New Beginnings – A Pokemon Slice of Life. [OC/Isekai/Move Tutor/Breeder]

The next morning, after saying his goodbyes to Nurse Joy, Ethan stood with his duffle bag filled with his supplies as he stared around at the outskirts of Eterna City. Chatot was perched on her usual spot on his shoulder, and she quietly chirped as she inspected her new surroundings.

While Eterna City was near Eterna Forest, he still had a fair amount of distance to travel to arrive at its boundaries.

Ethan walked at a leisurely pace as he began his trek down the road dirt road, leaving the mostly rocky terrain Eterna City was built upon, and entering the lowlands, where a wide, winding river flowed.

All kinds of different people were out and about. Some were leaving the city, just like him, with excited faces and looks of determination. Some carried fishing gear, and appeared as though they were going through the motions of their daily lives. Those approaching the city looked rough and ragged, with branches stuck in their hair and dirt and grime caking their outdoorsy clothes, but each of their faces told a story. They were all filled with relief and hope, with wide smiles as their eyes locked onto the safe-haven and comfortable beds that awaited them in the city above.

Of the many things Ethan liked about this world, the best was the pokemon. While that may seem obvious, he was sure that his reasons differed from many others who find themselves in his position. The pure wholesome, unfiltered emotions when a human and their partners share looks with one another. The excitement and joy of making it to their next destination, and being successful in their goals was something that you couldn't find on Earth.

Their partners looked just as excited as the trainers. Some of them were excited for rest, but many of them looked to be happy because their trainer was happy. These were the sights he would never forget.

As he slowly made his way down the beaten path, toward a wide and sturdy wooden bridge that spanned the width of the river below, he used his phone to scan some of the unfamiliar pokemon who were out and about. Some of them belonged to trainers, but a few of them were out in the nearby, wavy and billowing tallgrass or up in the vibrant bushy leaves of a nearby tree.

If he ever found that kid again, he'd need to thank him for telling him about this app.

The first pokemon he sneakily scanned was a three foot tall, green humanoid pokemon with pure white skin, which was coated with leaves and flowers. It looked like it was wearing a billowing dress fit for fae royalty, and on the top of its leafy green head, a large orange flower sprouted, causing it to look like a massive hat. In the center of the flower, the stamen poked out from above, giving the hat the appearance of a golden crown. It held onto its trainer's hand with a plant-like arm as they hurriedly walked toward the city with one another.

"Lilligant — the Flowering Pokemon: Lilligant is the evolved form of Petilil, and emits a calming fragrance that soothes emotions and encourages tranquility. While rarely found in the wild, when found, they are often dancing gracefully in flower fields while using its petals to attract pollinators. The large flower atop its head is its status symbol, appearing beautiful and smelling fragrant when Lilligant is healthy, or wilted and pungent when Lilligant is neglected."

Ethan smiled at them as they passed. The Lilligant's flower was pristine and vibrant, obviously well taken care of. They didn't spare him a glance, hyper focused on the comfort that awaited them from the city up above.

Next, Ethan scanned a wild pokemon. It was vaguely familiar, but he wasn't exactly sure what it was. Nonetheless, it looked playful and cute as it played with its friends and family in the river. Splashing water at one another and dipping and diving beneath the surface to dodge the sprays from its playmates.

It looked like an orange otter with two tails, and a circular floatation device around its neck.

"Buizel — The Sea Weasel Pokemon: Buizel's inflatable floatation sac, located around its neck, enables it to float atop bodies of water, and rise from the dark depths with ease. With its twin tails, which act as propellers, it is swift and agile in waters. Buizel are known for being playful and can often be seen showcasing their swimming prowess to any onlookers. Fishermen flock to Buizel's presence, as the appearance of one indicates clean abundant waters."

Chatot watched the various Buizel play with a tilted head, curiosity evident in her lingering gaze.

Ethan crossed the bridge, saying his greetings to the fishermen who cast their poles over the sides, and then stared at the dark entrance to Eterna Forest.

The thick canopy of the trees blocked the majority of the sunlight from shining through onto the forest floor. As a result, it created the dark spooky atmosphere that enveloped most of the forest.

Ethan was used to seeing the forest since he had spent a year there already, but it was still quite a sight to behold. "Well, Chatot. Are you ready for a little adventure? Our future home is in this forest."

"♫ Chaa-tooot! ♫" Chatot bobbed her head in anticipation, not put off in the slightest by the scary-spooky atmosphere.

Without further ado, Ethan calmly walked down the small dirt trail and entered Eterna Forest.

Ethan unwrapped and took a large bite of his best attempt at making an Onigiri from the night before. He'd filled the center with a sweet bean paste and he could confidently say that it was better than eating berries. It was a weird thought, but this was the first time he'd eaten anything other than berries in the forest, even though he'd been in here for about a year.

As he ate, he watched Chatot flutter about the nearby trees. He had made sure she knew not to leave his sight for too long, but during their leisurely walk, she occasionally disappeared into the forest for a minute or two, causing him to worry slightly, before returning with berry juice dripping down her beak.

While they were traveling, they bumped into some wild pokemon and trainers who wanted to battle. For the wild pokemon, he gave Chatot the choice to battle, but said no to the trainers right away. He had faith in Chatot holding her own against the wild pokemon nearby, and it would be good practice for both him and her in case they ever truly needed to fight. He said no to the trainers because they all wanted a doubles battle for some reason, and he only had Chatot for now.

Chatot had surpassed his expectations when it came to battling, and she seemed eager to test herself against the new pokemon she encountered. Ethan had learned one thing throughout the day—Chatter was absolutely busted.

At the start of every battle, Ethan had Chatot use her favorite move, Chatter, to discombobulate her opponents right off the bat. After that, he only gave orders when Chatot didn't seem to know what to do, but that was a fairly rare occurrence. He didn't enjoy battling nearly as much as Chatot did, but he'd battle while he had the time if that's what she wanted to do.

He had a little nagging worry that Chatot wouldn't be satisfied with not battling all the time. After seeing her enthusiasm for it, a bit of fear, worry, and unease edged into his mind, but after a quick heart to heart discussion, Chatot was more than okay with battling for fun, and not super seriously. That was a weight off his shoulders, and from then on out, he had no more dark thoughts about Chatot abandoning him.

"♫ Chaa-tooot! ♫" Chatot landed in front of him and pecked at his duffle bag in an attempt to pilfer some of his stored food.

"Haven't you eaten enough berries to starve this forest?!" Ethan exaggerated and mocked his bird.

"♫ Chaa-tooot! ♫" She was undeterred and eventually dragged out another Onigiri onto the ground. Ethan laughed, leaned over, and unwrapped it for her. Chatot gobbled up the Onigiri in less than a minute, before fluttering back up into a nearby tree to scan their vicinity while singing. "♫ Chaa-tooot! "♫ Chaa-Chaa-Chaa-tooot! Chaa-tooot-tooot! ♫"

Ethan listened to his partner sing with closed eyes for a minute or two, before sighing and packing up his things. During his haste to return to his clearing, he had forgotten some vital pieces of equipment—Anything for shelter.

He did not bring a tent, sleeping bag, hammock… anything to get him through the night. So, just like when he first arrived, he was going to have a few days of restless and cold nights. At least his sudden arrival all that time ago had given him a little bit of experience for what was to come.

After walking until the sun had fully set, casting the forest into a near pitch black void. Ethan put his back up against a nearby tree and used his duffle bag as a cushion. Chatot flew up and settled herself on a nearby branch, and fluttered her wings before closing her eyes to go to sleep.

In another two days, he'd be back to where it all began… and he was weirdly looking forward to it. Ethan closed his eyes, listening to the familiar sounds of the night-time forest, as he drifted off into a deep slumber.

Cynthia walked into the Eterna City pokemon center once Nurse Joy texted to let her know no trainers were in the lobby.

Despite being a proud champion, she couldn't handle all the constant attention. She did not want to be swarmed by eager, aspiring trainers, only to mutter rudely about being on duty and blowing them off. It was bad for her image, and disheartening for those on their journey. It was better this way.

Nurse Joy waved quickly, directing her into the back of the Pokemon Center. She strutted down the familiar hallways and went into the meeting room where Agent Looker had been waiting patiently.

Cynthia took off her signature black overcoat and hung it on her seat before sitting down and getting down to business. "Any updates about Team Galactic?"

Nurse Joy sat down next to her, inserting herself into the conversation. Her normally cheerful demeanor faded away as the pokemon protector emerged, ready to hear any information about those who mistreated their pokemon.

Looker nodded and flipped open a folder, reading through its contents. "We've confirmed that one of their operations is here in Eterna City. We've infiltrated the premises to gather information about their future plans, and to see if it lines up with any of the information Mr. Reed has provided. In Veilstone, it appears that Team Galactic hasn't yet moved into their supposed headquarters. We're keeping an eye on potential buyers or changes in administration to the company who currently owns the property."

"What are they currently doing here in Eterna? I hope you're not sitting idle while they harm pokemon…" Nurse Joy glared at Looker.

"Not yet, not here. They have various researchers researching information about the Lake Guardians and the possible construction of the Red Chain. From what we know, they're still very far away from attempting their plans, and that also lines up with the information Mr. Reed provided."

Cynthia tapped her fingers on the table. "Has Interpol contacted the other regions to inform them of potential terrorist activities going on? There were other 'teams', correct?"

Looker closed his folder, and steepled his hands. "Officially, I'm not authorized to tell you about the matters of other regions. Unofficially, yes. They're handling it." He smirked.

Cynthia looked at Nurse Joy as she flipped her hair back. "Ethan has left for Eterna Forest. Is there anything you'd like to bring up here about his activities in the last few days?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Ethan cares deeply for his Chatot, and has been researching information about… basically everything here on the lobby's computer. He's decided to become a vegan, which is admirable, and has begun looking up recipes and dietary plans for various pokemon. He has a lot to learn, but I'm very impressed with his drive. I think he will be a fine tutor and breeder and see no problems popping up in the future. He'll fit in well."

Cynthia nodded along as she listened. "Definitely different, but not in a bad way. I think he has great potential. Teaching a pokemon a move in a single day is a fantastic start, but we'll have to see if that was a one off. I'm excited to see what he's capable of, but we need to keep his involvement and background a secret."

Cynthia checked her pokegear, grimacing at the time. She stood and began grabbing her coat.
"Looker, give him what he needs, but make sure it's off the record. I'll make sure he gets natural recognition."

As she left the room, she spoke over her shoulder. Her tone, cold but filled with confidence. "Call me if and when you raid their bases. I'll be there."