//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - First Meetings // Story: Pokemon: Nova Aetas - The First Journey // by Mkchief34 //------------------------------// Twilight emitted an apprehensive sight as the train entered Canterlot’s Royal Train Station. Just from what she could see from inside the train, she reasoned that the Princesses, her brother, and her family had come to see her off on her journey personally. Which was accurate, as all of the aforementioned ponies were standing on the arrivals platform, waiting for her. As she exited the train, after using her magic to fetch her sidebag, she approached her friends and family with the best smile she could muster. “Well, Twilight, the time has come.” Celestia smiled, giving off a reassuring feeling. “I hope you’re excited to finally travel to the Kalos Region.” “I am.” Twilight replied. “I wish I was able to say goodbye to my friends, though…” “Hey, you’ll be able to talk with them whenever you want.” Shining Armor nodded. “Plus, Professor Sycamore already made some accommodations for you when you get there.” “What sort of accommodations?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t ask for anything like that when I met Professor Sycamore.” “It was his and my idea.” Cadance replied. “When you arrive, there should be a veteran trainer waiting for you at the gate. He’ll have a placard with your name and the Equestrian Royal Seal on it, so you’ll know it’s him. Not only that, Professor Sycamore has a full set of Pokemon for you to have when you reach his laboratory.” “Well…thanks for that. I guess it’s better to have and not need, then need and not have, right?” Twilight smiled. “I guess I should be off. I’ll be in touch as often as I can, I Pinkie-promise.” “Are you sure about that?” Shining Armor gave a mirthful smile. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Twilight laughed. After exchanging multiple hugs with her friends and family, she headed towards a building that lay next to the Canterlot Royal Palace. It may have stuck out in terms of architecture and aesthetics to any Equestrian, but for the two Princesses, it was a great leap forward. This was the Equestrian side of the Cross-Dimensional Transfer Gate. Inside the building lay a portal to the world of Earth, a series of offices and lodgings for diplomatic personnel, and some other necessary features, such as a general store called a “Poke-Mart”, and a medical section called a “Pokemon Center”. Twilight had already acquainted herself with Nurse Joy and her partner, a Pokemon called Audino, when she had helped supervise this building’s construction a few months earlier. Nurse Joy had also instructed Twilight in use of the Pokemon Center’s PC Storage System, and how to transfer whatever Pokemon she caught back and forth between the PC and her roster. As Twilight approached and greeted her, Nurse Joy provided her with a wallet and 50,000 units of human currency, along with six spare Poke Balls, several Potions and aid items, and a device called a Rotom-Phone.  “The Pokemon you’ll need to activate it will be given to you when you reach Professor Sycamore’s lab in Lumiose City.” Nurse Joy said in an encouraging manner. “From all of us here, Princess, good luck and take care!” Twilight smiled, thanked Nurse Joy, and opened the door that led to the portal’s departure station. After placing her newly-acquired items safely into her sidebag, Twilight stepped forward and onto a horizontal conveyor belt. The portal spun to life, and a white vortex appeared in front of her at the end of the belt. Twilight closed her eyes and held tightly onto the handrails, remembering the instructions she had been given by Princess Celestia prior to this, and walked through the vortex as everything around her turned into a brilliant expanse of white light. ==== As her vision returned to normal, Twilight stepped off of the conveyor belt and into the Earth side of the Transit Gate. Wasting no time, she took off towards the exit doors, entering the main hub. She had transformed into a human-esque body, but she wasn’t surprised, as she had learned this would happen when Princess Celestia went through the portal herself. It didn’t take too long to find the male Pokemon trainer she was supposed to meet, as he stood confidently near a cushioned bench, holding the placard with the Equestrian Royal Seal. He was a little taller than Twilight in her human form, with pale blonde hair and jade green eyes. He wore cargo trousers with hiking boots, and a white Poke Ball t-shirt over a long-sleeved gray base layer shirt. He also wore a scarf that was the same color as his eyes with a rather unique pattern, and a hiking backpack colored rust-brown. A set of Poke Balls lay clipped to his waist, along with a small green sash. “Hello.” Twilight greeted him. “You’re the trainer that Professor Sycamore sent?” “Yes, that would be me.” The young man replied. “I’m Noah…and you must be Princess Twilight Sparkle?” “That's me. I prefer just Twilight, but it’s good to meet you, Noah.” Twilight replied. “Shall we be off?” “Yep.” Noah then added, “Got anything else with you?” “No, this is everything.” She replied. “Will you lead the way?” “Sure. Professor Sycamore’s waiting for us out front.” Noah nodded, and they began to walk towards the front doors of the hub. Twilight’s eyes darted from area to area, taking in the sights of the building. The Poke-Mart here was far larger, and seemed to have more goods in stock compared to the one in Equestria. Furthermore, there were other humans here, along with their Pokemon partners. Some were construction workers, but others wore suits and ties or high-visibility vests. Twilight caught a glimpse of a four-armed Pokemon wearing a wrestler’s belt that was hefting several steel girders, seemingly without any effort. “Do you like what you see?” Noah smirked at Twilight, whose jaw had gone slack at the sight. “That’s a Machamp, the Superpower Pokemon. It’s a Fighting-Type and the final evolution of Machop. They’re bulky enough to move entire mountains, at least according to the Pokedex.” “Those Pokemon are that strong?” Twilight flinched. "That's...hard to imagine." "Well, that fact comes from the Pokedex, but it isn't always a reliable source of info. There's always new things being added to it, so sometimes the wires get crossed up, so to speak." Noah replied, ushering Twilight along. "Come on, Professor Sycamore's still waiting for us." "Right!" Twilight affirmed, as she followed Noah outside and through a set of double doors. As Professor Sycamore approached with a casual wave, Twilight looked him over, not really sure of herself. She had expected a Professor of the Pokemon world to be more…uptight and scholarly-looking. To his credit, he did look the part, clothing-wise. The Professor's lab coat was a crisp white, and he wore a navy blue buttoned up shirt with black pants and brown field loafers. Otherwise, he seemed very upbeat and exuberant. "Ah, Princess, welcome to Kalos!" he greeted cordially as Twilight and Noah approached. "I hope everything went well?" "Yes, thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor." Twilight returned the kindness shown to her with her voice. "Where are we heading off to now?" "My laboratory, where we can get you a few extra things before your journey begins!" Sycamore replied, as he opened the doors to a modest-looking taxi with a pleasant smirk. As Noah and Twilight sat down in the backseat, Professor Sycamore sat up front with the driver. As the taxi headed away from the terminal and towards the skyline of Lumiose City, a figure watched from a nearby gray limousine. He was about Professor Sycamore's height, with pepper-black hair tied back into a tail. He wore a suit and ebony necktie, which was emblazoned with a purplish-colored ringed planet and a K done in pale gold. As he settled back into his seat, he turned to a large computer monitor, where a single icon flashed white. He touched the symbol, and wearily leaned to the side as a set of four blurred faces appeared. "The Princess has arrived," he said in a calm manner. His voice was smooth, but there was a certain air of age and exhaustion to it. "It would seem that everything is planning out as I assumed." "Good to hear, sir." the top-left face spoke in a brash, masculine tone. "Do you need me to move in and grab her while she's off-guard?" "No, Derek. That would be a foolhardy and wasteful move." the man replied. "We are strong, but make no mistake. The Princess has powerful allies, an unmatched and formidable supply of magic, and I daresay…a quite exceptional Pokemon Trainer has been chosen to accompany her. I say these things with certainty." "What makes you so sure of that?" another voice asked, this one being feminine. "The trainer she is with is named Noah, and he hails from the Sinnoh Region. He has already made quite a name for himself. He has defeated twenty-three Gym Leaders and counting across Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, all in the span of four months." the man replied. "If I recall correctly, the reason he is currently in Lumiose was originally to challenge Clemont for his twenty-fourth Gym Badge." "However…" the man continued after placing a small medicinal tablet into his mouth. "He was asked by Professor Sycamore to accompany Princess Twilight on her journey." "Alright, then what's his battle style?" the third face asked. "The more we know, the better." "Indeed. Noah battles with precision and level-headedness, and uses jack-of-all-trades strategy. I must give credit where it is due, his team is very well-balanced. Because of this, it is difficult to predict his next move." the man replied. Then, he coughed several times, before wiping his mouth and face with a handkerchief. Even in the dim light, the man could see a red stain on the fabric. "Are you alright, sir?" the second voice asked. "I...don't  remember you saying you were ill or anything when you recruited us." "I have a…unique condition." the man breathed out roughly several times before his lungs settled. "The nature of which has puzzled many doctors around the known world. I am taking an experimental medicine to alleviate its symptoms. However, the general consensus I have gathered is that I cannot be cured, only treated until my inevitable passing." "You mean, it's…terminal?" the third voice asked, sounding quite surprised. "Yes, and I make no secret of it." the man sighed. "Enough of that, I have your orders. Derek, you are to watch the Princess and Noah from afar, but do not interact with them. Keep us updated on their movements. Stanton, you and Vanessa shall keep training the new recruits. Julian, is the prediction engine almost finished?" "We are at seventy-eight percent completed, and climbing." Julian replied. "It will be ready when you require it.' "Good. That will be all. Driver, back to my estate." the man said as the monitor shut off. As the limousine drove off towards the Santalune Woods, a cool wind swept through the area as clouds began to gather, signaling the coming of the rain.