Chapter 007

In a house in the settlement of Sandgem Town, the sun's morning rays of light filtered into a small bedroom. Inside that room, a boy was awake and was getting ready for quite possibly the most important day of his lifetime. Clan Eclairè was about to leave home and begin his travels as a Pokemon trainer.

"Clan! Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just a second, dad!" Clan called back to answer his father.

Clan was a fifteen year old teenager. Usually, trainers set off on their journeys once they reached their first decade, but that system was formally abolished from the pokemon world ten years ago, when casualties and MIA pokemon trainers that are recorded down were increasing every single year that passed by, not just in the region of Sinnoh, but also included in the Kanto-Johto region, Hoenn, Unova, Kalos and the others.

The origin for this unfortunate tragedy comes about when criminal organizations cropped up, and surfaced to the face of the pokemon world. They came out of nowhere, without warning and hint for the masses to react.

Whatever their goals was in their respective regions, one thing they all have in common is that they plan on achieving their results through the misuse of pokemons. This criminal organizations often worked to gain money for their cause, through methods such as stealing pokemons and selling them through the blackmarket. They murdered humans and pokemon without leniency, just because of the goal of their leader. The primary target of this syndicates were pokemon trainers who just started their pokemon journey, since they are basically easy targets. They also were unafraid of experienced trainers, they stole and kill just anybody who possessed exotic pokemons, some organizations even attempted on gym leaders who, a fact known by all, were major powerhouses in the pokemon league.

However, when this happens, the league responsible for their region could no longer ignore and allow them to cause destruction whatever.

In Sinnoh, an organization called, Team Galactic, couldn't avoid a brutal battle in one of their major hideout when Cynthia Shirona, the Sinnoh's champion uncovered some of Team Galactic's secrets and aims. She, along with the Elite Four and their forces fought the biggest battle recorded in the past hundred of years. Thousands from both sides consisting of pokemon and people died in combat. Sinnoh suffered severe casualties from that battle, one of the elite four even died and sacrificed herself for the sake of her people.

Eventually, Team Galactic was forced to disband at that time. For years, the organization appeared to be gone completely.

Sinnoh wasn't the only one going through this catastrophes. Team Rocket from Kanto-Johto, Team Magma and Team Aqua from Hoenn, Team Plasma from Unova and Team Flare from Kalos, etc.

Because of the threat of this organizations, the age required to become a trainer went up from ten to fifteen years old. The league also did not randomly let anyone become a trainer as they have to meet the criteria that they set upon, through an examination, the Pokemon Regional License Examination.

Clan was glad he had passed the examination with flying colors. He praised his hard work for reaching this far.

Right now, he was with his father and mother in Sandgem Town, they are currently at the place where his uncle, Christopher Eclairè lived. He was a pokemon trainer, and was one of the people Clan would approach and ask questions about pokemon theories and topics.

The door to the room opened to reveal his uncle, Christopher Eclairè. He had a wide grin on his face as always and leaned against the doorway to watch him. "Hey kiddo! Do you have everything you need?"

"I think so." Clan replied. "All the things mom and dad bought for me last week are already in my sling bag. I think the only thing missing are my Trainer ID which is in Professor Rowan's hands and a Pokemon."

"Have you decided which one you want?"

He grinned widely, matching his uncle's. "Oh yeah"

He had been revising his plans because of the joint program, the exchange of pokemon starters for distributions between Hoenn and Sinnoh, because he ranked second he gain the privilege to choose a regional starter.

He had been thinking very hard this past few days. It had actually been incredible difficult to choose just one of the three starters Professor Rowan offered to young trainers this year, because they were varied. All three of the starters were rare and extremely prized species of pokemons, also most importantly it was the regional starters in Hoenn.

The pokemon league of Sinnoh and Hoenn already had the news regarding the program shared throughout the public in the individual region through the media, announced by the champions themselves.

It was to be expected that a lot of people were perplexed and astonished. But, it quickly subsided, it would be interesting for pokemons found in Hoenn to be in the possession of new buds though. A lot of the new trainers who decided to get their starter from their family, breeders or those who decided to get one from the gym, began considering their decision.

Mudkip was a bulky little water-type with great flexibility in it's role. Despite it's mediocre speed, it can offensively sweep through their opponents with their attacks and special attacks, which made it invaluable for one-on-one battles. A trainer could eliminate his opponents pokemons with a single mudkip - great for trainers who wanted a brutally destructive pokemon as a battler. Its evolutionary line, Marshtop and Swampert with it's unique ground/water typing gives it many desirable traits. It resist popular, rock, fire and steel-type moves, it's immune to ground and electric type moves. In addition, it can hit a wide variety of foes thanks to it's access to ground and water-type moves with ice-type coverage.

Treecko is one of those pokemon who can do everything, depending on what you want this pokemon to focus on. It is pretty quick and fast in battle, Both of it's evolve forms only improved on these abilities. Additionally, with high speed and special attacks, Sceptile is tailor-made for the role, fast and deadly sweeper; access to moves like Sword Dance and Leaf Blade, as well as an acceptable attack power, makes Sceptile a viable physical sweeper. All in all, except for Sceptiles low defensive capabilities, it is a very versatile pokemon.

However, Clan wanted neither Mudkip and Treecko. He wanted a starter that was within his scope of knowledge, so when he would be training that pokemon it would be much easier for him to handle its training.

Torchic, the fire-type, was Clan's desired partner. The main reason was because fire-type pokemons was a field Clan put extra effort in studying. This pokemon's breed was also renowned for it's capabilities in 'wall breaking' through defenses with their primed attack power, speed and firepower.

There are some debate about what qualifies a Pokemon as a wallbreaker in the battling community, but in general, the goal of a wallbreaker is to overwhelm the defenses of an opponent, and break their defenses with sheer power and force. They can do this through raw power, great coverage of moves, access to a boosting move, or the ability to attack both physically and specially. 

Torchic and its evolutionary line could fight enemies with its wide variety of powerful and high flying kicking attacks as they became fire and fighting typing when it evolved. They are fast but not outstandingly so, but Clan could work on that, he knew a few training regime that can improve speed.

So, he was desiring on getting a Torchic, if the person ranked first didn't choose it.

Christopher checked his watch and smiled. "There is no rush, Clan. You've still have an hour before you have to be at professor's lab. Come on downstairs and have some breakfast, your mom was very generous and cooked some food for us."

Clan shouldered his sling bag and grinned at the prospects of starting the day with his mother's delicious cooking. "Alright!"

...

As Clan made his way to the kitchen, it suddenly occurred to him that this will be the last time that he would ever taste his mother's cooking before he left, but he very quickly shook those thoughts away.

'It was just all the more reason to savor every last bite of it.'

Clan and Noraima were seated across from each other not too long after Clan entered the kitchen. Clan had his plate stacked with pancakes and bacon. A bowl of cinnamon applesauce rested next to it, and a glass of chocolate milk was on the other side. Noraima had similar setup, but she had star berries on her pancakes, while Clan had blueberries and whipped cream, Clint and Christopher both have chocolates on theirs.

Noraima was clearly in turmoil over her son's upcoming departure, as she have been for the past couple of days now. Her stress has increasingly grown gradually yet noticeably as the days had gone by.

But she did what she could to hold back her tears, and enjoy one final breakfast with her beloved little boy who she and her husband was so proud of.

"So..." Said the brunette woman sipping her drink slowly. "What are your plans after you got your pokemon, Clan?"

Clan lightly tapped his plate with the fork before answering. "I'm planning on challenging the Sinnoh Gym Circuit, try to earn all the eight badges and hopefully qualify to enter the Lily of the Valley Conference." He said. "That's the best case scenario anyway, rookie trainers usually didn't made it because of either: not earning enough gym badges or have earned all the badges but didn't even pass through the screening rounds."

Christopher whistled a bit after hearing that. "Wow, you want to enter this year's Lily of the Valley Conference, Clan? and as a rookie?" He laughed and continued. "That's quite a bold dream, I know you are smart, but it will be very difficult, it doesn't only take brains to reach so far as a rookie, you have to gain experience and some more."

Clan smiled. "I know that, but I will try my best, there's no pain in trying. Besides, how can I and my future team grow if I won't challenge myself."

Trainers who collect eight Badges can enter the Sinnoh League championship competition, known as the Lily of the Valley Conference. It was difficult for a rookie to become a competitor in the Lily of the Valley Conference, and to say any conference held in any region. Every year, rookies who managed to enter the conference in Sinnoh only amounted up to two people at most, some years may not have any. It was just too difficult, one had to train for years to even qualify to enter, much to say a rookie, who started from nothing, it's impossible. That's why Clan said that 'hopefully' and not 'dream' because dreams can be achieve but hopes are uncertain.

"That's the spirit! Haha! I've always liked you because of that grit of yours." Christopher patted his nephew's shoulder and laughed loudly.

"Who will be the gym leader you planned on challenging as your first badge, son?" Clint fondly rested his gaze on his son, he was also stressed about his upcoming departure, but not as much as his wife.

"The Oreburgh City Gym Leader - Roark. I'll pass through Jubilife City in that case, which I would take my time, I also would want to catch a pokemon along the way and train my starter with the pokemons I catch. I'm not in a rush anyway, also the conference is still over eleven months since the start of the new season. Before then, I would like to take my time training and honing my skills."

"It seems you already have prepared what you will be doing, Clan." Everyone of them was impressed, even Noraima couldn't help but worry less of her son.

"And you have everything packed?" She asked. She knew he did, but was desperate to make conversation with the emotions surging through her right now. any distraction would be welcome. She knew she was only delaying the inevitable, of course. She'd be crying on her husband shoulder eventually.

The longer she held her emotions in, the worse it would be when they left her. She knew this, and yet, couldn't help herself. it was a dreadful feeling. The pride that she had for her son was matched only by the grief of losing him today.

Clan nodded back happily. "Yeah. I finished last night, I made sure everything was. Regardless whether or not I would make it to Jubilife City by tonight, it shouldn't take more than a couple of days, so besides the stuff you guys bought for me, I only packed lightly in my clothes. I can restock when I get there."

After that, Noraima decided to switch on the TV to see what the latest news was. It was always important these days to stay on top of the current events around the world.

(I know I said that I wouldn't update for three days, but I guessed something happened, I dunno myself. But, hey! Who wouldn't like more chapters, right?)