BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The morning alarm was sounding, signifying it was time to awake. But with a dream like this, how and the hell is that possible? There he was, standing on the opposing side of the champions arena, a pokeball in hand ready to be thrown. Both individuals were down to their last Pokémon and Matt was out of healing items.

"Looks like this is it." Came the unfamiliar voice, "It's time to end this battle once and for all. It's a shame that your hard work will all be coming to an end here." The figure threw their pokeball into the air, releasing a cosmic blue light that later revealed a magnificently beautiful Pokémon known as Milotic.

"Oooh, Milotic! That's such a beautiful Pokémon!" Exclaimed Matt, he'd never seen one so close before. The Champion would simply release an amused chuckle before responding to the challenger,

"Well, thank you. Her beauty will be your next Pokémon's demise." Matt too threw his pokeball into the air which also released a beautiful streak of blue light, once the light faded out came an intimidating looking Luxray. The two raised their hands pointing to the opposite Pokémon and shouting their commands,

"Now Luxray, use wild charge!" Shouted Matt and the Luxray began to charge in a blinding display of lightning that surrounded it's figure.

"Now Milotic, use waterfall!" Shouted the mysterious champion and the Milotic lunged itself toward the electrical surge using a deep blue ocean to slid across the floor.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm seemed to grow louder as Matt finally began to awake from his dream. He groggily sat up and lazily looked around the room. What time even is it? He glanced to the alarm clock that rested beside his bed...he's late, like really late. It's 8:00am when he should've have been at school thirty minutes ago...

"Oh shit...I'M LATE ON GRADUATION DAY!" Matt sprang right out of bed, his brown hair was a large mess and drool seemed to be stuck to the side of his face. He hurriedly put on his clothes while brushing his teeth, he can only hope that his day can will get much better...what is the Professor going to say!? Is he going to be pissed? Matt can only hope not...cause that'll really suck. He made his way down the stairs, only to come face to face with his mom.

"Oh...you're still home? You better hurry and get going, I'd take you but I'm busy getting your brothers ready for the graduation ceremony." She said, confused as to why her son was still home. Matt just quickly walked past her with an upset look on his face, he's going to be even more late...

"It's alright mom, I'll just have to hustle my way down. Tell dad I said hello when you see him later!" He shouted, as he made his way out of his house. He began to sprint down the road, passing up all kinds of trainers on their way to battle his father at the Steel City gym. Seeing all of the trainers with their Pokémon filled Matt with more determination to get to the school, the sooner he was there the sooner he would become a full fledged Pokémon trainer!

Here he finally stood at the school's door, he was kneeling with hands upon his knees. His breathing was heavy and his face was covered in sweat. He readjusted the glasses on his face, the sweat sent them falling off of the bridge of his nose. After readjusting himself he opened the doors to the school and made his way to the battling area. See, for the six years preceding the seventh year, all students learned how to battle, what certain items do, status afflictions and the Pokémon typing chart. As for  graduation year, you battle Pokémon all year, Pokémon that the school provides for fair battling terms. Today, on graduation day, all graduates will battle with Pokémon the Professor has given them, but get this, all students will keep their selected Pokémon.

Matt burst into the arena area of the school. His features growing full of glee, he was so excited. It was too bad that the battles had already started without him. 'Well, that's what you get for being late dumbass...'  He thought to himself as he watched all of the small Pokémon battling against one another. He was so distracted that he ended up bumping into one of the Teachers who were proctoring the battles.

"Huh, oh sorry about that Mr. Oak." Matt said apologetically as he looked at the brunette. His green eyes looked over Matt for a couple of brief moments before he smiled,

"It's no problem Matt, c'mon lets go get you a Pokémon." Said Mr. Oak before declaring a winner to the battle he was judging. To those who may not know, Mr. Oak is the grandson to the famous Professor over in Kanto, rumor has it he was even the Kanto Region champion for a short time. Matt's always wanted to ask, but he's been far too shy to do so, seeing as though the rumor states that he was the champion for a super short amount of time.

Matt and the teacher made their way to the Pokémon Storage Compartment or PC. Mr. Oak signed into the PC and withdrew a Pokémon specifically selected for Matt. Mr. Oak tossed the newly withdrawn pokeball into the air, which released a small creature. The creature had a gold coin upon it's head and smiled up at Matt, he knew why the Pokémon was smiling, it was the Meowth he used throughout the whole year! He trained the whole year with this Meowth and couldn't wish for a better partner. Matt knelt down to the cat and caressed it's head gently, causing the Pokémon to purr happily at the males touch.

"Well Meowth, looks like we get to be each other's partner once again!" Exclaimed Matt with glee in his voice, the Meowth meowed loudly to match his excitement. All of the commotion caused Mr. Oak to laugh lightly before speaking to the graduating student,

"Man, you're gonna make one heck of a trainer Matt, especially if you already have such a strong bond with this Meowth." Hearing this caused Matt to smile up at the male, it's one of his dreams to be an amazing Pokémon trainer. "Welp, we may wanna head back out. Since you were late you couldn't really battle, but you still are going to be participating the graduation ceremony," said Mr. Oak leading them out of the arena room. As they made their way out of the room, Matt noticed a familiar looking face getting ready to leave the arena area with a laid back Treeko that was calmly sitting upon the male's shoulder.

"Carson!" Shouted Matt as he ran up to his childhood rival. Carson stopped as he heard the familiar voice and smiled as he turned to face Matt.

"Hey Matt, it's about time you showed up, I thought you were just gonna sleep in all day." Said Carson, who was now standing in front of Matt, his fist extended out to meet the other's. It's kind of Matt and his signature way of saying hello. As Matt finally got within reach he connected his fist with Carson's lightly.

"Oh please, have a little more faith in me next time." Said Matt with a chuckle, he couldn't help but allow his giddiness to flare up around the male. Carson made a bit of a sour face as he took his hand back from Matt's. Something seemed to be bothering him.

"I had faith you'd show up, but now we can't battle one another...I wanted to prove that I could beat you." Hearing this caused Matt to grin as he fixed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. Beating Carson WOULD be a dun thing to do today, but after the ceremony he can beat him in many more battles along their journey. See, the two already have a bit of a record to keep with one another. Both are tied with an equal number of wins (19) and an equal number of losses (19), but that doesn't matter...that was in school, when their adventure begins they'll be starting a whole new scorebored against one another.

"Oh please Carson, if you want to lose that bad, then we can just battle after the graduation ceremony." Said Matt as he ruffled the fur atop Meowth's head. Carson looked down to the Meowth then to his own Treeko with a sly grin upon his face before responding to Matt,

"Oh please, Treeko and I are a great team, I doubt you and Meowth will be able to defeat us."

Matt's grin grew into a small smile, filled with determination and a bit of anger at the fact that Carson was essentially called Meowth weak, "I guess we'll just have to see later, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Said Carson, who's smile also shrunk in size. Mr. Oak let out a half chuckle as he stepped in between the two, his hands raised slightly into the air, signifying the two should settle down a bit.

"Alright now, let's go and get to the ceremony before you're both late. And believe me Matt, you don't need to be late to that as well." Said Mr. Oak as he placed his hands back down to his sides and made his way out of the room, gesturing the two to follow behind him. Matt's smile refilled with it's happiness, as did Carson's, as they made their way down the hallway following behind Mr. Oak. Neither one of the two could really contain their excitement for becoming a certified Pokémon trainer today.

After a couple of minutes of silent walking, Mr. Oak, Matt and Carson made their way to the school's large auditorium. The seats that were placed in front of the stage were each filled with parents, trainers and younger students that are also attending the academy. As matt was directed to the back of the stage he could have swore he saw his family, then again for how massive it was, that wasn't all too hard.

"Hey, your sister is looking super hot." Said Carson teasingly, "You think I got a shot with her?" He asked. Matt just released a chuckle before punching Carson in the arm slightly.

"Oh please, my sister is One: Getting married and Two: she's Giratina himself, I promise you she'll tear your heart out and not think twice about it." Hearing this only made Carson laugh, he doesn't care what Matt has to say, he's had a crush on her since he met Matt's family...Speaking of Matt's family, where was his dad? Was he possibly too swamped at the gym to attend? Impossible, he took today off...maybe he's in the bathroom. 'Well, we'll see when this whole thing starts...' He thought to himself as he finally reached the backstage area with the rest of his graduating class.

It was about another 45 minutes before the actual ceremony began and Matt's excitement couldn't be contained much longer. No longer will he have to fantasize his journey as a trainer, he'll soon be able to make those dreams a reality! He did his best to contain his excitement as the Professor made his way through the crowd of students and to him, the Professor leaned in toward Matt's ear and whispered so no one else could hear the statement,

"After the ceremony, please meet with me in my office." After hearing these words, Matt's excitement drained from his very being. Is he about to be punished for being late on graduation day? Is...is he going to be held back because of this!? No that's stupid....he already has his partner Pokémon. But, maybe there still will be a punishment to instate, he really hope's not. He brushes the troubling thought away as he hears the professor begin to speak on a microphone that has been placed on the stage,

"Hello and welcome to the Steel City Pokémon Academy. This group of graduates has shown us a large amount of skill that they contain. This ceremony has been called forth not only to celebrate the graduation from this school, but also to wish them luck with their lives after their time here. So without further delay, let's begin introducing our newly graduating participants. Please keep in mind, all name's are in alphabetical order via last name.--" And thus, he began to read off names of all the different students he counted down the second in which the professor would call his name... "--Next up, Bryce Craig with his flirtatious little Totodile.--" ...'He's already in the C's why the hell is he reading them off so fast!? Does he want to scold me for being late that bad!? This isn't good....I don't wanna be yelled at...' Matt took a deep breath to help calm himself down...but it didn't work out too great. Soon enough he was in the G's...this made Matt's skin crawl slightly, well, crawl with both excitement and fear of being in trouble. But...there was a bit of a third feeling, there was a feeling of nervousness, He was nervous that he might not be the greatest at being a trainer...what if all of his Pokémon turn on him or he ends up getting...KILLED!? Trainer death's is not uncommon, whether it be a Pokémon or another person...people die in this world...dying is just, too surreal to think about... "--Up next is Ms. Skyler Gallo and her bashful Teddiursa.--" 'Welp, this is it I guess...here is where I finally become the amazing trainer I've always dreamed of becoming.' He took a deep breath and began to make his way to the stage, it was his turn after all... "-- Please welcome Matt Gaines and his anxious Meowth.--" Matt looked down at his Meowth as they made their way to where the Professor, Meowth meowed quietly to Matt, Matt smile to the Pokémon. He shook hands with the Professor and made his way next to the previously mentioned pink haired female. She was...strange...to say the least. She danced around in her seat while cuddling her Teddiursa, but it was a nice strange, seeing her made him smile and become once more filled with happiness. As the Professor continued to call names Matt grew more and more impatient, he really couldn't wait any longer to finally start his journey...but at the same time, he could wait. It was sad to think he wouldn't see Carson every single day or his family...or anyone really... "--Next up please welcome Carson Robichaux and his lazy Treeko.--" Matt watched his friend as he walked across the stage, with a smile. Carson responded with one of his own, it made matt happy...He has to talk with him after they've finished the ceremony. "--And so, with all students being celebrated. I'd like to give them all one giant round of applause.--" and so, the entire auditorium erupted into a loud round of applause. "--Congratulations to you all, I appraise all of you. You've all made me, as well as all of the faculty here. Now, I would like to introduce this years Gym Leaders of the Freedom Region.--" Well...this was new...Matt had no idea that all of the gym leaders were named each year during graduation ceremony...Well, especially since he never went to any of the previous ones before his graduation year, since he didn't want to be spoiled of the experience. "--We'll begin with the first gym leader, he's a freshly graduated trainer from this academy and he's already proven to be a fantastic Bug type gym leader, please say hello to the beginning gym leader of the Freedom Region Mr. Joseph Duberry. Next up, the second gym leader of the Freedom Region, he is a trainer with rock hard determination. Please welcome the Rock type gym leader, Mr. Jim Galluchi. Third on the list, is a trainer known for his renown skill using dark type Pokémon. Everyone, please bring your hands together for the Dark type gym leader, Mr. Kyle Mcstay. The fourth gym leader on the roster is a veteran here in the Freedom Region. He served in three wars and battled Pokémon from all across the world. Please welcome the fierce Fire type gym leader Mr. Dylan Thomas. Over the halfway point, we have a young female who has inherited her gym from her grandfather. She's as ice cold as the Pokémon she specializes in. Please welcome the Ice type gym leader Ms. Emma Gragen. Were through six, only two more to go. Here is the incredibly wise Pokémon expert, the Ghost type gym leader Mr. Andrew Vanilla. Second to last, our absolutely stunning gym leader, winner of most beautiful woman in all of the region but don't allow her looks to fool you, she has a poisonous personality. Please welcome the Poison type gym leader, Mrs. Piper Bertovich. And finally, we have the strongest gym leader we've had in the last fifty years. He is the only gym leader to be undefeated since his first time here. Please welcome the Fighting type gym leader, Matt "Newt" Gaines. These are this years gym leaders, thank you all for attending this ceremony and thank you to all of the graduates that have attended to this school for the last seven years. And to those select few, please be sure to meet me in my office."

Select few? What does he mean select few? Wait...that means Matt isn't the only one that's possibly in trouble! A  bunch of kids began to meet with their parents, some were sobbing others rejoicing. Matt simply walked up to his father and looked him in the eyes, his dad looked back with as much intensity as Matt did...the time for their battle will come.

"I'll speak with you at home...you've made me very proud." Said Newt as he began to walk away from Matt, Matt looked to his mom and siblings with a smile. He'd definitely go and talk to them...if he didn't have to go to the Professor's office. He made his way backstage and walked his way to through the school...one final trip...thinking about it hit him hard in the chest. He didn't want to leave this place, perhaps he could get a job here as a teacher after he completes his ultimate goal. But, it's really not the place that makes him upset that he's leaving, it's the people that are here. He began to reminisce on the past, thinking back to his first day here, how he outsmarted a lot of people in class thanks to his father teaching him everything about Pokémon earlier in life. Thinking about all this made him stop dead in his tracks, right in the middle of the hallway. The sudden halt made the Meowth accompanying the male look up at him worriedly, Matt looked down to the cat like Pokémon and smile reassuringly before petting him gently on the head. After, a few more moments of memories and walking, he finally found himself standing at the door to the Professor's office.

"Welp little guy, we're going in..." Said Matt, as confidentaly as he could. The Meowth gave a confident meow as Matt turned the door knob and entered the room.