A New Dream

Z-Research: Paul's POV

"You're sure about this, Paul?" Reggie asked, following me as I walked out of the front door of his breeding center/home.

"I'm sure," I answered simply, glancing back to see Electivire's hulking form watching me from behind the fenced yard. Allowing a half smile to spread across my normally stationary lips I raised one hand in a salute wave, which Electivire acknowledged with a flick of his two tails.

"But I thought you said the Alolan League was too young for you to bother with," Reggie argued and I resisted rolling my eyes. I was already 19 but he still treated me like I was a 10 year-old brat.

"I need something more, Reggie. I should've been able to beat Alder with my eyes closed, but somehow he still won. The only thing I haven't pursued are Z crystals, and I think they might be exactly what I need to become Champion," I said, surprising myself as I explained in detail my plans. Usually I barely said a word when people tried to talk to me, but Reggie had taken care of me since our parents died when I was young and I felt like I owed him. A little.

"But leaving with just one pokemon? That's not like you, Paul," Reggie insisted, following me as I walked down the dirt road towards Veilstone City.

"I need to round out my team more, Reggie. Alola has a lot of rare pokemon, they should be helpful when I challenge other leagues in the future," I explained with a sigh, wishing he would just trust me. 

After all, I had done what he couldn't do; I beat the Battle Frontier when I was 13 and went on to challenge and win several region's leagues. Even though I felt like I had never been stronger, I still couldn't beat the Unova champion, who was the weakest of all the Champion's I had ever faced. 

Why am I still not strong enough? I thought to myself angrily, picking up my pace and hoping that Reggie would stop following me like a dejected Growlithe.

"Kay, fine. But Alola is so far away. Are you sure you've got enough packed?" Reggie asked, fretting like a mother and I really did roll my eyes at that.

"If I forgot something then I'll just buy it when I get there, Reg. Would you stop following me already?" I asked, starting to feel frustrated at his hovering. 

To my annoyance he reached out and gripped my shoulder, pulling me into a quick but firm hug.

"Don't forget to call me once in a while," he urged after breaking the embrace and I nodded reluctantly.

"Can I go now?" I asked, only taking a moment to gloat inwardly that I had surpassed my brother in height, before sliding my gaze towards the open road in front of me.

"Be safe," Reggie said with a sigh. I nodded absently before turning and walking quickly towards my next journey.

I originally planned to take an airplane to the Alolan Islands, but that plan was crushed when the Melemele Airport, the only one that had a connecting flight with Sinnoh, decided to do a massive remodeling and closed for six months. It was annoying that I would have to take a boat, but I would take advantage of the 'free' time to do some more research on Z Crystals and the Alolan pokemon.

Shifting my backpack to a more comfortable position I waited for the huge cruise ship to dock that took people from every region down to Alola once every few months. Reggie had been right about me dismissing Alola in the past. When it was announced a few years ago that a Pokemon League had been created in Alola for the first time I scoffed. All of the Alolan trainers I had come across were carefree and weak and I couldn't imagine wasting my time challenging such a pathetic and new league. That was, at least, until I ran into my old rival Ash Ketchum.