AN: This is the only author's note I'll be placing in this story until the very end. I'll be keeping my profile updated with any information pertaining to my stories or otherwise. I hope you enjoy 'Good Things'!


Being given some time to think on my ride to Littleroot, I chuckled at the thought that I live in a world where most soon-to-be ten-year-olds' greatest dream was to pass their Rookie Trainer's License test to be allowed to handle a certifiably dangerous creature to nurture, bond with, and pit against others of its kind in wanton destruction for glory and fame.

I could only shake my head with a small smile. I was one of the few who chose to stay in school instead. Sure, it was a less exciting route to take—and most of the friends I made had left for their journeys—however, there were some nice perks to those who could wait to travel the country.

The savings account my parents set up a little before my birth had another eight years to accumulate savings and interest and would allow me to start off my journey more comfortably. I wasn't required to participate in a government sanctioned league, be it through gyms or contests. I was free to simply roam as long as I could cover my expenses. I could practically taste the freedom and I was on my way to make it official.

The bike ride from my hometown of Rustboro to Littleroot was lengthy but gave me plenty of time to work out what little anxiety I had. I wasn't worried about having missed any information in my schooling; I was worried about my lack of personal experience. There was only so much you could learn from textbooks when it came to traveling the country with a pokemon. Even then, that's not mentioning all the different behaviors they can have or if you can even win them over in the first place. Oh, I hope my starter likes me...

Well, I'd get to that road when I got there. I'd know for sure in the next couple roads as I began to approach the city limits of Littleroot. The town sign greeting me had an odd phrase. What did it mean to have a town that couldn't be shaded any hue? I shrugged and rode past it.

Having never been here myself, I had only had secondhand information on the town's size. Compared to Rustboro City, Littleroot Town was but a small village. The tallest buildings I could see were two-story old-fashioned houses. Honestly, I was a little envious. Everyone here had a home with a front and backyard, some of which seemed to have small gardens or fruit orchards behind their quaint abodes. There wasn't any hustle or bustle to speak of. Even as I took in the sights leisurely riding through town, I would get a small wave from the residents currently outside. The midday, weekend sun was being taken full advantage of by children. Some even had a small pet pokemon running around with them.

Before I knew it I had found my way into what appeared to be their commercial district. I was hoping I'd come across a mart of some kind. I needed to pick up a small something to make a good first impression on my starter. If there was one thing I'd learned, it was that first impressions weren't limited to human beings. Considering most pokemon had a respectable level of sentience to them it came as no surprise to me to discover.

I parked my bike outside what appeared to be the town's market and headed inside, a small chimecho-shaped bell announcing my entry. I could see a couple women and an older gentleman with baskets in hand browsing throughout the store. I grabbed one for my own near the door and returned the small wave given by the clerk on duty. I was surprised at the selection of berries they had. The people around here must have really appreciated their produce. I grabbed several cheri, chesto, pecha, rawst and aspear berries to vary the flavors and a couple oran for if all else failed. Due to how many oran went into potion production they were a little pricey.

I walked back up to the front and placed the basket on the counter in front of the clerk so she could total up my purchase. She appeared to be a low twenty-something brunette and not bad on the eyes at all. A little shorter than most but coming from someone of my stature it wasn't a very fair opinion. Seventy-four inches put me slightly above the average person. She finished punching in the numbers on the register and looked up at me with a smile.

"Will that be all for you today, sir?" Hearing 'sir' directed at me was going to take some getting used to. I replied scratching the back of my head.

"It will be if it's enough to make a good impression."

"Oh? If you don't mind me asking, who are you trying to impress?"

"Heh, if you can believe it, they're for my starter. I'm hoping the old adage of 'the way to the heart is through the stomach' is true."

She looked at me searchingly and slightly confused. "Well, you're obviously not ten." I caught the unasked question.

"Eighteen. I'm one of the ones to complete my full tour of duty in the book war before taking my vacation. As much as a vacation walking around here can be."

She chuckled as she handed me my bag of berries. "I have to respect your patience. Looks like the war didn't take too bad of a toll on you." It was then when the older gentleman I saw earlier walked up in line behind me and joined the conversation.

"I wish more kids these days would take the route you did. They should be grateful for the advances in technology we've had since my childhood. Forty years ago you had to wait until you were twenty-one to have anything past a pet-grade pokemon. There's just something wrong about children roaming the countryside unattended. They're not mature enough." I could only smile and laugh at that.

"I would've been one of those immature roamers if my parents hadn't refused to let me go. I wasn't very happy about it but I've come to appreciate how much it's prepared me for what's to come." I glanced at my poketch to check the time. Graduating was worth it if only for the presents. "Ouch, I spent too much time sightseeing, I have to hurry if I'm making my appointment." I pulled the debit card out of my wallet and swiped it to pay for the berries. "Could either of you share directions to the lab?"

She pointed south. "Take the main street here down towards the sea. It'll be the largest building around here on the left. You can't miss it."

I nodded and smiled before turning for the door. "Thanks. You two have a good day."

She waved goodbye. "I hope things go well for you!"

The gentleman left some parting advice. "Take it easy and look out for the youngsters."

Hearing the door's bell ring behind me, I set the bag of berries into the small carrying case I had on the back of my bicycle to free up my hands and headed further down the road past the small stores. It wasn't long before I had reached the end of their 'downtown' and into another small residential section. A couple minutes more riding took me to the front of Professor Birch's lab. It was the only industrial looking building I'd seen so far in town, with three floors the length of a few of the houses nearby and it being mostly covered in panes of glass. I had to agree when she said I couldn't miss it.

I parked my bike at the rack they had outside and grabbed the bag out of the trunk. I walked through the automatic double doors and had a look at the lobby. The front reception area was by no means large, but was spacious enough for a few chairs and a coffee table for visitors who were waiting. The walls had a couple posters of local events and basic information regarding the league and contest series. All in all it looked like a doctor's office. Well, when I thought about it, it actually was. Every regional professor had a doctorate of some kind.

I finally took notice of the only other visitor, a young boy I couldn't place the age to. Couldn't be older than thirteen judging by the looks of him as he was rather scrawny and small-statured with uncontrolled blonde hair and blue-green eyes. Realizing I was standing there aimlessly, I gave him a sheepish wave and walked up to the receptionist's counter. One of the lab assistants looked up from the computer he was at behind the counter to turn to me.

"Hi, how can I help you?"

"Hi, I have an appointment to get my starter. Jason Alejandro."

"Sorry, could you spell your last name? That's not one I've heard before."

I did so for him and explained. "It's probably because my parents came here from Sevii."

"Ah, I guess that would explain your tan, too. Alright, if you'd have a seat the professor will be out in just a minute."

I nodded my agreement and took a seat in one of the chairs next to the kid, laying my bag in the seat beside me and giving off a sigh. Only a few minutes away from the moment of truth. Keep it together Jason.

"So what'cha seeing the professor for?"

I blinked my eyes open and took a second to register the question. Ah, that was the kid talking to me.

"Sorry about that. I tend to get lost in my thoughts. I'm here for my starter actually." He gaped and looked at me in surprise.

"You mean you haven't even left on your journey yet?!" Lucky me, he had to turn out to be a loud one. Not that I had anything against the younger generation, but I had a feeling I was going to get this reaction a lot and it was going to get old fast.

"Nope, this will be my first day. Well, half-day at least. I graduated out of school in Rustboro last week."

"Wow, that must've sucked." He said it so innocently I had to cover a laugh.

"It wasn't as bad as you think. How about you? What are you here for?" He folded his arms with a pout.

"Paperwork. Mom paid for a cab from Mauville to get me here for my monthly check-in. I was almost ready to try for the badge too! I don't want to have to wait another week!"

"The paperwork couldn't possibly take a week to verify. What's keeping you here?"

"Mom. She keeps me home to make sure I'm ready to go back out. I've had to do this twice already. I can take care of myself now."

"You know she's only worried about you. Be glad that she is, you have all the time in the world."

I saw the side door open up and Professor Birch peek his head out. "Jason?" His eyes looked over the both of us before locking onto mine. He gave me a smile. "Come on back. Are you ready for your first step?"

I took a deep breath and let it out before standing up and walking over with a small grin. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He waved his hand off to the side. "Bah, don't worry, you'll do fine." I followed him through the door but looked back for just a second.

"Don't let the papers get to you. Believe me, there will always be more."

I turned back to follow Birch down a fairly long hallway with multiple doors. I guessed that the rooms were for office work of some sort. It seemed like the laboratories were on a floor above us because we headed to the elevator at the end of the hall. I entered and stood at his side as he pressed the button for the third floor. As the doors slid shut he started to address me.

"We don't get too many these days that start out as a senior. I don't know of many rookies who would willingly hold themselves back. Don't get me wrong, it's much easier to handle this way, but what kept you from coming here earlier?"

I chuckled and looked at him. "Parents. Well, they were the reason up until I was fourteen. They were willing to let me go out as a junior with the few in my class that were going but honestly I didn't mind being in school by that point. I didn't feel I was missing much because we have a pet skitty, the terror that she is regardless."

He laughed back at me. "They usually are, let me tell you. Well, I suppose you became a little more grateful to your parents once you figured out the couple perks you get for holding out that long and passing your finals."

The ping for the third floor sounded as we walked out into its hallway and took a turn down another. The sun lightly shone through the windows and glistened off the several sets of double metal doors on the other side of the hallway.

"It was a welcome incentive. I don't understand why it isn't made common knowledge to grade school students though. It seems like it would keep kids in school and learning earlier." I finished as we stopped at the second room. He slid the key-card hanging off of his neck through a scanner near the door. It beeped and lit up green as the doors automatically opened. I was greeted with a small chamber and another set of these doors. It wasn't what I expected to see. The confusion must have shown because he answered my thought.

"Safety precaution to prevent pokemon from escaping. Even if they slip through the first door the second one won't open until the first is closed. Gives us a chance to get a hold of them again."

We walked into the chamber and the doors closed shut behind us. Once again sliding his card through a scanner, the second pair of doors opened into what looked like a play room. This also wasn't what I expected to see. This wasn't much of a stereotypical laboratory.

"As for your earlier statement, it's not common knowledge because on average for the ones who found out early it actually caused them to focus less on the academics. The younger ones would try to coast through their classes thinking they reaped an easy reward at the end. You also didn't get to know until now that your full choice of a starter here is based on your overall marks. Don't want to cause any potential jealousy and the reason the majority of people don't know this is because it's only told to straight-through seniors." It seemed like such obvious protocol, but it still shocked me.

"So all that studying was worth it!"

He let out a hearty chuckle at my joy. "We'll know for sure once I pull up your transcripts. Why don't you have a little meet and greet here? I'll go in the back and grab the paperwork." He patted my shoulder and headed into what appeared to be the office for this room.

With my attention now turned towards the room, I was impressed at the variety. There was an aide running a a small, black, and scruffy wolf-like dog through a small obstacle course. A bipedal green gecko was working out on a miniature punching bag. A pair of blue-feathered, white-chested, redheaded birds were perched on a shelf near the ceiling watching over the room's antics. A small blue pokemon with a lily pad growing from its back floated lazily in an artificial pond. A pair of foot-long yellow mice, one with red markings and a red plus shaped tail and the other with blue markings and a flat blue bar for a tail, were scampering around the room trying to shock each other. An errant bolt of theirs made the lights flicker for a second. A white and brown furred sloth and sandy colored, brick patterned shrew were in the corner curled up on pillows sleeping.

A poochyena, treecko, taillow, lotad, plusle, minun, slakoth, or sandshrew could all be good potential choices. Well, maybe not the slakoth knowing their sleeping habits.

A sudden bang had me jump and look over my shoulder. I had been curious where the other two rookie starters were; their escalating fight answered that question. The small orange and yellow-feathered chick; a torchic; and a small, blue, quadrupedal fish-like pokemon with thick, orange, whisker-like flaps for cheeks; a mudkip; were butting heads and growling at each other. Just as I was about to get the professor to ask if this was a problem, a flash of white light blinked next to the two. The tiny creature that appeared left me speechless.

I had never seen any of its evolution line in person. The only known group of them was a clan hidden in the forests of Route 102 and even then sightings were few and far between and typically only when a trainer had one. There was no mistaking the mop of green hair, red horn-like protrusions on the front and back of its head, and pillow-like white dress. I couldn't believe I was able to see a ralts on my first day! I heard footsteps and turned to see the professor walking back next to me, papers in hand, shaking his head.

"I swear every day we go through this and I doubt it will change until one of them is adopted out."

I turned to face him, unable to hide the expression of awe still on my face and my hand pointing. "You have a ralts!"

"Hmm? Oh, Clara? Yeah, she's been here nearly a year. She's our intermediary for squabbles like this. She might not seem it at first but if you get her riled she's pretty scary. Those two are the only ones who really get her to that point though. It's even worse when she's woken up from it." He slightly shuddered.

"A year? How has nobody jumped at the chance to train her? They're one of the best yet rarest companions on this entire continent! People would kill for one of them!"

"You said it. That's exactly why no one has been allowed to adopt her yet. There hasn't been a single person qualified to be her trainer. Too many trainers don't see something to nurture when they see a ralts. They see a ticket to status and the greed they feel puts up the ralts' defenses. Despite all the new trainers I've had in this room, she has yet to have warmed up to one."

"Wow, that's... kind of sad, knowing how many people could have accidentally mistreated her."

He grunted in acknowledgment as the fight came to an end with a heated glare from the tiny psychic type that caused the two to back away from her slowly in opposite directions. "Another victory on her part. Well, lets get our little interview over and then you can choose your partner." He motioned me over to a small table on the side of the room. I pulled out and sat in one of the chairs and set my bag down behind me.

"So I know I have the usual forms to fill out but what else does this entail?"

"After I see what you're eligible to adopt, if you don't have a preferred choice of pokemon I'll ask you a few questions to try to narrow down some choices I feel would be a good match. If none of the ones here are a good pairing we can check the Centers' databases for open adoptions. Other than that, you can use the time to ask me any questions you may have regarding your partner or travel. It's a simple process really."

I gave a nod as he cracked open my file and sifted through the papers until he found my high school transcript. Knowing there were a couple pages of teachers' comments alone for him to go over, I turned my head to look over the room again but ended up not really focusing on anything. I honestly didn't know what to pick for my starter. I'd never been one to play favorites and knew any properly raised pokemon was equal to another, but I thought when I saw my choices one would pop out at me as the obvious decision for a companion. Well, to be honest one had but, considering she hadn't enjoyed the company of a single trainer in nearly a year, I knew that wasn't an option. I'd love to care for her but I needed to be realistic. The lights flickered again. On second thought, I needed to be realistic and safe. Wait... did I hear a zipper?

I looked down over my shoulder to see the object of my thoughts half-inside my bag rummaging through it. She apparently found what she wanted after having dug through to discover the couple oran I'd placed at the bottom. And then she noticed I was watching her and she froze looking at me. I laughed at the absurdity of it and smiled down at her.

"There's a couple more at the bottom if you'd like them. I don't mind if you have them as long as you could pass the rest around to the others."

She stared for a second before she gave a small nod, held on to the oran berry with her mouth, picked up my bag and walked over towards the center of the room.

That's when I heard Prof. Birch.

"I'll just need you to fill out these pages and she's yours."

I looked at him and blinked.

"...huh?"