Pre-Zatao History
Rhia and Parker were friends from the time they were small, and both had close relationships to the local Pokemon (mostly domestic, but sometimes the tamer wild Pokemon) in their native Johto region. As they grew, the two stayed close and eventually their love for Pokemon evolved into separate areas. Parker wanted the typical boy's dream of being a great trainer, while Rhia was more interested in the observation of Pokemon, in researching their behaviors and eventually catching some for herself as companions. When Parker's family moved to Goldenrod, Rhia would often make visits to see him for weekends, spend time, and even visit the local Daycare to learn about Pokemon behavior from the old couple that ran it. During her time there she was able to help the couple tend to the Pokemon there and developed a yearning to not only watch, but
heal the ills the Pokemon experienced.
After Rhia celebrated her 18th birthday the two hatched a crazy plan. They were already travelling between cities to see one another, why not just find a home together where they could practice their particular brands of Pokemon love without trouble? Now that they were old enough, moving out was another logical step. The problem came from the sheer amount of people like them in Johto: trainers, healers, breeders, watchers. There simply wasn't enough room for all of them. Besides, with Rhia's increased love of working as a Healer, where would she find her place? Trainers could always find other trainers to battle, they could work their way through gyms; there was a never-ending supply of challenges to be found. Unless you were a Nurse Joy member or could score one of the small number of internships with a private Healer, it was basically impossible to make money or make a name for yourself.
That was where the plan got crazy. If there was no room for them to make their way in Johto, then they would simply have to think bigger. Think... another continent. Their parents weren't thrilled when they said they were going to Zatao to expand their carreers, explore new lands, and most importantly, find new and old Pokemon to train and love. So, after a year of talk and preparations, the pair set out for Zatao with the hope of an exciting new life on the horizon.
