A tall 17-years old man enter Springville, a small town with nothing much to show other than the mass amount of flowers that grow here around the year.  His short gray hair trail through the cold winter wind as his sharp black eyes lock into the entrance of a building, a lab to be specific.  The Spring Lab, a simple name, that belongs to Professor Almond.  There seems to be a noisy crowd gathered there, as it seems, few young ones have reached the age of 10 and are now set out for their adventures.   

This gives the man a nostalgic feeling as he remembers the day he set off with his first Pokemon into the eventful world.  But that feeling soon turns into pain as he stares at the empty ground which he has stopped upon, where his home used to be. Absorbing in his moments, he didn't move until he was rammed on the side.  Although he was rammed, he stood as still as a tree and the one rammed him fall on her butt.

"Ow!  Watch where you are standing!"  The rammer complained.

The men simply turn his head to the rude person, who appear to be a kid who just got his first Pokemon from Prof. Almond.

"W-What do you want?" The kid staggered.  Guess it couldn't help, since she is talking to a sharp-eyed and towering 17-years old who is wearing a long black and silver trench coat.

"Look where you are going when you run, kid." He said before turning back his attention to the clear ground.

"You, you should be watching where you are standing!"

But she was perfectly ignored by the man as he continues to look on at the field with a distant look.

"Hey! Listen to me!" The kid screamed and manage to get the man's attention back to her.

"Move along kid, you shouldn't bring troubles to yourself when there is no reason to."

"Are you saying I'm being foolish?"

"Exactly."

"What?!  You, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle, if you lost then apologize to me!"  The kid yelled.

Upon closer inspection the kid is a short girl about 150 cm tall, who have a long brown hair and huge blue eyes, wearing a light blue jacket and knee high blue jeans,  which reminded the man of someone he knows, who always have this instinct of using Pokemon battle for every single conflict.

"You heard me?" She stares into the man's eyes.

"... I refuse, I'm not into bullying kids."  The man replied coldly before return his gaze to the field before him.

"Stop calling me a kid!  My name's Lucy, Lucy Almond." The kid, Lucy, said to the man.

"... So you're the daughter of that Professor."  The man knows the professor since they are doing a project together.  But as far as he knows, he has never met or even heard about this person before... Then again, he doesn't exactly have people to talk to and the Professor isn't exactly the person who would share this kind of info...

"Now, aren't you afraid?  To battle the daughter of the professor."  She boasted as if she have done something great and brought the man out of his thoughts.

"Of course not, to be scared of someone who boasts upon their parent's abilities, what am I, a child?"  The man mocked.

"Just wait... What's your name?"

"Bastion."

"Alright, Bastion, you are going down.  A one on one duel here and now." Lucy declared.

"....*sigh* sure.  Just don't cry when you lose."

"Say that while you can. Go, Totodile!" she once again yelled as she throws her Pokeball and sent out a Totodile.

"...Go, Growlithe." Bastion also throws his Pokeball.

"Ha, sent a fire type against my water type, you really are too arrogant or stupid for your own good.  Water gun!" She yelled her command and Totodile begin to shoot a small jet of water at Growlithe.

"Dodge that and double team." Bastion calmly ordered.  Growlithe easily dodge the water gun and begin to separate until the field is filled with its clones.

"Chi... use water gun again and blow them away!" Lucy ordered and Totodile then begins to shoot water gun in a circle.

"Dig."  He said calmly as the rest of the clones get destroyed by the water gun.  

By the time Totodile was done and Lucy realize Bastion's plan, it was too late.  The ground under Totodile opens, reviewing Growlithe who then headbutt Totodile in the stomach.  The impact cause Totodile to fly back a bit.

"Double Kick and then fire spin." 

Hear the familiar command, Growlithe charge forward and kick the recovering Totodile, launching it once again.  Then it runs to the spot where Totodile is going to land and launch it into the air and follow it with a small fire vortex fired from its mouth.

"Time to finish this, crunch and iron tail."

And with this final command, Growlithe jump into the small fire vortex.  Because the fire blocking its sight, Totodile was defenseless against the sudden attack.  Its back was deeply latched to Growlithe's mouth, and Growthlite positioned Totodile in front of it before releasing its hold and do a front flip.  Its tail shines before smacking Totodile back into the field in high speed.  

With the speed it is going, Totodile land with a small explosion of dirt... By the time it was cleared Totodile have fainted.  It doesn't take much to know who win this one-sided battle.  With that, Growthlithe landed gracefully beside Bastion.

"Good job, do you want to get back to the Pokeball?"  Bastion asked Growthlithe and it nodded before taking a deep yawn.  Bastion then retrieves Growlithe back into the Pokeball before turns to Lucy, who is now holding her Totodile.

After she returns her Totodile into her Pokemon, Lucy turn and look at Bastion and mutter one word, "How?"

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"Because he has a lot more experience than you, Lucy.  Didn't I tell you to not get in trouble?"  A  cold voice comes from a woman who is like an older version of Lucy walks into view, she wears a lab coat and she tied her hair into a bun, her eyes states no feelings.  

"M-Prof. Almond!  I...I..." Lucy cries out in surprise.

Nodding slightly, she turns to Bastion, "You too, don't go around beating beginners."

"She asked for it, it will only be rude of me to not give it... Although I didn't...  More importantly, how is the research going?"

"How about we went in and talk about it, you too Lucy, your Totodile needs some rest."

"Yes..."  Lucy suddenly loses all of her energy.

"Then follow me,"  Prof.Almond said emotionlessly as she walks towards her lab followed by Bastion who also held no expression and Lucy who is on the verge of tears.

Sitting down on a chair after he entered the lab, Bastion looks around and found that it is just as he remembered.  Machines put neatly in a line, bookshelves filled with books Bastion can barely read on the side, no decoration or any unnecessary objects, and just the overall feeling of a lab.

"... Prof.Almond."  Lucy said weakly.

"Let me see the Totodile, I will heal it up.  In the meantime why don't you go upstairs?"  Prof.Almond simply stated.

"...  S-Sorry!"  Lucy suddenly bows down to Prof.Almond with tears leaking out of her eyes as she extends her hand and gives the Pokeball containing Totodile to Prof.Almond.

"What for?"  Her eyes didn't even bother to look at the teary eyed Lucy.

"F-for losing." Lucy's voice cracked.

"You can't help it, based on the experiences of your two, the outcome is decided as soon as the match begin."

"... Am I really this weak?" Lucy asked with a shaky voice.

"You are not weak as a beginner, however, you are very weak in comparison to Bastion."  She said without much interest as she put a Pokeball into a machine.

With this, Lucy burst fully into tears and rush out the lab.  looking at her retreating figure Bastion feels bad for the girl.  But he knew if he said anything it will only make it worse, after all being sympathy by the one completely crushing you in battle will only be thought as humiliation.

"... So she is your daughter.  So you are cold even towards her huh."  Bastion commented after Lucy's figure disappear from the door.  

Ignoring Bastion's remark, Prof.Almond handed him a letter.

"This is the research result as of now, how is it on your side?"

"Nothing worth mentioning, it is the usual black marking."

"Is that so... Very well, I have received another reading.  It is at the Fragilia Cave, you know where it is.  I will upload the info into your Pokedex."  She said as she begins to type into a complex looking machine with a hologram of the map floating above it. 

"Fragilia Cave..."

"The reading is quite big this time, so I expect there will be some new findings."

"Alright, then I'll be off."  Bastion said as he stands up from his spot and took his leave.

As he walks pass the door, a small figure he just saw not long ago run pass him and to the Professor, ignoring it. 

After a few minutes of walking, he reached his next destination, a small graveyard.  In front of him lay 8 tombs and names which he knows...

"I have come to visit again, mom and dad..."  He said sadly with a small smile as he slowly lay down the green roses in front of the tombstones.  

"Is it going well on the other side?  I hope they are all getting along.  Ah me?  I'm doing quite well, and soon my job will be done."

Then he turns to the other 6 tombstone behind the 2, "Metagross, please keep the peace between them like you always do OK?  Don't worry I will be seeing you after I finish my work here..." 

After talking for a while, Bastion trim the grass and sweep the grave.  "It is the time for me to leave now, take care alright?"  

After saying his farewell, Bastion begins to leave the town... Until he was stopped by a girl who seems to be waiting for him.

"What do you want?"

"Let me go with you!" 

"I refuse.  Now get on with your adventure."  Bastion stated before walking around Lucy.  But the second he walk pass her, his left-hand sleeve was grabbed.

"No, I won't take no for an answer."

"Then tell me why you want to go."

"..."

"The reason you want to travel with me, a stranger you'd only meet today."  Bastion stares at the silent Lucy who has her head lowered.

"..."  

"No reason?"

"... *sniff* Waaahhh!" 

"What?!  Come on, why are you crying?"  Bastion, unable to comprehend Lucy's action, asked with a troubled face as passersby start to look at their direction.  

And soon a crowd begin to gather as they watch what they think to be a man bullying a young girl.  "What a terrible person...""To make a girl cry...""Should we called the police..."  Comments such as those were murmured.

"Why do I have such a rotten luck, alright come on, we are leaving ."  Bastion said with a deep sigh.

"...sniff" Promise?"  

"Depends on you, if you don't drag me down then do as you wish."

"Ok, where are we going?" Lucy instantly stops and asked with a smile.

After staring at her for a while, Bastion reluctantly says,  "We are going to the Fragilia Cave."