Thread: Across the Region

*cheesy kids show voice* Follow Harper as she and her magical Pokémon friends journey across the mystical region of Sinnoh! Along the way they'll make new friends and learn new things, ultimately saving the world by defeating one grunt at a time!! *end cheesy voice*

Wait. No. That's not what happens. No, you see, Harper's got some issues to work out--she doesn't want the grand life of a trainer, but even that can't stop her from being forced into a journey she never wanted to go on. Anger, fear, and loneliness just might be enough to stop Harper from ever becoming the trainer she once wanted to be.
SO WE BEGIN!!!

Prologue: Ending the Perfect Day
Chapter 1: A Rough Start
Chapter 2: Nice to Meet You, Not!
Chapter 3: Mad Scientist
Chapter 4: Jubilife, City to the Stars!
Chapter 5: No Friends
Chapter 6: Burning Past
Chapter 7: A Freak Stranger Appears!
[Intermission: About the Story/Characters]
[Intermission: Sketches]
Chapter 8: Avoiding the Competition
Chapter 9: Resting your Heart near Home
Chapter 10: Contest Crazies
Chapter 11: Red with Victory


*New Chapters: Saturdays and Sundays*

Ending the Perfect Day
"Happy birthday, Harper!" screamed her family in unison, each musical voice filling the early morning air. It was a crisp spring morning, the sun not yet warming the land with its rays, and nine year old Harper was hardly able to contain her excitement. Today was her birthday, only one more year to go before she would set out on her very own journey.

In honor of her birthday, her older siblings, Cadence and Melody, had returned home from their journeys and were currently toting blankets and food-filled baskets, the only things needed for a perfect birthday picnic. Cadence and Melody were twins, and five years ago they had each set off on their own journeys across the Sinnoh region, filling up their Pokédexes and making many friends along the way. After Sinnoh, the two went seperate ways--Cadence leaving for Almia to become a ranger, and Melody heading for Hoenn to learn more about contests.

Harper was nearly identical to her mother, her blond hair rippling with soft waves and curls and her eyes the same metallic gray. Cadence also shared their mothers eyes and hair, but like his father he was tall and burly--a blond goatee accentuating his constant smiles. Melody was red-haired like their dad, her hair perfectly straight and her eyes a beautiful sea-green. She had her father's height, but she was thin and elegant like her mother. It was clear to anyone who saw them that they were all family, though Cadence and Melody were hardly recognized as twins.

Cadence, her strong and determined big brother, specialized in water Pokémon. His motto was to always follow the beat of the waves and keep time to oceans pulse, as it was the rhythm of the world. Melody, her kind and encouraging older sister, found joy in working with flying Pokémon, her motto being to sing at all times, and listen to the sounds you made with your heart.

Harper could only wonder what kind of trainer she herself would be someday--what type would she find the most comfort in? Would she have a motto someday too, words that she lived by? And, more importantly, what would her goal be in life, after she beat the Sinnoh Elite Four?

"Lead the way, Harper," said her dad as he poked her ribcage. "You're the birthday girl, today we follow you!" Harper smiled and darted to the head of the group, leading the way towards Lake Verity. It was going to be a perfect day, the sky was a stunning blue and the few clouds in it were whiter than the cotton on a Swablu. The wind was gentle and a bit brisk, but it would grow warm as the sun rose.

Harper raced her siblings to the Lake, knowing that they let her win when she arrived ahead of them panting and out of breath. They caught up in measured strides, walking past her and setting down the picnic gear. Their mother quickly set to work laying out the picnic supplies with their father's help, the three siblings rushing to the lake shore and tossing off their shoes to dip their feet in the water. Harper trembled from the cold of it, but she couldn't wait to dive in later. For now, she decided to attempt catching the Magikarp that swam in circles around her ankles, each one looking as dull as the next. She plunged her arms into the shallow water repeatedly, grasping at the silly looking Pokémon, but each time missed and was forced to try again.

Cadence saw her desperate fishing attempts and laughed, tossing a Poké Ball into the air and smiling as his Floatzel dove into the water and snapped a Magikarp between its jaws. It emerged just as fast, dropping the agitated Pokémon into Harper's hands before powering its way through the lake water and allowing Cadence to jump onto its back. Harper, watching her brother speed his way across the lake on Floatzel, dropped the Magikarp by accident when it spat cold water in her face. She didn't care though, she was having more fun watching Cadence and Floatzel playing out on the lake.

Finally the picnic was ready, their parents calling them all to sit down and eat. They thanked Arceus for the beautiful day before digging in, and Harper silently gave her own thanks to Arceus for her siblings safe arrival home and her family being there for her.

After eating, Melody brought out her Staraptor and sang for Harper, Staraptor accompanying her with flute-like whistles from deep within its throat. They sounded beautiful, and Harper hugged her sister tight when it was over. Cadence then offered to take Harper for a ride on Floatzel across the lake, their dad accompanying them on his Gyrados with Melody flying overhead. Their mom stayed behind, lounging in the grass with a book she had picked up at the Canalave Library and losing herself to its content.

The four raced towards the small island in the center of Lake Verity, Floatzel and Gyrados sending up large sprays of water as they crashed through the water. Melody and Staraptor drifted lazily through the air, content to be the last to arrive to the island. Cadence helped Harper off Floatzel the moment they arrived, Harper digging her bare toes into the ground and dancing around her family members.

"Let's go in, let's go in!" she said giddily, pointing to the entrance of the small cave on the island.

"Alright, Harper," said her dad slowly, "But first... don't you want to know about your birthday present?"

Harper squealed and grabbed her dad's arm. "What is it? What is it!?"

Her dad grabbed one of his Poké Balls and inspected it, pretending not to hear Harper.

"Come on, Dad, what is my present!?" she begged, hanging off him and looking to her siblings for help, though they only smiled at her.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you!" her dad said with a laugh. "The first Pokémon you catch in this cave can be your starter when you begin your journey next year. Here, I'll lend you Luxray." He handed her the ball he'd been inspecting, bending down to her level and wrapping her fingers around it. "You think you can handle it?"

Harper nodded eagerly, clutching the ball tightly and leading the way into the cave. Inside, the cavern was damp and full of mud and water. Harper looked around nervously, listening for any sounds and searching for any movements. She saw nothing though, and sighed dejectedly when they had gone through the entire cavern and found absolutely no Pokémon.

Leading the way back out of the cavern, Harper's dad placed a hand on her shoulder encouragingly. "That's okay, we'll find your starter another day," he said.

As they emerged from the cave, they were shocked to see their mother surfing across the water at full speed towards them, riding on the back of her mighty Empoleon. "Quick, come quick!" she said as she reached them, turning Empoleon back around and leading the way back to the edge of the lake. Melody and Staraptor took to the air, Cadence pulling Harper onto Floatzel's back and surging towards the lake's edge while their father jumped onto Gyrados and rushed ahead of them.

They smelled the smoke burning in the forest before they reached the shore, and could even feel the flames coming from within. The day, starting off with air so crisp and clean, was turning dark from more than just the flames smoke, and Harper stared in horror at the burning forest. Cadence and Melody rushed into the forest with their dad, sending out their Pokémon and preparing to fight for the forest.

Staraptor set to beating the flames back while Floatzel and Gyrados fought off the flames with strong water attacks. The flames were spreading though, and it appeared the fire had not been an accident--small fires in separate areas of the forest were beginning to pop up, the smoke choking Harper even from where she stood. She could no longer see her family in the forest, the smoke was too thick, and she clung to her mother desperately.

"Harper, come on--we need to get help," her mom said, sounding calm though concern and worry were present in her eyes. She and Harper ran from the lake, running towards Twinleaf town and warning the townsfolk. From there, several of the town members rushed to the lake to help Harper's family, while a few others took off to get help from other areas such as Sandgem Town and Jubilife City.

Harper watched each person leave with their Pokémon, ready to help in any way they could. Finally, when it seemed everyone was gone, Harper's mom came to her. Kneeling, she put her hands on Harper's shoulders and hugged her. "It's alright honey, everything will be fine--for now, go home and stay inside. I have to go and help your father and siblings. Stay safe, okay?" she said, squeezing Harper tightly.

Harper nodded, hugging her mom back before she stood and left to join the others. Harper watched her and Empoleon race away before heading inside the house and sitting down at the table. It was dark before anyone returned home, Harper falling asleep in front of the tv as she waited.

The door clicked opened loudly, a tired figure entering the home and stumbling in the dark towards the kitchen. "Mom?" Harper asked sleepily, lifting her head to stare at the shadowed figure. "Mom, where's dad? Where are Cadence and Melody?" she asked, her mom dragging herself into a chair beside her and hugging her. She broke into loud and gasping sobs, clutching Harper against her as she cried. Grief overwhelmed Harper as she slowly came to understand, and she too began to cry at their loss--the ending of what had started out as the perfect day.

_____

[Return to Index]

Oh no! Hopefully Hallowheart will be able to keep up with the ambitious updating schedule mentioned in the anchor post, or we'll be left in suspense for certain with an ending like that!

At first glance the fic was easy on the eyes, which the line break in between paragraphs helped with tremendously.

I'm detecting a musical motif with the human character names so far, which works especially well even with what little we know of the characters at this point since the names are distinct and easily recognizable as being thematic, but are also very plausible, which often isn't the case with thematic names.

As for technical issues, I could suggest that the line "filling up their Pokédex's and..." be replaced with "Pokédexes" or something similar, as the apostrophe at the end of the word Pokédex as is suggests the narration is about to refer to something belonging to the Pokédex itself rather than merely agreeing with the established fact that the twins each own their own Pokédex. This is easily fixed however, and the entry itself is very well put together.

Instant bonus points for using the accented e in the word "Pokémon" of course!

Fun read, will come back for more!

Originally Posted by SuperTrainStationH

Oh no! Hopefully Hallowheart will be able to keep up with the ambitious updating schedule mentioned in the anchor post, or we'll be left in suspense for certain with an ending like that!

At first glance the fic was easy on the eyes, which the line break in between paragraphs helped with tremendously.

I'm detecting a musical motif with the human character names so far, which works especially well even with what little we know of the characters at this point since the names are distinct and easily recognizable as being thematic, but are also very plausible, which often isn't the case with thematic names.

As for technical issues, I could suggest that the line "filling up their Pokédex's and..." be replaced with "Pokédexes" or something similar, as the apostrophe at the end of the word Pokédex as is suggests the narration is about to refer to something belonging to the Pokédex itself rather than merely agreeing with the established fact that the twins each own their own Pokédex. This is easily fixed however, and the entry itself is very well put together.

Instant bonus points for using the accented e in the word "Pokémon" of course!

Fun read, will come back for more!

Hallow would have an easier time of it if she remembered where she put her jumpdrive 0_o... or she could just go get her laptop and post it from there... but she doesn't feel like it.

Mm yes, I do love those line breaks--they help the huge wall of text, which it still is, seem less... horrendous.

Ah yes--I usually would make up my own names, but I am leaving that to the Pokémon in this story. Because my family itself is pretty musical, the first place I go when thinking of real names you do hear are... musical ones XD. Plus, music is a theme that's easy for me to remember and tie into the story in different ways.

Fixed it =D thanks!!

Thank Saturnus and his beautiful keyboard complete with number pad!

A Rough Start


"Happy birthday, Harper," said a voice, soft lips pressing against her cheek as she woke up.

Harper rolled over and rubbed her eyes to see her mom sitting on the edge of her bed, trying to smile at her daughter, but it was only a brave face... one Harper would try to wear as well, on her tenth birthday and the one year anniversary of her father and sibling's deaths. One year ago, someone or something had begun setting the forest on fire. Brave to no end, her family members rushed in to fight the flames and try to save the forest.

The forest was saved, but they did not survive. The fire had grown so very large, and it consumed many Pokémon that day, and several people as well--Harper still cried when she thought about her big brave brother and his Floatzel, or her beautiful big sister and her Staraptor. She missed her dad terribly too, but she cried in secret for him--she wouldn't let her mom see her crying, she needed her mom to know that she was doing a great job raising her on her own and that things would be okay, even if it didn't seem that way now.

"Good morning, Mom," Harper said sleepily, sitting up and hugging her mom.

"Come downstairs when you're ready, I have a surprise!" her mom said, ruffling Harper's wavy bed-head and leaving the room.

With a yawn, Harper dragged herself out of bed and began dressing. She pulled on a pair of capris and a white undershirt, tucking the undershirt into her pants before slipping her arms into an oversized green coat that had belonged to Cadence once. She rolled the sleeves up until they were quarter-sleeve length and hugged herself for Cadence. She had found Melody's old running shoes from when she was ten, and they amazingly fit her perfectly, with just a little room to grow. Harper quickly tugged each travel battered shoe on and tied their custom pink laces tightly, walking in place for a few seconds to make sure they were tied tight enough.

She ran a brush through her tangled hair and yanked it into a pony-tail, staring at herself in the mirror and sighing before dropping to the ground and digging around under her bed. Her hands searched until they found what they were after, an old shoe box that had once contained her father's hiking boots, though now it was home to the one thing Harper was missing from her outfit. Opening the box, tears welled to her eyes and she quickly dug her father's old backpack out of the box. It had once been his when he had just started out on his journey, the material made of thick dark blue fibers that would last him as long as he wished to journey. Her dad had never left the Sinnoh region, so the bag was in fair condition but still just tattered enough to show the adventure it had been on.

Her mom and dad had met as kids when they were journeying, battling each other everytime they saw each other during their journey. They quickly became rivals, but they also enjoyed each other's presence. After their journeys were over, they became penpals and wrote to each other every day, from Eterna City to Sunyshore City. They didn't meet face to face again for years, and when they did they decided to battle for the fun of it. However, their Pokémon, upon seeing each other, refused to listen to them and fell madly in love. Unable to battle, the two were forced give up and sit down and talk. They talked until the moon was high in the sky and, at the first sign of a shooting star, her dad had kissed her mom. Like their Pokémon, they fell madly in love that day.

Harper always wanted to hear her parents love story, and she had asked constantly for them to tell it again and again. She refused to have just her mom or just her dad tell it, though--it was better to hear both of them tell it together, but now Harper would never hear it from her dad's point of view again. Her dad's backpack was the only remaining piece of him left behind, a piece that had its own stories to tell--where there was dirt inside the pockets, where there was a small hole in its side, and where it smelled of ocean spray from his time in Sunyshore City. Each worn part of the bag had a story to tell, and Harper hugged the backpack tightly before slipping it onto her back.

She made her way slowly down the stairs, smiling weakly at her teary-eyed mom. Her mom was sitting at the table, two carefully wrapped presents stacked on the table and a cup of coffee in her hand. Both Harper and her mom were struggling to keep from crying, but it was becoming quite a challenge as her mom stared at the hand-me downs Harper had begged to have for her journey and as Harper struggled to accept the idea that today... she'd lose her mom too. She would leave on her journey and be all alone.

"You look beautiful," her mom whispered, hugging her tightly and gesturing to the presents. One seemed to move a little, and soft, high-pitched squeals were coming from it. "Go ahead, open whichever one you want first."

Harper felt obliged to open the moving one first--whatever was inside obviously wanted out pretty badly. She lifted the top of the box off carefully, staring down at the Piplup inside the box and scooping it into her arms gently. "Hello there," she said slowly, "You're my starter, aren't you."

"It's a girl, Harper--go ahead and nickname her," her mother said encouragingly.

"Alright..." Harper squinted at the Piplup a little longer, observing its round features and sleek blue feathers. "Merisoe. Your name is Merisoe," she said finally. Looking in the box again, Harper found a Poké Ball that apparently belonged to her little Piplup. She pointed it at Merisoe, pressing its button and watching as Merisoe was captured by the small sphere. Her mom handed her a small etching tool, and she quickly scratched into the side of the Poké Ball Merisoe's name..

Harper moved onto the next present now, tearing off its wrapping paper slowly and opening the small box. Inside was a hat, white with a green bill and pink Poké Ball emblem on top of it. The hat was new and the colors were vibrant--her mom didn't have an old hat to give her from her own journey, so she made do with a brand new hat the was certain to match Cadence's jacket and Melody's shoes. Along with the hat was a keychain of a Luvdisc, a small engraving on the back of it reading "It doesn't matter how far you go, or how quickly you get there. What matters is what you learn, who you meet, and how you grow along the way." Harper read the inscription several times before attaching the keychains to one of her backpack's zippers.

Her mom suddenly started to cry, hugging her daughter and sobbing. "Oh, my little girl is going on her first journey!" she wailed.

"It's okay mom... I can, you know, stay... I can go another year," Harper said, feeling uncomfortable about the journey. The truth was, she didn't want to go anymore. She didn't want to be a trainer--what good came of it, journeying all over the lands, getting hurt and getting lost for what?

"What? Stay?" her mom asked, pulling back to look at Harper. "No! You have to go on this journey, okay? You need to get out of the house and meet new people, Harper."

"But... what if I don't want to?" Harper asked.

"Don't want to? What do you mean?"

"I just... I don't want to go, Mom... I don't want to be a trainer," Harper said with a sigh as she plopped into a chair. She twisted the hat in her hands, biting her lip nervously and avoiding her mother's gaze.

"Why not?" her mom asked, her voice quivering.

"I can't do it... and even if I can... what good is it? What does it do for me?" Harper said. "I mean... just look what happened to Cadence and Melody! They were trainers, they did everything they said they were going to do. They were heroes, and what happened!? They died... they died, mom!" Harper felt herself losing it, and she began to stutter as she gasped and cried.

"Don't say that... Harper, don't say that. They accomplished so much..."

"Yeah, but they still had dreams! It wasn't fair!" Harper yelled. "They just left! Dad and Cadence and Melody... the just left us here! I can't leave too, mom... I can't! I need you still! I just can't go..."

Her mom was quiet as her daughter cried, her hands folded in her lap as her daughter was wracked with sobs. She lifted a hand and gently ran it through Harper's hair and down her back. "Harper," she said softly. "Harper, it's okay... I know it's hard... I miss them too, and I'll miss you as you journey, but everything will be fine. You'll be a great trainer, I know it."

Harper leaned against her mom. Her mom was only trying to be brave, but it was what Harper needed to hear.

_____

[Return to Index]

Nice to Meet You Not


"Stay. In. The. BALL!" Harper said through gritted teeth as she attempted to force a ball shut. Had anyone seen her at the moment, they would have thought she was insane--sitting on the ground, her palms pressing down on a small red and white capsule while she talked to herself. She was attempting to catch a Starly, but it kept getting lose and mocking her. It had even gone so far as to drop a small dirt clod down her shirt, cackling to itself when she danced about trying to get the crumbling dirt out.

Harper screamed as the ball shook violently under her hands, springing free from her grip and cracking in two. The Starly flew into the sky and took off, still laughing at her as it flew away.

"Excuse me," said a voice. Harper quickly spun around to see who her company was, her eyes landing on a boy, perhaps a year or two older than her, with a Murkrow sitting on his head. His hair was as dark as the Murkrow's feathers and hung to his shoulders, two braids dangling on either side of his face.

Harper hastily brushed her hair out of her face and stood up. "Yeah?" she asked.

"Are you... a new trainer?" he asked, his Murkrow chattering on his head as they both looked at Harper.

Harper realized he must've been watching her try to catch Starly, and she scowled at him. "So what if I am?" she asked, planting her fists on her hip the way her mother did when she wanted to seem authoritative.

"I just... you um... do you need help?" he asked, twisting one of his braids. "You look like you need help."

"No! I don't need help--don't just assume things," Harper snapped.

"Oh, ok... well, since you apparently don't need help, how about a battle?" he asked.

"Fine, whatever," Harper said, rolling her eyes. She grabbed her Poké Ball from her hip, clicking it and tossing it into the air. Merisoe emerged rapidly, rolling to the ground and squeaking happily at her trainer.

"Alright..." said her opponent, lifting his arm with great flourish. "Let's do this, Symphonic!" The Murkrow launched itself from its trainer's head, its wings opening with a snap as it hit the air then dove to the ground, landing dangerously close to Merisoe.

Harper felt heartbeat increase just watching Murkrow's take off, this was going to be a tough battle. "Merisoe, use pound!" she commanded.

"Symphonic, use Astonish!" The Murkrow obeyed without hesitating, smashing into Merisoe before she had a chance to act on her trainers orders. She flinched as the Murkrow lifted its wings before lowering them again, missing her opportunity to strike the Murkrow. "Now Symphonic, Peck!"

Merisoe squeaked loudly as she was pecked repeatedly and viciously by the Murkrow, who was as quick as his trainer and was carrying out the commands before Harper could even think to command Merisoe.

"Merisoe! Use Pound!" she repeated, "Now!"

Merisoe curled a flipper together and struck the Murkrow in its side, causing it to squawk in alarm. She got to her feet and readied herself to fight.

"Good, now use Bubble!" Harper commanded, pleased as Merisoe let loose a torrent of bubbles.

"Symphonic, use Wing Attack and send it back at 'em!" cried her challenger, Murkrow happily obliging. With great big flaps of its wings, the attack flew back at Merisoe and took her down. Murkrow wasn't through yet, as it sped toward Merisoe, its wings extended fully, and crashed into her. Merisoe fainted and Harper felt her nails dig into her palms as her fingers curled in frustration.

"Hey, that wasn't fair!" she snapped, "Your Pokémon is way stronger than mine already, and you didn't warn me!"

"You didn't ask," said her rival, whistling to his Murkrow. It hopped across the ground to him, hopping onto his arm and looking at its trainer's eyes. "Good job, Symphonic, you did very well," he said, placing the Murkrow back on his head.

Harper snorted, calling Merisoe back to her ball and attaching the ball to her hip. "Great, now I gotta go to a Pokémon center and try not to get killed by wild Pokémon..." she muttered.

"Oh, is that your only Pokémon?" asked the boy.

"Yes it is, thank you very much," Harper snapped, attempting to pass the boy, though he refused to get out of the way. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go find one of those creepy nurse clones and ask for a bandaid for my Pokémon... so move," she grumbled as he stepped right where she was trying to go again.

"How about I go with you? Symphonic and I can help you make it there safely," he offered.

"No. Go away--I don't even know you," Harper said, still trying to get past him. "Besides, you're probably one of those creepy stalker trainers that's going to follow me all over Sinnoh while I travel, challenging me to a battle every single time I go to fight a gym leader and telling me how strong you are at every opportunity you get."

"Or not telling you," he replied.

"What?"

"Or not telling you. I didn't tell you how strong I was before we battled, so why make a habit of it now?"

Harper groaned. "Get out of my way, you long-haired weirdo," she demanded, raising her fists at him.

"Come on, the nearest Pokécenter isn't that far--I'll go away as soon as Merisoe is better, promise."

"Fine! Fine, whatever! Just move!"

"I'm Austin… um... what's your name?"

Harper glared at Austin and sighed. "I'm Harper," she replied.

"Oh, nice name... this is Symphonic!" Austin said as he pointed to his Murkrow.

"Wow, really? I hadn't guessed... you know, not with you screaming its name repeatedly during our battle and what not..." Harper said sarcastically.

Austin frowned and tucked his hands into his pant pockets. He was traveling light, wearing only beige pants and a white tank. A goofy looking purple fanny-pack was strapped to his hip, and occasionally he reached into it and pulled out a poffin for Symphonic as they walked.

Both trainers were quiet as they traveled, Harper's mind elsewhere until they reached Sandgem Town. Upon reaching the town, Austin slowed down and allowed Harper to continue towards the PokéCenter on her own. “Um, I gotta go… bye,” he said abruptly, turning left into the building next to the center.

Harper ignored him, entering the PC and handing her Poké Ball to the nurse. She sat down on a small cushion and waited for the nurse to call her name, her eyes focusing on a small tv in one of the walls though she tuned out whatever the people in the show were saying.

"Harper, your Pokémon is ready!" said a voice over the intercom, jostling Harper from her thoughts. She had only been traveling a day and she was already exhausted. Slowly she got to her feet and took her Pokémon from the nurse.

"We hope to see you again!" said the nurse with a smile and a wave.

"What?" Harper asked. "What is that? Some kind of curse? We hope to see you again!? Shouldn't you, you know, hope to not see us again? Because wouldn't that mean we are safe? Isn't hoping to see us again saying you hope we get hurt!?"

The nurse looked perplexed, and she wrung her hands together nervously as Harper continued to yell

"Honestly, you are waving us off all sweetly with candied words that are lies!" Harper cried, "You want us to get hurt again, don't you? So we can keep coming back in shame, because we are a failure as a trainer!? Right!?!"

"I uh... um... I..." the nurse stammered. She quietly slipped her hand under the counter, and a metal wall slid down from the ceiling, hiding the nurse behind it. The visitors to the PokéCenter all vanished quietly downstairs or upstairs, leaving Harper standing alone in the middle of the center.

"Jerks," Harper muttered, heading towards the door. She stopped in front of it, waiting for it to open, but it didn't budge. Pressing her hands against it, the door still refused to move. Even after slamming her full weight against it, the door remained locked. "Are you kidding me!? What, does stating the truth kill people now!?" Harper slammed a fist against the door, sighing and plopping to the ground when it rattled at her and a small alarm went off.

_____

[Return to Index]

There will be an update today--later in the evening (the chapter is done, a few are actually)--but for now I am posting to say this:

Across the Region now has an official updating schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be dedicated to homework mostly since I am off to college officially on Sept. 19th. The weekends will also be dedicated to homework and writing more chapters. Next chapter: Mad Scientist to be posted in three hours!

Mad Scientist


"Hello there! It's so very nice to meet you! Welcome to the world of Pokémon!" said an old, white haired man with a bushy mustache. Harper squirmed in her chair, inhaling sharply as the old man leaned towards her. "My name is Rowan. However, everyone just calls me the Pokémon Professor. Before I go any further, is this your first adventure?"

His breath smelled like he had been eating poffins, and Harper leaned as far back in her chair as she could to get away from him. "Yes..." she said slowly in reply. After the alarm in the PokéCenter had gone off, some weird men in lab coats had shown up and dragged her off to the same building Austin had vanished into earlier, saying something about "new trainers need guidance" as they did.

"If you need any advice, I'm certainly capable of giving it," said the professor, Harper shaking her head quickly in reply. "This world is widely inhabited by creatures known as Pokémon. Here, I have a Poké Ball. Touch the button in the middle of the Poké Ball, if you'd please." He waited, grinning at Harper with all his teeth. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets as he thrust the ball in her face. Harper quickly jabbed the button on the Poké Ball and flinched as a Buneary exploded out of it and landed by the professor.

"We humans live alongside Pokémon as friends. At times we play together, and at other times we work together. Some people use their Pokémon to battle and develop closer bonds with them," he paused, rushing to a counter and sweeping his arm across it. Several glass items slid off the counter, shattering as they smashed into the ground, and they were followed by a few metal utensils that clattered and clanked as they too fell to the ground. He grabbed the Buneary, placing it on the counter and looking in its ears. "What do I do?" he asked, "I conduct research so that we may learn more about Pokémon."

His eyes were wild as he inspected the Buneary, finally calling it back to its Poké Ball. He spun around towards Harper again, glass crunching under his shoes as he approached her. "Now, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" he said, getting so close his nose was almost touching hers. "Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?"

Harper made a face of disgust. "Are you insane?" she asked, pushing him away and getting up.

"All right, so you're a girl..." he said as he turned away from her again, though it obviously wasn't a question. Harper thought she heard him mutter something under his breath about girls being offended so easily. "Tell me," he said loudly, whipping around and grabbing her arm as she prepared to leave. "What is your name?"

"Gahhh," Harper said in surprise, almost losing her balance. "You crazy idiot, you almost made me fall and there's glass everywhere!" she snapped. His grip did not loosen, and he stared at her expectantly. "It's Harper," she growled, yanking her arm out of Professor Rowan's grip.

"Ok... so, you're Harper? A fine name that is! Now, this boy here... I believe he's your friend," Rowan said, gesturing to a figure Harper almost hadn't noticed standing off to the side. "What might his name be?"

Stepping forward with a sigh, Austin shook his head. "I'm Austin, Professor... we already met? Remember?"

The professor waved his hand at Austin and shushed him, still waiting for Harper's answer.

"What he said, his name is Austin," Harper said, realizing he wouldn't stop asking until she answered.

"Austin, is it? That's your friend's name?" As soon as Harper nodded, the professor continued. "All right, Harper, the time has come. Your very own tale of grand adventure is about to unfold."

"But I'm already on an adventure," Harper said, though he covered her mouth and shook a finger at her.

"On your journey, you will meet countless Pokémon and people. I'm sure that along the way you will discover many things, perhaps even something about yourself. Now, go on, leap into the world of Pokémon!" he said, shoving Harper out the door so abruptly that she stumbled and fell into the dirt outside. Rowan poked his head out the door for a moment to look at her. "Pokémon are by our side, always. I hope you will understand the meaning of those words," he said quickly, slamming the door shut.

"Ow..." Harper groaned, rubbing her knee and scowling at the Pokémon Research Lab. "Crazy old man," she muttered, "What kind of maniac goes around throwing kids to the ground?" No sooner had she gotten her words out Austin came flying out of the lab doors as well, tripping over Harper and crashing to the ground on top of her.

"Oh... um... I'm sorry, really sorry," Austin mumbled, getting up and brushing himself off. He helped Harper to her feet before she could protest, straightening her hat and grabbing her hand. "The Professor sent me to bring you back inside..."

"What!?" Harper screeched. "I'm not going back in there! That man is absolutely off his rocker!"

Austin wouldn't take no for an answer though, and he dragged her back through the lab doors. The professor was on the floor carefully collecting all the broken glass, but he dropped it the moment he saw Austin and Harper.

"You two! You truly love Pokémon, do you?" he bellowed.

Harper and Austin both nodded uncertainly, to which he asked his question again. "Yes, Professor, Harper and I both love Pokémon very much," Austin said firmly, "Right Harper?"

Harper gave a weak nod, her eyes fixed on Rowan in a deadly glare.

"Very well then! I will give the two of you Pokémon!" the professor said, a gleam in his eye as he went to grab a brown briefcase from under one of the desks. He inhaled deeply and blew long strands of cobwebs and dust off the case, wiping the rest off with his sleeve and leaving a gray mark across the white fabric.

Harper decided she had had enoug of this, and she yanked her hand out of Austin's furiously. "I already have a Pokémon, and I know what a Pokémon is! Now leave me alone," she yelled, turning to leave the lab.

In a flash Rowan was beside her, his hand snapping out quickly and stealing Merisoe's Poké Ball from Harper's belt. He darted back to his case, opening it and sticking Harper's Pokémon inside the case alongside two other Poké Balls, one covered in dust like the case and the other familiar as Austin's Poké Ball that contained Symphonic.

Austin was looking at the case with such desire and longing that Harper thought he might cry. "Hey!" she said, "Give us our Pokémon back, right now!"

"Come along, kids, its time to pick out your Pokémon!" Rowan said, thrusting the case towards them and holding it. "Go ahead, don't be shy!"

Austin hesitated for only a moment before snatching Symphonic's Poké Ball from the case and clutching it against his chest with a happy sigh. Harper grabbed Merisoe's ball back with a scowl, clipping the ball back on to her belt tightly and stepping a few feet away from Professor Rowan. She didn't even think about her next action, suddenly dashing forward and swinging her leg into Rowan's shin. He yelped and fell over, Harper turning and running from the lab without looking back.

She fled Sandgem Town certain that its residents were right on her heels.

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[Return to Index]

Jubilife, City to the Stars!

Harper didn't stop running until she reached the end of Route 202, completely out of breath and exhausted. Before her loomed Jubilife City, the largest and most advanced city in Sinnoh. Sinking to her knees in the grass, she waited to catch her breath. A shadow passed over her head, blocking out the sun until she looked up.

"You!" she said, hopping to her feet. Above her was the Starly she had encountered earlier that morning, cackling and mocking her where she couldn't reach it. "Merisoe, come on," Harper called, tossing her Poké Ball into the air. Merisoe squeaked loudly as she somersaulted across the ground and jumped to her feet, ready to battle.

"Alright, Merisoe! Use Pound!" she commanded, watching as Merisoe launched herself into the air with determination, the Starly dodging her and swooping low over Harper's head. Harper dove to the ground, her hat falling off and landing in the dirt. "Merisoe, try it again," she commanded. Merisoe nodded and ran towards her trainer, bouncing off her back and slamming the Starly into the ground.

The Starly fought viciously back, but Merisoe was determined and soon the Starly was too weak to suffer another hit. "Merisoe, back off," Harper said, pulling a ball from her bag and tossing it at the tired Pokémon. It captured the Starly, rolling a little ways before emitting a small click. Harper ran and picked it up off the ground, getting out her etching tool and scratching a name into the side of the Pokéball.

"Alright," she said, tossing the ball into the air, "Onule, come on out!" The ball popped open, the Starly spreading its wings as it emerged from the capsule. Harper looked towards Jubilife City again, she'd have to visit the PokéCenter and get Merisoe and Onule healed up before she could even think to continue forward. Calling both Pokémon back to their balls, Harper tugged her hat down over her eyes and followed a group of passing trainers into the city.

"And then he said 'I saw you looking over at me, so now we must battle'! What is that!?" Harper couldn't help but overhear the conversation between the trainers, and she listened patiently and tried to blend in.

"I dunno, some kind of pick-up line maybe..." said another trainer, twisting her hair into a bun and knotting it as they walked. "You guys wanna go visit the Jubilife TV Station?"

"Oh my Arceus, yes! We might see a celebrity! Like Barry... Arceus please, let us see Barry," one of the other trainers said in reply. Harper thought the girl might start drooling at any second, and she quietly broke off from the girls and headed for the PokéCenter.

Inside, Harper handed off her two Pokémon and only nodded in reply to the nurse when she received them back--she wouldn't dare call attention to herself at the moment, even if the nurse did have a secret meaning to her kind and caring words.

She sat down at a small table after a bit and watched one of the tvs in the PokéCenter, content to rest up a little as well before she continued. She wanted to get as far away from Sandgem Town as possible, but that would be impossible if she didn't stop to rest occasionally.

A talk-show came on and Harper started to tune it out, although her interest flickered back to the tv when the name 'Barry' came up. On the tv was a fair-haired young man, his eyes full of life and a childish grin playing on his lips. He was talking to a reporter about his journey as a kid and how eager he had been. Harper thought he laughed a great deal, but soon his smiles faded away as he progressed in his story.

"I'm happy with where I am today, I've made it so far--but I wouldn't have if it weren't for Platinum... he really helped me out, and I miss him..."

The doors of the PokéCenter whirred as they slid open, Harper barely noticing as someone sat down at the table with her. "Mother of Clamperl, you run fast!"

"Huh?" Harper asked, looking across the table at Austin. "Oh. You," she said, her voice flat.

"Yeah... what'cha watching?" Austin asked, looking over at the tv. "Oh hey cool! It's Barry!"

"Yeah... but... Who's Barry?" Harper asked, "And who's Platinum? And where is he?"

"You don't know!?" Austin asked in dismay. "Barry is one of the top trainers of Sinnoh, he could've been a champion but he turned it down. And Platinum... Platinum was his bud."

"Oh... well, what happened to Platinum?" Harper asked, curious about this trainer superstar and his friend.

"Platinum... he helped save the world from a group called Team Galactic. They tried to destroy our world and rid it of spirits--they said our spirits made us incomplete... but then their boss really angered this giant Pokémon who is said to be named Giratina, and it, um, sucked him into this strange place that I believe is called the Distortion Realm. Platinum and the Champion, Cynthia, went in after him...
Platinum caught Giratina and saved the world.. however, Distortion Realm apparently has a negative affect on people after so long. Platinum started going nuts and he had a melt-down... um, no one really knows if he died or if he's still out there somewhere, or even back in the Distortion Realm. He's just... gone. Cynthia turned out okay, she says it is because, unlike Platinum and the boss of Team Galactic, Giratina never looked at her directly before or while she was in the Distortion Realm.
Team Galactic's boss... I think his name was Cyrus... they say he was already insane to begin with--so everyone assumes he lost it entirely after that and vanished. That, or he is still in the Distortion Realm...."

"Wow... you really know a lot about this... how come I've never heard of it?"

"Ah, probably because it happened twelve years ago--that was when Barry and Platinum started their journey... the year after I was born."

"Wait... but that would make you thirteen!" Harper said loudly, "Why are you just now starting your journey!?"

"I'm not--I'm from Johto originally, I just, uh... well... I came to Sinnoh to continue my training," Austin said, waving his hand, "When I first arrived here, two years ago, I had no starter because... you see... it's just... I wanted a fresh start. I stopped by the Daycare and the Daycare Man gave me an egg saying that the owner who left it behind had insisted that whoever got the egg name it Symphonic... that's how I got my Murkrow."

"Cadence..." Harper said, her voice almost a whisper. Cadence had always left eggs at the Daycare for trainers in need to have and cherish, and only Cadence would leave an egg and insist on a name like that.

"Huh?" Austin asked.

"Nothing... so, if you've been here with Symphonic for two years... how come you aren't done journeying already, and how come Symphonic hasn't evolved into a Honchkrow yet?"

"Oh, um, that. I got stuck in Floaroma Town for the past two years... helping my aunt... with the Flower Shop..." Austin said slowly. "I hated it... Pick a Peck of Colors Flower Shop. The customers hated me right back, though."

"Why's that?" Harper propped her chin on her hands and glanced at the tv. It was currently advertising some new sort of soap made from Wailord fat and scented with Bellossom spit.

"I'm color-blind," he said, fidgeting uncomfortably. "They hated my bouquets--they never matched and people always said they were really ugly. My aunt only kept me around to do the watering... since it was hard for her since she's, uh, real petite."

"Well... how'd you get out of it finally?"

"Ah... that's, um, a story for another time," Austin replied, pushing himself up from the table and stretching. "My Pokémon should be ready now. See you around, Harper--oh, and don't forget to encourage your Pokémon for their efforts. You, ah, seem to keep forgetting."

Harper stuck her tongue out at him as he scooped up his Pokéballs from the counter, releasing Symphonic and stroking the Murkrow's shiny black feathers happily. He nodded at her as he left, Symphonic trilling a few notes and settling down on Austin's head.

"I wonder what else he knows..." Harper mumbled to herself, glaring at Austin through the window as he jogged across the street. He seemed to know a great deal, and Harper secretly enjoyed their conversation. Yawning lightly, Harper packed up her gear and slipped her backpack onto her shoulders. It was time to get going.

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[Return to Index]

No Friends

Harper didn't dare travel through Floaroma Town. She knew it was covered in flower filled meadows, and the pollen would only make her allergies act up. She already knew she was a pretty awful trainer, but she figured it'd be better to be remembered as the trainer who sucked than the trainer who sucked and had watery red eyes all the time and was constantly sneezing.

Instead, she took the route out of Jubilife City that lead to Oreburgh City. Unfortunately, it took her several tries to actually reach Oreburgh City, as she kept having to go back to Jubilife to heal her Pokémon thanks to the idiotic trainers on the road. If anything, she was never going to enjoy how many freaks were hiding in the bushes, and she would never want to battle them either!

She'd tried everything to keep them away from her--the trainer code of conduct said that if two trainers met eyes, they had to do battle. However, when she attempted staring at her feet as she walked and still was forced to battle, Harper soon found that most trainers exploited this rule.

Another worthless item she found was Repels. They did absolutely nothiing for her--she almost thought she was wearing some sort of "I'm edible, attack me!" sign the way wild Pokémon had started flocking to her the moment she entered the Oreburgh Gate. To make matters worse, a ridiculous Psyduck had started following her around the cave and getting in her way at every possible opportunity. It kept honking at her and waddling around her feet, tripping her and irritating her until she got so mad she through a rock at its head. It waddled away, honking anxiously and clutching its head. Harper now knew why Psyducks always had headaches, and she didn't feel any worse for it.

Harper's real trouble, however, came after she actually had arrived in Oreburgh City and was on her way to the mines.

"Harper! Harper!" someone yelled, a group of kids yelling in dismay when the large and familiar figure of Professor Rowan shoved through them. His right shirt sleeve was rolled up, his arm wrapped in bandages. Harper could only assume that after she'd kicked him, he'd fallen on the glass he'd broken earlier.

"For Magikarp's sake..." Harper gasped, spinning around and dashing into the mines.

"Harper!?" Rowan called as he followed her into the cave, his voice echoing and bouncing off the walls. Small pebbles showered down from the ceiling and stung as they bounced off Harper. She continued running further down the mines, squeezing herself between two large crates and holding her breath as Professor Rowan walked by looking for her.

"Sir? Sir??" asked a mine worker, his Machop stopping its work to stare questioningly at Rowan. "It's important that you don't yell in the mines--we try to make our work stable and safe, but there's no guarantee when working with nature."

Rowan nodded and put a finger over his mouth. "Shhhh," he said. Harper could see the whites of his bulging eyes from where she hid, and she almost screamed when he passed the crates again before thrusting a hand between them and yanking her out. "I win!" he said loudly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Harper cried, trying to shake him off but to no avail. "I didn't mean to kick you! Okay, well, that's a lie because I did... but I didn't know you would fall!"

The old man kept his grip with ease, and Harper could only wonder where his strength came from. "Harper!! You forgot something before you left! A Pokédex!"

"But I have a Pokédex already!" Harper said, still struggling to free her arm.

"Mine is better!" Rowan said, pulling a large and red piece of machinery from his pocket and thrusting it in her face.

Harper ceased her struggling for only a moment to glare in disdain at Rowan. Furiously, she slammed her leg into Rowan's left leg and watched as he crumpled to the ground again. "You are crazy!" she spat, shuffling backwards when he tried to grab her leg. "Stop following me!"

"But Harper! Who else can save the world!?" Rowan wailed, banging his old and out dated Pokédex against the mine floor.

"I don't know, and I don't care. Even if anything you said did make sense or was even plausible, it wouldn't matter!" Harper replied angrily, "Because I don't even want to be a stupid trainer anyways!"

"B-but... don't you want to travel and make friends?" Rowan asked. It had to be the first sane thing Harper had ever heard him say, and she felt her fists curl tightly into balls until her nails were cutting into her palms.

"No. I have no friends and I don't want any," she said, "And before you say anything about my team being my friends... they're not. They are just dumb Pokémon, and that's it."

Harper turned on her heel and left Rowan sitting on the ground--if anything, she was certain he'd recover... the old man, crazy as he was, had proven himself to be quite strong and capable as well.

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[Return to Index]

Just to see... is anyone reading this? I do have chapters to post still, and I will keep writing, but if no one is reading this at all I might just stop rather than play with a story during school that no one is reading.

Burning Past

Harper would have never guessed that a move like Bubble would ever come in handy. It didn't matter though--Merisoe was slow to learn any new moves, and Onule was useless against the ground-type so Harper didn't dare to think of relying on Onule to beat the gym. It was only because of her determination that she and Merisoe had even made it through the gym, and Harper knew it would only get harder from here.

"In this region of Sinnoh, there are seven other Gym Leaders. I should warn you--they're a lot tougher than I am!" Roark said, shaking her hand after they finished their battle. Harper called Merisoe back to her ball and clipped it to her belt, nodding in reply to Roark and thanking him for the battle--even if she hadn't enjoyed it, her mom would scold her if she ever found out Harper was impolite to a Gym Leader.

As Harper got ready to leave the gym, a thought suddenly occured to her. She trotted back toward Roark, taking the stairs two steps at a time and panting when she reached him again. "Mister Roark," she said, "You just lied to me."

"What?" he asked, looking down at her. Harper couldn't help but feel a little intimidated under his bespectacled gaze, he had the face of a young but hard working father--compassion and authority both occupying his eyes.

"Your words, they have a double meaning," Harper said, trying to remain brave. "You aren't weaker in the battling sense--you're nicer as a person, which some would call being weak. You fight with weak Pokémon on purpose, you want to see young trainers succeed and continue their journeys... so that they can someday be strong enough to fight Gym Leaders who want to have real champions challenge them and actually have a chance at beating them, not wishful and dream-filled kids."

"Or... I might really just be weaker than the other Gym Leaders," Roark said slowly as he readjusted his glasses.

"No, I know you're not. It takes a really strong trainer to pretend to be weak and let all the other Gym Leaders and even trainers ridicule them," Harper replied, absolutely sure of herself. "Well, thanks again for the battle and the badge," she said when he failed to reply, sighing and shrugging her bag further onto her shoulders, "And don't worry--I'll remember to tell everyone how weak you are and stuff too."

Before leaving, Harper paid a visit to the Oreburgh Mining Museum. She wasn't particularly interested in how coal was made, but it was getting dark and she wasn't keen on the idea of leaving the city at night. Inside were several people, all ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the equipment, rocks, and coal on display as well as the small facts written about each item. Harper attempted to look at the large slab of coal in the center of the museum, but every time she got close to it museum guests would start talking to her about how cool it was. From what she saw, it was just a piece of compressed plant that would have made a great bonfire.

When she finally decided she was sick of looking at rocks, Harper trudged out of the museum and headed towards the outskirts of the city. Outside the city was all dirt and rocks, but for a strange patch of tall grass that grew up against the cliff walls. In the dimming light of the evening, Harper could see a bicyclist sitting at base of one of the cliffsides, next to a slippery looking slope.

She watched him for several minutes before deciding that he wasn't going to challenge her to a battle or attack her while she slept. Harper dropped her backpack to the ground and sat down heavily, unclipping her Pokéballs and releasing Merisoe and Onule so they could scavage for berries in the surrounding area and explore while she slept.

Harper soon fell asleep, tired from a hard day's journey which had not been made any easier with the appearance of Professor Rowan. Surprisingly, it was getting easier to fall asleep outside with only a bag for a pillow. Harper's last thought before falling asleep was to write her mom a note asking for a blanket to be sent her way at some point.

When she next awoke, it was due to the bicyclist shaking her roughly, his figures strangely shadowed for a night with no moon. "Wake up," he roared, "Get up!!" His voice was accentuated by loud crackling and rushing sounds, his shadowed features flickering unnaturally.

Merisoe ran by Harper, releasing a steady stream of bubbles towards an unknown target. Harper felt unusually warm, considering Sinnoh was pretty chilly this time of year, but she didn't want to look at the source of the heat, the light, and the panic. She got up and pushed the bicyclist away, sick of his yelling for her to do something.

Her mind was set to run, to flee the burning grass and not look back until she reached the ocean, but she couldn't. Onule and Merisoe were already fighting the flames without her, and leaving the grass to burn and the Pokémon to burn with it just wasn't right... it wasn't what her family would have done. With a glare in her eyes and determination in her heart, Harper ran to Merisoe's side.

"Merisoe," she said, getting ready to issue commands. Her eye caught something standing among the flames, patiently watching the chaos the burning colors brought. Harper turned her focus towards it, pointing at it to guide Merisoe's aim. "There, use Bubble!"

Merisoe obeyed without hesitation, clearing a path through the fire with a steady stream of Bubbles. "It's a Ponyta!" Harper cried as the fiery Pokémon became clear with its wall of fire no longer defending it. "Quick, Merisoe, use Bubble!"

The Ponyta reared, its tail lashing about and spreading more flames. It attempted to charge Merisoe, but the young Piplup was faster and bore down on the Ponyta with a strong Bubble attack. Onule was helping the bicyclist to beat out flames as Harper and Merisoe took on the Ponyta, and, while it was growing weaker, it was fighting desperately.

"Okay, that's enough Merisoe," Harper said, running back to her bag and snatching a Pokéball from it. In one swift motion she activated the red and white capsule and tossed it, a red beam engulfing the frightened Pokémon and capturing it just as quickly. Harper caught the ball as it fell towards the ground, the Pokémon inside struggling and shaking the Poké Ball for only a few seconds before allowing the capsule to click triumphantly.

The fire was beginning to die out, but Harper wasn't going to just leave and 'hope' it burned itself out. She redirected her attention to the flames and continued directing Merisoe to put out the burning grass with Bubble until all that was left were a few patched of burnt grass and small streams of smoke rising in the air.

Although she was victorious, Harper felt no excitement from her new catch or her bravery. Instead, she felt lonely and tired as she called Merisoe and Onule back before dropping to the ground again. Staring at the dead grass and the patterns the smoke was making as it twisted into the sky, Harper didn't even care that the bicyclist might see her cry.

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[Return to Index]

A Freak Stranger Appears!

It took several days of constant training with Merisoe, but Harper's new Ponyta, nicknamed Ranku, was soon ready and raring to battle. She had literally blazed through Gardenia's gym, though riding the petals of Gardenia's elaborate gym set-up had made her quite sick, and was actually a little excited to challenge the next gym.

Her Pokémon were starting to trust her more, as she learned new battling techniques and grew skillwise. She still didn't think of them as her friends, but they were becoming her teammates and it was important for her to look out for them and do her job as part of the team too. With the help of Ranku, Harper had even caught a new Pokémon--an adorable Gligar she named Jabber.

Harper was lucky to have been given a bike in Eterna City, Gardenia's treat for beating her, though she had resorted to walking again the moment she got off the Cycling Road. As she walked the route to the Hearthome City, Harper met many trainers out in the field practicing, and she battled them as she passed them, though she still hated battling. The trainers had no manners, they stated whatever was on their mind and were always spouting the oddest information. Harper wasn't sure what it was that caused them to allow random nonsense to pop out of their mouths, but she liked to imagine it was from standing out in the sun all day screaming at anyone who passed by for a battle.

It was just as she reached the gate to the city that an older man shoved past her, his stride determined and his eyes crazed. His hair was a blueish gray, his eyes deep set in his skull and ringed with dark bags. His lips were tugged into a scowl and he was leaning slightly forward as he walked, his shoulders risen. Harper couldn't help but think what bad posture he had, though she made sure not to say anything.

Her eyes stayed focused on the man until he was almost to the gate, she could only wonder why he had so rudely pushed her aside and what made him look so perplexed. Without warning, he whipped around and strode quickly towards her. With a squeal Harper turned to flee, though a quick hand latched onto her backpack and dragged her back.

"Emotions... will... thought... all the things that make a soul," he said lowly, one hand tossing a Pokéball into the grass and releasing a Houndoom. "Imperfection leads you to stare. No worries, for it'll be gone soon... I may have failed once, but today I will not--I shall cut your soul from your very body..."

Harper screamed a the Houndoom rushed her, its eyes as crazed as its master's. She barely managed to dodge it, yanking her backpack free from the strange man's grasp. "What the Feebas, man!?" she yelled, grabbing Merisoe's ball and tossing it. Even if she hated battling, she would be prepared to defend herself should the need arise.

"Save it, child," said the man, lifting a hand, "Even your soul will not help you to defeat me. I'll see you again later...." He stalked off without another word, his Houndoom trotting at his heels and snarling at every leaf and twig it passed.

Harper didn't realize she was holding her breath until her chest began to ache. Exhaling loudly, she returned Merisoe to her ball and adjusted her hat. "Arceus, this region is crawling with freaks," she muttered, trudging on towards the city.

Entering the city, Harper almost felt overwhelmed by the size of it. It was rather spread out, making it vast and open. She stopped at a sign, reading the city description and shaking her head. "Hearthome City, Warm and Kind... its full of cold bricks," she mumbled, her feet audibly agreeing as her shoes clicked on the stone paths. It took her several wrong turns down long roads before she actually located the PokéCenter, and she could feel herself steadily becoming grumpy from the day and how badly it was going.

She handed her Pokémon to the nurse and sat down at a table, burying her face in her arms with the hope of taking a small nap while she waited.

"Welcome to Jubilife TV, a direct transfer of news from the field to your TV!” Harper could hear the tv in the background, with its dramatic music and loud reporters. “Just in is this bit of news--Cyrus has come out of hiding and has been roaming Sinnoh as of late. If you see him, please contact us immediately as the police are looking to get a hold of him for some questioning.” Harper looked over at the screen where a mugshot of the man she had met earlier was clearly displayed.

“Wow, it has been a little over twelve years since he was last seen, hasn’t it?” one of the news anchors asked her coworker. “Just a reminder, especially to young traveling trainers: Cyrus is extremely dangerous and it is best that you travel with friends for now until this man is caught. In fact, if going out all trainers should remember to keep their Pokémon healthy and at their sides at all time as well. Be safe!”

“Harper, your Pokémon are ready!” a nurse called, forcing Harper to drag her attention away from the tv screen. Harper nodded and got up, accepting her Poké Balls from the nurse and clipping them onto her belt. She made sure each one was secure as she attached them, but as she was clipping on the last ball it shook violently and fell from her hand. The ball rolled across the PokéCenter’s floor, snapping open and tossing out Jabber.

Jabber was rather small for a Gligar, and he tumbled across the ground before rolling to a stop and rocking back and forth. He looked like a child, one claw in his mouth as he stared around the center. Harper mumbled an apology to the nurse before scooping up the Gligar and his ball. Ever since she’d caught him she had been having difficulty keeping him in his ball. He was always sucking on his claw and hissing at Harper when she tried to stop him, his small fangs bared as if threatening, though Harper soon found his teeth were less than sharp.

With a sigh, Harper allowed Jabber to crawl out of her arms until he was straddling her neck and riding on her shoulders, one arm wrapped around her head for balance. “Big baby,” Harper muttered, Jabber hissing at her and returning to sucking on his claw.

As she strolled through the city, reading the various signs she passed, Harper's eyes lighted on a very large and grand building that was half hexagon and half dodecagon. It was perhaps widest building she'd seen on her entire journey and, judging by the people that entered and exited it, she could only assume it was some sort of fancy building for fancy people to gather at.

She watched as multiple trainers passed through its doors, their hair coifed and their nails scrubbed as they towed their Pokémon inside. Even the Pokémon looked pretty, and Harper did her best to stifle any giggles she may have had when a very upset and very manly looking Houndoom trudged after its trainer into the building wearing pink bows and sparkling with glitter. Some of the trainers carried large bags, the zippers open in a showoffish display of the trainers great acessory collection.

"Super Contest Hall," Harper mumbled as she read the sign placed in front of the building. Jabber had been content to gnaw on her hat as she observed the hall, but he seemed to understand the words she read and quickly grew excited, his claws catching in Harper's hair as he squealed and gestured towards the hall with his tail.

"Uh-uh, no way," Harper said, "We're not doing that. It's silly and for idiots who want to play dress-up!"

Jabber, apparently unhappy with her answer, grabbed her left ear with his claw and pinched it, Harper shrieking in turn and struggling to remove him from her shoulders. "Gliiiiiiiii!" he began to squeal, growing louder and raising his pitch a halfstep with every breath he took. Trainers began to stare at Harper, and the stares soon became glares of annoyance and impatience.

"Fine!" Harper snapped, "We'll do a stupid contest! Just one--and if you don't win, we're not competing ever again!"

Jabber ceased his tantrum long enough to hiss at her, though he quickly returned to his chewing on her hat as she carried him towards the Super Contest Hall.

_______________________________

Beginning tomorrow Across the Region will update on Saturdays and Sundays due to my school schedule and homework (for some reason, after I do a bunch of homework and have a ton of free time... I can't think creatively. All I can think about is what I was studying and it won't get out of my head!!!).

Tomorrow, however, there will not be new chapters. Instead, you're going to get a look at some of the characters of Across the Region and my thoughts about them: who I find most annoying, how they talk, who I like best, who has been designed with the most personality/history, etc etc. You'll also get some information about the story in general, like the chapter sizes and why they aren't so consistent, the chapter titles, blah blah blah.

This is also a great time for feedback, like if the story is too hard to read and needs more spacing, or if the Index could be improved, etc!

Sunday there will also be no new chapters, but you will get some sketches of the characters =) which I hope you'll enjoy!

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This is really interesting, and I love it so far.
I'm kind of wondering why Rowan went crazy, and really happy that you included both A, that ridiculous "I hope we see you again!" by the Joys, which I've thought for a while was not very well thought out, and B, a good reason why people as weak as the first gym leaders were ever able to become gym leaders. I've never understood that, but you cleared it right up, thank you.

@Windywords123 ; Thank you, I'm happy to see I have a reader!

As for your question, if you noticed you'll see that Rowan's dialogue is the exact same as it is in the games up until his reappearance in Chapter 5: No Friends.
His behavior is what changes the words to show he's... nuts. I am going to explain why he is crazy later on in the story, but I will give you this hint: Red Chain

About the Characters:

Main

Harper: Harper shows no real affection for her Pokémon, despite their apparent love for her. She is shown as being snarky and defensive, though genuinely curious about her surroundings as she journeys. She is blunt and will state what is on her mind, as seen when she confronts Roark about his 'weak' speech. Harper has little control over her own actions and some of the things she says, as she is still a kid and has not yet learned there are some things you should not do or say... like kicking an old man in the shin. That's wrong. Her starter Pokémon is a Piplup given to her by her mom. The Piplup is female and named Merisoe, a name without meaning. Harper will name all her Pokémon, though their names have no real meanings.

Family

Harper's Parents: Harper's Parents do have names, Caitlin and Tony. As mentioned in Across the Region the two met when they were young trainers and were rivals until they fell in love. Caitlin was the true battler of the family, she was an Ace Trainer in her day and often challenged the Elite 4 several times a day just for fun. Caitlin always won whenever Tony challenged her, which forced him to train harder until he was able to beat the Elite 4 himself. Caitlin and Tony both specialized in Water-Types. Not mentioned in the story is that both Caitlin and Tony loved music, and thus decided to name their kids musical names. However, neither of the two played any instruments or sang. They encouraged each of their children to learn an instrument and always told them "No matter how far you go, you'll always make music and we'll always hear it."

Cadence: Cadence, like both of his parents, specialized in Water-Types. His prize Pokémon was a Floatzel. Though in the story the Floatzel is not referred to by name, Cadence called his Floatzel "Rudiment". This indicates that Cadence was a percussionist. Cadence is also known for leaving eggs at the daycare for trainers in need and occasionally giving the eggs specific names. After traveling the Sinnoh region, Cadence moved to Almia and became a Ranger.

Melody: Melody specialized in Flying-Types, and her prize Pokémon was a Staraptor. Staraptor's nickname, not mentioned in the story, is Windfife. Melody is a singer, as shown in the Prologue: Ending the Perfect Day when she sings for Harper's birthday and Windfife accompanies her through whistling. Melody went to Hoenn after beating the Elite 4 of Sinnoh to learn more about Contests and become a top Coordinator.

Rival/Friend

Austin: Austin talks timidly and without confidence, though his actions are the opposite--as seen when he forcefully drags Harper back into Professor Rowan's lab. He's thirteen and originally from Johto, though he is currently traveling through Sinnoh on his second journey, his choice Pokémon being a Murkrow named Symphonic. Symphonic was an egg left at the daycare by Harper's older brother, Cadence, before he died. It is stated that Austin is colorblind and that his aunt runs the Pick a Peck of Colors Flower Shop in Floaroma Town. Austin is very studious and knows a lot of history, and it is hinted that he may be the type to be starstruck when meeting a celebrity (hinted at in Chapter 4: Jubilife, City to the Stars! when Harper exclaims about Barry being on TV).

Other

Professor Rowan: This guy is nuts. Absolutely insane. To avoid spoiling anything later on, we'll just leave it at that!

Cyrus: Holy crud, this guy is bad. He's mean and nasty, to the point he purposefully attacks Harper after he shoves past her while heading towards Hearthome City. He makes eery threats about cutting Harper's soul from her body, and his Houndoom is portrayed as being just as mad as he.

Nurse Joy(s): They are ditzes, and they definitely can't handle Harper's attitude. Harper goes out of her way to say as little as she can to the Nurses, after her first encounter with one in Sandgem Town where she verbally attacked one and the PokéCenter was locked down.

About the Story:

Across the Region takes place 12 years after the original plot seen in Diamond/Pearl/and Platinum. Platinum is apparently missing, while Barry is now a famous trainer who turned down being a champion. It is unstated if Cynthia is still a champion or not. At this time, something is happening--and it all started with one fire and the return of Cyrus. The Pokémon that travel with Harper are all named after the ones I have in my Platinum run.

As for the chapter sizes, I try and keep the chapters at a minimum of 1 and 1/2 pages and a maximum of 3 and 1/2 pages. Thus some are very small and some are very long when compared to each other.



Character Opinions

Most Annoying Speech Pattern: Austin. He has a very specific way of talking, but it is not an accent. He says 'Um, uh, well' and 'ah' a lot, as well as often pauses while talking. He knows when to say sorry, but it often takes him three "I'm sorry!" statements before he stops apologizing. Writing Austin talking can be very irritating, because he takes a long time to get to the point and almost sounds like he's making things up as he goes.

Favorite Behavior Pattern: Rowan. It's a lot of fun to take dialogue that's already written, and add your own actions to it. Rowan is fairly insane and his actions are incredibly fun to write about while still giving him his original dialogue.

Favorite Pokémon: Jabber. For those who don't know, Jabber's name actually is from our very own staff member Jabberwocky. Who asked that I name a Pokémon after him =)! Jabber (the Gligar!) is extremely childish and a runt. There's a lot of fun to be had writing about Jabber and his babyish behavior. Plus, he's just a really cute character (come on, he's a runt Gligar riding on someone's shoulders sucking on his claw. He's adorable!)

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