[Pokémon] Pokémon Sinnoh Adventures

It was the start of winter. My mom and I moved to the Sinnoh region all the way from Johto when we heard the news about Professor Rowan's retirement as the regional researcher of Pokémon evolution. As I know right now, every Pokémon Professor is named after a type of tree in flora terms. My dad, Taiki Sakura, did some studies with Rowan in his youth along with Professor Sycamore of Kalos. They stayed in touch for a while until they stopped talking for some reason. I guess each had their problems to deal with, what with Sycamore almost done with his Mega Evolution research by some kids from Kalos. Worldwide news stated that there was a crazy event that almost destroyed the Kalos region by the evil Team Flare and Lysandre Labs. Everything was okay after that and one town needed to be fixed up; at least that's the gist of what happened. My dad on the other hand was about to be promoted to a full fledged Professor in Sinnoh's Sandgem Town where Rowan is supposed to retire and move to Eterna City. He went ahead of us to start building a new house on the beach south of Sandgem. That was 5 years ago when we were still living in Johto's Ecruteak City.

I wasn't old enough when I was 8 to own a Pokémon at the time, but I really liked the idea to move to a new region and explore new places. I wanted to be a Pokémon Champion like Ethan, who kept defending his title until he disappeared into Mt. Silver. Not even his mom knows where he went; sources say he moved to a new region and trained there for a while. However, I'm not going to disappear like that. NO, I want to stay close to home and help out the family as much as I can. That's why we were moving before the harsh winter could stop us from traveling far. and the Sinnoh region was cold enough as it was. Winter was my favorite season as snow was the best weather to play with friends on the outside. I would miss my friends from Ecruteak, and the Kimono Girls who always put on a show every year to celebrate the annual event of the city's history with the Burned Tower and Bell Tower. Morty the Gym Leader also taught me what it means to be a Pokémon Trainer and how to befriend Pokémon in my own way that benefits them in battle. I thank them for the fun times and adventures we had every year as I will never forget them.

Like I said before, it was winter. It was a few days before the snowstorm hit the airport at Jubilife City. We were freezing like crazy from the dry cold air after getting off the plane and into the building where we picked up our baggage since we had the last leftovers from moving out from home. Dad had taken everything except the furniture. I hated to leave my old bed; had some good times with it since I was afraid of a ghost type Pokemon hiding in my closet and the covers were my only protection. We had to throw away the old mattress since I did what most kids would let happen to their bodies while asleep late at night. Dad had brought the new mattress with him and our other stuff in a cargo plane flown by Skyla from Unova over to Sandgem Town. He did say that the house was almost complete so we stayed in the Lake Valor resort while we left our stuff with him. It was less cold near Lake Valor so we rested near the fire place and waited out the storm. Later on, we helped out the resort by shoveling the snow just enough for people to get through the area and ate hot food in the evening. We had our final night at the resort and traveled to Sandgem Town.

Luckily, we bought enough Repels to last us the entire trip to western Sinnoh, even though Mom had her Feraligatr from when she was a Trainer in her youthful days and it can handle anything thrown at us. We avoided as many Double Battles as we could because I didn't have a Pokemon to my name. Dad was going to give me a starter when we reached home. Hopefully, the starters are just as cool as the ones back in Johto. We called Dad at the Pokemon Center in Oreburgh City to tell him that we were almost there. He told us that the house was completed and needed help with the rest of things since he was done moving in to his workplace at the lab. He said he had help from the scientists who used to work with Professor Rowan setting up his new research materials and the little lab at our home. We were at the final lap of our trip to Sandgem Town. As we admired the scenery of Sinnoh, we finally reached Sandgem Town and were greeted by Dad along with his aides. And so, we were finally at our new home.

"Hey, you two! Welcome to your new home!", my Dad shouted with glee as we got to the beach house. Mom was glad that trip was over with. She's not what you call young these days (don't tell her I said that.). I was happy to see Dad too when I rushed over to him for a high-five. It felt like forever since I last saw him. We all hugged together with Feraligatr coming out of its Pokeball. Dad opened the door as we carried our suitcases inside. The house was out of this world with everything decorated to be a vacation house in the middle of winter. We were sure to have Christmas once things quieted down from Dad's new line of work. We all went to our respective rooms and set everything up to make it feel like atmosphere was just right. After that, we went to the dining area and had some decent dinner of sweet & spicy berry sandwiches with coleslaw and apple tarts for dessert. We then talked about Dad's job at the Sandgem Lab and what he was going to do. "So Tai...", as Mom would sometimes call Dad, "... How did Professor Rowan feel about giving you the role of head researcher? Did he take it okay with his retirement?" Dad turned and replied, "He was firm that I would take over for him. I recommended Sycamore, but he needed someone close by and Sycamore was already invested in Mega Evolution. I was pretty much the next best person for the job.", Dad said feeling a little guilty about taking the job. I know he was a little choked up about taking over for Professor Rowan, considering he was close to having better grades than Sycamore. Maybe they were rivals or something. Hard to say since the call was over the limit of how long Dad usually talks with people about Pokemon science and whatnot. He continued on. "Rowan always believed Sycamore would be the next candidate to study about Pokemon evolution, but when he moved back to Kalos, I guess he got a little scared about who would follow in his footsteps when retirement came knocking on the door. I know I wasn't the star student of his class, but Rowan must have a good reason why he picked me to finish what he started." I had to have my say in the conversation, wanting to know more about Dad's job, so I started my own Q&A.

"So Dad, what are you going to do at the lab?", I asked curiously with intent. Dad got up and took some papers from a computer desk and showed me what he knew so far. "I was supposed to learn more about Pokemon evolution, now that there are more Pokemon out there up to Kalos that have hidden evolutions we don't know much about. Possibly this is what Professor Sycamore is doing, but there are Pokemon native to Sinnoh who can undergo Mega Evolution during battles. Mega Evolution happens in Kalos where it was first introduced, and then Professor Rowan wanted to study it. But now he wants me to take over and see what I can make out. But I won't be alone. Some researchers and some new ones are joining me to compare notes from different regions." Well, that was longer than I expected it to be but I got my answer. Mom was surprised at how awesome Dad was, swooning over him for his knowledge. Now I know why Mom married Dad in the first place. I continued with my next question. "So Dad, is there any way I can help?" He looked at me with a face as confident as a Scraggy. He replied, "I'll see what you can as soon as I start my line of work; of course you can help me out. I wouldn't say so if you weren't my child." Odd he chose that remark, but I was happy nonetheless. I would soon get my first Sinnoh starter in the coming days. I needed time to think which one I would get, but my heart sank as soon Mom said dinner time was over. "Okay you, dinner's over. Now let's clean up! You too, Feraligatr.", said Mom who saw her Pokemon eat like a Swinub on an empty stomach. After that we decided to get the internet, TV, and phone services up and going thanks to Jubilife City's Regional Network Installer program. We had our own satellite dish and router already installed, we just needed to boot them up. Since I got my own new laptop from Dad, the Internet was all but a few clicks away. New appliances, new electronics, new everything; we were set for life. Before bedtime, Mom gave me some allowance for the adventure in the future. We all said good night and went to sleep.

Days passed and the winter weather began to pick up speed. At least where we lived it was still warm enough to go outside. I was meaning to go into town and buy some general stuff at the Poke Mart once the winds died down. Since I was going to get a starter Pokemon for my Christmas gift, it might be a good idea to stock up on supplies. After that, I thought I paid Dad a little visit reminding him to come home for dinner. He would have breakfast at home and lunch in the lounge room at work, but he would miss dinner if he wasn't so absorbed into his work. I always wondered what the place looked like; I've only seen it from the outside. Mom didn't mind since she was going to call Dad for dinner, so I saved her the trouble and went over to Sandgem Labs. The building had a total makeover since Professor Rowan moved out. It was bigger and more advanced that before. When Dad was asked to study this Mega Evolution, he needed the right technology to study the compatibility between the Pokemon and their Trainers. There were also these Mega Stones that are required to help Pokemon reach these temporary evolutions during battles. If I was going to be a Pokemon Trainer, I needed to learn more about what Dad was researching. "Dad? Are you in here?", I asked as the front door was left unlocked and I opened it with my one free hand. Yelling seemed to worked as a scientist came to me and greeted me with a hello. " Hello there and welcome to Sandgem Labs! We are now studying Mega Evolution to further understand how Pokemon can truly evolve to their real potential. How can I help you today?" The lady asked before I can even get a tour to myself; however a tour doesn't seem so bad after all. "I'm the head professor's son, and I came here to speak with my father.... and maybe get a tour of the Lab." The female scientist pondered for a minute, checking her list and marking it twice as some would say. She then figured it out: "Oh! You're Sakura's child aren't you? I know so little about you since your father started working here. You moved all the way from Johto right? Sure, I'll give you a tour."

She told me her name was Salem, and that she has a son about my age who once worked for Professor Rowan on the Pokedex years ago. Shen led me all over the Lab, teaching me all about how Pokemon give off a light that happens when evolving through different means. She even showed me what they study when the evolution happens on a Pokemon in a machine that collects the energy samples. Plus, there was the Mega Evolution Compatibility Hyper Analyzer (M.E.C.H.A. for short) which studies the wavelengths of a bond between humans and their Pokemon. When the tour was over, Salem took me over to where Dad was as he just came from the backyard. Surprised to see me, he was hiding something I wasn't supposed to see yet. "Son! What a surprise! I didn't expect to see you here; I was just about to come home for dinner. Is there something wrong?", he asked embarrassed. "Mom was going to call you for dinner, but I came here by myself in her place to get you home for dinner. By the by,,,, what were you hiding there just now?", I asked curiously. Dad sparked some sweat from his head as he couldn't hold the door behind him much longer. There was some little banging on the door as if someone was trying to get in the Lab. He called Salem over to help him lock the door and they passed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry about that. You just run over home and tell Mom I'll be there for dinner, okay?" I raised an eyebrow due to my question being shot out of the conversation. I was a little upset that I did not get the right answer, but I could care less. If it was the starter Pokemon, I could understand. But I did not want to spoil the surprise, so I let Dad and Salem off the hook and went straight home.

Finally it was Christmas! I shifted right out of my bed and came running down the steps where Mom and Dad greeted me along with Feraligatr. Had I known Mom went out to do some last minute shopping, I would not have questioned her motives on Christmas Eve when she was so sneaky. Dad got a new mug for his work and reading glasses for late night reading. A new lab coat with some Johto customized designing was also in the mix. Mom got new cooking utensils and kitchen wares for making delicious food. She even knitted herself a new scarf for the rest of winter. As for me, I too got a new scarf in crimson red, a matching beret, a sweater jacket in dark blue with pink, yellow, and blue patterns on both sides, new shirt, a pair of longer dark blue short pants, and new running shoes. However, there was one more present that I got from Dad that really blew my mind: a brand new Starter Pokemon!! He took me to the Lab to let loose the beasts of battles that were Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig. When we got to the Lab, two other teenagers around my age were waiting impatiently for my Dad. These two were from Twinleaf Town and Jubilife City. Who were they? Are they also here for the starter Pokemon? I don't know, but maybe they were friendly. One looked like a student from the local Trainer School in the next city who had a grumpy look dressed in a black and red jacket with a white scarf and had white pants with some rip marks. He also had spiky chestnut hair top to bottom and his eyes gave off a red gaze. He was bound to be my rival should I ever start my journey. However, the girl on the other side was different when waving hello at my father. She had light gray eyes and a long ponytail with two extra braided on the side. She too was sporting the same king of outfit but her hat was white and more looking like a cat Pokemon. She wore long sleeved socks and had running shoes as well. Whoever they are, I was still having the best Christmas of my life.

It became 1 hour after noon and I was introduced to the new trainers who would soon become either my friends or rivals. But apparently, that was already decided as the spiky haired teenager gave me a angry look with a smug scoff. The girl however smiled nervously as I said hello. Dad's final gift was a bit of a surprise as I had no idea these guys were getting a Pokemon starter like me. "Alright then let me introduce you to two other trainers who will be helping out with my research; this here is Dawn from Twinleaf Town, and this is Reginald from--". "Hey! My name is Shark, okay old man!? Don't ever call me by my real name." I was shocked and angry that this guy just cut off my Dad's tongue! So what, he got a name wrong. That doesn't mean he can be so rude to my father. I clenched my fists making the gesture to punch him, but since it's the holidays I'll let it slide. "Right, I meant to say that this is Shark from Jubilife City. These two along with you my son, will help me further the knowledge of Mega Evolution. Now then, let's go inside and get you your Pokemon to start your journeys." We all went inside the Lab and went to the desk where the coolest starter Pokemon were waiting for us. My Dad gave us the tour of the place like I did just to get familiar with the research he was doing. When we got to the desk, he started the speech he prepared for this occasion. "Ahem, to study the limits of Pokemon evolution, we must go beyond our bonds between man and Pokemon. All humans want to know what goes beyond the final evolution of a Pokemon and how to achieve it permanently. Today, you three will go on your paths and learn more about the Pokemon in our fair region of Sinnoh and find the ones capable of Mega Evolution. These devices are the latest portable key items that will give you each a Key Stone for evolving your Pokemon to a higher state of being. I call them the Mega Wristwatches. They also tell time in modern fashion." Dad handed each of us the new watch he created. The Key Stone was bright in color as it shined from the light in the window. "Alright, now were talking. Mega Evolution's gonna be a cinch with this bad boy. Now when do we choose our starter?" I almost forgot about this rude guy's voice. What sort of Pokemon would ever want to be his partner?

"Hey, calm down Shark. Be nice to Professor Sakura.", said Dawn with a stern voice. She was apparently the voice of reason and justice. At least I'm not the only one who doesn't like Shark. "Pipe down, princess. I'm just really excited to get a Pokemon, if you couldn't tell. Just stay out of my way while I mop the floor with the Pokemon League. And that goes double for you, No-Name!". I was appalled and ready to skyrocket the anger scale to 11. Destined to make a good first impression before my first Pokemon, I calmed down and pretended not to care. Dad tried to clear the stagnant air of violence with the last piece of his speech. "Okay then... now that you have all calmed down, here are the three Pokemon you can choose from: Chimchar the Chimp Pokemon, Piplup the Penguin Pokemon, and finally Turtwig the Tiny Leaf Pokemon. Choose wisely as they will be your first Pokemon for life. Son, why don't you go first?". I was happy to get first choice since it was Christmas. I would've let Dawn go first but she insisted me since I was the Professor's son. Shark however was displeased with his gesture saying "Just get it done already."

Scanning over the three, I judged them carefully. Piplup looked cool, but blue isn't my favorite color. Turtwig was sturdy-looking but could grow up to be slow. So I chose my final choice: Chimchar! "I pick Chimchar, Dad.". Chimchar was excited that I had chose it as my partner. It seemed like it was looking back at me with awe and inquiring my curiosity. It leaped on to my arm and clinged onto my back. It had a warm atmosphere as it gleefully smiled. Shark scoffed at my choice of partner like I had picked the wrong Pokemon starter. "I'm choosing Piplup. You had better be a better Pokemon than that Tarzan wannabe, alright pipsqueak?" Shark angrily growled at the Piplup, making it feel scared of the spiky haired delinquent. He stomped on the floor hard to get Piplup close to his side. I felt sorry for the little guy, considering his kind can be said to feel proud of their solemn selves. "Then that leaves me with Turtwig. Come here, little guy." Turtwig was unresponsive. Maybe it was a girl? Hard to tell since there are some gender differences you can't tell from the same Pokemon. "Um... come here, girl?", Dawn tried again, this time getting the Turtwig's attention. So it was a girl. So it would stand to reason that my Chimchar and Shark's Piplup are both boys. Anyways, Dad proceeded with the usual Trainer orientation. He gave us a Pokedex and some Poke Balls to add to our inventory.

"So in the end...", Dad was at the last leg of his instructional speech to all of us: "... I need you to gather Pokemon native to Sinnoh that have the capability of Mega Evolution, bond with them, and also evolve them to the final stage and study the Mega Stones that are said to be connected to them. Apparently, an ancient giant from Kalos who some say is from 3,000 years ago scattered some Mega Stones all over the region as a test. I don't know what is going on, but if we are going to understand what Pokemon are capable of staying in their Mega Evolved state outside of battle, I need data on how long they can stay in that form. You are free to battle the Pokemon League if you wish. Just keep the research in mind on your travels." Dad finished what seem like a lecture from a university professor. I can see why Professor Rowan chose him to take over the Sandgem Labs. With that said, we all left the lab but not without Shark and his attitude dragging me into something I would surely never forget. "Hey No-Name! You wanna battle? My Piplup against your Chimchar. What do you say?" I turned around with an angry look as he stared me down with a smug smirk of a smile. I was a stranger to Pokemon battles. This was my first time fighting a rival who singled me out from the small crowd in a tiny town. I pondered wondering if I stood a chance. I know Water is strong against Fire, and Dawn looked at me in a scared position. But one look from my Chimchar as his eyes were burning with passion to put this guy in his place. And so I said this one line: " Let's get this battle started, Shark!"