Hey guys. Just to clear this up, the Alaska in this story IS NOT me. Originally, this whole thing was going to be quite different, and we were one and the same. Now, we just look similar and have the same hometown. Other than that, we're different people. Also, this first chapter is very boring, but you need it for background. The next one will rock your socks off. Promise.

I tore through the wrapping paper like there was no tomorrow. Within seconds, I was covered in shreds of paper of every color and my Skitty, Kiley, had something to play with. My hands were shaking as I opened the plain cardboard box and looked at the small red and white ball inside. It was a small, insignificant looking thing, but it would change my life forever. I picked up the ball and grasped it firmly in my hand.

"Well, are you going to open it?" my mom asked me. She was smiling too, though there were tears in her eyes. She wasn't too happy about me going on my journey.

I didn't bother to answer, instead, I pressed the button in the middle of the Pokeball and dropped it to the floor. There was a flash of red light which quickly gained the shape of something familiar. The red light faded and before me sat a small brown and cream striped Pokemon. Its hazel eyes were hidden behind a black mask-like patch of fur. It sniffed the air with its tiny black nose and wagged its bushy tail. I grabbed it in my arms and hugged it. This wasn't just my first Pokemon, it was my ticket to adventure, to fame and fortune, to victory, and to a brand new life.

"It's a Zigzagoon," my mom stated obviously, "Do you like him?"

The tears streaming down my face were answer enough.

Both of my parents were smiling, but they seemed at a loss for words. Finally, I pushed a strand of dirty blonde hair out of my face and wiped my eyes.

"What are you going to name him?" my dad asked.

"I don't know...how about Bandit?"

The wiggling mass of fur in my arms barked in approval and licked my face with a tiny pink tongue. My parents laughed.

"Bandit, it is," my dad said, "Are you going to open my present?"

I nodded and set Bandit on the floor, much to the disgust of Kiley. She arched her pink back and hissed, though it didn't look very threatening coming from a Skitty. Bandit tried to sniff her, but she slapped him across the face with the end of her big pink tail, and trotted up the stairs to my room. I ripped through another package, with the help of Bandit this time, and found an array of trainer necessities. I saw several purple potion bottles, orange antidotes, yellow parlyz heals, blue awakenings, and green burn heals. In the middle of all the medicine, I saw five more red and white balls, though I knew these were empty. I grabbed all of the goods and stuffed them in the brown messenger bag I had along side me. I started to get up, but my mom handed me an envelope with a Pokeball-shaped seal.

"What's this?" I asked curiously.

"It's from your grandma," my mom answered.

I carefully slid my finger inside the envelope so that I could open it without ripping it. I looked inside, and out fell five $100 dollar bills. I carefully slid them into my pocket.

"You'll have to tell her thank you for me," I said. I sighed as I got up again and headed for the door. I hugged both of my parents, and my mom started to cry. "Don't cry," I said, "I'll be fine. Somebody's got to take care of Kiley. She's too snooty for battling."

That made my parents smile, but my mom still said, "Be careful," before breaking down into more tears. I picked up Bandit in my arms, and ran out the door. Better get out before they decided I should stay home another year. I ran down the road a little ways before I realized something: Unless I could catch a flying Pokemon, I would have to walk all the way to San Francisco. California was a big place, and that was nothing compared to the rest of the United States. I set Bandit down on the sidewalk.

"Come on, buddy," I said, "It's going to be a long walk." Bandit looked up at me curiously and nuzzled the leg of my jeans. I patted him on the head and adjusted my black t-shirt. I guess I should've been sad about leaving Stockton. I had lived there for all fourteen years of my life, and yet...It had never felt like home.

As I walked, I looked at all the houses and stores I had grown up around. I might never see them again. Luckily, I didn't live that far into the city and within ten minutes, I was out of the suburbs and into farmland. I walked past rows of grapevines and corn stalks for what seemed like hours. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my sneakers crunching gravel, and an occasional car passing me by. I looked up at a road sign as I passed. It read "Sacramento: 45 miles north. San Francisco: 83 miles west." I had heard before that pioneers had been able to go twenty miles in a day, but I had only gone about five, and the sun was already starting to set. I was barely outside of Stockton's city limits, and I was already exhausted. I sighed and found my way to a Motel 6. I shelled out thirty bucks for a room and led Bandit up the steps after we realized the elevator was broken down. I decided to take stock of my belongings.

I had 1 brown messenger bag, 4 potions, 2 antidotes, 2 parlyz heals, 2 burn heals, 2 awakenings, 5 Pokeballs, 1 map, $3470 in cash, 1 change of clothes, and 1 trainer's card. It was reassuring to see that I had everything I would need. I laid down on a moldy looking bed. I couldn't see much of the room, because the lights and TV weren't working. Still, I couldn't help feeling as though things were getting better. Bandit jumped up on the bed, and pushed his cold nose to my ear. I giggled and he ran in circles on the sheets for a few moments before laying down to sleep. That was when I discovered that Bandit snored. It was going to be a long journey.

In the middle of the night, I got up to use the bathroom. When I was coming back from the toilet, I caught my reflection in the mirror. The only light was from the street light outside, and I could barely see anything. Still, I noticed my eyes had change color. No longer were they the same bright blue eyes that I had always seen, they were a deep, intense looking gray. I took a minute to look at the rest of my reflection. I had long, light brown hair that fell to right above my waist, a pair of shorts and a black t-shirt (Because I was too much of a dumb ass to remember to bring pajamas), white socks, and a trainer card sticking out of my pocket, reminding me that I was now fourteen and old enough to venture out into the world. I went back to bed and contemplated my change in eye color until I was almost back asleep. I took out my trainer card and looked at it. It was light green and had a picture of me. It said, Name: Alaska Parrill, Age: 14, Pokemon: Zigzagoon, Male. I had scribbled that last part in a few hours ago. My stomach grumbled. The granola bar I ate in place of dinner obviously hadn't satisfied my stomach. Right then, I had no idea that pretty soon, I would have to worry about something much worse than not having enough to eat. Pretty soon, everything would change.