Book Recommendations

Zakana Hayline despises Pokémon with every fiber of his being. He's never owned a Pokémon, never thrown a Pokeball, never even held a Pokedex. That may be normal for some children under the age of ten, who haven't embarked on their Pokémon quest yet, but Zakana isn't ten anymore. He's 18. Unlike his family, and everyone around him, he is quite content with ignoring everything his lush, beautiful world has to offer. And when he finishes his training as an astronaut, he'll be able to get away for good.

When his mother, Audria, rushes home after her council meeting in Pallet Town and reports that Zakana's father, and cousin, Yumin Hayline, have been kidnapped, everything is turned upside-down.

Zakana's older sister, Kirish, estranged from Zakana because of their very different views on Pokemon, is in the middle of a war herself on the lonely Orange Islands. Bambi, battling prodigy and Zakana's ten-year-old cousin, and Yumin's baby sister, is six months into her academic career at one of the most prodigious schools in the region, and is just as much Hayline as the rest of the them. Her and Yumin's parents-nowhere to be found. 

Being a prominent and powerful Pokémon trainer herself, Audria must leave home to search for her husband, nephew, and in-laws, and leave a sheltered, helpless, and stubborn Zakana alone for the first time. His family is way more important than he could have ever imagined. According to Audria, they are being targeted by a mysterious organization know as the Viterals.

Lucky for him, they are not aware of his existence.

Suddenly, his place in the world comes clear into focus. He must catch and request the help of the Pokémon he so hates in order to survive and to save the ones he loves. He must open his heart and forget everything that happened that day-that fateful day weeks before he was to begin his own Pokémon journey, the moment the greatest tragedy befell his life, and changed it and his family's from every day forward.