Author's Note: Hey everyone! Happy holidays! This chapter was intended to go up the 25th, but I wanted to hold on to it for an interim period. Sorry for taking so long to update. Not to keep you waiting any longer, let's get to chapter 6!

I'll see you at the bottom!

...

Maverick's Sinnoh Adventure

Arc 1: The Roar of Time & The Spacial Rend

Chapter 6: A Hop and a Skip Away

... 

"...where is it? I know I left it around here somewhere," sighed a worried young girl. Her long dirty blonde hair swiveled somewhat elegantly in the air as her hands fidgeted. Her fingers were going crazy, twitching with worry over a lost item. She was in her bedroom, her curtains were drawn up, but the sunlight that poured in did nothing to help her find it. "Under the bed, maybe? Come on..." she cried.

She bent down, her green, sleeved arms pressed lightly against her wooden floor as she crouched and peeked under her bed. The sight that greeted her golden eyes was a darkened view of the hard-wood floor. In the moment, she allowed her body to deflate, losing any sense of hope. "Ugh...come on! Did I really misplace it? I could've sworn I had it not too long ago." She stood up defiantly and put her hands on her jean-covered hips. She scanned the area.

Her bedroom walls were covered with illustrations, some she considered not very good, and others she could feel proud of herself with. A brown desk sat in the corner, stacked with papers of many types, and along with it were various pencils and brushes, a bowl of water, and many erasers. Her pink, neat bed held a few important items for herself, but it was missing one thing.

"Just where is my canvas?"

Footsteps were heard scaling the stairs outside her door, and she turned to regard whoever might join her momentarily. "Have you tried under your bed?" a kind voice asked. The girl rolled her eyes, putting a hand over her glasses covered face.

"I did, mom. Wasn't there! I've looked in every nook and cranny in the room and nothing turned up!" she whined, throwing her arms up. "I know today is the day I'm allowed to travel, but I can't leave home without it. Have you seen it?"

Her mother's footsteps grew louder, suddenly going quiet when she appeared in her doorway, hands behind her back while offering small smile. She wore an apron, with her green shirt peeking out the sides. A Pokémon stood on her shoulders, before it hopped down and raced over to where the girl was. The young girl gave a happy cry as the Pokémon jumped in her arms, mewling happily.

"Hey there, Shinx! Nice to see you. All rested up?" she asked with a large smile. The blue Pokémon responded with a nod, before turning to look at the older woman.

"Dear me, honey, your room is a little on the messy side, I know you call this clean, but..."

"Oh, it's an organized mess, mom. Nothing to worry about! See, I know exactly where everything is. Except for my canvas. It's the only thing missing, see?" she offered with a wave of her hand before pointing to her bed. Her mom held a surprised look on her face. Neatly placed, somehow, were her adventuring items: a large backpack, clothes, and other little trinkets. Made more apparent though, were her art items. Save for a water bottle, and brushes, pretty much a duplicate of everything on her desk made it on the bed.

And, well...there was a lot.

"All of this? Are you sure, Sabrina? You have a larger backpack than what I would've liked."

The girl in question gave her mother a peace sign, with the Pokémon in her arms doing the same with its paws, or at least, it attempted to. "Yup! All these items are essential for a Pokémon Watcher!"

"A Pokémon Watcher? Dear me..." Her mother chuckled and walked in a bit more, moving one hand to pat her daughter lightly on the head. The golden sun illuminated her figure. "Well, you're not even a Trainer yet, much less a Watcher. You need a license for that, have you forgot?" she asked, before giving her daughter a light tap on her forehead. Sabrina merely giggled, before moving towards her window.

"Yeah," she responded. Her golden-brown hair seemed to flow with her energetic movements.

"...Oh?" her mother asked with her tone going up an octave. "How could you forget something like that?"

Sabrina froze and Shinx jumped out of her arms, he took a position on the bed and rested there. "No, mom, I mean..." she stammered, "I haven't forgotten, don't worry." She looked out the window to a view that overlooked Route 202 from Jubilife City. The city was abuzz as she saw the large amount of Pokémon Trainers head in various directions. "That's why I'm heading over to Sandgem Town, so I can meet up with the Professor and register! He already knows I'm coming, so, I'll be fine!"

"Well, I'm happy for you. You've met all the requirements, anyway. I guess I can't keep you here any much longer than what you would've liked," the older woman replied, leaning over to look at a drawing of the different Gym Leaders of Sinnoh. They held a pose, with the recently redesigned Pokémon League insignia behind them. Her mother smiled softly, remembering her older days with her friends - there were different Gym Leaders, of course. "Didn't you want to become a League Trainer once upon a time? I remember you saying something like that - oh, this is a nice drawing. You've even got their personality down and everything..." her mother's voice quieted to a whisper.

"Yeah, once, but I kind of figured that— he-hey! Don't look at that! Mooom!" Sabrina whined, throwing herself away from the window. She got in front of her mother and pushed her away lightly. "No, mom, it's terrible! Geez!" she pouted, almost scrambling to cover it up. She remembered Roark's nose seemed crooked. Her mother giggled loudly at her daughter's reaction.

"Oh no, I think it looks beautiful. They all look so energetic, and Roark, Wake, Byron and Volkner look especially handsome." Red burned at her daughter's cheeks, and her red glasses fogged up.

"I-I...um...well," she stammered, before quickly shaking her head. "Ah, it doesn't matter! Anyway, mom, I've thought about it, and I found out I like drawing battles more than I like being in one. Being a Pokémon Watcher not only allows me to draw people and Pokémon, but it also allows me to make a memory of every day that passes. When I go on a journey, I'd love to draw everything I see. It would be like my own little scrapbook."

"Hm," her mother hummed. "I like that answer, but you can't exactly make a scrapbook if you don't have a canvas, right?"

Sabrina's body deflated again. "Oh, yeah, that thing..."

"Haha! Which is why," she began, revealing her other hand. In a box, a smaller canvas was presented to her. "I bought you a new one, along with a sketchbook. I'd...imagine you can't paint with a canvas all the time, due to weather, so...I got you a sketchbook. They're both a nice size. I also noticed you didn't have any pencils with various graphite levels, so, I bought you some too. Hope you enjoy it as you travel, okay?"

Sabrina's golden eyes instantly lit up and she practically tackled her mother, smothering her with a hug. "Oh, thank you! I will!" she cried happily. Her mother rubbed her hand on her smooth hair endearingly.

"Every piece of art you make is beautiful in my eyes, okay? I'll be rooting here for you, along with your father. Don't forget that," she said with a soft tone. Sabrina lifted her face out of her mother's bosom with tear-filled eyes and nodded. She let go of her mother and accepted the gift wholeheartedly. "Pack up the rest of your stuff and be sure to head down for food before you go, okay?"

"Right," she responded happily. With that, her mother closed the door behind her as Shinx hopped off her bed and made his way over to Sabrina, who looked out the window once again. She tightened her grip on her gift as she looked towards Sandgem Town. "Shinx," she voiced.

"Shi?" he questioned, looking up with his bright, yellow eyes. Sabrina smiled softly.

"Sandgem Town is waiting for us. So, let's hurry and pack to meet up with Professor Rowan! We don't want to be late, right?" she questioned excitedly with a pump of her fist. Shinx jumped on the windowsill and readily joined in, and they both held their arms up to the still rising sun ahead of them...well, Shinx attempted to. Sabrina gave him brownie points for trying.

...

Adventure.

That was the only word on the Trainers' minds as they made their way towards Route 201. Colors of green, blue, white, and gold flooded their view and kept them entranced as they kept moving forward. For Maverick, a boy turned Trainer - a Pokémon Trainer, it was practically a dream come true. The very thing his parents had done when they were his age, and countless others, was something he was finally experiencing for himself.

Going on an adventure.

A little green Pokémon he can finally call his own was by his side, trotting down the path with an admittedly adorable bounce in his step. The teen was glad that his Turtwig had been able to receive a Trainer after two years with the kind professor. Just thinking about his situation made Maverick more determined than ever to be kind to him – after all, they did make a promise. A promise to grow stronger. How will they do that? Maverick did not know.

But no matter! The answer will come with time, he gleefully thought. With that in mind, he turned around and witnessed his sister and her Pokémon walking along with Alex, his best friend since the day he was born. The boy had Piplup in his arms, and Piplup seemed to stare up at her Trainer with a smile. On the other hand, Maverick's sister followed in Alex's footsteps with Chimchar walking alongside her. He saw that they were soaking up the sights of the tail end of Route 201 Gateway.

About 15 years ago, the people of Twinleaf Town helped establish a meadow of flowers further up north. This soon became the basis for the vivid and scented Floaroma Town, which, despite their efforts, refused to grow until a Mythical Pokémon blessed the land to bloom. The dwellers that built the town were so grateful for Twinleaf's help, that they showed their gratitude by building an entrance way to Route 201, appropriately named Route 201 Gateway. The entrance inherited a part of Floaroma Town's features: Wooden arches that went over the paved road, rich grass and soil that tickled the wild Pokémon's feet, and a wide array of flowers that gave off a beautiful scent. The Gateway became an honorable mention for introducing new Trainers into the world from Twinleaf Town. His mom liked to think that the kind gesture was a blessing from Floaroma, wishing them good fortune on their travels.

The activity on the route expressed that. Plenty of Trainers hung around, conversing among themselves and playing with their Pokémon as they worked out a plan of action. The wild Pokémon were abundant: Bidoof gnawed on fallen trunks of wood, while Pokémon he knew as Starly flew through the air. The sun shined, illuminating the tall, bushy trees that painted shadows of leaves on the road. There were white fences that lined the rim of the road to the arch, and just beyond that was a sign post.

"..."

The teen looked down at his Pokémon and saw that Turtwig was staring at him with a patient look on his face. Maverick didn't realize he stopped walking and quickly apologized. "Sorry to keep you waiting! I guess I was too caught up in the sights," he leaned down a bit, "how are you, little guy?"

Turtwig gave him a bright smile, and the deep green colors of his leaf shimmered in the sunlight. Maverick took that as a positive response. "I'm glad. Are you all rested up from last night?" Turtwig nodded.

"Last night was fun, wasn't it, Chimchar? I'm surprised my bed didn't catch fire..." Rika noted from behind him, patting her starter on the head. Chimchar looked as if he liked that, because his flame grew in size. Maverick just smiled at the sight. Yeah, last night was fun. After receiving their starters from the Professor, the job was getting acquainted and preparing. He'd like to say the Pokémon and their Trainers were getting along well enough at this point.

Following that, they continued on their way through the lively route. As Maverick made his way down the path, he could only hear snippets of conversations other people had. Some about battling, others about coordinating, a very sad one about Ash Ketchum's loss to Tobias yesterday, and a hushed one about some sort of event on Iron Island. He found himself more concerned about the major upset than anything else.

He watched the battle himself. It was a spirit shatter. The boy was devastated, but he was more surprised about Tobias' roster. Two Mythical Pokémon? He so deeply wished that Ash would've found some sort of way to win, but Tobias' strength was beyond Ash's reach. Maybe if Tobias had more common Pokémon, the raven-haired Trainer could have made it to the finals.

A very funny thought crossed the teen's mind, 'what would happen if I challenged Ash? Would he even accept? Ah, who am I kidding? There's no way he'd have time for me. He would be busy trying to face a better challenger, like Paul...though it would be nice to fight him someday...'

Maverick shook his head. The only thing stopping him from challenging the Ash Ketchum to a battle was experience...or running into him. He was still in Sinnoh, right? The Ash Ketchum was in his home region! Maybe if he could reach Lily of the Valley Island in a few hours it could be possible. Or what about if he trained more? Or what if they meet as champions? No, wait, Maverick thought, what if-!

He suddenly lost his balance.

"Maverick? Hellooo? Are you in there or what?" Alex asked while shaking his friend's shoulders. Maverick let out an inhumane noise out of surprise, quickly righting himself before he could embarrass himself further. "We asked you a question."

"Uh, sorry, what?" he asked, feeling the chill of embarrassment running through his veins. He really has to stop spacing out.

"Which way should we go?" Rika called from ahead of him. She gestured towards a sign post directing their path. "It seems we have two options. Left takes us through the longer half of the route leading to Lake Verity, and right takes us to a shortcut to get to Sandgem Town."

"Sandgem Town...isn't that where the Pokémon Professor is? I think he said something about making sure to stop by his lab," Maverick noted, he tightened the grip on his backpack. Alex shrugged in response.

"I think going to the lake first would be nice. I mean, we just started our journey, so, why not see the sights? Plus, I'm sure we can relax and let our Pokémon play there for a bit. What do you think, Piplup? Lake Verity is a large body of water I'm sure you'd enjoy!" the Pokémon at his side seemed to instantly like that idea, given she chirped and almost headed off in that direction. The blonde boy could only chuckle at her nature.

"Good point. It might give me some time to get to know this little guy better," Maverick agreed, he bent down and gave his Pokémon a smile. Turtwig just returned his look. Maverick knew he and Turtwig were still practical strangers to one another, so he kind of expected piles of awkward conversations to form between them. That said, he was determined to want to learn about his unfamiliar companion. Rika's Pokémon agreed with Piplup and pulled on his Trainer's white pants to lead her to the lake.

Rika giggled, "so, I guess it's settled. We'll take the longer way around, then," she finalized to the group. The Pokémon cheered in response and went on ahead of them as they walked, but Turtwig stayed near his Trainer, not fully confident in running off just yet.

"...You know," Alex started, watching Piplup run ahead, "I just realized I don't know the first thing about owning something that's alive. Glameow is my grandmother's, so, she doesn't count, but someone I can call my own?

"Is that what being a Trainer feels like?"

The scent of flowers filled Maverick's nose as he gave his question some thought. He learned the fundamentals of being a Trainer: How to catch a Pokémon, how to battle, how to care for one after said battle, the whole nine yards, but he realized he didn't know how to be with them. He paused, and once again looked at Turtwig. His Pokémon returned a blank look.

That's right. Turtwig was his. Even though he graduated from Trainer's school, he didn't realize the amount of responsibility that would be placed on him. If anything happened to Turtwig, or any other Pokémon he might catch in the future, he was the guy responsible. That thought made him shiver.

"I...don't know. Mom or dad didn't really prepare us for this, huh, Rika?"

"They didn't, or at least, I don't think they did. I've wanted a Pokémon for some time now, but now that I finally have one, I'm not sure if I can keep up with the craziness of it all. Whatever happens now, from this point on, will we be ready for it?" she quietly asked. The three of them stood still, facing the path leading to Lake Verity. The other Trainers and Pokémon left a long time ago, already sure in their decisions and actions, yet, the three of them remained uncertain of what lied ahead of them. Chimchar and Piplup noted their absence and turned, giving them questioning looks. Turtwig kept looking at Maverick's pensive face.

Maverick turned and looked back at Twinleaf town. He squinted. He could faintly see his parents and Alex's grandmother standing there, looking at them. They had not moved an inch.

"What I'm trying to say is," his mother's words echoed from a few nights ago, "it's normal to feel a little reluctant to accept the fact you'll be leaving, but you can't let that serve as a roadblock to becoming something great. The road may be hard, but you have to find the courage to trek it."

As if knowing their predicament, his mother gave him a thumbs up.

Maverick smiled.

"...Yes," he said, his voice carrying a wave of certainty that washed over Rika and Alex. The two looked at him, and then followed his gaze. "We are ready. We've been ready all along, it's just having to find courage. That's what mom told me. We can do it, just as long as we keep learning along the way. I promised Turtwig that we'll go on a journey together, and that's what I'll do. Responsibility is something you gain with experience, and we can get there. All it takes is one step.

"Remember what dad said, 'the beginning of our lives is a hop and a skip away', so, let's keep our heads up, and run for it!" he exclaimed, looking at them with determination. His words seemed to have affected them, given they nodded in understanding. He's right, they can do it! With that thought in mind, they waved a final goodbye to their guardians. They were ready.

The sun shined bright, the flowers swayed in the wind, and the three of them stood at the end of Route 201 Gateway. Ahead of them was the Sinnoh Region, the first of many regions to be discovered by their eyes. They had their doubts, they had their hang ups, but what they also had were each other. The three of them vowed to trust themselves. They promised their Pokémon a journey, but they couldn't do that if they didn't have courage to walk the road in front of them. They were sure they would miss their parents and grandmother alike, but they accepted that in order to grow, they would have to use their legs and walk themselves.

With that thought in mind, they ran, looking forward to the beginning of their lives.

...

It seemed the activity of the gateway moved over to an area famous for its large body of water - Verity Lakefront. The lake was a landmark for the people of Southwestern Sinnoh, mostly due its pristine blue waters, bushy, tall pine trees, and the surrounding area filled with sprawling Pokémon of various types. The surrounding area was treated as if it was a park: wide open spaces, brick walkways, benches and lampposts galore and a view that rivaled that of the gateway's expansive Twinleaf Town. The snow capped peaks of Mountain Coronet were reflected on the undisturbed pool, coupled with the scattering rays of sunlight.

But what really pronounced itself as an attraction was Sinnoh's own mystery of a large red Gyarados somehow dwelling inside Verity. It was popular among kids, but some adults speak of a different myth about this place, a myth far greater than that...

Splash!

The lake protested the disturbance in the form of ripples that expanded from the origin point of Piplup's dive. The little Pokémon chirped happily underwater as she swam, seeing all sorts of Water Type Pokémon swimming along with her. Some Pokémon she recognized as Magikarp gaped at her enthusiasm and swam away from her, heading towards a strange gold colored one of their kind. She didn't care; she simply enjoyed the coolness of the lake. She found it was a beautiful blue, especially with the sun poking through and lighting up some corals. She analyzed the view and swam up to report back to her waiting Trainer.

Her head broke through the surface, taking a chance to puff up her cheeks and spray water at the face of her Trainer who laughed and wiped it away quickly. "Ah, Piplup! Quit it, haha!"

"Pip!" she squeaked, opting to repeat the same action. Alex had to move away this time.

"Ah, you're lucky I'm wearing clothes! If I was in my swim trunks you would've got it!" Alex cried while shielding his face from the water pounding it. "Now you got my shirt all wet..."

Piplup replied by getting out of the water and shaking herself dry, casting more water on her Trainer. Alex gawked at her behavior before an amused smirk donned his features. He took off his backpack and black jacket, revealing his blue collared shirt before rubbing his hands. "Ooh, now you're gonna get it!" he chuckled and ran towards her. She squeaked and moved her stubby little feet, running as fast she can. Her flippers were thrown back and her beak was pointed, guiding her as she made her way towards a bench. Alex swiftly dodged Trainers throwing frisbees to their Pokémon, before calling out for his Pokémon to come back. She ignored him, sounds similar to laughter erupting from her beak. She wasn't sure if Alex would appreciate getting wet, but she took her chance. If he's this fun loving, she guessed they'll grow really close.

Alex and Piplup kept this up a few more minutes, his multiple attempts to catch her proved futile. He shook his fist, laughing. "Alright, whew, I give up. You're a fast little critter," he muttered to himself while she stopped and teased him. He shook his head, reaching onto his pocket and pulling out his blue Pokédex. He almost dropped it in the event of their scuffle, but luckily the device didn't fall out. He grew curious about its contents, flipping it open and taking a look. It powered on automatically, reading "Pokédex" on the top screen, but what caught his attention was what he heard.

"Please enter the Trainer Card on left slot of this Pokédex to format and activate," a bubbly female voice instructed through tinny speakers, Alex had to do a double take.

"Wait, it talks? Whoa, um, okay..." he complied, and pulled out his plastic golden card before sliding it in. The dual screens turned black, and white words reading 'formatting' appeared on the top screen and, 'do not close the Pokédex in this state' on the bottom. It only took a moment. Piplup waddled towards him out of curiosity.

"Format complete," spoke the friendly female voice again. The screens came to life, once again reading Pokédex on the top screen. "Hello! I'm Dex, a Pokédex programmed from the Pokémon Research Facility in Sandgem Town for the Pokémon Trainer Alexander McKnight. My function is to provide Alex with information and advice regarding Pokémon and their training. If I am lost or stolen, along with the Trainer Card, request for a replacement from Professor Rowan." It took a short pause. "Notice: an update is available for the current device model HANDY910. Please visit a Pokémon Center for further instructions."

"...This is actually pretty cool," Alex breathed, glossing over the menu. Piplup looked over the strange device too, before Alex pocketed it. "Well...don't wanna mess this up. I don't want to fiddle around too much with it. I'll check it out some more when we get to Sandgem. For now, though, let's see where the other two went, yeah?" Piplup, as always, held no resistance and gleefully strolled along with Alex to his best friends. He made sure to grab his jacket along the way.

Now that his Pokédex have been formatted, at least he could get a head start on learning about the other kinds of creatures that lived in their world. He remembered countless lectures on 'making use of your tools' the teacher spent a couple of weeks on. It was an odd unit, but he learned the insane number of tools Trainers have at their disposal – the Pokédex being the utmost important. Technology has advanced quickly in the last 5 years compared to the earlier half of the decade, so he would not be surprised if his Pokédex may see such liberties in the future.

It'd be terrible if it was lost or stolen, though. He made sure to keep his Trainer Card somewhere safe in the meantime. Hopefully there wouldn't be some sort of replacement fee to pay... Now then, Trainer Card safe, backpack secured and Dex put away for later inspection, he made his way over to the siblings. Rika appeared to be writing something down in a notebook of sorts, before his soft steps caught her attention.

"Hey."

"Ah, there you two are! How was the water?" she asked, quickly putting her items away. Alex motioned to his shirt and face, before giving Piplup an amused smile.

"Well, I learned water is wet. This thing won't be drying off anytime soon, thanks to Piplup here. She's pretty fast." Piplup seemed to laugh at him, causing the blonde boy to roll his eyes. "What about you? What'cha writing there?"

Her eyes widened, a nervous blush appeared over her cheeks. "O-oh, um, nothing. Just...words and stuff," she replied, inching back slightly.

Alex squinted his eyes, amused smile growing. "Oh, yeah? May I see it?"

"A-absolutely not!" she said quickly, almost scrambling to cover up her bag. Chimchar looked up from his resting position on the green grass, casting his Trainer a curious look. Alex held his hands up, eyes wide.

"Okay, okay, just a question... I mean, it's not like I bite or anything."

Maverick, who was off to the side of her, made himself known. "Is that a diary? Aren't you a bit old for that?"

"What? W-who said this was a diary? There's no diary around here...haha..." she said with waning confidence, made apparent by her reaching up and playing with her hair. Alex could see Chimchar wasn't buying it. Alex himself could only guess what she was writing. "And even then, who said writing thoughts down had an age limit?"

"...So, it is a diary," Maverick confirmed with hands on his hips. Rika had to do a double take.

"W-what? It's totally not a diary. Where did you even get that idea from!?"

"You just said..."

"I didn't say anything, and that's that!" Rika finalized with a large blush and a hasty cross of her arms. The others merely stared at her. "Now, could you get off my case? Please?"

Her brother chuckled, "alright, alright. No need to be so possessive. It makes you seem childish," Maverick quipped. Rika lost her embarrassed nature and gave her dark haired brother a frown.

"Childish? I'm the one whose older than you, remember!" she exclaimed, causing much of the emotion on her brother's face to drain. Alex's amused smile let a sigh escape. Not this again...

"What? The only people who know how old we are is mom and dad, but they aren't here, and they never tell us, so therefore I say I'm older than you."

"Ugh! There's no way you're older than me!" she retaliated. "There's something seriously wrong with your brain if you think for a minute you're the older sibling."

"I think my brain works perfectly fine! You're the one who can't understand simple facts. Just admit I'm older than you, you'll sound less childish that way."

Rika's eyebrows narrowed, "shut up! All you ever do is space out like a complete idiot whenever someone says something negative to you. You don't face them head on, that's being childish!"

"Hey," Maverick warned, it seemed she hit somewhat of a sour spot from what Alex could tell, "quit arguing back and just admit I'm older than you!" Maverick yelled, getting annoyed.

"No! The more you keep saying that, the more childish you sound!"

"Shut up, Rika!"

"No, you shut up, idiot!"

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

Alex became an observer at a tennis match in that moment, watching them go back and forth. All of their Pokémon were completely lost and looked up to the blonde boy as guidance. He saw this and gave them a reassuring look, getting an idea. A dumb smile appeared on his face.

"Guys!" he yelled, promptly getting their attention. "You forgot something very important!"

They both looked at each other, completely caught off guard. "What...?" they both asked, turning to face their friend. Alex stayed quiet for a few seconds, and they looked at him intensely with baited breaths. "What is it?" they both asked again.

"...I'm the oldest one here!"

Silence.

No one dared say a word, human nor Pokémon alike. The poor creatures were just confused at the strange behavior exhibited by their Trainers. Alex had the most triumphant smirk on his face, and the other two stood frozen, faces caught in a mix between confusion and heavy contemplation. Even the sounds of the various Trainers surrounding them, and the joyous cries of their Pokémon did nothing to deter their current state.

"...Alex?" Maverick quietly asked, "can you just...shut up?"

"No can do," he replied matter-of-factly. "As the oldest one here, I declare that you both are acting childish. Now, stop this fighting and make up. Like good children should."

"...No. I actually have a better idea," Maverick began. His annoyance quickly evaporated, replaced by growing excitement. "Let's have a battle!"

Rika shook her head quickly. "Wait, what? Now you wanna drag our Pokémon into this?!"

Maverick tried to ease her down. "It'll be great! The winner of our battle will be the older sibling, a-at least for the day. What better way to start communicating with our Pokémon than through a battle? How about it?" he asked Turtwig. The Pokémon was slightly taken aback through the event, but a battle? He hadn't participated in a battle in quite a while. He had been in a fair share, so he accepted, crawling over to Maverick who held him up. "This'll be awesome, trust me."

Rika was still a little unsure. Alex, however seemed to like the idea. "Sure, let's find a bigger clearing for you two."

It didn't take long, the same spot where Piplup terrorized her Trainer's shirt near the lake was good enough. It was out of the way from other people. Alex stood off to the side, while Rika and Maverick stood across each other, the former hesitant. She'd never been in a battle before! "Are you sure about this?" she asked quietly. Chimchar jumped out of her arms and simply nodded to her.

"If you say so..."

"No worries, Rika," Alex called out, "just try to remember what moves Chimchar showed you. Most of it is instinct, you'll be fine. I'll be keeping watch over here."

"You talk as if you're a seasoned veteran..."

"A shred of hope is better than none!" he shot back, making her eyes roll. Alex had to chuckle to himself, until Maverick interrupted him. "What's up?"

"No need to keep watch Alex, join in too! I'd like for all of us to fight each other!"

Piplup seemed to really like the idea. The Penguin Pokémon turned and pleaded to her Trainer, who accepted. "I guess it can't hurt. Alright, Piplup. It's fight time!" he shrugged, before pointing forward. Strangely enough, Alex felt powerful in that moment. The Pokémon obeyed and waddled forward. Commanding a Pokémon was something he could get used to!

Rika seemed a little more confident. After all, she's fighting for the right to become the older sibling! "Good luck out there, Chimchar! I'll try my best!" He heard her wish and gave her a smile.

"Chim!"

Maverick looked down at Turtwig, a small smile growing on his face. "This is our first battle together. I don't know if your older Trainer got a chance to go far with you, but we can try our best, right?" Turtwig simply nodded. He wasn't much of a talker from what Alex saw. "Good, well, let's do it!"

"Okay," Alex started, his voice rose to reach the other two. They were standing in a triangle, trees behind Rika, an expanse of space behind Maverick, and himself facing the lake. It was a beautiful backdrop to their start. "This is a free for all! Last Pokémon standing wins, 'kay? Ready?" he called looking back and forth.

"Yes!" Rika replied. Chimchar gave a confident look to Turtwig, who simply nodded in return. Maverick gave a confident smile and also pointed forward.

"Let's do this!" he shouted, while Turtwig jumped into position. Finally...

It's battle time!

"Turtwig, here we go! Start off by using Tackle on Chimchar!" Maverick initiated. The boy spent no time in picking a target. The green turtle complied, moving forward with a running start and head perched forward. He traveled across the grass with such speed that it caused Alex to step back a bit. Rika immediately panicked, her hands flailed about.

"A-ah! Uh...! Chimchar, use an...um, use an attack!" she cried, shielding her eyes from the oncoming assault. Chimchar didn't blame her, simply allowing Turtwig to come closer before unsheathing his claws. Chimchar smirked, jumping in the air to allow Turtwig to slide under him. The Tiny Leaf Pokémon didn't stay in place, though, quickly righting himself and dodging Chimchar who slashed from above. Rika took her hand away from her face, seeing Chimchar was the least bit harmed.

Maverick's grin didn't falter. "One more time!"

"Turrrt...!" Turtwig shot off again for Chimchar. The monkey found it difficult to dodge this time, from their proximity, but he narrowly avoided him. Same as before, the turtle was quick to recover, shooting off for the flaming Pokémon yet again. "Twig, turtwig!"

"Keep it going!" Maverick yelled out. Rika scrambled in place, yelping to Chimchar who seemed to ignore her and do his own thing. Turtwig narrowed his eyes and gave one last push. His wide skull bashed into the chimp's side, throwing the Pokémon off his balance. "Haha! Right on!" Maverick celebrated.

"Ah! Chimchar!" Rika yelled, her brown eyes glossy. Chimchar simply stood up and shook it off, making Turtwig wonder how hard he actually hit him. "Oh, Maverick!" she growled.

"Remember to stay calm, Rika. Chimchar can't listen to you freak out, or else he'll attack on his own. You've got to remember what moves he knows!" Alex instructed. "Think!"

"Char!" the Chimp Pokémon called to her. His claws were still extended, giving Rika a hint. Alex saw her take a deep breath, and call out an attack.

"Sorry Chimchar, alright, use...Scratch!" she commanded more confidently. Chimchar smirked again and ran off towards Turtwig. This time, he had his Trainer behind him. Making his way through the blurry grass, he gave a large swipe. Turtwig saw this coming and jumped to the left of him.

Alex saw Maverick tense a bit. "Turtwig, just keep dodging!" he exclaimed, closely following Chimchar's movements. Piplup seemed to whimper a bit, looking to Alex again. She wanted to battle, not stand off to the side. Alex reassured her.

"Just a little bit more, hang in there."

"...And jump!" Maverick yelled, stepping forward. Turtwig did as instructed, jumping over the chimpanzee's attack. As soon as he landed, he shot forward with another Tackle that Chimchar was ready for. A quick swipe of the arm had Turtwig rolling back, growling as he did so. "Dang it."

"Get ready, Piplup," Alex mumbled to her. "It's time for you to get in there! On my mark," she nodded, and steeled herself. As Turtwig recovered, Rika called out another attack.

"Okay, now use...Leer!" Chimchar complied and gave the turtle a thousand-yard stare, causing him to shiver. "Great job!"

"Now, Piplup! Use Pound on Turtwig!"

"W-wait, what?!" Maverick yelled, eyebrows pulling together. Are they serious? "Gah, Turtwig, get out of there! Dodge!" he cried. Turtwig was too shaken up by Chimchar's attack to do anything, and Piplup quickly ran over to smack his face with her flipper. "You can't team on me!"

"Inviting me to join was your first mistake! Piplup, chase Turtwig around and don't stop!"

"Good idea, Alex! Chimchar, keep it up, Scratch!" the two worked together like a hot knife through butter. As soon as Turtwig shook off the attack, he was on the run again, dodging the many swipes of Chimchar's claws while keeping away from Piplup. Rika called for another Leer attack.

The stare hit Turtwig while running, and the turtle tripped on his stubby legs. His defense was lowered an additional level, causing the Pound attack from Piplup to hurt much worse. Alex looked to Maverick's troubled face and yelled to Rika as a result.

"Rika! Now!"

"Got it!" she confirmed. She stepped forward a bit, and confidently instructed her Chimchar, "while Turtwig is stunned, use your fire! Ember!"

"Chim char!" he breathed, releasing many fiery bullets from his mouth.

"No, wait, Turtwig! Use Withdraw!"

"Not on my watch, Piplup, hit 'em with Bubble!" Alex instructed, grinning like a child in a candy store. Piplup automatically did as told, releasing many water filled bubbles out of her beak. Both elemental attacks hit the Tiny Leaf Pokémon, who cried out in pain. Steam eclipsed the area, shrouding the Pokémon. It dissipated after a few seconds. Maverick's eyes stayed concentrated on that one spot, hoping for a small bit of movement.

"Turtwig! Can you still...battle." The answer was a no. His Pokémon laid on the grass, defeated.

"Haha! All right!" Rika yelled, running over to hug her Pokémon, "you did it, Chimchar!" The Chimp Pokémon just rubbed his head, grinning bashfully. Alex smiled to Piplup endearingly. Maverick, however, was devastated.

"No! That's unfair!" he cried, running to retrieve his Pokémon. "That's illegal! I was being focused!"

"Oh, hush up," Alex snickered. "It was a free for all, sure, but that doesn't mean we can't have common enemies. You did well for your first battle, I'll give you that, though, not well enough for the title of oldest sibling."

Rika gasped excitedly, "I totally forgot! I'm the oldest! Yes! Eat that, Maverick!" Said boy stared at Alex vehemently.

"Just shut up, Rika. Alex, you've made an enemy today."

"Yeah, sure, okay," he flippantly replied. "He may be out, but we're not done yet, Rika. Piplup, really to battle for real?"

"Lup!" she happily confirmed. Maverick just sighed, picking up his Pokémon and walking over to where he was situated before. Alex kept an eye on him through out their battle, himself being slightly within earshot.

"Turt...wig?" moaned the turtle Pokémon. Maverick held him, crouching down and going through his bag. He pulled out a spray bottle.

"Sorry about that," Maverick quietly spoke, making it hard for Alex to hear. "I should have found a way to get you out of there, but my tactician of a friend just had to play dirty. Are you okay?" The Pokémon responded in a series of syllables that Maverick did not understand, but Turtwig's tone suggested he felt fine. Maverick nodded and sprayed on his Pokémon, who cringed a bit at the sensation.

"Sorry," Maverick continued. "These are potions, they sting a bit on first use, but you should be feeling okay afterwards..."

Alex could just see Turtwig nodding, and Maverick's shoulder slumping. He called out an attack before listening in to their conversation again. "What, no, Turtwig, you don't have to feel bad. You tried your best. I won't call you weak, at all. I promise. I really want to get to know you, because I knew a guy that did something horrible to a friend of mine. I stuck up for them, and I want to do the same for you...so...don't be so restrained, okay?

"You can count on me."

Alex had to smile to himself. He knew Maverick was a good enough kid growing up, and it seemed he wanted a genuine relationship with Turtwig. It made Alex to want to know Piplup beyond playing together, so together, they can also get stronger.

Strong enough to help his parents someday.

"Finish it off with Scratch!" Rika yelled, snapping him out of his thoughts. Before he knew it, Chimchar laid down a flurry of swipes across Piplup's face, causing her to slump to the ground, defeated. Alex's mouth was agape, before a small sigh escaped from it. Piplup put up an honest to Arceus effort, that's all that mattered.

"Meh, can't win 'em all," he shrugged. Rika stayed in place for a few seconds, before realization washed over her.

"I...we," she began, eyes growing wide. "We actually did it, haha! Chimchar! We won! Come here, you!" she happily shouted, running towards Chimchar and hugging him. Chimchar hugged right back, though he was tired. Anything to make his Trainer happy.

"Great job, Rika, you actually beat someone who's doing the League Challenge," Alex said after picking up his Pokémon. Piplup hugged him, before asking to be sent to her Pokéball. He returned her, thanking her for a job well done. Rika smiled, a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Thank you, Alex."

"Ah, don't thank me, thank Chimchar," he suggested lazily. He put his hands behind his head and gave her a large grin. "You did really well for your first battle. All you have to do is calm down, think a bit, and the rest should follow. See why it is important to participate in class?"

"Oh, stop talking Al," she giggled. She stood up holding Chimchar and walked over to her bag. "I didn't know he was so good on the battlefield."

"Chimchar is an agile Pokémon, so battling is kind of in its DNA. You should do the League Challenge with that idiot younger brother of yours."

"Oh, I'd never," Rika denied, shaking her head. "I just don't think I'm fit for battling, is all."

"Hey, you never know," Alex replied. They packed up their stuff and walked away from the area, not long before they realized who was missing.

"Chimchar!"

"Huh? Oh, where's Maverick?" Rika asked. Alex stopped in his tracks before realizing he wasn't here. He turned around, and very far away from them was Rika's brother, staring out to Lake Verity. "Hey! Mav! Come on, we're leaving!"

"Chimchar, chim!"

Maverick didn't respond.

"He can't be that sad about his loss. Hey, bro, come on!" Alex called. Turtwig heard their calls before he perked up and shook his Trainer's pants. His Trainer wobbled a bit before coming to life. He took a moment to situate himself, sauntering away from the lake. Eventually, he made it to their location. "Are you feeling alright? Too sad about being younger?" Alex teased.

Maverick didn't even register the joke, looking back towards Lake Verity quietly.

"Mav?" Rika asked, touching his shoulder, "are you okay...?"

"...Yeah, yeah, I...am," he mumbled. His brown eyes were trained on the center of the lake. "I just thought I saw something..."

"What?" they both asked him. Maverick furrowed his eyebrows before shaking his head.

"Ah, it's probably Mount Coronet's reflection and the sun playing with my eyes. Anyway, Sandgem Town is next on the map, right?" he asked. They both confirmed his guess with a nod. "Alright then, let's go!"

"You seem awfully happy for being the youngest out of us three," Alex quipped yet again. This time Maverick balled his fist and yelled in his face.

"Shut up, Alex! Arceus!"

Rika and Alex just laughed, and eventually Maverick joined in. He couldn't stay mad at them. The rest of their lives were a hop and a skip away, and he intended to stay with them every step of the way.

.

.

.

To be continued.

...

Hi!

Did you enjoy that chapter? I hope you did, honest. Sorry for taking so long to upload. I feel this isn't my strongest chapter, but I'll spare you the explanations, since they could've been circumvented, but I'm happy to get back into the thick of it. This chapter took many trial and error, but I feel I made the chapter a bit better after holding off from uploading a couple days (months, actually) late.

Well, the contents of this chapter: I introduced a new character who was an OC owned by WolfGirl34 A.K.A Wolfy, who, believe it or not, was the very first person who helped make this story what it is today, by submitting an OC. Nearly 6 years ago, her and I talked about her character, Sabrina, and this is the first time she's making her debut to this story. It wouldn't be MSA without Sabrina in it. Her and I lost contact, unfortunately, but Sabrina still survived in my thoughts throughout these years.

A great thanks goes to Epicocity, who, believe it or not, gave me a deadline to upload this chapter. Without his help and motivation, you probably won't be seeing this chapter for another year. I also want to thank him for reviewing chapter 5, arguably the most important chapter as of late. Each critic goes a long way, and I can't thank him enough.

Now then, that's all I got for this year. 2 chapters. I aim to make sure we don't have this long of a drought again next year. If you keep reading, I'll be sure to keep writing! Thanks for all the support. Please be sure to review!

Here's to a great 2019. Live long and Shine on!
~XDiamondX90