Ah, another story. I originally planned on having this take place in Alola, but the combination of having to wait until November and wanting to "redo" Hoenn proved to be too much. So yeah, this is a thing now, and I'm extremely excited to get into the swing of things! This should be my biggest and best story, because there are a lot of things (a LOT) that I have up my sleeve. Anyways, let's get going!

A light breeze danced through the trees and brought about the calling of autumn. People were on their way home from work, children were still playing outside, and Pokemon scurried about merrily, living in harmony with the humans whom they called partners. All was well in Littleroot Town, or at least so it seemed.

The sound of fingers tapping against a tree flooded the air, only to drown within five feet. Not a soul was aware of his presence. He continued tapping away to the beat in his head, making music with his mouth while rocking his head back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. A pair of large earphones were clamped over the boy's head and around his ears, blocking out everyone and everything. Suddenly, the tapping stopped. It was then replaced by scribbling in an instant, and the Pokemon around looked at one another and sighed.

"Revolutionary Trainers and their Pokemon," the boy - the one who was making music - whispered as he tapped a pencil against the book in his hands. "World Champion Red and his ace partner, Charizard." The young man paused and leaned back against the tree trunk. "Red is the youngest Champion ever, the longest-tenured World Champion, and his Charizard has the longest individual winning streak of a Champion's Pokemon."

He looked down at the tablet in his hands and turned up the brightness. Beaming when he found his answer was correct, he turned to the next page.

"Owen Plateau and his best friend, Charizard."

Pausing, he ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair and sighed.

"Owen was the first person ever to succeed an assassinated Champion, the first Champion to base his Elite 4 off of battling styles instead of types, and his Charizard is the only known Pokemon capable of using Mega Fusion."

The young man paused and looked up at the stars, a pondering expression rushing across his face in a flash.

"That's right," he muttered after glancing back at the screen, which his statement echoed. "Still, I feel like there has to be at least one other Pokemon that can use Mega Fusion. Surely he had to have taken on an apprentice of sorts.

Tapping away at the tablet's screen as he ignored the curious group of wild Pokemon forming in the branches directly above him, the male began to page through Owen's online biography, which had been posted on the Kalos League website and verified by the man himself.

He had three kids - two daughters and a son at the ages of twenty-three, twenty-one, and fifteen, respectively - but there was nothing about them wielding such a technique, prompting an even more intense search.

"If he didn't teach his kids, then maybe he showed his wife how to use it!"

He was wrong.

"C'mon, Thomas! You know you can find the answer! You know you can!" the young man, Thomas, reiterated mentally as his face scrunched each time the thought reverberated around his mind. Without a second thought, Thomas returned to the e-book he was reading and scrolled down a bit further, where he found a page dedicated to three trainers, who just so happened to be standing with Kalos' Champion.

"Gray Plain and Tyson Pernell," he muttered aloud, rubbing his chin as he did so. "Why do I feel like I've heard their names before?" Thomas asked as he turned to the Wurmple and Taillow nearby. The wild creatures tilted their heads in confusion, eliciting an agitated sigh from the human.

"That'd sure be cool having a transformation exclusive to my Pokemon." The young man sighed, shook his head, turning the tablet off, and began to make his way down the tree. He did so in little time and hopped back onto the beaten road. It traveled in an angular, zig-zagging motion with enough room to squeeze two people.

Thomas picked his feet up - one after the other, never at the same time - and let them flop against the ground as he listened to the laughter of children and excited cries from their Pokemon. A sigh escaped Thomas, yet he continued trudging onwards.

"I wonder how everyone's doing back home."

His words bounced around the trees but reached no one.

He was alone.

"Hau, Lillie, Professor…" Thomas looked up at the stars once again, clenching his fists to the point where his arms were trembling. "Dammit!" A startling crack rang in the ears of the wild Pokemon, and the lone human found himself staring at his feet. His fist, throbbing with pain, was pressed against the base of an imposing tree.

Looking up as he retracted his hand, Thomas was met with the sight of lamp poles cluttering the few streets making up his town. There were about a hundred houses or so, and in the middle of them all was the only reason people new to the area ever came: Professor Birch's laboratory. That was why he was there, sentenced to isolation from everything and everyone he knew and loved. Thomas pushed the thought to the back of his mind and continued his schlep home.

He reached his home in no time, surprisingly, and stared at the house. It was a carbon copy of the others - two windows on either side of the door, both with another window directly above on the next floor; a dark, wood roof; and a stone chimney to the back left of the front. This was not home, nor would it ever be. Still, Thomas turned the knob and walked inside, only to groan when he saw a group of Machoke moving enormous boxes from one part of the room to another.

A woman in her early forties was shouting a series of instructions, pointing towards different areas of the house. The sound of the door closing caused her to turn on her heels, and an irritated look was plastered on her face. Thomas simply walked by her and headed up the stairs while waving to all of the Machoke.

"Where have you been?" the brunette interrogated as she followed Thomas up the stairs and into his room.

He turned and looked around at the dozen boxes scattered across the hardwood floor before plopping down on his bed, and the fair-skinned woman continued to glare at him.

"Well? Are you going to answer me?"

Thomas slowly turned and opened his eyes, both hands still interlocked and resting against the back of his neck. Then, as apathetically as possible, he muttered, "Doesn't matter," before returning to his original laying position.

The woman's face burned bright red, but she refrained from exploding. Instead, she opted to take a deep breath and assess the situation, her eyes darting from one box to another in hopes of clearing her ever-growing rage. A Machoke entered the room a second later and then gently placed another box down. The Fighting-type directed a smile towards both Thomas and his mother.

"That's the last of 'em, Ma'am. Is there anything else you need help with?" the hulking Pokemon questioned with the help of his translator.

"Oh no! You and the others have done more than enough, thank you. I'm sure we can handle unpacking everything and getting settled in."

The Machoke nodded and began walking out of the room before he stopped dead in his tracks and turned. "If you do need anything, please don't hesitate to call." Thomas' mother bowed in response while he waved from his bed, drawing a hearty laugh from the Pokemon. "I almost forgot! You're going to visit Professor Birch tomorrow, right, Thomas?"

"Mhm," he hummed indifferently, making Machoke laugh again while the middle-aged woman shook her head. "It's cool, I guess, but…" Thomas paused and stared at the ceiling, prompting the mover to finish his thought.

"You wish you were still back home in Alola, right?" it asked, drawing a nod. "I get that, but as the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

With that, Machoke waved and exited the bedroom, leaving the mother and son in silence. Thomas continued to stare at the ceiling blankly, his mind wandering to a far away land, while his mother leaned against the wall and sighed. She didn't notice the sudden - and equally subtle - glance from her son.

Her eyes were baggy and clumps of her fading-brown hair were thrown in all different directions. Even the shirt she was wearing looked worn-down, having turned from silver to gray due to perspiration. Thomas retracted his gaze and remained stone-faced, but the facade didn't translate to his brain.

"Thomas."

Turning towards the woman who named him, Thomas kept his mouth shut. He threw her a bone, however, by raising an eyebrow in response.

"I know the move has been hard on you."

Thomas rolled out of his bed and waltzed over to a box titled 'FRAGILE' without a word. His mother continued speaking while he reached into the box and pulled out a picture. To the right, there was a boy with dark skin and dark green hair that was tied into a bun at the top displaying a toothy smile. On the left was a pale girl with long blonde hair giving a much more reserved smile than her green-haired friend. Thomas stared at the boy in the middle who was smiling just like the other boy in the picture. Both of his arms were draped around the kids on either side of him, and it looked as if they had been friends for all of eternity.

"Did you listen to a word I just said?"

Snapping out of his daydreaming, Thomas fibbed and nodded. His mother gave a slight grunt in response before exiting the room, but, just like Machoke had earlier, she stopped and turned.

"Try to make the best of this. You'll be traveling across the entire Hoenn region, so I want you to come back with a lot of good memories and friends, okay?"

Thomas continued to stare at the picture from his youth, but after a few seconds he smiled and placed it on his bed.

"Sure thing, Mom."

000

Thomas waltzed up to the laboratory and paused about twenty feet from the door. Four massive columns rested in the corners of the building's exterior, each holding up the intense weight of the roof. The soon-to-be trainer yawned and rubbed his eyes while he resumed his venture into the lab. The sun was still rising over the trees, and not a single Pokemon was awake, nor were the residents of Littleroot Town.

After getting one foot in the door, Thomas stopped on a dime and froze like a statue. His face dropped at the sight of a poster hanging on the wall directly in front of him. Three Pokemon - Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip, the Starter Pokemon of Hoenn - were pictured on it, and so were their evolutions.

"How did I forget about that!?" Thomas screamed to himself, only to discover a large man with a chinstrap laughing at the sight.

"Haha, good morning! You're... Uh..." The man paused and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, causing the sleeves of his lab coat to ride up and fall down repeatedly. "What's your name again?"

"Thomas Brooks, sir."

The professor's eyes lit up and he rushed forwards, grabbing Thomas by the wrist in a flash. An ear-to-ear smile was slapped across his face, and he laughed like a fool while dragging the prospective trainer through the cluttered front of the room. The man's grip released in a nanosecond, sending Thomas stumbling into a desk head-first.

"Whoops. Sorry about that," the professor muttered through laughter. "Anyways," he began as Thomas rose and rubbed his aching head, "the name's Professor Birch. It's nice to meet you!"

"Likewise."

The two shook hands and stood awkwardly for a moment until Birch jumped in shock, sweat-dropping shortly thereafter. He scampered over to the desk Thomas had smashed into and placed three Poke Balls on it, which grabbed the young man's attention.

"I'm sure you want to hit the road as soon as possible, so I'll try wrapping this up nice and quick. Does that sound good to you?" the bearded man asked.

A nod from Thomas followed, prompting Birch to speak.

"In this Poke Ball here is the Grass type Pokemon, Treecko."

Professor Birch tossed the capsule to his right, and it snapped open upon reaching its apex. A beam of white light struck the ground and a bipedal gecko materialized before Thomas, who stared in amazement. It had three digits on its hands and feet, each of which contained a tiny spike. The lower-half of its mouth was an odd shade of red that extended down to its stomach and formed the shape of a pouch. Sticking out most prominently, however, was a large, dark-green tail that very nearly split into two down the middle.

Opening its huge, yellow eyes, the Treecko let out a deafening scream as soon as he saw Thomas. The gecko jumped back a few inches while holding its chest, panting wildly while Thomas, who was sprawled out on the floor, covered his ears with a grimace.

"Haha! Treecko here's a bit skittish, but that won't stop her from being a great partner for you. Treecko and their evolutions specialize in speed and attack-power, so even though she may not look it right now, Treecko will become a great battler."

A light blush ran along Treecko's round nose, and she twiddled her digits behind her back while staring at the ground. Thomas slowly opened his eyes, then smacked his face a few times to fully get back into things. Once he attempted to sit up, he was shocked to watch Treecko jump down from the table and offer a hand, albeit timidly and without looking in his general direction.

"S-sorry," she stammered.

Thomas let out a shriek and covered his mouth upon hearing the gecko speak, causing both Professor Birch and the Grass Starter to cover their ears and cry in pain. The Alolan - a name worn with great pride by those hailing from the Alola region - rushed to his feet and offered a hand to Treecko.

Professor Birch shook his head and winced at the continuous ringing in his ears but stopped when his eyes caught a glimpse of what was happening. Treecko took Thomas' hand with great reluctance, but she quickly found herself standing upright. She proceeded to bow to the rookie trainer, and Birch smiled in response.

"Starter Pokemon are implanted with a translator prior to being picked by trainers. Oh, and when you catch a wild Pokemon, the Poke Ball implants a translator in them too."

The shaggy-haired rookie nodded in response before redirecting his attention to Treecko, whom he analyzed for a split second.

"I'm Thomas Brooks," he greeted, drawing a bow from the Grass-type.

"Treecko's my..." She stopped for a long while, and her green skin turned bright red. "Of course you knew that already. Why am I so stupid?" Treecko asked in a hush whisper.

"Well, now that you two are done acquainting with one another, I'll move on to the next Pokemon."

Thomas and Treecko each gave one slow blink in response at the same exact time, but the professor paid them no attention. Hurling the second capsule up high, he was befuddled when it didn't open and simply hit the ground.

"What the fu-"

"There isn't a Pokemon in here," Thomas announced after picking up the Poke Ball and pressing the white button in the center. "Professor, did you give away both of the other Starter Pokemon?"

Birch raced towards the remaining capsule and pressed the center button, only to find that nothing was inside. As a result, the man flopped onto the ground like a starfish and let out a muffled scream of frustration. Treecko and Thomas watched and shook their heads, but the former stopped earlier to examine her potential trainer.

The pair of emerald eyes looked odd with his peach skin and light-brown hair, and his black sweatshirt made them stick out even more.

"Still, he is a stranger. Who am I to judge?" Treecko thought to herself.

"Sorry, Tommy," the professor began, causing Thomas to deadpan, "but I don't have any other Pokemon. Treecko's the only one left for you," the man said as he lifted his head off the ground. "I mean, you could wait a week or so if your heart's set on getting Torchic or Mudkip, but-"

"Sure, Professor Birch, I'll team up with Treecko. Is that okay with you?"

Treecko eyed the hand Thomas had extended for what seemed like years. She didn't move a muscle the entire time, causing the human's heart to beat faster and faster.

"I guess so," the gecko replied flatly, only to face-palm right afterwards. "I mean yes."

And just like that, Thomas and Treecko were a team, albeit an odd one, but a team nonetheless.

000

"Let's move, Torchic! Come on!"

The aforementioned chick pumped his tiny legs as fast as he could, but they gave out underneath the mud. Slamming into the puddle face-first with a thud, Torchic's trainer and opponent, a Wingull, stared in confusion.

"Gul!" the wild Wingull squawked before flapping its wings and flying away as if its life depended on it.

Torchic lifted his head from the liquefied ground and turned with a sheepish grin, causing his trainer to groan and cover her face with both hands. Despite the reaction, Torchic, somehow forcing a smile, walked over to his trainer's side and sat down next to her.

"Sorry about that. I guess I'm getting kinda tired," the Fire-type stated. His trainer's pretty face disappeared and was replaced by a frightening one, and yet Torchic kept smiling. "I deserved that, but I promise I'll become stronger for you!" the arm-less creature proclaimed.

Not a word was said by the young woman next to Torchic, and she pulled out his Poke Ball.

"Return."

Torchic disappeared inside the device after being struck by the red beam, leaving the trainer all by her lonesome. Her boots clicked against the ground, emanating the sound a horse would. She kept her ruby eyes up and straight, regardless of the sounds made by wild Pokemon stirring in the night. Not one of the wild creatures dared to attack her. Even when an opportunity arose - like when she'd adjust her golden headband - the Pokemon didn't move.

It took a mere five minutes for the tan-skinned girl to reach the Pokemon Center and heal Torchic, who was released from his Poke Ball as soon as his trainer was back outside. Shaking his feathers upon materializing from the capsule, Torchic looked around the small town and then at the starry sky overhead.

"Hey, uh, don't you think we should go to bed? It's kinda late for training."

There was no response, so the Fire-type returned his gaze to his trainer, or at least where she had been. The chick quickly scanned the area and spotted the short, wavy black hair he had grown to recognize and bolted after the young lady. After catching up to her, Torchic smiled at the ruby-eyed girl.

"Would you stop that?" she snapped, causing her Starter to flinch and stand up straight like a robot. "Good. We're going to work until the sun rises tomorrow, got it?"

Torchic nodded wildly and turned with a curious expression. "Why are we training so hard?"

Both fists clamped shut and Torchic watched the young woman's arms tremble. Something about her eyes changed at that very moment, but he couldn't tell what it was.

"Because they better know my name: Ashley Baker."

Whew! That, people, is the first chapter of PHA:TFG, and I guess you'll just have to go cold turkey for a month or so. Or... maybe an update will come if I struggle with U:ANG. Anyhow, Thomas, the new main character, moved to Hoenn from Alola and received his first Pokemon, Treecko. You also got a glimpse at the one and only Ashley, who isn't anything like you think she is. Weird, right? So yeah, that's it for the first chapter, and hopefully you enjoyed it! This story should have a lot more twists, epic battles than the previous two series, and (in my opinion) it has the best characters. Expectations are very high, folks, that's for sure. Next chapter will focus on Thomas and Treecko hitting the road, and Ashley will also be appearing! Till next time, peace out.

1. Predictions for this set of chapters?

Next Chapter: "Pushed from the Nest"

Thomas and Treecko hit the road in hopes of getting to Rustboro City as quickly as possible for their first Gym Battle. As luck would have it, things take a wild turn when the two encounter an injured Pokemon that was injured by its own family! Will Thomas and Treecko be able to solve this family feud? Meanwhile, a powerful individual catches wind of Ashley's intense training and intervenes! Who is this mysterious person?

Bonds Arc: Rustboro City

Chapter 3: The Early Bird Gets the Early Worm
Chapter 4: Rampage in Rustboro
Chapter 5: The Girl
Chapter 6: Dueling the Dancing Duo!
Chapter 7: A Spirit in Critical Condition
Chapter 8: Emerging from the Rockslide