The first thing she could remember was that he was upset with her. And not just angry, but stark raving mad, absolutely town apart with rage and jealousy. He was upset with her and she feared for her life, because he was coming for her.
She sat up quickly, clutching at her heart and breathing short, panicked breaths. Those eyes, those eyes! They stared at her, they stared through her, they saw every inch of her, inside and out. And they were upset with her.
The memory was vivid, but like a dream, she felt it starting to slip away. She couldn't recall his name, or why he was upset, or what he looked like. And as she looked around, she realized that she did not know where she was either, or how she had gotten there.
She was in a small clearing in a forest. Thick, green grass and patches of lush moss covered the ground, and tall, old trees filtered the light above her. She could just barely see the blue of the sky, beams of light piercing through the canopy like golden daggers. She admired the scenery for a moment when a sudden rustling to her right shocked her out of her daze.
"Who…who is there?" She squeaked, pulling her knees to her chest. A small chuckle came from the bushes, followed by a small green Pokemon she recognized as a Snivy.
"How amusing, a full grown human lost in the forest…" The Snivy drawled, his chocolate colored eyes running over her.
"Am I lost?" She asked, more to herself than to the small Pokemon. "I suppose so. Do you know where this is?"
"You can understand me?" The Snivy questioned, eyes widening.
"Yes. Does that not happen often?"
"No. I've never met a human that can understand Pokemon before." He grinned, walking over to her. She released her grip on her knees and held a shaking hand out to the Snivy, watching his moves carefully.
"Have you ever met a Snivy before? Or any Pokemon for that matter." The Snivy asked, noticing her shaking. She paused for a moment and her eyes clouded over.
"I…I…" her bottom lip began to tremble and her eyes grew misty. "I think so? I don't know."
"You don't know?" He tilted his head to the side and crossed his small arms. "What do you know?" She paused again and thought.
"I…I know you are a Snivy, but I don't know how I know that."
"Do you know your name? Or how old you are? Or where you come from?" She shook her head and buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking slightly.
"Hey! Hey now, don't…don't do that…" The Snivy whispered, jumping up on her knees and patting her head. "I don't have a name either." She lifted her head and sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
"You don't?"
"Nope. I hatched all alone in the forest, no parents around, so no one named me." She frowned, suddenly feeling selfish.
"I'm so sorry...I was being so self-involved, I didn't even consider your feelings…"
"What? Hey, don't worry about it! I have a solution to our problems." He grinned, revealing pointed teeth.
"You do? What is it?" She smiled softly at the small Pokemon and he held out a hand.
"How about I give you a name?" He decided, nodding his head once. Her small smile broke out into a grin.
"That would be fantastic!"
"Good. Then I'm going to name you…" He leaned back, put a hand on his chin and looked her up and down. "Rose. I am going to name you Rose, because you are pretty like a flower."
"Thank you! Thank you thank you!" She squealed, scooping up the startled Snivy in her arms and pulling him into a tight embrace.
"H-hey! Calm down there before you crush me!" He squeaked, a slight red tinting his cheeks. She giggled and loosened her grip on him slightly, allowing him to breathe.
"Now, I have to name you, so we're even." She grinned, eyes beaming. He laughed softly at her excitement, deciding that he had never met a human quite like her before.
"Alright, alright, so what will it be then?"
"Roma." She stated without a second to pause. The Snivy, Roma, tilted his head to the side.
"Roma? Why that name?"
"I don't know. It just feels right." She replied. "Do you like it?" He smiled softly at her, nodding once.
"Yes. Roma it is. Now, could you put me down for a second? I need to go get something." She obliged and Roma scurried off to the bush he had first come from. After a few moments he came running back, holding a small red and white orb in his hands.
"You're going to need this if we are going to be traveling together from now on." He stated factually, holding the orb out to her.
"This…this is a Pokeball." She mumbled, accepting the object. "This is used to capture Pokemon…do…do you want me to capture you?" Roma laughed quietly.
"Yes. I like you, Rose. I want to go with you. Since you seem to have a…sporadic memory, you'll need someone who is a bit worldlier than you to give you advice and watch out for you." He explained, smirking at his new Trainer. She gasped loudly, and grinned so widely Roma thought her face might just split in two.
"But!" He held a hand up. "You are going to have some big responsibilities too. You need to help take care of me, while I help to take care of you. You need to help me train so I can become strong, and you will become strong too." She nodded fiercely and he leaned his forehead against the Pokeball in her hands.
"We're in this together now." He spoke as he disappeared in a flash of red light.