Sabrina Regina Madison

Her first two days as a Pokemon Trainer was not going the way Sabrina was expecting. Her family didn't even bother to say goodbye before she left on the ship from Castleia City to Virbank City. Not that she expected them to, she had become used them being too busy to do anything. It didn't bother her anymore at this point. After being chauffeured in a private limo from Virbank to Aspertia City, it was well past midnight, and she had to begin her journey when the sun came up. She stayed in a proper hotel for the night. There was no way she was going to stay in a simple Pokemon Center like the poorer trainers. She was much better than that.

The following morning, after waking up fairly early, and making sure she waa prepared for her first official day as a trainer, Sabrina had been told to meet the Professor at the small Trainer Academy to get a starter kit. The kit was supposed to include her first Pokemon. She stood there in front of the academy waiting with her arms crossed for quite some time, before the Professor's assistant finally showed up. The young woman in a lab coat and glasses explained that Professor Bianca got distracted with some research on Route 19. Sabrina rolles her eyes. If you had arranged to meet someone, it was just bad manners to be late for your appointment. It was especially rude to keep a lady like her waiting.

Rather than standing around exploring this small, backwater town that called itself a city, waiting for the Professor to return, she decided to take matters into her own hands, and locate this woman herself. After setting foot onto the completely nondescript route that was Route 19, the redhead couldn't imagine what it was the Professor could be out here researching. There was nothing out here but patches of grass, a few trees scattered about, some vile buck toothed vermin lurking about in the grass, and even worse... creepy, crawly, disgusting bugs! Ugh, the horror of it all! Thankfully, she was able to find the Professor without being attacked by a swarm of Weedle.

"Oh there you are!" Sabrina greeted once she found the Professor. For some strange reason, this didn't frighten the wild Pokemon Professor Bianca was taking notes on. The redheaded girl raised an intrigued eyebrow, as the green reptilian Pokemon seemed to look the new trainer up and down. A wild Sniny? At least that makes some sense... I knew she couldn't be out here taking notes on a bunch of rodents and insects. Snivy could also potentially evolve into the elegant Serperior. It would be a perfect addition to her future team if she ever had a chance to encounter one.

That opportunity was going to come sooner than Sabrina thought. Bianca returned the Snivy to it's ball, and gave it to her to be her very first Pokemon. "Oh, why thank you, darling." Sabrina responded. She knew there was still other things she was supposed to receive, and apparently she would have to meet the assistant she had spoken to earlier to get them. This is the most unprofessional Professor I've ever met! Why couldn't her assistant have given me those things before I came all the way out to this disgusting route?! Goodness, if I were a Pokemon Professor, I would certainly be a lot more organized than this. She didn't give voice to these thoughts, in order to maintain some semblance of decorum in front of the Professor. So, she simply nodded her head, and returned to Aspertia.

---

After finally getting everything she needed from the Professor's aide, she stood outside the entrance of the Pokemon Center to purchase some additional supplies before she went ahead to Route 19, and officially start this journey. Before she did that, there was still one last thing she needed to accomplish first. She took out the Pokeball containing her starter, and released the Pokemon inside.

The Grass type snake appeared at Sabrina's feet in a flash of light. Putting her small hands on her hips, and striking a pose as she did. "Sniiiivy!"

Sabrina nodded in approval. "Yes, you'll definitely be a good addition. Now, since were going to be working together, I may as well give you a name... You'll have to stand apart from the others of your kind somehow." She took a minute to think of something before deciding on something. "Persephone! That seems suitable."

The Snivy tilted her head. "Snivy..." not really minding her nickname

"I'm glad you agree. Now, as soon as I can, I'll have to make you an outfit. I'll need to find some fabric in a color that compliments that shade of green. Can't do that now, though. We have more important things to take care of. Come along now." She said as the two entered the building and walked up to the counter.

Roy Summers – Duskull and Chocolate​

Roy Summers was late. Late for what was supposed to be the most important day of his life and what was going to be the first 20 minutes of his inevitable movie deal. Well, at least he thought he was. It was very, very early in the morning, before the sun even thought about waking up. On the contrary, Roy felt more awake than he had ever been before. His legs pushed him past the entrance to Floccesy town as he gazed at the stars above. Somehow, Roy had completely forgotten about the journey he was about to embark on; only remembering it during the dead of night. He didn't get a proper chance to say farewell, only a few, brief words with his family (and a command to visit them on his way back through).

Of course, Roy Summers was wrong. He had somehow gotten the date wrong. He was supposed to meet with the Professor later today! His parent's were quite aware of this fact, but they didn't even bother trying to convince him to stay till the morning. Because he probably wouldn't have listened anyway. As the green trees and cliff-face quickly turned into bright street lamps and houses, Roy attempted to spot out the building in which he was told to meet Bianca at. The Pokémon Trainer's School. He only had a vague idea of what the building looked like and he couldn't just ask anyone for directions. It was too early for that. After a little while of wandering through the town, his body's weariness had finally caught up with him. Roy decided to throw in the towel and sleep against a building's wall (He was too tired to seek out a Pokémon Centre, alright?). Hopefully whoever owned the place would be nice enough to not call the authorities on him for trespassing.

An unspecified amount of time later...

A confused, soft tap on the shoulder is what finally woke him up. Roy's eyes groggily opened towards the girl who awoke, who was in the middle of a sigh. The first thing he noticed about the girl was the fact that she was wearing a lab-coat. This immediately sent off a signal towards Roy's brain. "Professor?" He asked, which was immediately denied by the small giggle escaping from the person's mouth. "I'm flattered, but no. I'm her assistant, Lily." She stated, filling Roy with the slightest amount of disappointment. However, before he could even start asking about the Professor's location, he was bombarded with a question. "What were you doing out here?" Lily confusedly asked. While ruffling his messy, brown hair, Roy bluntly answered. "Sleeping, why?"

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure you weren't doing anything... bad." The girl covered her face out of embarrassment, stopping Roy from getting a proper look at her face. He did get a better look at the rest of her though. She had longish, pink hair and appeared to be somewhere around his height. Silence quickly fell between the two. In an attempt to break it, Roy asked her for the Professor's location. "The professor is doing some major research on a certain Pokemon right now. If you want/need her, you should probably come back later." She quickly responded. "Alright. Well, I'll see you later then." Roy smiled, as he slowly began to walk away from the young lady. "My name's Roy, by the way."

With nothing much else to do, Roy decided to take a brief journey back out onto Route 19. He may as well use the time to scout out potential Pokémon for his team. Unfortunately, nearly everything he saw were just common-as-dirt Patrat or Weedle. Nearly everything. There was a small, wisp-like... thing floating around. It wore a skull-like mask, and its overall appearance was almost haunting. Now that's a Pokémon he'd want to catch. Hopefully it'll still be there once he get's a Pokémon from Bianca. As Roy averted his gaze from the ghost-type, he eventually noticed something. Or someone. The Professor was standing right next to the thing! Not wanting to waste anymore of her time, Roy immediately walked over to her to start his apology.

"I'm sorry for being so late Professor." Roy apologised, holding his head down in shame. The phantom-like Pokémon immediately positioned itself behind the professor. "Late? Late for what?" The Pokémon professor looked somewhat confused, but her confusion quickly turned into a smile. "Hello, there!" Bianca greeted. "I was just taking notes on the physical aspects of the Pokemon." She seemed to be performing a very formal introduction. Had she done this before? Bianca paused for a bit and smiled, "This is the Pokemon I'm going to give you for your new journey."

A childish grin quickly spread across Roy's mouth. "That's... awesome." He giddily said, intently watching as the professor returned the Duskull and handed him the Pokéball. Roy could hardly believe it. This amazing, probably rare Pokémon was now his. His! He would've settled for a freaking Sunkern, but instead he was gifted one of the coolest Pokémon he had ever seen. "Thank you so much Professor!" Roy found it impossible to wipe the smile off of his face, and he didn't want to anyway. He was so overwhelmed by the moment, he could've screamed out of excitement (luckily he didn't).The Professor then proceeded to give him a 'mission'. Go collect the rest of his stuff from her assistant, Lily and have fun on his adventure. Both of which were bound to be easily accomplished. Saying thank you once more, Roy departed for the Trainer School (again).

On his way there, a brilliant but obvious idea struck Roy. He should start forming a bond with his new Duskull right now. He pointed his Pokéball towards the ground in front of him and pressed the button. Immediately, the wraith-like Pokémon popped out in front of him. She briefly gazed at her new trainer, before shrieking and flying behind a rock. Confused, Roy chased after her. But not wanting to scare it off any further, he made sure to move slowly. Roy arrived behind the rock to see the ghost cowering in fear. "Sorry, did I scare you?" He said in a hushed voice. "I honestly didn't mean to do so. Would you like to come out now?" The Duskull briefly peeked at the boy, but it didn't take long for her to quiver once more. "...Alright then. I'll just be sitting over her once you're ready to be near me." He said, pointing to the other side of the rock.

Roy plopped himself onto the green grass and looked up at the clouds. After a while, Roy realised that as soon as he had turned his back on the Pokémon, she could've left. He quickly sat himself up and went over to check if she was still there. However, once he had turned his head, Roy noticed something. The Duskull was sitting on top of the rock. "Phew..." He sighed, facing his head back towards the ground. "For a second there I thought you had run away." Roy waited a bit longer, hoping that the Duskull would get even closer. Unfortunately, she remained in place. Maybe she's... hungry?

Roy went into his messy, messy bag and pulled out a chocolate bar. His hands immediately went to work on the wrapper, tearing it cleanly in half. He delicately broke off two pieces, putting one directly into his mouth and holding the other above him. "C'mon, everyone loves chocolate. Even ghosts." He said, shaking it slowly above his head. "Don't you want it?" Roy playfully asked. After a couple of seconds, Roy felt the chocolate disappear from his palm. Feeling triumphant, he broke off a few more pieces and did the same thing. However, this time she didn't bite. "...And I thought we were finally getting somewhere. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to eat it myself."

He threw the pieces into his mouth all at once. The chocolate was rich, hard and delicious. In fact, Roy wanted to have more of it. But for some reason, he couldn't find it. All that was left was the wrapper. "I can't of eaten it that fast, could I?" He checked under himself, but it wasn't there either. "Hey, Duskull. You haven't..." Roy halted himself when he saw the Duskull pigging out on the rest of his chocolate. As much as Roy wanted more of it, he didn't even try taking it from her. "You really like that chocolate, don't you? I'll have to make sure I buy more of it in town." Roy grabbed onto the wrapper, wanting to find out the name of the chocolate she dearly loved. "Ebony... Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" The Duskull cried out happily, accepting the nickname.

---

Pale blue eyes stared excitedly down at the land speeding by far below, blonde hair blown by the wind occasionally obstructing the girl's vision. A bellowing roar was Flicker's only warning as the Hydreigon angled into a dive; as the ground rapidly approached the pair, the Hydreigon leveled out and slowed down at the last moment, landing on the ground with a soft "thump". Flicker slid from the dragon's back, gazing eagerly towards the cluster of buildings nearby that made up Aspertia City. It had taken a great deal of convincing to get her aunt to allow her to leave on her Pokemon journey, but after months of pressure, the ever-strict Aunt Lily had finally given in, whether it was simply out of exasperation or no longer caring. And now here she was, at Aspertia City where she would receive the Pokemon that was to be her very first companion!

"Let Aunt Lily know I made it safely," Flicker said to the Hydreigon still standing next to her. The Hydreigon nudged her arm gently with one of its smaller heads before it flew off, returning home to Castelia City. It wasn't long before the dragon-type disappeared from view, cloaked by the morning mist. Flicker returned her attention to the small city before her and strode towards it with a confident and intent step. As she approached the Pokemon Trainers School then proceeded to open the door, only one thought was going through her head. 'I wonder what Pokemon my starter will be.'

It seemed she'd have to wait a little longer to find out, however, as Lily, the professor's assistant, informed her that Professor Bianca was currently out researching a certain Pokemon. Flicker, usually a very patient person, found herself quite annoyed by this; she had been waiting for years to go on her journey, and now the professor had the gall to not be available when she came for her Pokemon! As she left the building, her gaze drifted to entrance of Route 19, and an idea popped into her mind: what if she just caught her own starter? Then she wouldn't have to wait on the professor to get back! It was perfect! So what if she didn't have any Poke Balls, she'd just nab a Pokemon and drag it to the Pokemon Center, then buy a ball there to catch it in. It didn't even occur to her that it might be wiser to do it the other way around as she skipped cheerfully out of town.

The first thing she noticed, rather than a wild Pokemon just waiting to be captured, was the very professor she had come to Aspertia to see in the first place. Sitting in front of the professor with a bored expression on its face was a Magby; as Flicker drew closer, the Pokemon turned its head to look at her, which in turn drew Professor Bianca's attention to the new arrival. "Oh, hello!" Bianca greeted with a kind smile. "You're one of the children here for a starter Pokemon, correct? I was just taking some last minute notes on this one, but it's all ready to go now!" Before the Magby could even protest, which it looked about ready to, Bianca had returned it to its Poke Ball and handed the sphere to Flicker. Flicker gazed down at the Poke Ball now clutched tightly in her hands, her previous irritation having disappeared the moment the professor had spoken. Her very own Pokemon! Finally, she would have the adventures she had always dreamed of! "If you'll return to the Academy, my assistant has Poke Balls and a Pokedex for you, as well as a potion for your Pokemon," Bianca continued.

"Thank you so much!" Flicker called over her shoulder as she walked away, once again going to the Pokemon Trainer Academy.

"Oh, I see you found Professor Bianca!" Lily said as she spotted the Poke Ball in Flicker's hand. "In that case..." The pink-haired girl shuffled around in the room for a moment, before returning to Flicker's side. "Here, this is to help start you off on your journey." Flicker gratefully accepted the items, packing them into the small backpack she had brought. "Good luck!" Lily called as Flicker left.

"Finally ready to go!" Flicker declared, then paused. "Or not quite..." With a wide grin, she pressed the large button in the middle of the Poke Ball and the Magby appeared in a flash of light. "Hey there!" Flicker said as she crouched down to be closer to its level. "I'm Flicker, and you're my new partner!" The Magby seemed to disagree as it simply glared at its "partner" then let out a small spout of flames from its beak. Flicker yelped and fell backwards onto her rump, the flames barely missing her face. She frowned and sat back up, scowling down at the Magby with her arms crossed. "Hey, come on now, we gotta get along if this is going to work." The Magby turned away with a huff, causing Flicker to let out a sigh. This was going to take some time. "Would it help if I gave you a name?" When she received no reaction, she took that as a sign to continue. "Alright then... How about... Oh, I know! I'll call you Blast! Cause that's what we're gonna have a blast as we blast our way through the region!" The newly dubbed Blast turned to give her a dubious glare, which was completely ignored as Flicker clutched him tightly in a hug, Blast letting out a choked cry of surprise. "We're gonna be the best of friends, I just know it!"

Roy Summers – Lost and Looking for a Pokémart​

"No, she's still not back yet. Honestly, how many times will I need to say this to you?" The pink-haired aide was clearly annoyed by Roy's sudden reappearance. It had only been what, 20 minutes? And he was already back? Ridiculous. Unless... "I've already found the professor. She told me to come see you and collect whatever equipment you had waiting for me." Roy explained, ignoring Lily's hostility entirely. Although, he did wonder how the assistant managed to completely miss the Duskull cowering behind him. "...Oh. In that case, I'll be right back." As soon as she had finished speaking, Lily bolted back into the trainer school. It didn't take long for the aide to reappear at the door, carrying some Pokéballs, a Pokédex and a potion.

"Ok, here's everything I've been told to give to you. Of course, you're going to need to buy anything else you might need yourself." Lily slowly handed him each piece of equipment. She wouldn't want to accidentally drop anything, after all. Roy immediately began putting everything into his mess of a bag. However, Lily's hand stopped his before he could place the Pokédex into his bag. "Nuh-uh, You are not putting this thing inside that monstrosity of garbage. I will not allow you to ruin this the minute you get it." She demanded, only letting go of his hand when she was sure that he wouldn't be putting it into his dump of a bag. "Okay?" He replied, holding the dex firmly in his hand. Unbeknownst to Lily, Roy would end up putting it straight into his bag's depths as soon as he left.

"Alright, you should be good to go now. Are there any questions you have about Aspertia city that you desperately need answered?" Roy briefly went over his mental to do list, when he remembered the ghost behind him. "Yeah. Do you know where I can buy more of this kind of chocolate?" He asked, handing Lily the crumpled 'Ebony Chocolate' wrapping. With a look that could only be described as "Are you kidding me?" Lily forced herself to answer. "Yes. You can buy them at a Pokémart. Anything else?" Lily's voice had a certain harshness. Was she mad at him for some reason? Roy didn't want to find out. "Uh... No. I'll be going now." He quickly backed out of the door frame, watching as she immediately shut the door.

"What was that about?" Roy asked Ebony, giving her a slight nudge as they continued to walk. Unfortunately, this led to a frightened wail echoing throughout the city. Once the deafening screech had finally stopped, Roy decided to put the Duskull back into her Pokéball. "Alright. I'm never doing that again." He said to himself, slowly putting Ebony's Pokéball into a jacket pocket. Roy continued to stroll through Aspertia's calm streets, when he realised that he had no idea where the Pokémart was. "Why didn't I ask her for directions to the place?" He sighed, preparing to stroll aimlessly through this city until he found it. Not wanting to stay in a negative mood, Roy decided that this was a good thing. If he knew where the Pokémart was, he wouldn't get to see everything the city had to offer.

The bus ride from Virbank to Aspertia was nothing short of what Sadie expected: dull, slow, and not the slightest hint of action. This was great, as it allowed her to catch up on some much needed rest. The anticipation of the following days events kept the brunette up all night, tossing and turning in her twin sized mattress. When her eye lids finally gave in to defeat, it wasn't long after that an obnoxious alarm woke our sleeping beauty. Her hair was a mess of knots, her dark circles were blacker than night, and saliva had crusted over the corner of her mouth. Shes beauty and shes grace, shes Miss Virbank Complex, she sang to herself as she struck a couple poses. After she had finished laughing at herself in her vanity mirror, Sadie lugged herself to the bathroom, preparing a hot shower to help ease her into consciousness. It was too early to tell whether or not her parents were awake or even home for that matter, so she allowed herself to overstay under the scorching rain of her shower. It is the last bath I'll be taking under this roof, anyways. Might as well indulge a bit. Letting out a deep sigh, she stayed under the steaming shower until the tips of her fingers pruned. I'm sure they'll understand.

Walking out of the bathroom in nothing but a loosely wrapped towel, she made her way back to her room and began preparation for her long-awaited journey. Throwing on her favorite outfit, Sadie sat in front of her vanity and examined what little makeup she had. I should at least try to look professional, she thought to herself. After a few minutes of internal debate, she decided to go for a more natural look, straying away from any heavy eye makeup. Once she was done painting her face, she fit all her makeup in a tiny transparent pouch and tossed it into her bag. Realizing the time, Sadie cursed herself for spending so long in the shower and swiftly moved on to her hair. Her locks was naturally wavy and she knew it was probably gonna get messed up throughout her journey, but she wanted to look nice anyways. Opting for the simplest hairstyle, she parted her hair down the middle and ruffled her fingers through it with a bit of product. And just like that, she was ready to start her life as a Pokemon trainer.

As she was about to walk through the door, she almost forgot to wish her parents goodbye. Pulling out a a pencil and a piece of paper, she scribbled her farewell on it, simply writing: Going out. Be back later I guess. Love, your daughter. And with that out of her way, she made her way to the nearest bus station, hopped on one that was leading to her destination and decided that some shut eye would be good for her body and soul.

"Hey. Hey little lady! You plan on leaving anytime soon?"

Motioning her fists to rub her weary eyes, Sadie had forgotten she put on her sunglasses before drifting to sleep and ended up smearing the lenses with her hands.

"Hey! You've been on this bus for three hours. When do you plan on leaving?" His voice was quite harsh and Sadie had had enough of it. "Look, I gotta ask you to leave. You're hogging up an entire row of seats."

Using her shirt to clean the smudges on her glasses, she gave the bus driver an evil scowl and said, "I was about to leave anyways." If there was anything Sadie hated more than people, it was being rudely awakened from her sleep. As she stepped off the bus, she gave the driver the middle finger and made her way through the city.

This place looks different than the pictures they had online… she thought, recalling the time she researched Aspertia City. Asking the nearest pedestrian for directions to the Pokemon lab, a loud "♥♥♥♥!" escaped her lips, followed by a brief "uh, sorry. I mean thank you." The verbally assaulted stranger scuttled off into the crowd, leaving Sadie alone in a foreign city she had never visited. Ugh that stupid bus driver! she growled under her breath. Whatever. I just have to find the nearest Pokemart and ask for a map. Everythings gonna be fine.

Luckily, the Pokemart hands out free beginner trainer booklets to those that are barely starting out their journey. Unfortunately, you need proof of such and Sadie had none. But after explaining her story and using her gift of persuasion, she was able to easily nab a copy from the clerk. Blowing a kiss to the man, she proudly marched towards Route 19, thankful that she was only a small route away from her destination.

The route between Aspertia City and Floccesy Town was a quaint one. There were trees, shrubs, and even a small pond that surely harbored nothing other than your typical aquatic wildlife. New trainers decorated the route. Some were cheery, while others had a much more serious demeanor painted on. Sadie let her thoughts drift, wondering what kind of trainer she would be. But those thoughts were swiftly interrupted as she stumbled upon a group of kids hovering around a blond woman. They seemed not only infatuated with her, but the large blue rock that floated in front of her as well. As Sadie neared the group, she could hear the woman speaking. Though her voice was muffled, Sadie could still make out a few key phrases.

"You see,… uses magnetic force to commun... In swarms they… complete unison…"

Nudging a few of the kids to the side, Sadie began to put two and two together as the cogs began to turn in her mind. "Um, are you Professor Bianca?"

"Yes!" she said gleefully. "Is there anything I could help with?"

All of the childrens eyes were on the brunette. They were all so deeply displeased with Sadie interrupting the professor, she was certain they would all strike her at any moment. She turned to one of the kids that was scowling at her and responded with an even nastier grimace. The kid then cowered back, leaving Sadie having to stifle her laughter. After the professor cleared her throat, Sadie turned her attention back to the blond, informing her that she was here to start out on her new journey.

"Ah, yes! I do remember reading about a Sadie Hunt." Rummaging through her briefcase, the professor pulled out a Pokeball and turned to the crowd of children. "Now everyone say goodbye to Beldum! He's off to start out on his very own journey. Be sure to wish him good luck!" The kids snickered, but obeyed their orders. They wished the Pokemon farewell in unison and soon after, the Beldum dissipated into a beam of red. "Don't worry, I still have a couple more Pokemon to show you," she said to the gathering. Her voice was sweet like cotton candy and only had the smallest hint of fatigue. "But for you," she said, turning towards Sadie. "This little guy is all yours."

The soon to be trainer arched her eyebrows in disbelief. "You're telling me that that floating blue ROCK is supposed to be my partner!?" Not only were the kids pissing her off, but the professor was getting on her nerves as well now. Taking a deep breath, Sadie centered herself and put her hand out in front of her. "Whatever. Just give me the Pokeball so I can leave."

Bianca handed the Pokeball over with both of her hands, clasping Sadies in the process. "I know he may seem a bit… underwhelming at first. But please don't lose faith. He has the power to be unstoppable! Just have patience. Now head on over to the lab. My assistant, Lily, will gift you all you need to start out on your journey."

The professors tone was sincere and motherly, piercing Sadie in an unexpected way. The brunette wasn't able to muster up a response, only capable of pulling her hand away with the Pokeball. As she turned her back to the group, she could hear the unclasping of the professors briefcase and the sound of a Pokeball opening, soon followed by a cheer from the children. She began to give a brief overview of the Pokemon to the children, but the farther Sadie walked, the more distant her voice grew. Soon, her voice was nothing more than distant echo, muffled by the noises of mother nature.

Successfully reaching the entrance of Aspertia City, Sadie was emotionally exhausted. She plunged her hand into her bag and towed out the trainer manual, sighing in the process. Flipping to the section which held all the town maps, she began to scan over what little Aspertia City had to offer. There was one location the piqued her interest though, and that was the Aspertia City outlook. Watch as Unova unfolds before your eyes with this breathtaking view of all that surrounds the humble Aspertia City! it read.

Unfortunately, the booklet left out one tiny detail: the monumental staircase that leads towards the outlook. Sadies will turned to iron as she bustled up the stairs. She was desperate for some seclusion and only someone mad would ever climb to such heights. She needed isolation like a smoker needed a drag and she swore shed crawl up the stairs on all fours if she had to.

Thankfully, she didn't have to resort to such measures. Her calves were a bit sore, but she sustained no major injuries. Plopping herself down on a bench, she inhaled the fresh air and soon felt her emotions taking a turn for the worst. She wanted to cry and scream and yell every curse word she knew from the top of her lungs. But she didn't. Her eyes watered, but no tears fell. She was thankful for that. It meant nobody would be a victim of witnessing her ugly crying face. Instead, she stared off into the scenery, trying her best to clear her mind of any negative thoughts that she harbored inside.

In her state of zen, the presence of another human became aware to our brunette. As the boy walked past her, Sadie briefly examined him from her peripherals. He was tall, fair skinned, and wore an ensemble that was fit for winter. Sadie returned her vision to the view that overlooked the wilderness of the neighboring routes, rolling her eyes in the process. Unfortunately, the lad continued to obstruct her being as he walked towards the edge of the outlook and leaned over the railing. Only then did it become apparent that he too was also a trainer. By his side was a small, yellow Pokemon; an electric type by the looks of it. I guess just this once she could stand sharing this intimate moment with another, even if she thought his bandana was ugly.

Blast had finally freed himself of Flicker's death grip after much struggling, which had left Flicker with more than a few singed hairs. The Magby didn't go far after regaining his mobility, choosing to remain a few paces from his new trainer. However, he seemed set on keeping the distance between them; a dark glare was set on Flicker, though the girl was finding the small Pokemon's irritation quite adorable.

Glancing about smilingly, Flicker waved to a few passersby who were giving the pair a mixture of amused and odd looks. As her eyes were raised to those around her, she caught sight of a boy nearby with a Tepig. 'Ooooh, he must be a new trainer too! And he has a scarf just like me!' "Come on, Blast, we're going to make some friends!" she declared. Before the Magby could protest, she had lunged forward and grabbed it by one of its arms, dragging it over to the boy as the stranger was returning the fire pig to its Poke Ball. "Hello there, stranger! You're a new trainer too, right? Me too!" Sticking out her right hand - which wasn't holding the exasperated Blast - for a shake, she added, "My name's Flicker, and this is my new buddy, Blast the Magby!" Blast, still dangling by his arm from Flicker's grip, was swept forward. The poor fire-type had given up on escaping its erratic master for the moment, simply glaring at everything around it in its annoyance.

"A-ah-" Hayate had to take a moment to remind himself that he was in a town, still... 'recovering' from his fall. "I guess I am?" That was pretty out of the blue. From falling down to meeting someone new...? He extended his hand and shook Flicker's, not exactly sure why she had chosen to come at him so suddenly- obviously they both had what she had mentioned, the whole "rookie trainer" thing in common, but just springing onto someone like that? He mentally shrugged- she and him both had to make friends somehow, and this had to be her way of doing it. "My name is Hayate, and the Tepig I just returned is Auriga. Nice to meet you!" ...I think.

"Nice to meet you too!" was Flicker's reply. As she lowered both of her arms again, she relinquished her grip on Blast, allowing the Magby to plop back down on the ground. While Blast didn't seem entirely happy with the way he had been set down, at least he could be glad that his arm was no longer being yanked out of its socket. Stretching her arms, she then folding them behind her head, looking for all the world like she was a friend casually waiting on another friend to tie their shoes or something. "I can't wait to get started on my journey, ya know?" Her mouth stretched into an excited grin as she continued. "I came over from Castelia this morning, quite the view on the way! And now I'll get to see it all over again from another view, and with a buddy at that!" Blast did not look the least bit happy at being referred to as her "buddy".

"Woah, wait!" Hayate raised his eyebrows. "You came from Castelia too? I thought I was the only one, to be honest!" He grinned. "The view is alright- it's very different from the city.... which isn't a bad thing. I've heard that the Aspertia City Outlook is a cool sight too." He looked up for a moment and let out a low whistle. "Probably good for telescopes and star-gazing as well."

Flicker raised an eyebrow at him. Going to an outlook to look at stars? Wouldn't that make it more of an uplook? ...Well, she supposed looking up at the stars was technically still looking out from the planet, so that worked. "Fan of stars, eh? Or are ya just interested in looking for aliens?" What? There were those kinds of people, how was she to know whether or not he was one?

"Nah, just stars. If I see aliens it's a bonus, but what are the chances? The stars are enough for me." He shrugged. "I just find them interesting, that's all- especially constellations, and the story behind said constellations. I ended up naming my Tepig after one- Auriga means charioteer, so I found that it fit." He thought for a moment. Aliens? Why... just why would I even... It'd be a waste of time, probably.

The image that came to Flicker's mind when Hayate explained his Tepig's name was that of the small Tepig seated in a chariot being pulled by a pair of Rapidash, the Tepig driving the blazing horses forward with a fierce look on its face. Flicker giggled at the ridiculous thought - certainly that wasn't what Hayate had had in mind when he gave his Tepig the name Auriga. At least he was creative with his nicknames; Blast wasn't exactly an original name. Not that Flicker cared either way, even if her Pokemon seemed none too happy with his name - or maybe he was just unhappy with her? Well, they had just met. He'd warm up to her eventually, she was sure. Hopefully that would happen before they passed through Castelia and visited Aunt Lily; she'd probably never let Flicker out of the house again if she found out her niece had received a Pokemon that continuously attempted to set her on fire.

"Well, you're definitely right about the view being different from Castelia. This is even quainter than Vermilion City was! ...Though I guess that isn't too surprising since Vermilion is a major port city...," she added as an afterthought.

"I've never been to Vermilion City. Honestly... I've never really been too far out of Castelia. Anville is probably the farthest I've gone from Castelia, and... that's only because you can get there through the subway, heh." He smiled sheepishly. "Not very impressive, I know. But I suppose that's why I'm here. Hey, so what's Vermilion like, anyways?"

"Always busy, especially when their was a cruiser in the port. Not many houses, though, since most people came just to board a ship or sight see before continuing on their way. But there were always lots of people." Flicker let out a small laugh. "And few of them were able to escape the clutches of the Pokemon Fan Club. There was always a group from the club greeting trainers coming in and drilling them with questions about their journey."

...So sort of like you, obviously barring the drilling. "Well, sounds a bit like Castelia in the terms of being a port city, but the fact that it doesn't have many houses as well as the fact that it houses the Pokemon Fan Club is pretty foreign, I'll be honest." His eyes drifted off to the side for a moment, mostly just wondering about Vermilion and noting that he probably wouldn't ever get there. And I'm sure that sis is still in Unova, as well. Priorities, Hayate! Priorities!

Looking back at Flicker again, he sighed. "Seriously, this whole 'trainer' concept is still pretty foreign to me. So are Pokemon- I see them all the time but never interact with them, and the world is pretty small for me right now, so hearing about these different places and cities is..." He thought for a moment. "...Interesting, for the lack of a better word."

Flicker's eyes glinted at his words as an idea came to her. "I know! How about we travel together? I may not have gone to many places in Unova, but I've heard lots about a lot of stuff, and I've been preparing for this very day for years! And if you really find other places so interesting, I can tell ya about all the places I've been, in exchange for the company!" She nodded her head approvingly at her own plan. "This must be fate! Both of us with scarves, both of us hailing from Castelia, and both of us with fire-type starters!" She eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, a finger on her chin. "The only thing that could make this more perfect would be if we were both of the same gender. Eh, not really much to be done about that though." She shrugged.

"Eh, um." He wasn't exactly sure how to feel about this. He had just met her, and now she wanted to travel with him? It was... this was certainly random. He wasn't exactly sure how to answer- there was of course the idea that this was a chance he may never have, but then again... there were times where Hayate would rather be by himself. "...I dunno about traveling together the whole time to be honest. Sometimes... sometimes I'd rather just walk alone. But then again, there are times where I'd like to be with someone else on my travels. So..." He smiled. "Why don't we travel together sometimes- sort of on and off, in a way. Sometimes we'll take a route together, sometimes we won't. I mean, think about it- maybe there'll be two paths to take instead of one. But we should probably meet up in each town we can, kind of... to maintain some form of communication."

Why would anyone ever want to be on their own...? Flicker didn't really see the point in traveling alone. Though, since they had Pokemon with them, she guessed they wouldn't really be alone. Eh, it was his decision anyways; at least he hadn't turned her down completely! "Sounds like a plan to m-" She yelped suddenly, lifting up her foot and leaning over in awkward position as she desperately attempted to blow out the flames that were eating away at the cuffs of her jeans. The obvious culprit was Blast, and the Magby made no attempt to hide the fact that he was to blame as he stood glaring up at Flicker with his arms crossed. Flicker scowled down at her Pokemon as she finally managed to extinguish the fire. "What?" The question only seemed to annoy Blast even more, the Magby rolling its eyes briefly towards Hayate then turning away with a huff, a few small embers escaping its mouth. Glancing between Hayate and Blast, Flicker shrugged. It seemed Blast wasn't particularly fond of traveling with large groups, so perhaps it was a good thing they weren't going to be traveling with Hayate all the time.

Hayate smiled semi-sheepishly. "I suppose he agrees with me. Sometimes it might just be better to experience things on your own, y'know?" He was mostly looking out for one particular thing he'd probably want to do alone, although he pushed that to the back of his mind. I'll deal with it when the time comes.

Flicker hummed in agreement as she pulled out Blast's Poke Ball. She didn't really want him setting anything important on fire before they got out of town, so into the Poke Ball he went! He didn't seem entirely happy about it but resigned himself to his fate as he disappeared in a flash of red light. "Well, we're wasting daylight just sitting here talking! Come on, come one, let's goooo!" Grabbing Hayate's hand, she began dragging him towards Route 19.

"W-w-woah!" Hayate gulped as he was quickly led away by the energetic girl. Here we go again....