The Kalos Region: a land full of new and exciting Pokemon! From the mysterious new Fairy types to the incredible new legends, this was surely going to be a place of wonder and excitement.

Or at least it would be once he and Penelope actually set off to explore it.

James knocked on her front door. "Penelope? Are you up yet?" he called. It was about 9 o'clock in the morning, so he figured she'd be awake. "It's time to get going!" James was your average Pokemon Trainer: 17 years old, with short black hair and cool blue eyes. Today saw him wearing his favorite jacket (grey with a black Pokeball emblem on the back) and blue jeans. Everything about him looked new and shining today, as he'd taken extra care to look good today. Normally, he wasn't terribly concerned with appearances, but today was going to be the beginning of Penelope's first Pokemon journey! Since he was tagging along with his friend, he figured he should at least look like he was taking it seriously. The only part of him that didn't look clean and brand-new was the pair of black boots on his feet. Though he'd tried to shine them up last night, the miles they'd seen on his own journey were still clearly evident: worn spots, frayed laces, and more than a few scratches. Still, they weren't [i]too[/i] bad. Probably.

"C'mon, Penelope! Let's go!" he called, banging on the door again. Although it was [i]her[/i] journey, James was no less excited to be a part of it. Beside him, Espeon sat patiently, appearing for all the world as a perfect model of grace and serenity. Of course, the world hadn't seen James try to give her a bath last night, so it had no idea what really lay behind those shining eyes. Espeon had been one of James's partners during his own journey through Sinnoh, where he was originally from. He'd left the rest of his party with Professor Rowan when he came to Kalos, but Espeon had been insistent on coming along. After about half an hour of arguing, reassurances, and several displays of telekinesis (most of which had come flying at James), he finally gave in and let Espeon accompany him. Despite it all, he was glad to have her along; she was a powerful Pokemon, and it was always nice to have a trump card to play if things got dangerous.

Of course, nothing would happen at all if they didn't get moving soon. He banged on the door again. "Penelope? You'd better not still be sleeping!"