Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All its properties belong to Nintendo, Gamefreak, and Creatures. This work is purely fiction, and written for fun.

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Dear Professor Rowan,

My name is Luna, and I am an aspiring trainer from Eterna City. I know it is a bit late in the season, but I was wondering if you had any starter Pokémon left over at the lab. I know that I am a total unknown right now, but the most important things about me are that I love Pokémon and I want to have an amazing adventure with them. Thank you for taking the time to read over my letter. I look forward to hearing from you!

Luna, of Eterna City.

Dear Luna,

I always have time to help someone who loves Pokémon! While I unfortunately do not have any Sinnoh starter Pokémon currently available, an old friend recently sent me a Pokémon from a different region, saying that it was an unpopular choice for trainers, and had been passed over at the lab many times. Why don't you meet us at the lab, and I can introduce you to him?

Best,

Mathias Rowan, PHD.

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You may think that living, dying, and being reborn would give you two lifetimes of wisdom, and you may be right. I wouldn't know, considering I still make all sorts of stupid decisions. I blame the Pokémon world. What should be an adult brain reverts into that of a child when Pokémon are involved. Case in point, deciding to fly on Pokémon back, to shorten travel time. Sounds like a great idea. I used Fly all the time in the games, and it was no big deal. Teach your Pokémon Fly, and boom, instant fast travel to every single location with a Pokémon Center. What the games conveniently left out is that flying on a Pokémon is fucking terrifying. There's no saddle, no harness, just me with a death grip on a thick tree trunk, that's actually the neck of a flying Pokémon.

At least, I think, trying to open my eyes for what seems like the thousandth time, and promptly shutting them when I realize that I'm way too high up to view anything specific on the ground, Tropius isn't a bad choice for flying on. It's got the height and weight to support a full-grown human, let alone a teenager like me. I'm pretty sure I've used things like Crobat and Swanna as my Flying types in game before. I shudder just thinking about how those things would be carrying me right now.

My stomach lurches as we suddenly start descending since, you know, there's no pilot telling us that we've begun our initial descent into Jubilife City or anything. The grass-flying type sees our destination and goes to land. As he starts to slow down, and I manage to open my eyes enough to see a fairly modern looking city, with yellow and gray patterned stone streets and an assortment of buildings, including multi-story apartment complexes, a bustling street lined with clothing shops, restaurants, and salons, and the bright red and blue roofs of the local Pokémon Center and Pokémon Market.

We didn't land at the Pokémon Center, since that building has far too much traffic to land a large banana tree dinosaur thing. Tropius instead found a nice empty square near the north end of the city to land in, slowly coming to a halt, rapidly beating his leaf wings so that he hovered slightly above the ground, much like a helicopter would do, before finally contacting the ground with an audible thud. I slide off his back lest I puke all over him and seem ungrateful for him flying me halfway across the region. I keel over on my hands and knees, but I am just about able to keep the contents of my stomach where they belong. I take a few deep breaths to steady myself, slowly getting back to my feet as Tropius bends his long neck to look at me eye to eye.

"I'm fine." I assure the Fruit Pokémon. "Tell mom we made it here just fine, and I'll come see her as soon as I make it back to Eterna."

Tropius gives me a look that I interpret as I was going to do that regardless, and you had better come back to visit us, but he doesn't comment, instead raising his head slightly to expose his neck. Or more specifically, what was growing on his neck.

"Right. I guess you need to refuel before you hit the road." Or the skies, in this case. I pluck the ripest five bananas, or what I assume are this world's equivalent from his neck, offering them one by one. They taste like bananas, anyhow. Each one disappears, peel and stem included, into his gullet, before he trumpets happily, raising his leafy wings and taking off back the way we came from, as I wave goodbye.

What an efficient and easy to raise Pokémon. It uses photosynthesis for most of its energy, and literally grows its favorite treats on its neck.

Looking around, it seems like my first impression of Jubilife City was an accurate one. It certainly is the largest, most modern city that I had seen since I moved a few months ago to Sinnoh; although to be fair, it was one of the only cities. I flew into Sunyshore, and basically only saw the airport, and Eterna City, where mom had gotten her new job, was on the smaller side in terms of cities. Jubilife wasn't even close to the largest city I had seen in the Pokémon world, having lived in Unova for most of my second life. Castelia City was like Manhattan, with its massive skyscrapers and narrow city streets, and towering apartment complexes that housed hundreds of workers. Other than the protected gardens at the center of the city, and the sewers I guess, you could hardly walk a few feet without bumping into someone. Nimbasa City was very populated as well, especially during the big festivals or sporting events, with people from all over the region coming to the city to root for their favorite teams or take a spin in the amusement park.

The one thing that was the same, regardless of what region, all the way from Lumiose City to the smallest backwater starting village that somehow every protagonist seems to originate from, was how integrated everything was with Pokémon. Everywhere I look, the presence of Pokémon was apparent, from a small water fountain, where a shimmering blue fish Pokémon was using a combination of water moves and the light reflecting off its scales to make rainbows for several delighted school children, to a mouthwateringly smelling bakery, where what looked like a sentient pile of pink whipped cream was assisting the head chef. It was even reflected in the advertisements, where one billboard, endorsing some type of protein powder, had a ripped bodybuilder and an even more muscled Machoke bumping their glasses together. I don't think I'll ever not be amazed by the tangible happiness and joy that exists whenever Pokémon are about. Every day I need to remind myself that this is real life, and not some fantasy dreamland paradise.

Spotting a nearby clock, I see that the hands indicate that it's about ten 'till one. Looks like I still have time to check out some of the main attractions. I don't need to see everything, since I'll probably be back here in a few days' time, but might as well take advantage of this free time, right?

But where to start? The shops looked good, and smelled even better, but it would probably be a much better use of my money to buy supplies. Not more than a potion or two, though. I wasn't buying any Pokéballs until I had met with the Professor and knew for sure that he wouldn't be giving me any. I suppose I could always ask for a second opinion. After all, I did have a friend who would be just as excited to see this new city as I am.

I pull out a shrunken Pokéball from my pocket, expanding it by pressing the button. It quivers in my hand. I can't stop a smile from spreading across my face. The best part about living in the Pokémon world is having your own. I summon my Pokémon by pressing the button again, as it materializes in a flash of red light. Glaceon didn't really look like an arctic fox, or any other Polar creature that could be found on Earth, though she was about the size and weight of a golden retriever. Her fur was mostly light blue, which would be good camouflage on ice, but she had a much darker blue coloring on her paws, the center of her back, the end of her tail, and at the ends of her headpiece, which looked very similar to the front of a winter cap, the one found in most department stores that has the fur lining the front and the sides, that usually comes in a checkered red pattern.

She greets me with an affectionate noise, sitting politely in front of me, but her blue eyes quickly start to grow wide, and start wandering to all the sights the city has to offer. Her long ears straighten out to pick up the various noises from the bustle and hustle of Jubilife, and the twitching of her nose tells me that the Ice-type has picked up the same delectable scents that I had smelt earlier.

"Alright, Glaceon. We have about," I glance at the clock again. "Five hours before we should probably head to the Pokémon Center for the night. Anything interesting that you want to check out?"

At first, I think that the savory aroma coming off the closest bakery is going to be enough to convince her to try and get me to drain my wallet for sweets, but she shakes her head as if clearing it, instead looking in a different direction. She points her paw at a nearby commotion, where a well-dressed man in front of a large, modern white building was successfully trying to get the attention of every single passerby. Each person seemed to be leaving in good spirits, though a couple of them were sprinting away with a mad grin.

Well, he certainly looks friendly enough. I lean down to rub my Glaceon's head, who preens at the attention. "Alright then. Let's go and see what everyone is so excited about, yeah?"

Sure enough, the suited man calls out to us as soon as we near his location. "Hello, there!" he voices excitedly. "Am I correct in thinking that you are a trainer, young lady?"

I can hardly nod in affirmation before he starts talking again, somehow even more excited than before. "Then I have just the thing for you! I am the president of the Pokémon Watch company, or Pokétch, for short. While we are currently a humble family business, I believe that our product has great potential for trainers! If you can find and obtain three coupons from clowns scattered throughout the city, then we will issue you one for free! What do you say!"

Huh. I do remember doing this in generation four, even though I didn't expect this type of promotion to be real. I figured he would be trying to sell, I dunno, Magikarp or something. I mean, who gives away their latest, patented technological innovation for free? "So, I find the clowns and bring you back these coupons in exchange for this Pokétch, is that it?

He grins widely. "Exactly! Have fun on your scavenger hunt!"

Glaceon mews a question at me as we head south a couple blocks and then make a right turn to the east, heading towards what looked to be a major landmark building, complete with several large red flags waving in the wind from the sides of the building and the rooftop.

"Clowns? Oh, they are humans wearing funny clothing. Well, funnier than usual, I suppose. They might have a silly hat, a big colored nose, and shoes that are several sizes too large. I think they're supposed to be entertaining for children, even though I never really found them that funny."

We pass several apartment complexes for the next five blocks until we arrive in front of the building with all the flags. A gaudy yellow sign labels it as Jubilife TV and Radio, but it would have been obvious regardless with all the reporters and camera equipment in the courtyard. A couple of the employees have Electric types assisting them. I'd have thought that three giant floating magnets would have interfered with the electrical equipment, but Magneton is by far the most common Pokémon I see in the building courtyard. A few yards to the right of the front door, a clown in a bright yellow costume, matching the color of the building sign, is juggling bowling pins near the building entrance.

"Hello, hello! Answer a question correctly and receive a coupon for the new Pokétch! Are you ready?"

Ah. I knew there would be some sort of catch. Hopefully this isn't too hard. "Yeah, let's hear it."

"True or False! Just like Pokémon, moves have typing as well!"

Oh, it's not even real trivia, just basic game knowledge. I suppose if I were a fresh, rookie trainer, this would be difficult, but I hardly even need a second to answer. "True," I reply confidently.

He grins at me, switching to a one-handed juggling routine, while pulling out a coupon out of seemingly nowhere, and holding it out to me, which I take, securing it in my front pocket. "Correct! In fact, a Pokémon that uses a move which matches its type will enhance the power of the move!"

Same-type attack bonus, or STAB, though no one referred to it by an acronym, as far as I could tell. Just as the clown said, it's common knowledge that Pokémon that used a move that matched their type learned it far easier and could make it far stronger than a Pokémon that didn't have the same type. Essentially, an Ice-type move from an Ice-type Pokémon like mine would be stronger than any Water-type could put out, barring a massive disparity like a Snorunt against a Kyogre, or something. That's not to say that it wasn't important to learn other types of moves. You wouldn't progress very far as a trainer if your Pokémon didn't have answers to when an opponent sent out a Pokémon with a typing advantage.

I look down at Glaceon, who is tilting her head back to be able to see all the way to the top of an even taller building, this one entirely metallic, looking like a radio tower, based on the huge antenna attached to the top. She looks at me for confirmation and I pet her again. "Yeah, I think you're right. Seems like we are going to see all the big sights in the city after all. Let's see if we can't find a shortcut instead of going all the way back around."

We end up cutting through a back street, finding ourselves at the back of the antenna building. We start knifing through a grove of trees and flowers to get to the other side, an action which did not curry favor with any of the local Pokémon. A couple of Aipom threw the pits and stems of berries at us, and a Sunflora puffed up angrily as we bend some of its plant brethren's stems, but none of them did more than grumble angrily, mostly because of Glaceon's presence. Wild Pokémon don't just challenge trainers for fun. They do so because their territory is being encroached on, to protect their young, or to try and prove themselves, and while we may have made them grumpy, tussling with a trainer's fully evolved Pokémon made all of these low-level ones think twice.

Once we have reached the front entrance, we find that the building is not quite open to the public yet, though a nearby sign claims that it will be a global trading center, reaching trainers at faraway regions, to connect them to Sinnoh. The second clown is here, again wearing that ridiculously yellow outfit, but this time riding a unicycle. He asks his question without even getting out of his cycling rhythm or sounding out of breath, something that impresses Glaceon and I greatly.

"Answer a question and receive a coupon! Pokémon can have different forms depending on the location and habitat they reside in!"

I answer true again, thinking about all the regional variants that had been introduced in some of the newer games. Personally, I'm a major fan of that decision, since it essentially gave older Pokémon a second life. Even though regional forms usually just include a typing and appearance change, and possibly a stat redistribution, I genuinely felt like I was using a totally different Pokémon. I was most partial to Alolan Vulpix and Ninetales, like pretty much everyone. That Ice-type Vulpix had to be the cutest Pokémon I had ever seen.

Just like the last clown, he hands me the coupon with a grin. "Spot on! Here in Sinnoh, Shellos and Gastrodon have a different appearance based on which side of Mt. Coronet that they live on!"

I figure that the third clown ought to be by the trainer's school, since it's such a renowned building in the city, but all we find there are some kids playing hopscotch with a Spoink, not disappointed in the slightest even though the Psychic-type was winning every time. In hindsight, it probably wouldn't be a popular decision to put a clown next to the local school. We make sure not to retrace our steps, lest our continued unwanted presence angers the local Pokémon enough for them to attack us, so Glaceon and I went to the local park to take a break from all the running around that we've been doing, relaxing at a large water fountain while eating some snacks that I picked up this morning before we left home.

"I guess I won't get that free watch after all. I thought for sure that they would put it here, with the Trainer's school being such a big draw in the city."

Glaceon looks disappointed on my behalf, though I don't think she cares regardless of whether I wear a watch or not. Most Pokémon probably wonder why these silly humans run around in clothes all day. She pokes around curiously at the large lily pads in the base of the fountain but jumps back in surprise when the lily pad reveals to be an irritated Lotad, who sprays water in her face and then ducks back into the fountain before the Ice-type can retaliate with anything more than an angry hiss. I chuckle at the sight, causing my Pokémon to give me a betrayed look, which quickly morphs into one of glee as I scoop her up, carrying my Pokémon to a nearby empty bench before a battle breaks out. Glaceon settles into my lap contentedly, and we laze around drowsily for a while, enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sun, as I slowly rub my Pokémon's back. My Ice-type looks like she could fall asleep on the spot, her eyelids drooping until they are totally closed, but not before she spots something, murmuring sleepily as she gestures vaguely with a tired paw to my left.

At first, I didn't see anything, but after a few seconds, I spotted a large plume of fire, and another one, after about thirty seconds. Either someone has a rogue fire-type on the loose, or that must be the last clown, putting on quite the spectacle. Glaceon has pretty much fallen asleep, so I recall her into her Pokéball so she can continue to rest, after thanking her for finding the third clown. I scramble off the bench and eastward through the park, towards the bright red roof of the Pokémon Center. Finally, I arrive right at the entrance to the building, where I catch the clown in between fire breaths.

"Answer a question and receive a coupon! True or False! Pokémon can utilize items such as potions and berries in battle!"

Had he left out the part about the potions, that statement would have been true. Although I do have my own doubts about the effectiveness of these held items. I seriously doubt that giving your fire type a piece of charcoal, or your electric type a magnet will increase the power of their STAB moves. "False. They can't use potions, even though they can use berries."

He shoots off a large blast of fire in celebration of my answering correctly. "Absolutely! Pokémon can't use human-made items, though they can use naturally occurring ones." To be honest, I'm not sure how accurate that statement is either. I remember reading Pokédex entries that went on and on about the intelligence of certain Pokémon, like how Alakazam has 5,000 IQ or something ridiculous, or how Metagross can solve math problems and equations faster than any type of supercomputer. You'd think that they'd be able to figure out how to use a potion. I mean, all you do is press down on a tab and spray the medicine on the wounded area. Not exactly rocket science.

The clown breaks character for just a second to give me some advice, leaning down to whisper in my ear. I wrinkle my nose, because he smells like he's been brushing his teeth with cigarettes instead of toothpaste. "The promotion closes at five, so I hope you have all three coupons. If not…" he checks his own watch. "You have nineteen minutes!"

I grab the offered coupon, stuffing it into my pocket with the other two, as I make a mad dash north back to where I saw the suited man several hours ago. I manage not to bowl over anyone in my efforts to get free technology, though I do get some heated glares and angry gestures when I accidently bump into someone while trying to squeeze by them at full speed. Thankfully, the man who had offered me his product several hours ago is still there. While the Pokémon lifestyle, with the usage of cars severely limited, and far more emphasis on walking or cycling everywhere had made me a lot healthier, I wasn't exactly an athlete just yet.

I brake to a stop before the man, holding out my coupons triumphantly. For a second, my heart misses a beat because I thought there were only two when I went to take them out, but they had caught together, and once separated, could easily be identified as three.

"Just in time! As promised, here is your brand new, just patented Pokétch. He holds out a box with a pink watch, the time blinking at 4:57. Hah. Two more minutes than I needed. I take the watch carefully, fastening it around my wrist, resisting the urge to punch the two buttons on the top. The inventor of the device, seeing my curiosity, decides to enlighten me.

"This device keeps time like a normal watch, of course, it also is programmed with several applications that you may find useful, such as a step counter, a calculator, and an app that records the Pokémon that you have on hand!" He winces slightly as I fat finger some of the tiny numbers on the calculator app. "Some of them still need to be tweaked a bit." He says a bit abashedly.

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I look up from my fiddling, shaking my head in disagreement. "No, it's great, honestly." It was almost like a basic Fitbit or an Apple watch or something. I really had nothing to complain about, especially since I'm getting it for free. It might be marketing, but just giving away your product to trainers was generous regardless of the motivations behind it. Which is something that seemed to be shared by most of the denizens of this universe. I don't know if it was the presence of Pokémon lifting everyone's spirits, or if it was something in the water, but people in the Pokémon world were weirdly nice. I think the game tries to capture this phenomenon by giving you items, including valuable held items and TMs, when you walk into random houses or speak to different NPCs, but I never really understood why that was occurring until now.

I'm not naïve enough to think that people with nefarious intentions don't exist, since every single game had a villainous Pokémon team, though some were far more villainous than others, and I was pretty sure one or two of the Pokémon movies had some Poacher's using some type of shadow Pokémon. But I still have the mindset of ridiculously goofy villainous teams, with ludicrous plans for world domination, that managed to get thwarted by one preteen character. It would be really hard for me to start taking people like Team Galactic seriously. And to be fair they hadn't done anything nefarious yet; there was a building in Eterna City, but as far as I could tell, it was a regular office building, albeit one with very little foot traffic. While some of the locals didn't like the contrast of having a modern building in such a historical town, not one of them was protesting the building because of who it was owned and operated by.

His mood perks up at my statement. "Thank you, my dear. Make sure to tell anyone who asks where you got it from. And come back to visit! More apps are in development, you know."

I wave him goodbye, as I head back to the Pokémon center to stay the night before making the trip down to Sandgem Town starting tomorrow morning. The real-life Pokémon centers were far more than a place where you instantly healed your Pokémon and left. It was like going to the combination of a hotel and a hospital. The centers have all the medical equipment and skills to heal Pokémon of all types and kinds, a process that usually was overnight, or took multiple nights to accomplish, depending on the severity of the injury. These centers also have rooms for trainers to stay in, provide complimentary meals, and are equipped with all sorts of other amenities, including a computer lab where you could video chat with people from around the region, a waiting lobby with TV's where you could watch the latest contests and battles from the Sinnoh Circuit, a mail room where someone could ship you care packages whilst you were on the road, and training grounds behind the center. The training grounds are by far the most popular feature; many trainers took advantage of the ready-made battlefields and nearby healing facility to participate in lots of battles.

Taxpayers' dollars, hard at work. "Pokémon Trainer" is an official profession here, as is Pokémon Coordinator, meaning that we get taxed just like everyone else, to help pay for facilities like this one, and for others to be built, even in the most remote locations. But everybody benefited from their presence. There is no job that isn't made one-hundred times easier with the presence of Pokémon. All construction workers use fighting-types to help with manual labors, all sailors have water types to protect their boats from aggressive wild Pokémon, and so on. I didn't mind all that much. The beds aren't much better than the ones in a college dormitory, but other than that, the Pokémon centers were fantastically useful facilities; I'm happy to contribute to their upkeep.

The other main way that things were funded is through monetization and TV rights. Pokémon contests and battles had a monopoly on people's interest. They were the most popular form of entertainment, by far. Every single TV and radio station wanted and needed to broadcast these events, both live and as replays. They shelled out big bucks to the Pokémon League, which had autonomy over both circuits. The majority of that money gets poured back into the local communities, into preservation projects, and into public services. As if this place isn't nearly a utopia already. What did that all mean for me? Well, it means that I'm going to be on TV when I battle any gym leaders, or enter any large tournament organized by a city. I'm not quite comfortable with the idea of it yet, but at least I'm not in the contest circuit, where you are live in front of a full crowd of people, and on TV. Gym battles were otherwise private affairs, since trainers could be really stingy with their battle strategies and techniques. Trying to replicate something you see on TV is much harder than if you were able to see exactly what was happening live.

I manage to get one battle in before I retire for the night, a very one-sided affair where Glaceon sends the opponent's Turtwig packing with a couple of super-effective attacks. Just by the virtue of being fully-evolved, Glaceon is stronger than all of the Pokémon here, and the fact that I was older than the average trainer starting their journey, with mine having been delayed, I looked like some type of veteran trainer, with multiple badges to show for my adventures, not some noob who is still trying to figure out how exactly to train a Pokémon without showing up on a route and beating down every single wild Pokémon that I saw.

No one steps up to challenge us after that first trainer, so I check Glaceon into the center, even though she's probably more than fine, watching TV as I wait. It's an old classic, a replay of a much younger Flint and Volkner battling in the semifinals of a major tournament. My mind wanders as I idly watch their Magmortar and Electivire clash, wreathed in cloaks of fire and electricity, creating explosions every time their attacks meet. This is technically the first step of my journey, right? Going to receive a Pokémon from the professor before I start on the gym challenge.

I sink back further into the cushion as I watch both Flint and Volkner call out for their most powerful, dangerous attacks, in hopes to finish their opponent. Their Pokémon use Flare Blitz and Wild Charge, but in the end, it's the fire-type who remains standing after both battered, scorched, and bruised Pokémon face-off after a massive explosion.

I sure have a long way to go.

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Alright, the first route of my journey isn't as cool as I thought it would be. Maybe I feel that way because I was hyping it up in my brain, so much that I couldn't help but be let down.

What it is, is a ton of work. I don't have to orienteer, which is something, since there are a plethora of signs pointing me in the right direction, but setting up camp, cooking, and taking down everything every single day all by yourself isn't easy. If it weren't for having a PokéMom that showed me the basics of functioning out in the wilderness, I'd be sleeping in the dirt instead of a sleeping bag in a tent and be eating instant ramen. At least the Pokémon League is kind enough to set up pseudo rest stop stations where you could go to the bathroom. They were still kinda gross, but the alternative is hoping that you weren't taking a dump on some Pokémon's home, and then wiping your ass with leaves from a tree.

Despite the challenges of traveling like this, both literally and figuratively, since I receive several more challenges for battles on this route than I did in the Jubilife Pokémon Center, I make it to my destination in about a week. None of these trainers' Pokémon are quality opponents for Glaceon, despite their trainers' confidence and willingness to battle. What is interesting is that there's a much greater variety of Pokémon than I expected. A few of them have Sinnoh starters, and some of them even have Pokémon that I would associate with different regions, as opposed to the common Sinnoh early route Pokémon like Starly and Bidoof.

Sandgem Town certainly lived up to the lofty expectations that its name suggested. It was a quaint, small town with no famous attractions or historic ruins like other settlements in Sinnoh boast, but just to the south of the city, visible from the elevated hill that the town resided on, was one of the stunning beaches that I had ever seen, with pristine white sands bordering azure waters, which was probably full of Pokémon accustomed to warmer waters, a stark contrast to the cold-water lakes scattered throughout Sinnoh. I'm sure the good professor subscribed to the philosophy that one was never too old to stop learning, but if I were somewhat close to retiring like him, I'd park my research lab in a sunny, laid-back beach town like this too. I am sorely tempted to take a day off after all this travel and spend it relaxing at the beach, but Rowan didn't strike me as a man who would appreciate me being late, and besides, I'm not about to not show up and have someone beat me to the punch and snatch the Pokémon that was being held for me. Mentally bookmarking this beach as somewhere I want to come back and visit as soon as I can, I instead take the road leading to the odd shaped building near the center of town, half of it a modern, glass and metal structure, while the other half was an aged stone windmill. Both sides had doors, but I assume that the actual laboratory would be in the modern structure, so I walk through the automatic door instead.

Well, it looks like a laboratory on the inside, at least. It was cold, metallic blue, and full of contraptions that I couldn't make heads or tails of, including several machines that were constantly producing complicated green number chains, and a suspicious looking tube that bubbles with a murky yellow liquid. The whole place looked like it would be better suited as a mad scientist's secret lair, rather than the laboratory set up and run by a renowned and reputable Pokémon professor. How did any of this stuff relate to Pokémon evolution, anyways? I look around for somewhere to wait politely for the professor to greet me, but this place isn't exactly brimming with comforts or furniture. The only personality that this room has is a simple potted plant in the corner, which I could tell had toppled over recently and broken, judging by the still visible glue marks, and a small rectangular table in the center, much longer than it is wide, which doesn't even have any chairs. I debate whether to sit on it. On one hand, it is metal, but it doesn't look like it can support much weight, considering how it's built. What was the point of having a table that you couldn't sit on or around?

I straighten up hastily hearing footsteps coming from the hallway, eager to not make a terrible first impression by breaking furniture, messing with something I shouldn't be, or by generally looking like I was lazy or disinterested. Instead of a grandfatherly looking professor coming to greet me, it's a young teenager, a few inches taller than me, but about the same age. We awkwardly stare at each other in confusion, his because no doubt he was wondering where this stranger had come from and why she had decided to park herself in the professor's research lab, and mine because I knew who this dude was.

He has on a red beret hat with the logo of a trendy clothing brand, and an equally colored scarf. Poking out from under the hat is black hair, and he dresses himself with a matching black vest over a simple white shirt, along with long blue cargo pants and red tennis shoes, though constant use had dulled the color so it wasn't as bright as his hat or scarf. This is, without a doubt, the male player character from the video games, the one that had served as the assistant to the professor if you were to play as the female one. I mean, I had already met people that I had assumed were just video game characters, like Gardenia, the second gym leader, also known as my mom's new boss, but I didn't think that the player character would be alive as well. Realizing that I didn't know his actual name, considering the player of the game was able to choose what their character was called, I break the silence by walking up to the other teenager and offering my hand.

"Hello there. I'm Luna from Eterna City, and I was supposed to meet with the professor today?"

He takes my hand and shakes it, though mild suspicion still lingers on his face. "Lucas from Twinleaf Town, I'm a junior assistant to Professor Rowan. I don't recall him mentioning you though…"

I fish out the letter that I sent and the one I had received back, sent with a postage stamp depicting a beach. "I contacted him a while ago, and he said he was holding a Pokémon for me to meet..." He takes the letter from me and scans it quickly, which clears up his expression. "Oh! Sorry about the hostility. We get all sorts of false claims, people looking for free Pokémon, Pokéballs, or a bunch of other stuff that our lab offers new trainers. Let me go take this and find him," he says, brandishing the letter.

With that Lucas goes off to find his boss, though he eventually returns without him, explaining that Rowan is finishing up something, and will be here in just a minute. I make a stab at conversation with the lab assistant. "So, you study Pokémon evolution with the Professor?"

Instantly, his whole face lights up like a Christmas tree. "That's right! I got this position several months ago. The professor isn't as young as he used to be, so he needs someone to help him out with all the tasks and responsibilities that come with being the leading authority of Pokémon in the entire region."

I take a step back in surprise as he babbles on passionately about his work. What have I unleashed?

"But yes, the main focus of our research is on Pokémon evolution. It's so interesting, you know? I mean, a Pokémon's entire appearance, typing, and sometimes even their personality can change in an instant!"

I interject before he can go off on a different tangent. "So, what type of evolution do you study in particular?"

His lecture screeches to a halt like someone slammed the brakes of a car. "Come again?" he says, with a surprised expression.

Now this is odd. There are all types of evolutionary methods, so shouldn't he have a particular one that he finds the most interesting?

"Uh…" I'm sure my confusion mirrors his own, though for totally different reasons. "I mean, Pokémon evolve in all kinds of ways, right?" Why was Lucas looking at me like I was speaking a foreign language? Surely everything I knew about Pokémon evolution from the games wasn't total BS, right? "Some Pokémon evolve from gaining experience in battle, some by trade, some by using a particular move, and some by being exposed to certain stimuli, like evolutionary stones, or climate conditions." The last one I had experienced firsthand, and I was one-hundred percent sure was accurate. Still, I trail off, partially because his eyes had grown to look like saucers, and partially because I wasn't sure how far down the rabbit hole I should go. Should I mention Mega Evolution? Or that squid Pokémon in Kalos that evolved by turning your 3DS upside down? How would that even work here? Would I have to hold it upside down while it evolved? What about Sylveon? How would one measure an Eevee's affection for you to evolve it into a Sylveon before it evolved into an Espeon or Umbreon instead?

I'm spared from trying to explain either of those types of evolution by Lucas's outburst. He shouts in triumph and runs off before I can ask for an explanation, though he returns rather quickly, with his boss in tow. Rowan, despite being in his early sixties, looks in very good shape, wearing a professional outfit: vest, tie, blazer, and dress pants, all under a spotlessly white lab coat. He has a full head of white hair and an identically colored beard. The only odd thing about him is that he has no hair on his chin, instead choosing to leave that part bare and grow out his large handlebar mustache to connect with his exceedingly extensive sideburns.

He wastes no time in striding up to me, personally introducing himself whilst shaking my hand. "Luna, yes? Mathias Rowan, I am so glad you were able to make it. I trust your journey was a kind one?"

His tone is brisk, professional and no nonsense, and I immediately get the impression that this man values his time and is looking to spend it as productively as possible. Looking into his intelligent eyes, I can see an intensity behind them, giving me the feeling that I am being evaluated.

"Yes, sir." I decide that using some old school manners probably wouldn't hurt. "And the journey was no trouble, considering," I pause for a second, debating the pros and cons of what I was about to do. On one hand, showing that I already had a Pokémon may make him less inclined to give me another, but I had the feeling that he already could tell that I wasn't a total newbie, simply based on my age, and mannerisms. I do end up pulling Glaceon's Pokéball out, as I finish my sentence. "I didn't make it alone."

I sure hope that I wasn't being too cheesy with these Pokémon lines. Rowan's stern expression doesn't change in the slightest; this man must have had a second career as a professional poker player or something. I still don't have an inkling of if I've made a favorable impression or not.

"Hmm. Most intriguing. Am I right in thinking that you have recently come to this region?" He questions.

"I was born in Unova and moved here a few months ago. The age limit to go on a Pokémon journey over there is sixteen." I add, in reference to the unspoken follow-up question about why I wasn't already an official trainer. To be fair, I didn't have to come all this way and introduce myself; I literally could have gone down the cycling road right to Oreburgh to start my gym challenge. I figured it would be better to meet myself with the Professor anyways, since the worst possible outcome was him giving me a Pokédex and some starting items, telling me he couldn't give me a Pokémon, and sending me on my way. On the chance he did say yes, a lab starter Pokémon was guaranteed to be a strong addition to my team, since they evolved simply, had level temperaments, and their final forms were among the strongest Pokémon one could find in a region, as compared to something like a Dragonite; while it is exceptionally powerful, it's hard to find a Dratini, and hard to raise one, to the point that I probably wouldn't even have the fully evolved Pokemon until at least the eighth gym.

Rowan looks like he is pondering something, but the white-haired professor quickly comes to a conclusion. "May I meet your Pokémon, Luna?"

I shrug, not really seeing a reason to refuse. I do realize why this no chair, too small for human use table is here though. Instead of releasing Glaceon to a random place on the floor, I throw it like a tennis ball, so it bounces off the table, releasing my Ice-type in a flash of redlight, as I snatch the Pokéball as it rebounds to me, grinning when it hits my hand.

That never gets old.

My Pokémon sits on her haunches, tail waving slightly over the edge of the metal table. Before I can instruct her, Rowan immediately pulls out a pair of glasses and starts looking over her with a critical, practiced eye. I'm not that nervous about Glaceon doing anything rash, like blowing ice into his face, or biting his nose or something, since the species as a whole had a rather cool and collected disposition. Still, there was always the risk that she could get annoyed by such close observation, which could reflect poorly on me as a trainer. Professor Rowan is now engaging in a staring match with my Pokémon, peering closely into her blue irises, before he straightens with a harumph.

He regards me with a hint of kindness in his stony expression before speaking. "Your Pokémon is very well trained. Did you hatch her from an egg?"

I make a wobbly motion with my hand. "Yes and no? She is an offspring of one of my mom's Pokémon, but I received her right after she hatched."

Rowan nods in contemplation. "And did you, on your journey to Sinnoh, travel through Snowpoint City, perhaps?"

"No, I've never been there. Glaceon actually evolved while we were traveling through Twist Mountain to get to the airport in Mistralton City." I answer, ignoring any confusion they had about city and place names back in Unova in favor of reminiscing. "There was a massive structure of ice in one of the chambers, like a giant iceberg had formed around a stalagmite or something. I was shivering through all the layers I was wearing, but Eevee just popped out of her Pokéball and walked up to it like it was nothing. As soon as she touched the ice…" I gesture to Glaceon. "She evolved."

It was the strangest thing. Eevee had never left her Pokéball by herself before that. I always had a soft spot for Glaceon in game, despite Ice-types in general not being the best, and there probably being better choices with way better movepools, like Weavile, and Mamoswine, for your team. But Glaceon did solo Palmer's entire team in the Battle Tower for me, and I loved its design. That said, I had never articulated that I wanted Eevee to evolve into Glaceon at some point. I'm not sure how she would have known, unless I unknowingly talk in my sleep, or she can read my mind.

Lucas is enraptured with my story, and by the looks of him, wants to grill me even more on the specifics on my Pokémon's evolution, but Rowan has pulled his own Pokéball out from his pocket. I hold my breath upon seeing his actions. Is that going to be my Pokémon?

"Normally, seeing as you have a Pokémon, we could simply register you as a trainer of this region, have you fill out the proper paperwork, and give the supplies to send you on your way. However, I did say that I was holding a Pokémon for you to meet." He regards me once again. "I do think a more experienced trainer would be ideal for this Pokémon, since younger, newer trainers have found it a bit difficult to train and battle with, especially in gym challenges in its native region."

Okay, now I'm really confused. What kind of Pokémon keeps getting passed over, especially a starter? All I can think of is Chikorita, in Johto, which everyone passed over because it matched up poorly against the Gyms in the region and didn't learn any good moves. Is that who it is? "What kind of Pokémon was sent to you?"

Thankfully, while his mustache quivers a bit, he doesn't look perturbed at my question. "See for yourself," he says, choosing to place the ball on the table rather than throw it. He presses the button, and out pops one of the most iconic Pokémon, in my old world at least, an orange lizard with a flame at the tip of its tail.

I couldn't contain the incredulity on my face. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to train a Charmander? I look at Rowan in disbelief as my Glaceon goes to meet the fire type, striking up a conversation that I assume is much like one that people have when they meet each other for the first time. Rowan observes the scene with a small smile, the first I have seen from the normally stoic professor, before addressing me. "My old friend Samuel Oak, the leading professor in Kanto, has said that this has been a problem for some time. Kanto is an incredibly competitive region, especially since it directly borders another major region. There are several major tournaments hosted there throughout the year, including the Indigo League Tournament, the Silver Cup, and a recent Kanto vs Johto battle of the regions challenge."

Rowan takes on a frustrated expression, brow creasing and eyes narrowing as he looks at Charmander, who seems to be enjoying the company of my Pokémon. That boded well, at least.

"As a result, trainers are looking to obtain badges as soon as possible, meaning that Charmander is the least preferred choice of the three Kanto starters."

I suppose I could understand the reasoning. My friends and I did have a lot of trouble beating Brock with Charmander in Generation one, and even with Metal Claw in the remakes. Most of the early Pokémon, like Pidgey and Caterpie weren't exactly great matchups either. It wasn't until someone else suggested finding and catching a Mankey that Brock became a pushover regardless of which starter you picked. The Kanto professor did mention something like Charmander would be the hardest to train when picking the starters, and I could envision someone who wanted to get rolling on their gym challenge go with Bulbasaur or Squirtle instead to win badges as fast as possible. That said, it was still hard to fathom that Charmander had been passed over so many times that Oak had finally sent it to another region, in the hopes that a trainer would choose it. But hey, their loss is my gain. A Charizard would be a fantastic addition to my burgeoning team, to take on all those annoying Steel and Fighting types that would inevitably give Glaceon trouble. I shuffle over to the table to meet what I hope is the newest member of my team, though I want to give Charmander the choice of coming with me or not. I'm not about to force a Pokémon to follow me against its will.

"Hey there, Charmander," I say softly, who looks at me with wide, guarded eyes. God, he's so damn cute. I push down my urge to swoop him up in my arms and instead I bend my knees so I can look him eye to eye. "I'm Glaceon's trainer." I point to the aforementioned Pokémon. "And I want you to join my team, if that's alright with you. I think we can do amazing things together." I stand back up, as the fire-type searches with his vulnerable eyes for several long seconds for any type of falsehoods in my face, or voice, any type of dishonesty, where I would build up his hopes of getting picked and choosing some other Pokémon at the last second, but I mean every word that I say. I hold out my hand when I think Charmander has come to a decision. "So, what do you say? Want to go on an adventure?"

For a couple seconds, when the fire-type didn't take my hand, I thought I had messed up somewhere, and I start trying to retrace my conversation, to remember what I had said that had made Charmander uncomfortable. Instead, to everyone's surprise, Charmander launches himself right off the table onto my chest, wrapping one arm around my neck as he nuzzles his head in between my chin and my shoulder, staggering me back a couple of steps before I regain my wits, and I return the embrace, taking care to avoid his fiery tail and grasping him around the waist with one arm and placing my other hand on the back of his orange head.

Welcome to the team, bud.

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A/N: I've got about thirty chapters of this written, but someone recommended me to post on this site, so here we are. I'd like to think this story has something for everyone; battles, research, training, contests, and more, so hopefully you find something you enjoy.