward himself.

"I hope you do realize that this isn't just an excuse to get a rare Pokémon," Trevor sighed. "You are expected to also fill in the Pokédex to the best of your ability and help the Professor." With that, he reached into his own bag and placed two red Pokédexes on the table beside the case. "These have been loaded with the necessary information to not only study Central Kalos, but also Costal and Mountain Kalos as well."

"Excuse me?"

The young girl held her hand up, drumming her fingers quickly. Before Trevor could respond, she continued speaking:

"This is probably a stupid question, but we can still battle in Gym matches, right? Or, erm, League matches. It's more than research, right?"

"Correct." He pulled out another two things: new IDs. "While your goal is to fill the Pokédex, battling is an essential way to let many Pokémon grow, so you are allowed to battle and participate in League matches." Trevor held the IDs towards us. "Your main priority should be research, but... That's my personal opinion."

"Can we get our Pokémon now?" I asked, quickly grabbing the new ID. Alix of Vaniville Town; Battling / General Research License. It still had the same picture of fifteen-year-old me looking uncomfortably at the camera, taken months ago. Other than a new maroon-royal blue theme and the new Trainer Class, the new Trainer License was relatively the same as my old one.

Trevor glanced at the case for a second, as if scrutinizing it, then shrugged. "I suppose you're briefed enough. These guys couldn't wait to meet you as well." He slid the case towards the girl and I. "You have the option between a Froakie, a Chespin, and a Fennekin. Water, Grass, and Fire. Choose wisely; you won't be able to switch Pokémon after you get one."

The girl was about to grab a Pokéball, but then paused. "What happens to the other one? There's three here, and only two of us, so...?" She asked, looking genuinely worried.

"Back to the labs," Trevor replied. "Don't worry about it, just choose one of them."

She returned her focus back on the Pokéballs, but she looked dissatisfied with the answer. After a moment, she leaned back, sighing. Her pigtails bobbed at the sudden movement. "I can't choose one of them. It's too hard." She looked at me. "Could you choose one first?"

"Sure." But I was in the same rut as the other girl: which one should I choose? There were many advantages and disadvantages to each Pokémon, not to mention how difficult it would be to accommodate to their needs. Grass Pokémon — or in this case, Chespin — are the easiest to take care of because of their low maintenance, but there were also the weaknesses they harbored. Though, they might be compensated with its bulky Evolution stages... Fennekin, like most Fire Pokémon, had loads of potential attacking-wise and intelligence-wise, and they were very popular with battle-oriented Trainers. Their problem, however, was how picky they usually were and the arrogance they had. Froakie would definitely be interesting to take care of; water damage was always a risk, but a manageable one. And their high speed would be very advantageous for battling, and would definitely be useful for battling.

If I had known that the decision wasn't going to matter at all five minutes later, I wouldn't have stressed this much about it.

Trevor cleared his throat. "If you two can't choose, random selection is always an option." He turned the case around, shuffled the Pokéballs around, then turned the case around again. The backs of the Pokéballs were now showing. "Just pick one."

The girl and I glanced at each other. She shrugged and plucked the Pokéball right in the middle, while I picked the one left of it.

"Ooh, Froakie!" She laughed, rotating her Pokéball so that I could see the Water sticker. "Which one did you get?"

I glanced down. "Fennekin," I replied as I rubbed my thumb over the red sticker. Of course I got the type weakness.

Trevor cleared his throat. "So. Now that we have that settled—"

"Can we take them out now?"

The girl turned the Pokéball in her hands excitedly as she waited for an answer. She looked a heck of a lot more excited than I did, the way she bounced in her seat and clutched Froakie's Pokéball.

"... In time," he said, putting up a hand. "In any case, you are expected to go to Professor Sycamore's Laboratories in Lumiose City within two weeks. Fill in the Pokédex load as much information in it as much as you can, he will look over your progress once you get there. I don't recommend being late; he's not too keen on tardiness." He placed the Pokédexes in front of us. "Any other questions?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Good. I'll be taking my leave."

As Trevor stood up to gather his belongings, the girl turned to face me. "So! I don't think I caught your name." She stuck out a hand. "My name's Shauna! From Aquacorde Town! Or, err, here."

"Alix." I took Shauna's hand to shake it, but she beat me to it; she had a strong arm. "I'm technically from Johto, but I'm living in Vaniville."

"Johto?" Shauna gasped. "Wow! That's a long way away! Glad to meet you!" She tossed her Pokéball into the air and caught it. "Well! I think this little guy's been waiting a while, huh? Come on out, Froakie!" She stood up as she threw her Pokéball high in the air, a skinny blue ray of energy shooting out. The energy congealed into an amphibian-like shape mid-air, and the Froakie landed lightly on its feet. It turned to face Shauna and grinned.

"I've been chosen?" The Froakie asked, hopping up to its Trainer. "I..." It bowed its head. "Thank you."

Shauna picked up the Froakie quickly, which made it gasp. "Aww, you're so cute!" She suddenly turned to me. "Oh, why don't you send out your Fennekin? Bet it's waiting to meet its new Trainer as well."

I held up my own Pokéball. Its red and white shell reflected the midmorning sun, and the sticker seemed to glow from the sunlight as well. Of course the Fennekin would be anxious to see if it was chosen or not; Shauna's Froakie proved it. I tossed it a few times in contemplation.

"I'll let them out in Route 2," I finally replied. "They'll probably be easier to calm themselves down in a wild area than in a city."

Shauna frowned at first, then hummed in realization. "Oh, right. Fennekin and its Fire typing, and— Gotcha." She rocked Froakie in her arms. "I'll get to that Route later, just need to get all my stuff. Then I can leave! Meet you at Lumiose?"

"Meet you there."

And with that, she skipped down the steps to the lower part of the Town and veered left to the apartments, chatting amicably with her new Pokémon along the way. I soon followed, but instead of left I continued straight on forward to Avance Trail.

***

=Route 2; Avace Trail=

Eating a twig fills it with energy, and its roomy ears give vent to air hotter than 390 degrees Fahrenheit.

While most Fennekin will develop their psychic abilities when evolved to Braixen, a few prodigy ones gain psychic abilities beforehand.

Sticks are a Fennekin's best friend. Not only do they nurture the Pokémon's inner fire when chewed on, sticks can also provide much entertainment for a bored Fennekin.

I flipped through the various entries in the Pokédex already loaded for Fennekin. Considering that it was a Starter Pokémon and that they couldn't naturally be found in the wild — something about low birth rate — of course there'd be numerous entries about it. So far, the entries only say about how to make a Fennekin happy and content and less about its battling capabilities, but that didn't matter. If need be, I can take my own notes.

I took one last glance at Aquacorde before the bridge. Mom would probably expect a call in the afternoon on how the first day of my journey was going. Closing the Pokédex and stuffing it in my bag, I crossed the bridge confidently, Fennekin's Pokéball in my hand.

The moment I crossed the bridge, I felt the Pokéball vibrate in my hand, but I paid no attention to it because I was more mesmerized by the sight.

Route 2 was a long, skinny trail with a winding dirt pathway cutting through it. Most of the grass along the pathway was cut to a normal size, but the grass further away from it reached heights up to my knees. A river dribbled around the trail and into Santalune Forest, and the forest itself let minimal lighting through it. A flock of Pidgey flew into the forest. There were far less Trainers on the Route than in Aquacorde, but there was a pair battling not too far from here and a lone trainer hurling a Pokéball into the tall grass.

Maybe it was because I lived in the city my whole life and never dared to wander into the wild areas in Johto, but the idyllic scene caught me off guard with its natural splendor.

"... Right then," I muttered to myself, shaking my head. If I spent all my time here staring at nature, I wouldn't get to Lumiose City on time. My hand clutched around my Pokéball tightly as I started to walk down the winding path.

A few moments later, I heard rustling in the tall grass. Pausing, I took a step toward the sound and spotted a Weedle squirming above the ground. Well, if I'm going to catch Pokémon, might as well start now, right? Even if they were a pretty common Pokémon, it could serve as practice for studying. Rare Pokémon will come later.

At this point, I had completely forgotten about my little deal with Hoopa. Or, at least, I disregarded it altogether in my excitement to explore. See, what happened next pretty much confirmed that the casserole didn't cause the dream. Just luck and fate wanting to see me tortured.

I stepped back, readying to throw two Pokéballs at once. The plan was that I'd send Fennekin out, we'd have a brief introduction to each other, I catch a Weedle friend, and we'd all be a happy party. Sweet and simple, nothing to it.

I pressed the button on my Pokéball and waited for my Fennekin to come out.

Spoiler alert: they didn't.

Instead of a fiery red energy ray shooting out of the Pokéball, it was a navy blue. Despite being aimed down, the energy dipped down and looped upward with attitude, forming a stout body and sharp wings. It then dived down and landed gracefully on the dirt ground.

The mystery bird shook itself, as if shaking off stiffness in its joints. Its back was towards me, and it had its eyes closed. "Hah. It's about time you finally released me." The bird frowned. "... Hmm? Feels slightly chilly, have we moved? —" The bird's now-open eyes widened in shock as it whirled around in confusion. "What? Where—" Its sight then settled on me. "... Who even are you?"

I continued to stare. That... Was not a Fennekin. I glanced down at the Pokéball that this bird came out of and almost dropped it; there was no fire sticker. Just an ordinary Pokéball, with no decoration at all. But I swore I held onto it all this time—

"Excuse you!"

The bird was now glaring at me with the fiercest squint-eyes ever, which would've been funny at any other circumstance.

"I don't know who you are, but this isn't funny. Return me to my Trainer at once, or you'll sorely regret it," it hissed, flapping its wings once to reach my level. "Now."

I knew I had to say something, but my mind wasn't quite working. After all, if you were just confronted by an angry bird with a weird accent when you were instead expecting a fox, your mind would kinda go kaput as well. But after a short moment for my head to (somewhat, somehow) wrap around the situation, I finally sputtered out, "... You're not a Fennekin."

The bird made a face. "Penne— what? What are you even—" It then rolled its eyes. "Alright, you know what. Get me back to my Trainer now. I'm not warning you again."

"I don't know who your Trainer is!" I shouted back. "I don't even know what you are! You're just some type of fat pigeon— Ow!"

"I'm a Taillow," the bird snapped. I gingerly touched my cheek; the stupid bird — Taillow, sorry — had pecked me and actually drew blood. "Not a 'fat pigeon'. Arceus above, you're a horrible thief if you don't even know what you stole."

"I didn't steal you!" I shoved its Pokéball in the Taillow's face. "Just a few moments ago, I was holding my own Pokéball. Then, somehow, it got switched with yours. Where the hell did you come from?"

The Taillow pecked me again, this time in the forehead. "Switching Pokéballs? Really?" It huffed. "Please, I can see right through you. My Trainer is not the type to 'switch me' away for some other shoddy Pokémon. You clearly stole me. Now let me reiterate again: return me to my Trainer—"

The Taillow let out a surprised squawk as it was sucked back into its Pokéball. I then stuffed it deep in my bag and clasped the bag shut, willing it to never see the light of day again. I did not need another badgering Pokémon in my life, not to mention in the shape of a fat bird.

I took a deep breath. Maybe it was just a mix up, and the fire sticker just fell off. Nothing to it, I'll just have to travel to their labs to fix the mistake.

... Which is in Lumiose.

... And I don't have a Pokémon.

"No problem," I muttered to myself as I grabbed an empty Pokéball. "I can catch my own." Hopefully. Even if I didn't have another Pokémon to weaken it, some could be caught by surprise. I carefully snuck into the tall grass, pushing away some to peer into the ground. The Weedle from before was long gone, but perhaps I could find it again...

A Pidgey poked out of a cluster of grass right next to me. We both stared at each other for a moment, silent. Then—

"Gotcha!" I slammed the Pokéball down, the capsule opening to capture the surprised Pidgey. Closing quickly, the Pokéball tumbled further into the grass as it shook from the Pidgey attempting to break free... But it soon fell motionless, a clicking sound signifying the successful capture. I grabbed the Pokéball and held it up triumphantly. My first caught-by-myself Pokémon, ready to aid me in my journey.

The Pokéball vibrated in my hands; the second time of the day, mind you. I inspected the Pokéball curiously; no, the Pidgey wasn't trying to break free again...

"Hey!"

I glanced up. A few feet away, a boy that looked a little too young to be by himself stood on the dirt path.

"Sir! Are you a Trainer?" The boy asked loudly. He jumped up and down as he held a Pokéball in his own hands.

I shrugged in response. "Yeah, I suppose—"

"Battle me!"

The boy trampled down the tall grass to reach me, his expression full of youthful confidence. When he reached me, he waved his Pokéball in my face. "I saw you catch a Pokémon, so you must be Trainer! Come on, battle me!"

... What kind of stalker-ish kid waits for unsuspecting Trainer to come up and battles them when their guard's down? I gently pushed his Pokéball out of my face. "Sorry, kid," I apologized, sidestepping towards the cut grass, "but I'm kind of in a rush, need to get to Lumiose City—"

"Zigs, go!"

The boy had already thrown his Pokéball up high, and a Zigzagoon leapt down obediently ahead of its master. Its fur bristled in excitement.

I stifled a groan. A Trainer battle, already? My grip around my Pokéball tightened. I hadn't even properly introduced myself to the Pidgey yet, there was no telling whether it would listen to me if our first interaction was putting it into a battle. Using the Taillow briefly crossed my mind, but I immediately disregarded it. If anything, it would only be annoying and accuse me of stealing it again... With someone else present.

Pidgey it was.

I took a step back and threw the Pokéball into the air. "Pidgey, come on—"

"Ah-choo!"

A stream of sand blasted me back, and I tumbled backwards on the ground. Dazed, I laid on my back for a few moments before sitting up with a groan. There was sand in my eyes, in my hair, some even got into my mouth...

"Ooh! What's that?"

It took me a moment to realize that the boy spoke, and I rubbed my eyes to see better. At first, I could only see the boy's thrilled expression, then the Zigzagoon's shocked one, then—

— an expression of pure confusion on my not-Pidgey.

Instead of a bird, this one looked more akin to a hippo. Brown and beige speckled its back, while its snout was a solid tan. It blinked owlishly at me, sand particles swirling around it.

"... Sorry," it muttered. The Pokémon dipped its snout down and shifted the sand around, as if ashamed.

I rubbed my eyes again. Didn't— Didn't I catch a Pidgey? No, I'm sure I caught a Pidgey, I literally smashed a Pokéball on its head to catch it by surprise—

"Zigs, tackle it!" The boy shouted, pointing to the hippo. "You can do it!"

The Zigzagoon let out a bark of affirmation as it ran towards the other Pokémon blindingly fast. It then leapt up and sharply dove down, slamming into the hippo square in the snout. In retaliation, the hippo kicked up sand; the Zigzagoon backed away, scratching at its eyes.

"Do it again!"

The Zigzagoon ran again. This time, however, it seemed a lot slower from the distracting sand in its face, and the hippo was able to sidestep in time so the Zigzagoon barely missed.

By this time, I was standing upright, brushing off more sand from my clothes. I hurriedly opened my Pokédex and tapped on the scanner application; catching a photo of the unknown Pokémon was difficult, but soon the program recognized it:

Hippopotas (#449 National)

Type: Ground

Classification: Hippo Pokémon

Native Region: Sinnoh

"... What?" Sinnoh? How on earth did I get a Pokémon from Sinnoh? Sinnoh is nowhere near Kalos, it's practically an ocean away!

I put the Pokédex down. The Zigzagoon and Hippopotas were still going at it, none of them making any true progress on defeating each other. Closing the Pokédex with a sigh, I put my hands up, palms out, in surrender.

"Hey, could we stop?" I asked. "There's been a confusion, this isn't my Pokémon, I need to get this resolved—"

"No running from Trainer battles!" The boy interrupted, pointing at me. "Gotta wait until one of our Pokémon faints!"

... "I'll give you money?"

The boy paused. He scratched his chin in contemplation, then eyed me suspiciously. "... Really?"

"Yeah, here." I grabbed my wallet and pulled out a few bills, handing it over. "Just... Go pester someone else."

The boy's look changed from suspicion to awe-struck wonder, and he let out a whoop as he swiped the money from my hands. "Whoo! Free money!" He returned his Zigzagoon back into its Pokéball. "Yeah! Come on, Zigs, let's get some more Trainers!"

I watched him charge down the trail, still holding the money up like it was some trophy. Then I turned to look at the Hippopotas. It looked at me back.

"That was fun," it spoke up, and it sat down in the sand with a soft plop.

Depends on your definition of fun. 

***

This was a day late BUT I GOT IT OUT. YES.

Names and stats will come in next chapter, since our Taillow and Hippopotas will be properly introduced then. Santalune Forest and our favorite Legendary Hoopa will also be in the next chapter, so that's nice! The true mechanics of Wonder Trading will come to view.

If you're wondering where Serena is, she's... Coming. Sometime. In the future. I promise. Just like Shauna and Trevor she gets a minor personality change (read: MAJOR personality change), so I hope you like my interpretations of the peeps.

In any case, hope this was a lovely update! Comment what you think, I live for criticism! And otherwise, have a great day~!