A long and tired sigh escaped Wallace's lips as he set down his pen. His body had grown stiff and weary from the hours spent hunched over the desk doing paperwork. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long groan as he stretched, raising his arms into the air.

  When Wallace had taken up the role of Champion of Hoenn, he knew it would be difficult. His predecessor had quite literally passed away from the stress, leaving the region with more problems than he solved. When deciding who should next take up the challenging mantle of Champion, the League first turned to the Elite Four.

  Phoebe was too young and inexperienced. Sidney, though very intelligent, was prone to brash outbursts and wasnt very popular with the people due to the sinister reputation of the dark type. Glacia, befitting her name and Ice-type specialty, was as cold when it came to compassion and couldn't be trusted to lead a region of people. Drake, on the other hand...Wallace didn't even want to start with him.

  So with none of the Elite Four fitting the mold, the Gym Leaders were next in line, and among the Gym Leaders, it was Wallace and his gym that ranked the highest.

  These rankings were directly tracked by the League itself and held more importance than one might think. If you were ranked among the lowest or below a certain threshold, you could very much lose your Gym Leader title in a heartbeat. On the other hand, higher-ranked Gym Leaders were given better wages, more political power, and the chance to be considered for the Elite Four or Champion position if the situation dictated. And the situation dictated that he was the best candidate for the job, or more like the only candidate really.

  He hadn't been surprised when the offer came to him, in fact he was expecting the offer. Wallace didn't like to boast, but he was much too qualified for the role of a gym leader, and had only taken up the job as it was less work than something higher up. He had debated himself day and night after the offer came, pondering his choice.

  Should he give up his quiet life? Should he bear the responsibility of ruling a region? Should he sacrifice peace and quiet for a life of politics and stress? The obvious answer was no, but he loved his region, and no one else was fit for the job—no one else other than him. If he truly loved his country, then he should bear the sacrifice that came with trying to steer it in the right direction.

  It was a battle of love. But what did he love more—his country or his peace? Choosing one over the other meant abandoning the one not chosen in his mind. After much deliberation, he finally made his choice.

  Days later, the ceremony was broadcast all over the world, during which Wallace swore his oaths, and the trumpets signalled the reign of a new champion and the beginning of a new regime.

  One of the first things he needed to do was fill the vacant spot of the Gym he had left behind when he got this promotion. A Gym Leader's successor was typically decided by the previous Gym Leader. Only in exceptional circumstances did that rule not apply, such as if the Gym Leader was kicked out or the Champion vetoed the decision. If that happened, it was left to the council.

  So, as the previous Gym Leader and the newly appointed Champion, Wallace essentially had full autonomy to choose his successor. And now, another choice.

  There were two obvious options: Juan, an eccentric, handsome trainer who had won the Hoenn Conference League a few years ago, whom he had met multiple times at beauty contests, and Shelly, a promising young trainer who had finished in the top four in the most recent Hoenn Conference League.

  He was caught in the middle of an interesting dilemma. Experience or potential? Would he choose the trainer who had proven himself, or the trainer that needed the chance to prove herself? Juan was a powerful trainer, but from what he had seen from Shelly, she had a much more innovative way of battling, was much more creative, and just needed the time to develop her Pokemon and her style even further. There was no doubt she would become a much more powerful trainer than Juan.

  Wallace twirled his pen, unable to make a decision. Early on in his reign, Wallace needed as much support as he could get, from both the Elite Four and as many Gym leaders as possible. These positions held much more importance at this point in his rule. If he wanted to shape and innovate the region how he wished, then he needed to take that into account.

  And above all else, only one of these people he could fully trust, only one of these people here he had met and got a judge of their character, only one of these people was he very much alike to. The other one was unpredictable, young, ambitious, and he was unsure of where their loyalties lied. Taking that into account…the choice was obvious. It was a much easier choice than the one he had a few weeks ago.

  Setting pen down on paper, he wrote the name of his successor. Wallace just hoped he wouldn't come to regret the decision. Just then, there was a knock on his door, and his assistant came in, carrying another stack of papers.

  Wallace sighed, eyes glancing at the coffee machine nearby.

  Let him rephrase that: He just hoped he wouldn't come to regret the decision, unlike another one he had just recently made.

  "We are sorry, but after much deliberation, we have decided to move forward with another candidate for the position of gym leader. However, if you're interested in the role of a gym trainer..."

  Shelly closed her phone with a sigh, not even bothering to finish the email. She had pushed through every round of the interview process, and just when she thought she'd secured the role—her dream job—,she had failed at the final hurdle, face planting in the process of it all.

  And after rejecting her, they even had the audacity to suggest she work as a gym trainer under the very person she'd lost the role to. Any other lesser person might have considered it, but her pride in herself and her Pokemon stomped on that notion immediately.

  So with the rejection forefront in her mind, she spent the rest of the day sprawled on the couch, eating ice cream. That email had drained her energy entirely. Her mood soured even further when she saw the newly appointed gym leader on the news, standing outside the building, shaking hands with Wallace. It made sense—it had been his gym previously, and the photo-op was good for PR and popularity. Everything was politics in this day and age.

  That could have been her, shaking hands with the champion, ready to take over his gym. She thought that the stars had aligned, as the vacancy came just as the conference league finished. But she soon realized she didn't stand a chance once she'd learned Juan was an old friend of Wallace's.

  Of course, appointing a gym leader who was also his friend right after becoming champion would only strengthen Wallace's position and support. It was smart, really, and she couldn't fault him for it. She'd probably have done the same. Would you rather appoint someone you know, or someone you don't? Semantics 101.

  Hours passed on the couch, watching television to try and distract herself. Eventually, Shelly glanced at the time and realized she needed to get dinner. She couldn't sustain herself with a tub of Charizard lava chocolate ice cream all day. With a grunt of effort, she pulled herself up from the couch she had sunken into, shaking her legs to get the blood flowing again.

  She left the house, thinking. After reaching the semifinals of the Conference League, her job prospects were still high. But, damn...she really wanted that gym leader role. She left her house, and the gentle breeze of the air calmed her down somewhat. Now she needed to decide what to do.

  A sudden bump jolted her train of thought, sending her crashing to the floor. Pokeballs shook in response in her pockets, but she quickly grabbed them, reassuring her Pokemon that she was okay. Her Pokemon were awfully protective of her, which was good of course, aside from false alarms like these.

  Let's not cause a scene, especially after you've become somewhat famous…

  "Oh my God! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" a young looking woman exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. She looked flustered as she noticed Shelly on the floor.

  Shelly nodded weakly, still reeling from sudden impact. There was a dull ache in her shoulder. The woman quickly offered her hand, helping her up. "Again, I'm so sorry! I was looking at the Pokeweb, and I got distracted," she explained, shuffling through her purse. She pulled out a small green ticket..

  "Take this," she said, thrusting the paper in front of Shelly's face and shaking it like a wad of cash. "It's a ticket for the zoo. I was going to go with my boyfriend, but we broke up, so… better to give it to someone who might actually use it."

  Shelly took the ticket with a polite smile, partly just to get the woman to stop talking. You would think the ticket was a bomb the way she was desperate to get rid of it. Now she wanted to go shopping and get home as quickly as possible. "Thank you," Shelly said. "You're very kind."

  Before the woman could respond, she was off, glancing at the green ticket in her hand. It read: Matthews Zoo, Where Pokemon Reside.

  She stuffed the ticket somewhere deep in her pocket. She didn't have time to go to the zoo; she needed to think about her future prospects. Her finances, consisting of money she had saved up over the years as well as contributions from her parents, were slowly dwindling. They wouldn't last forever. There was no way she was going to waste a precious day at the zoo, of all things.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  …

  Right?

  The very next day, Shelly found herself properly dressed, standing in front of the zoo. She had changed her mind. She had spent all of last night tossing and turning in her bed, her thoughts still stuck on that rejection letter. She had barely gotten an hour of sleep and knew that if she didn't get up and do something, she would spend the rest of the day trapped in that endless thought loop as she often did.

  The ability to analyse and overthink everything had helped her with her Pokemon career, but in other aspects of life it was more of a crutch she needed to learn to control. So, with an impending day of overthinking on the horizon, she decided to go to the zoo. Hopefully, it would get her mind off things and provide a much-needed distraction.

  Government-sanctioned zoos like this one were popular for the revenue they brought in. They operated much like a mini-Safari Zone but catered more to tourists, families, and anyone wanting to observe rare Pokemon up close without the dangers that the wild Safari Zones presented. While the Safari Zone was designed for catching Pokemon in their natural habitat, this zoo was all about viewing them safely from a distance, in miniature habitats designed after their natural one.

  Shelly stepped through the gates of Matthews Zoo, and her gaze was immediately pulled in various directions as the overwhelming stimuli assualted her. The loud shouts of excited children and brave Pokemon letting out their cries filled her ears, while the smell of popcorn and burgers made her stomach growl. She could see dozens of enclosures, each with dozens of Pokemon themselves in those enclosures. She took a deep big breath, where to start with first?

  First, she wandered over to the forest habitat, where lush greenery stretched up toward the sky, dotted with trees of all sizes and thick grass.

  Shelly spotted a group of Pidgey, a Pokemon native to Indigo, flying from branch to branch, their chirps filling the air, while an energetic Scyther—another Pokemon from indigo—darted below them, its sharp blades slicing through leaves as it playfully shadowed the birds. The only reason these Pokemon could coexist with another it's because they were properly domesticated too. She had heard some awful rumors about how these Pokemon were domesticated, but chose to just see them as that, rumours. The most plausible explanation was that these Pokemon were around each other early on in their lives, so they were closer to friends than anything else.

  She moved on, continuing down the path, entering a rocky area filled with towering boulders and patches of sand. This is where the Ground and Rock type Pokemon would be. A family of Geodude lounged on the stones, sunbathing and polishing their rocks, while a Graveler playfully rolled down a steep slope as though it were a bowling ball.

  Along the way, she surrendered to her growling stomach and purchased a nice juicy burger along with some fries and a cold refreshing drink. She savored the meal as the bustling atmosphere continued around her, drinking in not just her drink, but the positive energy in the zoo, feeling completely different as she had yesterday when she had been denied the job.

  She continued on her quest, visiting habitats of mountains and grassy plains and finally, the sea. It was like an aquarium, only much bigger, with a massive area of the zoo being taken up for this aquatic environment.

  Hoenn already has so much water, she joked in her head. We don't need much more of it.

  As she got closer, Shelly noticed an eccentric-looking man making animated gestures to a crowd that had gathered around him. His arms waved wildly as he spoke, and every so often he pointed to the water behind him, where ripples began to form. There was a sudden splash, followed by a cheer from the crowd. Intrigued, Shelly edged her way forward to get a better view.

  As a water-type specialist, Shelly was intimately familiar with many aquatic Pokemon. Ever since she was young, she'd been captivated by water-types, partly because of her father, who had been a sailor. When she was old enough, she would travel with him on long voyages, encountering water-type Pokemon from all over the world. She remembered filling a little sketchbook, labeled "My Future Pokemon," with drawings of them all from memory, each sketch capturing her fascination and dreams. The memory brought a small, nostalgic smile to her face.

  Though, on second thought, she realized that she didn't recognize the Pokemon in front of her. It stood there, its sleek form and vibrant colors unfamiliar, its movements fluid and deliberate. Shelly squinted her eyes, tilting her head slightly as she tried to recall if it was part of the evolutionary line of a Pokemon she'd seen before. But no matter how hard she tried, nothing clicked.

  "It's from Paldea, that Pokemon," a voice said, cutting through her train of thought.

  Shelly turned, startled. Standing behind her was a boy—no, a young man, her age or perhaps a little younger. His piercing blue eyes locked onto hers, sharp but calm. His hair, a darker shade of blue, shifted slightly. If Shelly had to guess, she'd say he looked like the type of person who'd thrive in one of those beauty contests Wallace was always associated with. There was something refined about him, but it wasn't just his looks, it was the way he carried himself.

  "Paldea?" she questioned, the name rolling awkwardly off her tongue. She had heard it before, but it remained unfamiliar to her. "Thank you, Uhhh…"

  "William," he said, flashing a small smile.

  Shelly nodded, filing the name away as her eyes flicked back to the strange Pokemon. "I've never heard of Paldea. Is it far from here?"

  "Quite far," William replied, stepping closer. His voice was calm, almost casual, yet it carried a weight of certainty that drew her attention. "It's a region across the sea. Very hot. They've got all kinds of Pokemon there you won't find here in Hoenn. Like this one." He gestured to the Pokemon in question, his eyes lingering on it for a moment before turning back to her. "It's surprising to see one so far from its home."

  Shelly blinked, still staring at the Pokemon as if seeing it in a new light. "Huh. And you just know that off the top of your head?"

  William chuckled softly. "You could say I've spent some time researching Pokemon from other regions. I know so much it's almost as if I have explored every region myself."

  He chuckled to himself, like he knew an inside joke.

  "It's a fascinating Pokemon. Very quick and agile, that's what makes it good for tricks like these." As if to accentuate his point, there was a loud splash followed by cheers and claps from the crowd.

  "It's just a shame they don't know about this Pokemon's full potential," he sighed.

  "Huh? What do you mean?" Shelly questioned.

  "This Pokemon is much stronger than they make it out to be. It's a shame they don't know about it… some poachers probably saw some colorful-looking dolphin who could do tricks and bought it back here and sold it to the government. The international relations between Hoenn and Paldea are practically non-existent, meaning there's no repercussions for something like this."

  "Given Wallace is a water-type specialist I would have thought he would have stopped something like this." he then gestured not just towards the unfamiliar Pokemon, but the oceanic environment as a whole. "Hundreds of Pokemon, forced to live in this sorry excuse for an environment. These Pokemon should be free, out in their natural habitat, able to swim as fast and as far as possible. Instead they're trapped here to entertain onlockers… it's a sad fate."

  He was right, of course. As someone who had seen Water-type Pokemon in their natural habitats time and time again, for years on end, she was disappointed in herself for not noticing it sooner. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, or maybe it was the fact she wanted to distract herself from her problems instead of creating more in her head, but now she realised these Pokemon were suffering. Or even worse…they weren't suffering, because this is all they have ever known. This tiny little square of water.

  "If only someone could do something about it," the man called William said. He was silent for a short moment. "I'll be seeing you, Shelly." And with that, he walked off, disappearing into the crowd.

  "Yeah…" she murmured, her mind drifting between the conversation. It was only the loud splash from the Pokemon from Paldea that brought her out of her thoughts. And it was only then she realised she had never told William her name.

  He must know me from the Conference League; after all, it was advertised all over the region.

  However, given the way he spoke to her, the casualness, the familiarity, the intimacy of the conversation despite having only just met, it was almost as if he knew her in another way.

  That conversation had opened her eyes in no way sitting on a couch could accomplish. She had made up her mind, whatever she was going to do, she was going to use any possible influence to help these Pokemon, trapped in the zoo.

  And as she drifted off into a slumber on the couch that night, unknown to her, there were reports of a break-in at the very same zoo she had visited that day, in which every single water-type Pokemon was captured and taken.

  The word "freed" was not mentioned once in any of those reports.

  AN: So the story takes place just after Wallace becomes champion, and before Shelly originally joins Team Aqua. This chapter sort of expands the world a bit and introduces two key characters in the Story. I know it is pretty soon for other points of views but we will be back to William for the next couple of chapters at least. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter.