Black patches of vision were interrupted by a concrete jungle, hordes of people crawling this way and that. On their phones, they had eyes only for what was in front of them. High up above, the view in between buildings didn't grant enough space to look all the way down.

A broken-up voice fizzled into existence on a bad connection. "Breaking News: The region of Orre has officially declared—"

Inside the heights, officials in formal business attire spoke casually, coffee in hand. A meeting had just finished, and the participants were shining. New horizons came from the opening of another point of human development.

"Our sources say that so far, he has declined making any official statements, but if proven true, it would certainly shake up the current—"

Down below, another black patch made its way into the ever darkening portrait of perception, this time in an apartment complex three blocks away. The place was shoddy and run down, having said nothing for the inhabitants. Darkness took many forms, and the approach here was proportionally varied.

"Nevertheless, it is still too early to say for sure whether they will have enough candidates to—"

Substances that addle the body and riddle the mind were nothing new in these parts. Whether high or below, the only thing that changed was whether or not the impact was enough to do anything about.

"It would be wise to keep an eye out for a specific candidate. Standout of the relatively small crop is the son of the Hero himself—"

Needles of the stuff lay about the desks and tables, almost decoration. Heedless of the mess, a figure bullrushes through the door, and into the bathroom. The spot of black washes his face, scarred veins displayed in his arms as he uses them to wipe off fresh tears.

His eyes don't reflect anything, and haven't for a while. Yet still the tears come.

"What is even more intriguing is the locations these prospective trainers have been sent to. To have a real chance at the World Tournament, the obvious choice would have been to send candidates to weaker and less established regions. Alola fits both of those criteria, having just formed its own League,—"

Up above, competing interests flash into light again, marking a sunspot on the beginnings of true achievement. Black starts to eat at the edges of perception.

Another bathroom, this time the eyes in the mirror reflect joy and contentment, even through the bags. For the first time in a string of sleepless nights, true breakthrough ushered in the fruits of labor. He couldn't be more excited. A shout of jubilation could be heard from outside the men's room, and people turned to it in surprise.

"Instead, Orre's representatives have elected to send them into the Unova league, the hotbed for new and exciting talent. Although not as storied as Kanto or Sinnoh in their history of champions, Unova is quickly becoming the next bastion of trainer's zeal, its environment and circumstances proving to be very attractive—"

The intervention was sloppy, and not well thought out. Jealousy often doesn't produce the necessary measures, nor the desired outcomes. A slash of a knife brings a gash of black, separating the darkened edges into two. Blood flows out and into the wash basin, draining away. The perpetrator flees, followed by the shouts of people behind him.

"This marks the very first time in modern history that Orre has sent trainers representing them into the Leagues, the last time being a hundred and sixty eight years ago, following the overturn of the Treaty of Gateon P—"

In the other bathroom, two more needles found their way into the sink, the black having already seeped into the two spaces that were left. It was doused like ink on a white canvas, like an oil spill feeding off the clarity of consciousness.

The dark had overtaken. Both low and high points met their end, and both of them saw the same blackness. In the end, what was their difference? And why did it matter?

"One thing is for certain, in the next upcoming League season, Unova will certainly be the one to watch."

----------------------------------------

*RING!* *R—

I turned off the alarm bell before it could make any more noise. I didn't need it. I was wide awake already.

And I made good time too. I smiled down at my work, hands on my hips. My room looked splendid. Dirty laundry was cleaned and put away, the floor both vacuumed and mopped. Poke-ball carpet already dried out, the whole room was dusted and aired. The bed was made, and any papers on the desk put in the appropriate filings. It looked as good as new.

The only indicator someone else had lived in the place were the various posters hung up all over the walls. Every single inch of space was lined up with something. From images of popular champions and their Pokemon, to data sheets and habitat listings of rarer Pokemon, to lists of rules regarding Pokemon training. Everything was there, and everything was about—you guessed it!—Pokemon. Some may say it's an obsession, I would call it a focus.

And I was nothing if not focused.

It was still a little sad that I would be leaving this all behind today, but one look outside the window changed everything for me.

The drive to explore, to seek out new mysteries, and challenge my limits overpowered any other desire.

My smile morphed into a grin, and I rushed downstairs to start making food. Pancakes? Flipped. Eggs? Flipped. Bacon? Flipped. Bread? Flipped too. No one escapes.

"My, someone's excited for today." A woman in her pyjamas calmly walked down the stairs, a secretive little smile at the sight of my dashing speed.

"You were too slow! It's 6:30 already! I need some food in my belly if I want to make it through the day!"

She chuckled, grabbing purple hair and putting it up into a bun. "Here, let me help you David. You're flipping the bread." She picked up my spatula.

I took my spatula back forcefully. "I can make breakfast by myself, mom. I'm not a kid anymore." She smiled that smile of hers again, and my world almost split in two. Another visage, a firmer face and set lips looked down at me. I blinked, and it left. The gentle face of my new mother stared back at me instead.

"Whatever you say, child." She got to setting the table.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Peaceful and calm, but I couldn't help looking outside the window every now and again at the lab in the distance.

I grew more and more anxious and jittery, both of my legs jerking up and down. I had practically inhaled my food by now. I just had to wait for mom, and boy was she taking her time.

She seemed to enjoy it too, torturing me, watching me slowly go insane from her insanely slow eating pace—seriouslymomcouldyoueatanyslower!

"Alright, dear. Head on to the lab without me. I'll clean up."

With nary a word I sped off to the door, my backpack already there. I swung it on and was outside the door before I consciously realized what I had done.

Today was the day!

Today was the day I would get my first Pokemon! I had waited sixteen years for this!

That's right. Sixteen. In this world, it wasn't ten. It wasn't twelve. The minimum age to leave on a Trainer's Journey was sixteen.

I was as surprised as anybody, when I first found out. I would have to wait for sixteen years until I finally got to have my own Pokemon and be free to explore wherever I wanted.

I felt deceived. See, from my memories, they would tell you that Ash left at ten. Surely, I could leave by that time too, no?

No. Apparently not. Mom told me that back in the day, maybe, you could get away with sending your child out at a traditional ten, when there wasn't a League-mandated age requirement, but now?

More and more data was coming out in the last few decades showing trainer mortality among rookies to be spiking. Especially the younger end of the population started dying out, dropping like flies. One out of every three trainers under the age of fourteen died in the first month. Even more didn't make it past the first three months. Eventually, the league had to step in. And so they did, setting a legal age requirement at age fourteen.

Except the mortality rates didn't go down nearly as much as they'd hoped. After even more research they finally found some indicator for the increased rate. It wasn't necessarily the usual culprits of life on the road, (crime, inadequate supplies, harsh weather conditions, hostile environments) but the Pokemon themselves.

Something, or someone, was making the Pokemon more aggressive than bygone eras. They attacked more often, many times unprovoked. The amount of Pokemon-to-human violence had increased dramatically. Some say it's natural selection. The weaker Pokemon get hunted and the stronger Pokemon prevail, and humans are now the dominant species, inviting more competition than ever. Others say it's something more insidious. Pokemon were becoming tired of human rule, and they were retaliating.

Either way, going out on a journey became much more dangerous to the average person. Now, every single person that wanted to be eligible for a coveted Trainer ID would have to take and pass classes on everything from survival methods to nutrition and proper care of Pokemon, as well as an examination before being legalized as a legit trainer.

Now the minimum age stood at sixteen, and the average trainer was (in theory) better equipped to handle the wilds than your average Joe Schmoe.

That didn't make the obstacles ahead any smaller, but I was never one to back down from anything. I'm sixteen now, and it's time I face the music.

I made it to the end of the forested road, huffing and puffing I turned my head up to the lab. It was moderately sized. Two buildings, separated by a small garden in between. One of them, the bigger one had a giant hologram of a pokeball on top of it. It was the Pokemon HQ Lab. The research center of Orre, and incidentally one of the few actually interesting places here. Before I was born, it used to do research on shadow Pokemon and how to purify them, but now it focuses on something much more productive.

"WOAH! WATCH OUT!" I felt the onrush of wind before it could knock into me, and I swerved smoothly out of the way of a bike rider almost clipping me as he raced past me.

The idiot crashed into a fence, the bike sticking. He did not, and promptly sailed face first into the grass beyond.

"Idiot. Is this how you want your first Pokemon to see you? Battered and bruised?" I addressed the moron on the ground, watching him pulling himself slowly back together.

"Uuughhh." He was a giant, for a sixteen year old. Already six foot tall, with muscles bigger than his head and a jawline sharper than a Bisharp's ribs. A real He man in every way. Except for his hair. Sure, his cut was the usual Chad hair, a mohawk, but it's colour was what set it apart. It was freaking baby blue.

It looked ridiculous on him, and I haven't stopped teasing him about it for years. "Jack. Get up already. You're embarrassing me." I kicked his behind to put him into gear. "Come on now."

"Bruh, fine!" He jumped up all of a sudden, and I did not flinch! "Damn, now I got freakin' dirt in my hair." He shook out his hair, little chunks of dirt and mud falling onto me.

"Ewww, gross! Keep your droppings to yourself, please!" I took three steps back from the hulking creature. "How are we even related?!"

"Shit, man. You don't gotta tell me." He started walking towards the entrance. "Shortie, always in the damn way."

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

A vein popped in my head. "Excuse you! I stand at a proud 160 centimeters!"

"That's like 5 foot bruh! Give it a rest already, Tiny!"

We bickered like this all the way into the entrance and past the lobby, not one of the scientists or aides walking around us reacting to it. They were used to it by now.

Me and Jack were what you would call "old news" around here. We grew up together, even if I never particularly liked it. My dad is his mom's brother, and they're incredibly close, which made us, by proxy, constantly have to tolerate the other's presence. And tolerate is the nice word I'd use.

You know why I don't like Jack? Think I might be overreacting? Think again. Jack is a jerk who always needed to one-up me every chance he got. I wanted to study the Sunflora in the school yard? He had to move his research project into the yard with him. I would try out for the school's basketball team, he had to take the last spot from me. I wanted to be a Pokemon trainer, and now all of a sudden he wants to be an even better one. It's like he has no brain of his own. Everything I do he has to one-up me at. Without fail, every time.

Unluckily for me, his mom, the head researches here, fully supports his newfound desire to be a trainer and is sponsoring him as well as me.

I didn't wanna have to be stuck in an elevator with this guy so I took the stairs, but the damn abominable snowman chased me right along!

"Get away from me, you big lump of meat!"

"Heh! This is about proving a point, darling." He smirked in that disgusting way of his.

"Are you guys still arguing? Even today?"

A woman not much taller than me stood in the way of the entrance to the second floor. She had a white lab coat on just like everyone else in the lab, but unlike everyone else, she was wearing a full-on white dress under it as well. Along with the heels, she looked more like a cosplayer than a serious scientist, but that didn't change her overall aura.

Like Jack, she had her own baby blue colored hair, but for her it extended down to her waist. Her eyes shone the same color, its posture irritated.

"Don't tell me you guys are going to keep up this behavior even on the ship, do you?"

Jack pushed me into the wall. "You really expect me to get along with this clow—AAGHH!"

She had push kicked his knee in, forcing him to kneel. She lifted her leg up onto his head and held it there in clear warning. "You will get along, and I will not hear anything untoward from the ship's crew, do you understand me?! Orre's entire reputation is on the line here. I don't need you mucking it up."

"Yeah, you tell him, Aunt Jovi!" Suddenly, her glare was directed to me. I backed off. About four meters. Cause I felt like it, not because I was intimidated or anything.

The image of her glare set off another memory, this time of a game I played way back when I was younger. In that game, this woman was just an overexcited little girl who liked to refer to herself in third person. Now..

"That goes for you as well, David. I expect pristine behavior from you from now on. If you disobey, you will not like the consequences."

She pushed her foot down on Jack's neck, a dangerous creaking heard from it. "Owowowowowowowowowow!"

"Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am." I bowed. Please don't hurt me.

"Good.❤️" She smiled, her energy turning a complete 180 as she took her foot off of Jack. "I hope you're ready for your first Pokemon."

"Yes! Arceus YES! Uh— I mean, yes ma'am." I bowed again, just in case.

"If you'll follow me then." She turned around and started heading towards one of the main doors. Jack and I followed right behind her.

I couldn't be more excited for what was about to happen just now. You see, this research center was built for one single reason, and one reason only.

This place studies Eevees, and their evolutions. Once dad chased away Cipher and caught all the remaining shadow Pokemon, (yes him) there wasn't really much reason to continue studying Shadow Purification anymore, so they switched fields.

They looked over the lab's resources and found that they had an above average number of Eevees, and thus started a breeding program to foster more. The prevailing theory before the research here was that an Eevee's genetic structure was unstable, and therefore had many evolutions to turn into. That sounded wrong, but no one ever delved deep enough into the subject to find out more.

Until now. See, new studies published by this lab instead suggested that it wasn't unstable, it was malleable. And it wasn't unique.

"Just this way. We prepared a special batch for you two."

Meaning you could theoretically artificially create the same malleability in another Pokemon's genetic makeup, leading to entirely new evolution possibilities altogether!

Forms and evolutions that wouldn't develop until hundreds or thousands of years of adaptation could be discovered just like that! Right now the technology to do so wasn't expansive or powerful enough to do that yet, but they were getting close.

What's good (amazing really) for me is that, to fund this extended research plan, they had continued their breeding of Eevees as a revenue source, and to start my journey, I would be given one as well!

Eevees are friendly, well tempered, and intelligent, as well as extremely loyal. Not only as pets and companions, but also because their evolutions are so wide ranging, they have a serious demand in the industrial as well as the trainer and ranger sectors. The only downside to them was that they had short breeding cycles, and rarely had more than three litters at a time. Adding on to that, only 1 in 8 Eevees were female. They're made even rarer because they are wanted and needed everywhere. It was practically impossible to find one in the wild nowadays, because as soon as a skulk of Eevees were found, every trainer and breeder and catcher would flock to it.

"They're between ten to twelve weeks old, so they're fairly young still. We thought it was best to have you start out with a more adaptable age, but don't worry! They're still plenty old enough to battle!"

This lab was one of the locations where you could find an Eevee for a reasonable price, around 520,000 Pokedollars, or about as much as a new car. And yes, I said reasonable. They were an investment, certainly. An investment in us, now that I think about it.

In a few hours, we would be heading out on a boat to Unova to begin our Journey. In three years, we would be expected to enter ourselves into the Pokemon World Tournament to represent the Orre region. As a newly stabilized region, we wanted to show the world we could compete with the big players, and a part of that was having strong trainers to show for.

"And here you'll be waiting for them to come. Remember. Patience and gentleness, okay? They're quite skittish when startled, so you'll have to be calm and centered at all times. The right one will come to you on its own."

We were shown a field within the lab. It was supposed to replicate the Eevee's natural habitat, the temperate fields. Grass and a fine layer of dirt, along with some shrubbery here and there were added to make the Eevees feel more at ease. I sat myself down as far as possible from Jack, reciprocating the stink eye he was giving me.

Can't believe the jackass had to be part of this ceremony with me.

"You're settled?" A voice from the intercom spoke. It was Aunt Jovi, having moved to a separate room. I nodded. "Okay, send them in."

This was it. Today, I would get my first Pokemon and officially become a real Pokemon trainer. I would make something of myself.

The batch of Eevees came in, some bursting through the little crevice that had been opened for them. Others walked sedately in, sniffing curiously at the air or the ground.

One of them ran straight into Jack, knocking him over. He found his partner, then. A fitting one too.

There were five Eevees left. Two of them were off playing with each other in the other corner. Another one was taking a nap in a bush. Still another was watching Jack and his Eevee in jealousy.

Then, there was the last one. When the little creatures stormed in, she was the last in the line, carefully and methodically she observed every nook and cranny of the space, gaze moving from the other Eevees to Jack and then me.

Just like I did, and then I knew that this one was the one for me. Ignoring Aunt Jovi's advice, I stood up and walked over to this particular Eevee. The one in the bush jumped up and away from me, the jealous one running away in fright. My Eevee didn't move, it just looked me in the eyes in the same dispassionate way it regarded everything else.

I sat down in front of it, not breaking eye contact for a second. "My name is David. David Gale, and I intend to be the strongest trainer to ever live. Stronger than anyone who might dare to get in my way. Most people think you need to have the toughest or the quickest Pokemon in order to do that. I disagree."

The Eevee turned one of its ears, a clear sign of interest breaking her indifferent mask.

"What I need is a Pokemon that knows better. One that isn't afraid of adversity, but one that measures the risk and takes steps to overcome it. One that thinks before it acts."

"I'm not here to make a sales pitch. I'm here to make a proposition. Join me, and become the strongest Pokemon, or don't."

I reached out my hand in an open palm. It stood there for a good thirty seconds, measuring me. Assuming my worth, but I knew her answer before she even gave it.

Sure enough, she put her paw down on mine, and grinned at me. I shook her paw, and I knew that this Pokemon was mine.

"Alright, that's perfect guys! Congratulations on meeting your first Pokemon! Meet me out here for a second so I can give you the necessary supplies you need."

I took my new Eevee and placed her in my arms. She slithered up on her own and jumped on top of my shoulder, settling there. It felt right, her sitting there.

Jack's Eevee didn't hop onto him, but instead ran next to his legs like a dog, yapping at everything and everything as we entered the next room. I could tell that thing would be annoying.

"I see you've settled in nicely together. I'll keep things short so that you two can say your goodbyes." Aunt Jovi said, opening a case she had sprawled out on the table in front of us. Inside, between protective foam, were two brand new Pokedexes. One for each of us.

"Mom, you can't be serious."

She smiled. "I'm very serious, Jack. We're putting in a lot of effort towards you two. These are the newest versions, all the way from the labs of Kanto."

I took the left one reverently. These weren't just pokedexes. They were everything. Once you registered yourself, it was your card, your ID, your phone, your keys and more recently, your PC. It could do everything Pokemon and non-Pokemon related. It was like if you took a smartphone, and then added a supercomputer to it.

"Thank you Aunt Jovi. This…"

"Don't worry about it. Along with this, we've also taken the liberty of setting up a Trainer's Account for you. It will deposit 5000 Pokedollars in there every month as an allowance. It's not enough entirely to subsist upon, so don't become complacent! Your Trainer ID was already registered in there, so everything is good to go on that end."

She opened a cabinet, and took out a Pokeball holster, picking two out of the five out. She handed each of us one ball. "These are your Pokemon's balls. Go on, register them."

I took the ball, and nodded at my Eevee. She seemed indifferent to whether she was in the ball or not. She went in with a red flash of light.

I took my brand new Pokedex and scanned the Pokeball containing Eevee.

It gave me all of its information. For an Eevee it was about average in height and weight. Healthy, no abnormalities. It knew five moves. Growl, Helping Hand, Tackle, Tail Whip, and Sand Attack. It's ability was Adaptability, meaning it's Normal-Type moves would be stronger.

Now, it was listed as my Pokemon. My first Pokemon. I couldn't contain the grin that broke onto my face. This was the first step.

"Hey David! You know what comes next. I'll meet you outside, yeah?" He walked out with nary a word. For once, we were on the same page about something.

"That Jack. Doesn't even say bye." Aunt Jovi put her hands on her hips.

"Don't worry about him, Aunt Jovi. I'll set him straight. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"Awww." She flicked her hand at me. "You don't have to worry about it. Just make us proud when you get out there, okay? I'm sure your dad would say the same."

"...Of course."

"You looked just like him, with that Eevee on your shoulder. It gave me deja-vu." She tried hopefully. "You have your father's hair. All wild and red, but that same calm demeanor as if nothing could faze you. Well, mostly." She sent a look down to where Jack just left. "I know that you're going to make him proud."

Yes, because that's what I wanted. Sure.

"Of course, aunt Jovi. If you'll excuse me, I have a battle to win."

She closed her eyes deliberately. "Right. Be back here in thirty minutes. That should give you enough time to say goodbye, right?"

I nodded.

It was time. I walked outside of the lab, to the grassy field where Jack was waiting, Pokeball in hand.

"We both know how this is gonna end, Jack."

He raised an eyebrow. "Eh-heh! Sure. I've been waiting my whole life to do this. You're going down, David!"

"Alright. Let's do this then!"

This was it. My first battle. I'd be damned if it wasn't gonna be my first victory.

""Go! Eevee!""

With twin flashes of light, two brown creatures jumped out in battle ready stances, hunched over and snarling.

They were likely littermates. The only difference between them I could see was that mine had slightly darker fur around the neck.

Jack went first. "Sand Attack!"

The opposing Eevee dug his front paws into the earth, and flicked out a glob of sand and dirt our way.

"Dodge and Tail Whip!" Eevee obeyed, rolling to the right and flicking her tail in an enticing matter once recovered.

It distracted Jack's Eevee enough to be visibly noticeable. A slight droop of his battle face was all the opportunity I needed.

"Tackle!" Eevee rushed forwards headfirst, tackling the other Eevee. The resulting knockback sent it rolling four meters away.

"Eevee! Recover and use Sand Attack again!" Jack's Eevee rolled into place, using the momentum to flick even more sand and dirt my way.

Eevee dodged it without prompt. Jack wasn't done, however. "Now use Double Kick!"

His Eevee's legs lit up in a sort of focused sheen, and he launched himself at mine.

Can't dodge that in time! "Use Growl and duck!" The stat decreasing move manifested itself into a loud snarl from Eevee, throwing off Jack's Eevee in midair just enough for it to hesitate. Eevee ducked and managed to avoid any damage as the other landed. That didn't excuse her from the follow up Kick, sending her flying the other way.

That wasn't great. Double Kick is a super effective move. "Sand Attack, the same way you saw him do it!" Just like Jack's Eevee, she pulled herself together and rolled into a Sand Attack, sending the debris through to the opponent.

It hit, and the other Eevee mewed at the sand in its eyes. "Now's our chance! Tackle again!" She did as obeyed, and Eevee was sent flying again. This time, he struggled getting up. "No letting up! Tackle again!"

Eevee rushed at Eevee, (I'm doing this on purpose at this point) and Jack panicked. "Uuuh.. uuh— Sand Attack!" His Eevee flailed around globules of sand, hitting my Eevee's paws. It didn't reach his eyes, so aside from a stumble Eevee kept running and made contact.

The knockback was enough to send it all the way to Jack's feet. There was no getting up from a third hit like that. It was over.

Jack's Eevee didn't get up, and he seemed to realize it too. "Eevee, return." The defeated Pokemon was absorbed back into his Pokeball.

We did it. We won! "We won!" I shouted in jubilation, jumping up and raising my hands to the sky. My first battle, and we totally won it!

"Don't need to rub it in, damn." Jack muttered as he walked away, apparently not interested in any follow ups. He could leave for all I cared. We won!

I ran over and got to eye level with my new Pokemon. "You were amazing just now. If we keep going at this pace we'll be unrivalled by the time the week's out." Eevee yipped softly at me. I could tell she enjoyed the feeling of winning.

"I think it's about time I give you a name, no?" Eevee looked at me up in curiosity, a sparkle in her eye blinking playfully. I had prepared a name the second I knew I was going to be gifted an Eevee, but it felt inadequate to give to her now. It didn't fit anymore. I had to think of a new one.

I needed something that would set her apart. Something that would perfectly encapsulate the exact feeling of fear she would invoke the moment she was sent out. A name worthy of a Champion-level Pokemon. No, scratch that. Higher.

"Styx. Your name will be Styx." Just like the river, she would lead her opponents to the grave.

She jumped into my arms and began licking my cheek. The coarse feeling of her tongue was surprisingly gentle. "I'll take that to mean you like it."