Backstory!?!?

A vast expanse of water is presented before my eyes, filling my whole vision with nothing else to look at.

The waves crashed onto the giant raft I'm on and right as they went near my face and pushed me off the raft, it stopped, freezing in the air and then slowly dropped back down in the water.

I gazed below the wooden floors of the giant raft I'm on and sent a wordless thank you.

"You nervous Drew?" A man appeared at my side and put a hand on my shoulder.

I didn't say anything for a few seconds and looked at the ocean again.

"Is there really land out there...? A ground that holds still and doesn't float like our raft? And nothing like an illusion like Mirage island?" I asked the man, my father.

He laughed. "Old man Giri would be angry at you if he heard you called Mirage island an illusion."

"Everyone's been seeing Mirage island and the tower but no one's been on it, every time we float by here, it keeps disappearing and re-appearing!" I said.

My father continued on laughing "That's true, well anyway, of course there's land out there! Your dear father once lived in the land after all before coming here!"

I sent him a suspicious look. "Really?"

He waved his hands. "I already told you multiple times, when are you going to believe me."

"In any case, whether you truly believe there's land out there or not, you're going to head out today! For your great adventure and all."

"...Do I have to?"

"Andrew." He looked at me. "It's tradition, there's no backing out!"

I sighed and nodded, looking at the ocean once again but I was focused on twirling a loose thread on my shirt.

I'd be lying if I say I'm not excited, for all my life, I've been stuck here on this giant raft we called Pacifidlog. Seeing the same deep blue ocean each day, eating the same food everyday and meeting the same old faces every single day can be a pretty dull experience.

Guess I'll have to see, what this 'land' truly is and what new things will it show me.

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LAND IS AMAZING!

There's so many things I haven't seen! Houses that are made of rocks and not wood or seaweed, actual living wood called a tree, new pokemon that looks so different from the ones I see back at home and so many different types of food!

I carried three skewers of this so called chicken and I've already eaten five of these and they still feel so delicious in my mouth!

"Slow down a little Andrew, honestly if I knew you'd be this happy being in land, I would've brought you years ago." My father spoke up in front of me.

I ignored him and continued stuffing my face with as many chicken skewers I can.

"...Fine, finish eating it all but hurry up, we're gonna get you to meet up with my friend first and to let you get familiar with land first before going on your big adventure."

I nodded at him, too busy with chewing to talk.

He shook his head and he let out a sigh as he smiled.

A couple minutes later, I finished eating and we started to walk towards the friend of my father, stopping in front of a giant building with a large signage that said.

[Psychic Type Gym.]

"You know what gyms are right...?" My father asked.

"Uhh..." I paused, "It's what I'm supposed to fight right? And if I win, they give me badges and stuff."

"They're more than a place you challenge, they act like the village chief in our home."

"Oh you mean they're the ones that decide things and solve problems?" I said.

He nodded and we continued standing in front of the gym.

We continued looking at the gym and my father went silent, crossing his arms as he just stared at the gym's doors.

I eyed him and glanced at the gym and at my father before slowly asking "I'm not going to fight inside the gym right? I don't even have any pokemon yet!"

"What? Of course not, we are just waiting for my friend, remember? They're just a little..." He frowned, "Late."

As he said that, the gym's door opened and out came a tall brown haired man, panting and huffing as he walked near us.

"Heya Archie, sorry I'm late, have to deal with work, ugh I hate people who go for a staller team, so irritating"

Is that him...? My father's friend?

"Oh is that him?" He noticed me staring at him and walked up to me.

"Hey there kiddo! I don't know if your father already told you my name but I'm Jin! Your father's one and only friend."

"I have more friends other than you." My father frowned at him.

"Keep telling yourself that Adam." He showed his tongue at him.

My head quickly looked at Jin and to my father, staring at them both. I didn't expect my father to be friends with someone so... what's the word? Childish.

Father rolled his eyes and then elbowed me, I glared at him before realizing I had to introduce myself.

"Uh hi... My name's Andrew." I said.

"Wow what a surprisingly nice name." He said.

I tilted my head at him and he chuckled and my father widened his eyes and went to reach his arms towards Jin.

But Jin was already speaking. "I bet your mother named you. Your father sucks at names! Do you know he named his starter Shroomy?" He cackled

"Oh yeah he does! He even named his boat Gyarados the destroyer." I snickered along with him.

Father grabbed Jin's shoulder and shook him roughly but he cannot undo what has already been spoken.

"I was a child back then when I named Breloom!" He shouted.

"That doesn't explain the boat." Jin countered but father just shook him again while I smiled at the scene.

"Okay— okay stop!" Jin said and took a deep breath.

Father shook him one last time and reluctantly let go.

"We're kinda causing a scene here." Jin pointed at the surrounding people, looking at us with raised brows.

"How about let's go inside. I want you to meet my children as well." He said.

"Alright then, let's go Andrew." Father agreed.

Walking inside the gym, I was met with countless people, lining up, talking to each other, and there were even some talking to their pokemon.

When we went inside, the people noticed Jin and they started to mutter amongst themselves. Jin waved at them and proceeded to walk past them and walked up to the front of the line where people are lining at.

"This is rather nostalgic." Father commented as Jin simply smiled.

I looked at the people in this room, they were trainers and soon in a month or so, I'd be a trainer as well. I wonder if I would feel nostalgic as well after a few years have passed and I'm all grown up? Seems so far away.

"Good morning gym leader, and to both of you as well" A girl standing behind the desk greeted us.

"Hey Kyla, these are my visitors. Let us through will you please?"

The girl nodded and let us enter the same place as her and we then entered through a door behind the girl.

Behind the door, revealed a normal looking space, there were a lot of seats and couches everywhere and there is a black mirror that hang on the side of the wall.

"It seems busy out there, you sure you have the time for us? we can wait." Father asked, taking a seat on one of the couches.

I took a seat beside my father.

"It's the end of the circuit after all, the eight or seven badgers are coming for me to get their badge and there are some rookies wanting to get an early taste of their first gym battle before the circuit ends." Jin said while took something out of his pocket, a black rectangular thing.

"You don't have to worry about delaying some kid's gym battle, my worker handles the lower badges and I have the higher badges scheduled later in the day." He then proceeded to put the rectangular thing to his ear as father hummed.

"Hey Tate, Liza you guys can stop practicing early, get over here, you have to meet someone."

"Tate? Liza" Father questioned.

Jin smiled "My kids."

Suddenly, two people appeared in the room out of thin air, making me flinch.

"Liza! Tate! What did I tell you both about teleporting in the room! What if you teleported into someone!?" Jin shouted at the two.

"Sorry, sorry dad." One of the two said, appearing to be a girl and they wore what appears to be the most formal clothes I have ever seen, they have black hair which they tied into a bun and they have black eyes as well.

"We're just so excited!" The other said, a boy, looking like the exact replica of the other but their features were sharper.

A small green bird perched on the shoulder of the girl while a small, levitating, spinning rock, floated beside the boy.

Are they twins? I wondered.

Jin sighed and put his hand on the shoulders of the two.

"This one's Tate." He gestured at the boy

"Hello!" Tate grinned at me.

Jin then pointed at the girl. "This one's Liza."

"Hi!" She waved.

"I told you about uncle Adam, this is him." Jin introduced them to father and then he looked at me. "And this is his son, Andrew."

I moved to wave my hand but as I raised it, they suddenly went forward and both shook it up and down.

"Your name's Andrew? What does it mean?"

"What's your age?"

"Favorite food?"

"Favorite pokemon?"

They asked one after another and my mind couldn't keep up, I tried my best to answer their questions one by one but one answer led to even more questions.

"Hahaha They're really your children." Father laughed, not even bothering to help me.

"Now I know what it felt like to be around me." Jin said with a slight smile.

"Questions later kids, you'll get to know him more later, he'd be staying here after all for a few weeks or a month."

"Huh?" My head snapped to Jin then my head turned to father for confirmation.

"It's true, you need to get used to living outside the ocean first if you want to survive living here. I'd be living here with you too, at least until you start your journey so don't worry too much." He said without much reaction.

I frowned. Guess that's better than me roaming around not knowing what to do.

"For starters, how about you go ahead and pick your starter with Tate and Liza?" Jin offered.

I blinked, then blinked again as I stared at Jin. Starter, I'd be picking my very own starter.

A smile unconsciously went to my face and Jin easily noticed it as he said.

"Guess that's a yes then?"