Theme Song

When you look around, and all seems small (A blonde boy in a tan hat looks around a bedroom and sighs)

You want to climb, but always fall (The blonde boy slides backwards across the ground in pain, a small, owl-like Pokemon in his arms)

Glancing up, your goals look far (The blonde boy stands beneath a mountain with three figures standing above him, blocking a trophy)

Get through the past, you'll be a star! (The blonde boy, owl-like Pokemon, and two other Pokemon stand together on a pedestal)

Stand up! (2) We'll win the fight! (The owl-like Pokemon shoots a Razor Leaf, another uses Bite, and the last Pokemon uses Iron Tail)

Look up! (The blonde holds a gray crystal into the air with his right arm, grinning widely)

Your future's bright! (The blonde shakes hands with a brown-haired teen that looks a few years older than him)

Fight hard! (2x) (The owl-like Pokemon and a bipedal, fire type Pokemon stand across from each other in battle stances)

Your dream's in sight (A silhouette stands across from the blonde in a huge stadium)

And if the fight gets too rough (A four-legged Pokemon falls to the ground in pain)

Your friends are there to help you up (A blonde girl and a brown-haired boy hold out their hands to the blonde boy)

Never hold your dreams inside (The blonde sits on the ground as the sun sets in the west and the moon appears in the east)

Let them out, and you will thrive! (The blonde travels along a dirt path with the owl-like Pokemon flying beside him)

Pokémon!

Well, everyone, I've joined the bandwagon. I'm going to write an Alola story, and it'll be in the same universe that TQG is set in. Why? Because I like Alola xD Simple enough. I think I've got an incredibly unique storyline ahead that I think you, dear reader, will enjoy. That being said, this does not follow the Sun/Moon storyline obviously. However, I hope that you will stick with it anyways. I've put a lot of hard work in, and I think you will enjoy it. But you didn't want to hear me ramble on. Without further ado, Chapter 1!

In the mysterious world of Pokemon, every region has its own customs. For example, Fiore holds the world-famous Pokemon Rangers, the Orange Islands have their Orange League, and many regions- like Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn- host their Pokemon League. The Alola Region, however, holds the Island Challenge, a rite of passage for Pokemon Trainers in the tropical region.

The Island Challenge draws trainers from all around the world to partake in the trials. Visitors and locals alike then complete the Trial Captains' quests to earn the right of battling against each island's Kahuna, the leader of the island. In the past, when all four Kahunas were defeated, the challenger was given the right to partake in the Final Island Trial, where the individual would battle all four Kahunas in a row. However, five years ago, the Alola Pokemon League was created, replacing the Final Island Trial.

The winner of the League would be crowned the Champion of the Alola Region, making them the strongest trainer in the region. Most new trainers in the tropical islands aspire to become the Champion one day. One aspiring trainer, a seventeen-year old named Luke Jackson from Melemele Island, hopes to do just that: become the next Champion of the Alola Region. However, his night isn't quite going as well as he had hoped it would.

Tossing and turning in his bed, Luke Jackson wanted more than anything to be able to fall asleep. He was simply laying sprawled across his mattress, wishing his eyes could stay shut. He had been awake in his bed for the past two hours, unable to sleep due to his stressing about the next day.

The boy had a full head of honey blonde hair that was visible even in the darkness of his bedroom. Luke's electric blue eyes darted around his room, looking all around him, despite being able to see very little in the night.

"I finally get to receive a Pokemon from Kukui, and I can't sleep. Naturally…" the teen muttered as he stared upwards at his blank ceiling.

The seventeen year old boy was speaking of the Alola Region's world-renowned Professor Kukui, an expert on Pokemon's moves. The man often gave out starter Pokemon to new trainers once a month, and Luke was going to be given one this time.

The teen groaned once more in annoyance- a sound he had been making several times that night- as he turned onto his left side to look at his bedside table. Atop of the wooden nightstand stood an alarm clock made in the form of a Charmander's head. His open mouth held the time, and it read 2:13 AM.

"I'm supposed to be awake and ready to leave the house at eight," he grumbled softly, his tone sounding extremely bitter. "How in hell am I supposed to be ready when I can't even get to sleep?"

Luke was normally a very optimistic guy, but when he was awake at the early hours of the morning, even he got grumpy. He turned back onto his back, hoping to get comfortable enough to sleep. He lifted his right arm up and out of his covers, stretching as he released a yawn.

His body felt relaxed, so physically, he should have been able to sleep. However, Luke's mind was running at nearly one hundred miles per hour, unable to stay calm. He was anxious, yet excited about receiving his starter Pokemon finally, but unfortunately for Luke, the worry was overtaking the excitement.

"How am I supposed to stand out at all when my family is who they are?" he asked the night sky, despite knowing there would be no reply. "They're some of the best trainers in Alola. There's no possible way that I could be better than them."

The Jackson family, like he said, was quite well-known throughout the region, each of them for their own accomplishments. His two older sisters had each earned their starter Pokemon from Professor Kukui as well, so the researcher was sure to expect big things from the youngest Jackson as well.

Sighing, Luke muttered, "I want to stand out. I want to shine." He then repeated the two sentences again and again, almost as though it was an incantation. "I want to stand out. I want to shine. I want to stand out. I want to shine. I want to stand out. I want to shine. I want..."

He kept repeating a few more times before he couldn't anymore. Almost as though it really was magic, Luke was able to finally drift to sleep, but his mind was still on his family's successes...

"Welcome back, everyone! The final match of the night is happening right now! We're here in the Battle Royal Dome, located on the beautiful Royal Avenue on our very own Akala Island!"

A stocky man was standing at the very center of what looked like a boxing ring. The man wore a black and white striped shirt and held a green and red flag in his left and right hands respectively. He then pointed to his right, at a man in a red T shirt and jeans that appeared to be around twenty-years old.

"In this corner, we have the newly-found fighter, Shaun Herron, and his Beedrill!"

A loud chorus of cheers followed the introduction, so the referee waited a bit before continuing. When the crowd died down, the man moved on. He pointed towards the man in front of him and said, "Here we have a reliable battler! It's James Bennell and Granbull!"

Like before, another portion of the audience began to cheer at the sound of fighter's name as the man in a tank top and cargo shorts grinned wildly. Like previously, the crowd soon died down, so the ref could keep on with introductions.

Signaling to his left, he announced, "And over here we have the well-loved Mia Shane and Rhyperior!"

Almost like a broken record at this point, the audience, once again, cheered loudly at the referee's announcement while the woman in a purple top and blue jeans smirked. And, once again, the crowd then died down. However, this time, unlike previously, there was a sense of excitement building in the arena as the man in the striped shirt turned around, moving towards the man that was initially behind him.

"In this corner," he began. The crowd began to cheer the loudest that they had been all night as the referee finished, saying, "Marcus Jackson and his trusty Inceroar!"

The audience was in an uproar as the final battler- a grown man unlike his opponents that all appeared to be aged around twenty- waved towards the spectators, grinning happily. The man pointed into the crowd at three young kids- two girls and a boy. The oldest girl had brown hair and appeared about twelve or thirteen. The next child- the other female- was a blonde who appeared a few years younger than the child next to her. Finally, the young boy next the blonde girl had a full head of blonde hair with one of his front teeth missing. That fact didn't stop him from smiling his heart out, though. He didn't look like he could be any older than seven or eight.

Just after that, a bell rang from above the trainers. Upon hearing the sound, the referee jogged towards the side and left the ring as all four trainers grabbed a Pokeball from their pockets and hurled them towards the ring at the same time. In a bright flash, four very different-looking creatures appeared.

The first looked like a large bee or wasp, the second was a large, purple dog, the third was a large, behemoth of a Pokemon with rocks across his body, and the fourth and final Pokemon looked was a red and black wrestler, appearing to be like a bipedal cat. At the very moment that the final Pokemon, Incineroar, was released, the three kids the challenger waved at cheered loudly, clapping and grinning from their seats.

The young boy watched eagerly as the Incineroar bent his knees and brought his right arm down close to the ground. The Pokemon was preparing for a long, tough battle, and the little blonde knew it. His bright blue eyes were nearly glued to the wrestler-like creature. Any move that the Pokemon made was instantly seen by the boy.

In the next instant, three commands were given, each of them heard throughout the arena without any problem.

"Poison Jab!"

"Close Combat"

"Rock Slide!"

In the next instant, the bee Pokemon- Beedrill- shot towards the dog- Granbull- while the purple canine dashed towards the titan of a Pokemon to his right, Rhyperior. As that happened, Rhyperior held his arms up above his chest and summoned a barrage of boulders on top of the insect. None of this was able to distract the boy in the stands, though. Throughout the whole ordeal, his eyes were still set on the last Pokemon: Incineroar.

The cat hadn't moved a single inch during the fighting of his opponents. He simply watched the brawl unfold patiently while his trainer held his arms across his chest. A small smirk found its way to his face as Marcus took one final moment to watch his three opponents fight each other, all three of them focusing on type advantages.

"Let's get this battle heated up, my friend," the grown man told his partner quietly, the same confident smirk never leaving his face. Then, louder, Marcus ordered, "Flare Blitz!"

Instantly springing into action, the Incineroar leapt forwards, dashing ahead as he launched his arms backwards. Just after he began his rush towards his three distracted opponents, a flash of flames appeared around the dual type, cloaking him completely. The fire began as a reddish hue, but soon changed as he ran.

When he met his maximum speed, only a few feet away from his opponents, Incineroar's blaze became a brilliant royal blue, symbolizing just how hot the flames were at that point. All three of the other Pokemon were now watching in terror as they could do nothing to stop the attack.

The Heel Pokemon slammed into the huddled mass of his opponents, sending each and every one of them flying. Beedrill and Granbull instantly fainted on contact: a clear sign of how powerful this fire type was. Rhyperior, however, didn't seem prepared to fall as easily.

While he was injured, the rock type was still able to stand on his feet and continue battling. The titan of a Pokemon stood proudly, glaring across the field at his opponent. His trainer, Mia, had the same look in her eye- although she was sending the daggers towards Incineroar's trainer, Marcus.

"Hit that thing with a Stone Edge!" the female ordered, her gaze never leaving the other trainer.

Nodding his head in agreement, Rhyperior thrusted both of his beefy arms high into the air. Then, as quickly as he brought them up, the rock type shot them back down, pointing at the ground in front of him. In response, stalagmites shot upwards suddenly in the boxing ring, rocketing towards Incineroar. The fire type didn't shirk at the sight, though. Instead, he simply tilted his head back lazily, looking to his trainer for a command.

Smirking, the man stated, "Darkest Lariat."

He put no emotion into the order. He said it as simply as one might give a polite greeting to a stranger on the sidewalk as they passed by. The tone didn't seem to match the situation, yet the confident smirk still stretched across Marcus' face.

Despite the seeming lack of interest by his trainer, Incineroar instantly shot forwards, another stream of flames surrounding him. This flash of fire didn't give off the same heat that Flare Blitz did, however. Instead, these flames seemed to absorb heat, making the area around him chill. The tips of the blaze tinged black as the Heel Pokemon began to spin like a top.

Then, the Alolan Pokemon rocketed forwards, still spinning. Incineroar hit the oncoming stalagmites head on, breaking through them as he continued on towards Rhyperior. The Drill Pokemon watched as his opponent came shooting towards him, fear evident in Rhypeior's face. Nothing the colossus of a Pokemon could do would stop the oncoming rocket that was Incineroar.

With a loud crash, the Alolan Pokemon shot into Rhyperior, and knocked the rock type right on his back. He was instantly knocked out, so Mia recalled the titan to his Pokeball. The reaction to the loss was instantaneous.

The crowd roared with approval as Incineroar made his way back towards Marcus. The two met in the middle of the ring, and once they were standing together, took deep bows. Once again, the spectators were in an uproar; they loved him.

The little blonde boy was one of the many screaming fans, cheering for Marcus and Incineroar as they relished in their latest victory. The whoops and whistles were all that was heard as the scene slowly began to dissolve into the darkness.

"The semifinals are definitely shaping up to be the awesome battlers that we were all expecting!"

The voice cut through the darkness as a scene began to appear. A short, stocky announcer dressed in a fancy black tuxedo sat in a large press box above a battlefield that seemed to be covered in flames. Rows of fire lined up along the edges, trapping the battlers and their Pokemon inside. Inside, though, neither of the two trainers appeared to be worried about the heat.

On the left side of the announcer, standing confidently in a trainer's box down on the field was a girl standing about 5'10". She had brown hair in a ponytail and a pair of brown eyes that were concentrating completely on the battle ahead of her. She wore a red T shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and black combat boots. Around her waist sat a Pokeball belt that held six red and white capsules.

In front of her stood an Incineroar that, while not as beefy or buff as Marcus', still seemed to be in excellent condition. He had several scratches and bruises across his body, though. Just from the sight of him, any spectator could tell this has been a long and hard fought battle.

Standing across from the woman stood another trainer. This battler, however, was male. Like the first teen, he seemed to almost exude confidence, as though he knew that his team was strong and had what it takes to win.

He had medium-length dirty blonde hair with bangs swept to his right side and sky blue eyes. The trainer wore a pair of blue jeans, a red T shirt, a black leather jacket, and a pair of black tennis shoes. He stood at about 6'1".

In front of the man stood an owl-like Pokemon with brown wings and a green, leaf-like hood. The Pokemon was nearly as tall as his trainer, too, and gave off the same sort of power the trainer did.

"This battle has come down to the final Pokemon for Alexa Jackson," the announcer began pointing towards the female. "and two Pokemon remaining for Ace Soldat." He then pointed over towards the male.

"This battle is far from over for Miss Jackson, though," he continued. "She and Incineroar have shown a remarkable amount of strength getting this far! Mister Soldat hasn't gone through more than three Pokemon at any point in the League until now!"

The crowd began cheering for Alexa at that point, and the girl's eyes finally strayed from her opponent for a moment. They searched through the crowd for a moment until the two spheres locked in on three figures in the crowd. A grown man, a girl a little younger than Alexa, and a blonde boy were all cheering louder than anyone else in the audience, and the sight of them made the battler smile.

Just after that, though, she refocused on the battle just in time to hear her opponent yell, "Sinister Arrow Raid!"

A combination of movements were performed by Ace as he spoke, but Alexa didn't waste time watching him. Instead, she called out to Incineroar, hoping to counter the move she knew to be extremely powerful.

"Flamethrower!"

The Heel Pokemon quickly opened his mouth widely and spewed out a torrent of red-hot flames in front of him and towards Decidueye. The Arrow Quill Pokemon didn't seem worried, though. He quickly shot into the air, spreading his wings as far out as he could as he flew. While darting through the air, arrows made of purple energy appeared out of thin air and followed the Alolan Pokemon.

Decidueye rocketed through the air at high speeds; speeds so fast that Incineroar couldn't come close to hitting him. Anytime that the Heel Pokemon tried hitting him with his Flamethrower, the grass type swerved out of the way, dodging completely.

The possibility of stopping the powerful attack from getting to Incineroar was getting lower and lower as Decidueye flew on, outmaneuvering everything the wrestler tried to do. The owl just flew on faster, getting within ten feet of his opponent.

In a last ditch effort, Alexa changed up her strategy and yelled, "Brutal Swing!"

Incineroar brought his right arm back behind him as it began to glow black. He was charging up energy, hoping to take out the rest of Decidueye's energy in one last blow, but before he had the chance, his opponent swooped in for the coup de grace.

The Alolan owl shot down right into Incineroar and flapped his wings forwards. The action stopped him from flying into his opponent, but the arrows continued on, allowing Decidueye to escape before being hit. Each and every one of the projectiles slammed into Incineroar and created a massive explosion filled with purple energy.

When the smoke cleared, Incineroar was seen lying across the ground fainted while Decidueye was standing in front of Ace, perfectly fine and uninjured. The crowd roared with cheers at the sight, in awe at the amazing battle they had seen: a battle that will go down in Alola League's history as one of the best.

Alexa recalled her partner and couldn't help but release a sad smile. She may have lost, but this was the semifinals. That places her as one of the four best trainers in the region. That comforting thought was all it took for the girl to begin grinning widely as photographers' cameras went crazy.

Like before, the image soon disappeared and was replaced with darkness.

When the dream changed once again, the scene was that of a canyon. A small group of people were standing in front of a tall tree with no leaves. The tree looked as though it was dying, yet a strange sort of energy still seemed to be coming from it.

Five people were at the grove. Among them were the Jackson family: Marcus, Alexa, and two other blondes. One of them was female and the other male. The girl- the older of the two blondes- stood about 5'7" and had a pale skin tone with bright blue eyes. She wore a simple white dress that went down to her knees with a black belt around her waist. The boy was about the same height and wore only a pair of blue jeans, a gray T shirt, and black tennis shoes.

The regal-looking girl stood next to the fifth person: a blonde man wearing blue jeans, a red T shirt, a black leather jacket, and like the blonde boy, a pair of black tennis shoes. He seemed to be the same age as Alexa, and the Jackson family seemed somewhat familiar with him.

"Hello, Jacksons," he greeted with a small smile. "I'm glad to see all of you here to support Nicole."

The man pointed towards the blonde girl, who smiled at the comment. She didn't say anything, though, so the man continued on.

"As you all know, Mina has resigned from her position as Fairy Trial Captain." He paused for a moment, and the Jacksons all nodded their heads, smiling. "So, as Champion of Alola, it is my job to replace her with another suitable fairy type user."

The family smiled even wider upon hearing that, glad to formally hear what they had all been guessing when the Champion asked them to come. Seeing that, the man nodded his head.

"I can see that you've all figured out who I would like to replace Mina," he continued, smiling slightly again. After the family of four nodded their heads, the Champion took one step forwards, towards the blonde girl. "I'm asking you to become the next Fairy Trial Captain, Nicole. Will you accept the position?"

Her jaw nearly dropped for a moment; guessing what he was going to say had in no way prepared her to formally hear it. However, Nicole was quick to recover and nodded her head.

"Yes, sir. I would be honored to have the spot of Trial Captain."

The man smiled once again before releasing a large bird Pokemon. He then bowed his head slightly, silently giving his farewell, having decided to leave them alone to celebrate. The man turned towards his Pokemon and climbed onto its back. Before he could kick off, though, he heard something from behind him.

"Thank you, Ace," Nicole told the man, the smile on her face the widest she'd ever made. "I'm honored you thought of me and will do the best I can. I promise."

Nodding his head, the Champion responded, "I know you will. It's why I knew you'd be the perfect fit." He paused for a moment after that. "Congratulations, Nicole."

With that, the man- Ace- left on his Pokemon's back. The young blonde boy watched the Champion go with a look of awe in his eyes. This was the strongest trainer in the region, and the boy had been looking up to him for years.

The dream then faded again as Ace flew off. This time, though, it didn't shift into another memory. Instead, a loud ringing was heard.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky when the alarm clock in Luke's room began to go off. The digital clock laid on the bedside table, the Charmander smiling as the beeping noise cut through the silence of the morning.

7:00 AM

The blonde let out a long, exasperated sigh upon seeing the time, clearly wishing that he could have gotten a lot more sleep than he did. However, he knew this was a big day. Laying in bed wallowing in his lack of rest would do him no good.

"It doesn't mean it isn't a comforting thought…" he muttered to himself.

Luke still climbed out of bed, though, and lumbered over towards his bathroom at the far side of his room. There was one advantage to being the only son of three kids: Luke had a bathroom to himself while his sisters had to share one.

He climbed into the shower, turned on the hot water, and got himself ready for the day. Like the comfort of his bed, Luke didn't want to leave the warm confines of the shower, either. It took the thought of finally being able to have his starter Pokemon to push him out.

He went to dry off and get dressed in his usual, yet simple garb. Luke wore a blue and white striped shirt, tan cargo shorts, and a pair of black tennis shoes. The teen did a once-over of himself and as soon as he saw what himself in the mirror on his wall, frowned. Luke bent down onto the ground and scanned for the final part of his outfit.

The search took him a moment, but he soon found what he was looking for. Laying on the side of his bed opposite the night stand was a small, tan porkpie hat. The sight of the hat brought the first smile of the day to Luke's face. He shot over towards it, and placed the cap on his head. Then, turning back towards the mirror, he looked over himself one final time. Finally happy with the look, the blonde left his room and walked down a hallway towards his kitchen.

When he entered the room, Luke wasn't at all surprised to see the rest of his family sitting at the table, lightly chatting while dad drank his morning coffee. The teen then sniffed the air and noticed the scent of bacon and sausage coming from the room. That caused the second smile of the morning.

"Good morning, Luke," Marcus Jackson greeted.

The man was clearly older now than he was in the blonde's dream, but Marcus didn't seem to have aged much, despite it being nearly ten years. He was a few inches taller than his son, standing at a height of about 6'1" and had the same mix of blonde hair and blue eyes Luke had. Unlike his son, however, Marcus had much more of a tan apparent. The man wore a pair of pajama pants, a plain white shirt, and a pair of slippers.

'The joys of being a retired pro, I suppose,' Luke mused.

The teen then turned his head away from his father just as two voices greeted him.

"Morning, bro."

"Good morning, Luke."

The next two voices came from the other two figures at the table: the teen's sisters, Alexa and Nicole Jackson. The two girls were sitting at the table eating their breakfast.

Alexa sat in her chair, the two back legs holding her weight while the front legs were dangling above the ground. She had long brown hair that went halfway down her back and brown eyes that had a sort of fire to them. She was wearing a pair of black jeans, a gray undershirt, and a red jacket that seemed to accentuate the ferocity showing in her eyes. Alexa had barely glanced up when she greeted her brother and as soon as she did, went back to scarfing down her pancakes, bacon, and sausage.

Nicole sat next to her sister, but unlike the other girl, appeared to be much better mannered. She had her chair down upon the ground with all four legs touching the kitchen floor. The girl had blonde hair that reached her shoulders and two bright, blue eyes. Nicole was a lot less tanned than her family, almost looking pale, despite the tropical region they lived in. She smiled at Luke as he walked in, but then also quickly went back to focusing on her breakfast.

"Good morning, all," the boy responded, smiling a bit as he nodded his head towards his family members: his usual sign of greeting.

Luke arriving to the table last wasn't unusual, so no one was all that surprised when he came walking into the kitchen while everyone else was eating. He simply continued on with his morning routine, grabbing a plate of pancakes and breakfast meat then heading to the table. They didn't usually have anything special like this for breakfast, but apparently Marcus had woken up a little early to make pancakes for the family before Luke went to visit Kukui.

The blonde sat down at the table and began eating without another word, the lack of sleep still at the forefront of his mind. Luke was trying to relax a little longer before leaving, knowing he was going to have a long day. His family didn't start up any conversations with him either. Alexa and Nicole just continued on with their light chatting between themselves while Marcus read the paper. It wasn't until after breakfast, when Luke was cleaning up the table before he left, that Marcus decided to spark a conversation.

"How'd you sleep, kiddo?" he asked, a smile on his tan face.

Luke grimaced mentally at the question, knowing what answer his father was expecting. Marcus thought he would receive the same confident sort of answer that Alexa or Nicole would have given him: that they slept perfectly fine and were ready for their first day as a Pokemon trainer.

'If only that's how it was,' he thought bitterly.

Luke was excited to have his starter Pokemon, but he wasn't feeling confident. He had no way of becoming as great as his family was. They were all well-known throughout the region, and he was supposed to live up to that.

'Like that's gonna happen.'

Aloud, though, Luke faked a smile as he answered, "I slept just fine, thanks. I dreamt about journeying across the region."

It wasn't true, but the teen figured that a response like that was his dad was hoping to hear. He definitely guessed correctly, too, because Marcus began to grin after hearing that.

"It sounds like you're certainly looking forward to leaving tomorrow then."

The father's tone sounded slightly sad at the thought of his youngest child- his only son- leaving home. At the same time, though, Marcus seemed to be proud. Luke sensed that and let out the third sincere smile of the morning.

"I think I am, dad," he answered honestly.

A sad smile seemed to form from the grin that previously sat upon Marcus' face.

"Then you had best get on your way, son. You don't want to leave Kukui waiting."

His father's eyes were sparkling, and Luke couldn't help but smile once more. His smile count went up to four as Luke grabbed his backpack he had set by the table the night before as he went to go to bed.

Marcus walked with Luke as he went towards the door. His sisters were sitting on a couch in the living room, smiling to their little brother as he walked to the exit of the house. Luke gave them a smile- he was now at five- then walked out from the door.

The blonde stepped out into nature and felt the sun's rays shoot into the back of his neck. Iki Town: a nice, simple village. The Jackson family had been living here since Luke's father and mother were married, and only now was the teen taking his first steps towards leaving.

Marcus stopped in the doorway and watched as his son stepped out into the yard. The blonde boy turned back once towards his father and spotted the proud look the man wore. Luke quickly turned back around, though, not trusting himself to not get emotional. He waved back at Marcus before walking away, towards Route 1.

"I'll be back later before it gets dark!" Luke promised.

Marcus didn't say a word as he watched his son hike away. Instead, he finally allowed the sole tear he had been holding to fall to the ground, pride for his son deep in his heart. The man then turned back towards the house and walked inside.

Luke, though, continued on his way until he knew he was out of sight from his house's windows. When he was certain that he couldn't be seen, he suddenly stopped. The blonde released a deep sigh. He looked up into the sky and closed his eyes tightly.

"I want to stand out. I want to shine."

Luke muttered the same phrase he had used like a spell the night before in the hopes that it would reassure him. He thought of all of the chances that were open to him as soon as he received his starter Pokemon.

Friendship.

Adventure.

Excitement.

All that and more waited on him; it was his future. Luke then surprised himself. For no reason, he released the sixth sincere smile of the morning. He couldn't help it.

"This is my chance to shine!" he cheered giddily, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

The overbearing weight and worry that he had been carrying around since the night before- the thoughts of being inadequate- were finally pushed away from the forefront of his mind. They weren't gone; the fears never left. But this was the first step.

And Luke was proud.

"This is my chance to shine!"

With that, Luke pressed on, moving towards the entryway of Route 1. Nothing could hold him back now.

Well there we are. I hope that wasn't too painful xD There wasn't a whole lot of depth in this chapter, but it's the pilot. Who was expecting a fully-fledged plot in one chapter? xD Alexa and Nicole definitely didn't have super-long segments (Mostly Nicole), but that's more due to them still being young, unlike Marcus. They still have time to write their stories (Metaphorically. I'm not writing a story about them xD) while their dad is retired. Anyways, I'm hoping that you enjoyed this so far. Thanks for reading!

1. What are your first impressions from the story?

2. Anything you really want to see in this story? (Certain character, plot moment, etc…)

3. Possible team predictions? (Pokemon from any region is fair game)

4. Arc Predictions?

Next Chapter: Hoot for Hood!

On his way to Professor Kukui's laboratory, Luke meets up with an old friend of his. She, like the blonde, is hoping to receive a starter Pokemon from the world-renowned researcher. When they get to the lab, however, they are not the only two prospective trainers there. With two others there, who knows which Pokemon that Luke will get!?

Melemele Arc

Chapter 3: The First Steps

Chapter 4: The Expert Soldier

Chapter 5: Duped by the Dex!

Chapter 6: Battling for Brunch?

Chapter 7: Standoff in the Sand!

Chapter 8: First Taste of a Trial

Chapter 9: Dimming the Star

Chapter 10: Feeling the Heat!