It was a nice cool afternoon in Vanivillle Town as Dakota stood outside watering the garden in front of her brand new house. She wouldn't call it a home. She wouldn't call any house with her mother a home. She didn't enjoy the control the older woman had over her life. What she wore. Her make up. Homeschooling her so she wouldn't have any outside influences. Refusing to let her have a Pokemon. Dakota even found out the woman was considering an arranged marriage for her so she could continue to control her life.

As soon as the opportunity presented itself Dakota was going to get as far from her mother as she possibly could.

Unbeknownst to her mother, Dakota actually has a small amount of money stored away in this special necklace she had found in a small box in an alley way. It was a Louise style, gunmetal necklace with thirteen maroon jade stones in it. Certain parts of the necklace would open up so the person wearing it could roll up pieces of paper and store them in the little tubes that were revealed. It was a method spies used in the great civil war that happened long before Dakota was born. She came across it one day while her mother was arguing with a street vendor about the price of a set of knock off earrings. She wasn't sure how she managed to slide it past her mother, but she did. And when she figured out the secret behind the accessory she started snatching little bits of money whenever she could. A five here, a ten there, a handful of ones every once in a while, and she managed to save up a decent amount of money. It would be enough for her to survive for six months on her own without a supplemental income.

The blond haired girl wasn't even paying attention to her surroundings as she went to turn the stream of water off and put the hose away. She just brushed her hands against the skirt of her white and blue dress, leaving a small stain. She knew her mother was going to have a conniption when she saw that. But Dakota didn't care. She and her mother had moved to Kalos after her grandfather died. He was the only thing keeping the two in Johto, so her mother accepted a job in the foreign region and completely uprooted her daughter. She was spending the entire day at an orientation for her new job, leaving Dakota to her own devices. It was the most she had ever been alone in her entire life, but it wasn't like she had more choices than she did before. She still didn't get to choose what she ate. Her mother left out food for her to eat today and put locks on the cabinet and refrigerator. She didn't know any of the new neighbors, and she doubted they wanted to be bothered by a five feet tall girl who didn't even dress herself. So, her sad life continued to be sad.

At least, that's what she thought.

"Hey, Neighbor."

Turning around the blue eyed girl found herself looking at two kids that seemed to be around her age. A black haired boy wearing a blue track suit and a grinning girl wearing a pink shirt. Her brown hair had been pulled into several ponytails that seemed to defy gravity. "Welcome to Vaniville Town." It was the boy who was speaking to her, giving her a soft smile. "My name is Calem. I live next door."

"And I'm Shauna!" The girl butted into the conversation, making Dakota look at her. "Great to meet you!"

"Dakota." Her reply was soft as she nodded her head at the two, wondering if they had a specific reason for coming over to see her. "Guess what! We've come to get you!"

"The renowned Professor Sycamore lives here in the Kalos region." Dakota looked back at Calem as he started speaking again. "I heard he has a task for five kids, including us. But I'm surprised he knows who you are. You did just move to the area, after all."

"Wait. Wait wait wait." Dakota put her hands up as she processed what the two kids were saying. "My mom hasn't said anything about a Professor asking me to do something for him. And even if he had there's no way she would let me."

"What are you talking about?" She could tell by the furrowed brows both of the kids had that what she was saying was confusing them as much as they were confusing her.

"My mother told me that a Professor has to ask a child's parents for permission before they can have the child do anything for them." Both of the strangers in front of her just stood there, staring at her like she had just sprouted and extra set of arms and started juggling. It was making her slightly uncomfortable considering the fact that she had so little social interaction in real life. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, trying to ease the tension in her body.

"In Kalos you get to make you a decision like that by yourself at sixteen. Now that you live here you can decide if you want to be a trainer or not." Wide blue eyes stared down the black haired boy who was watching her with a warmth in his grey eyes. It was a look she only knew through a computer screen with her internet friends. But his eyes seemed warmer somehow. More welcoming. "Listen, we have to meet Trevor and Tierno in Aquacorde town in twenty minutes. Just think about what you want to do. If you don't show up, we won't bother you about it again."

Shauna looked like she wanted to say something to contradict that statement. Like she wanted to stay there and talk to Dakota until she agreed to come with them. But before she could say anything to that degree Calem smiled warmly at the blonde girl before he turned around, grabbed his friend by the arm, and started dragging her away to the gate at the entrance of the town. As they walked away Dakota could hear Shauna start to incessantly babble, most likely giving Calem an earful for what had just happened.

But Dakota didn't care about whatever she was saying. Her mind was buzzing. Her chest felt light and her throat felt unrestricted. This was her chance. She didn't have to think about it.

Running into the house she grabbed an extra large duffel bag from the hall closet before she took the stairs two at a time. She almost tripped because of the heels on her knee high black boots. Once she was in the lavender colored room she ran for the door in the corner, throwing it open to look at the walk in closet she had. It was lined with dozens of dresses, all different colors. At the end stood a little vanity that was littered with a countless number of make up products and a flat iron to straighten her naturally curly hair. It was a personal hell for her. She couldn't wait until she had her own style, not the style her mother dictated.

She only packed three dresses into the bag, knowing that she wouldn't need them that long, and two sets of pajamas. She got a handful of socks and underwear, a pair of gladiator sandals a tube of mascara, a stick of eyeliner, a palate of dark colored eye shadow, and a tube of dark dark red matte lipstick. None of the foundation. She didn't want to cake herself everyday like her mother made her. She took a make up wipe to clean her face up before putting the pack in the duffel bag. Leaving the closet she went over to the bathroom to grab a set of towels, a tooth brush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and other essential toiletries. zipping up the bag.

That was all she had access to that she needed.

Running her hand over the spy necklace she had around her neck, she threw the strap for the bag over her head so it rested across her body. Then she went downstairs, ready to get out of there. Then she thought she should probably leave a note for her mother. She may not like the woman but it wouldn't be the best thing for her to leave without saying anything at all.

Going over to the counter she found a notepad and a pen, quickly scrawling her message.

Mom,

I'm going to be a trainer. Now that we're in Kalos you can't stop me, and I want to get away now so I have some sort of control of my future.

Don't look for me. I won't come back.

Dakota.

Setting the notepad down, the tiny girl made her way through the living room, out the front door, through the front yard, down the path, and out the gates of the town. Her heart was thrumming as she walked through the beautiful path that sat between the neighboring towns. She had never been this happy about anything. She thought that moving to Kalos wouldn't change anything about her life, but her life had just become so much better.

When she moved through the arch leading to Aquacorde town she was almost immediately called out to. "Hey, Dakota! This way! Over here!" It was the hyper voice of the girl she had met earlier, floating to her from two tables that had been pushed together to seat six people. Shauna and Calem were there with two other boys, a red headed boy who was only shorter than Dakota because she had heels on, and a larger boy who was wearing a black hat. "We were just talking about you! C'mere, have a seat!"

Walking over, Dakota took a seat next to Calem who gave her another warm smile. "This is the meeting place, Dakota. I'll introduce you." He turned back to look at the others sitting with them. "Guys, this is Dakota.

"Wow... Shauna's description was spot on." It was the larger boy who said that, staring at her intently.

"So, Dakota, this is Tierno. He can really tear up the dance floor... and this is Trevor. He's a little shy, but he always gets perfect scores on his tests." He gestured to each of the boys, labeling the small boy as Trevor and the large boy as Tierno.

"All right! Nice to meetcha!" Tierno was giving her a wide toothy grin, holding his hand out for her to shake over the table. She smiled softly back at him and accepted his hand. "You know, it would be fun to give you a nickname. Can I call you Lady D?"

"WHAT? No way! She's a Li'l D for sure!" Shauna basically shrieked in response to the nickname Tierno suggested, slamming her hands on the table. It was a good thing no one else was sitting on the pavilion or she would have been causing a disturbance. "What do you think, Trevor?"

The red headed boy jumped when Shauna addressed him, looking rather uncomfortable with the question. "What?! you want me to nickname someone I just met?! Shauna, you shouldn't put people on the spot like this!" Then he seemed to curl in on himself, mumbling out an addition to that statement. "Well... how about something low key? Maybe... something like D' kins?"

'And where exactly did these three beam down from to visit us?'

Dakota looked between the three as they debated a nickname for her, completely sure that if she was in an anime there would be a sweat drop on her forehead.

"You should decide what we call you." Calem silenced the other three with that one sentence, drawing all the attention to her.

Shrinking down in her seat slightly, Dakota stared up into the expectant eyes of the four in front of her. "Well, you could just call me Kota. I don't know."

"Oh, that's so cute!" Shauna threw her hands up in the air. Then like the conversation never happened, she turned to Tierno. "Hey! Can we see the Pokemon now? I want to meet my new partner soon!" By this point Dakota was wondering if she had ADHD.

Tierno grinned at her. "I know, right? It was such a cool feeling when I met my Pokemon! Hope you feel the same way we did." Then he reached into his bag, pulling out a cylindrical container. He popped it open, revealing three poke balls and set it in front of us. "Go ahead and pick you guys!" He smiled at us, excited to see which ones we would pick.

"Kota, why don't you pick first?" Dakota turned to look at the boy sitting next to her, finding yet another smile waiting for her.

"Yeah! You totally deserve it!"

The girl shrunk again, not sure how she felt about being the center of attention. Leaning over the table with hunched shoulders, she studied the poke balls before reaching out and wrapping her hand around the one with the water type sticker on it. She watched as Shauna snatched up the one with the fire sticker, leaving Calum with the grass type. He didn't seem bothered by it. He was probably just happy to have one at all.

Looking down at the red and white capsule in her hand, Dakota pressed down on the button with her thumb. There was a pop and a bright light. When the light cleared up she found herself looking down at a light clue frog with white bubbles on its chest and back. He was looking up at her with curious yellow eyes, a neutral look on his face. "Froak?"

Smiling down at his, she held a finger out to the little frog. "Hey there. I'm Dakota."

That got a smile out of the little guy. "Froakie!" He hopped up onto her arm, then up to her shoulder, before settling himself on her head. She giggled at his antics, reaching up over her head and letting him play with her fingers. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Shauna and Calem bonding with their Pokemon. It was a wonderful sight that she thought she would never get to see in her life.

"I have something for you as well." It was Trevor who said that, holding up four things. Three of them were obviously Pokedexs, and one was an orange cube container. He handed out the three Pokedexs and set the container on the table. "This is a Pokemon Box. Scientists are experimenting with using it instead of the PC. You can carry far more than six Pokemon with you, but you can still only use six per battle. It will help in situations like if you're stranded in the middle of nowhere and six of your Pokemon faint. Professor Sycamore wanted one of you to try it out and asked us to decide it among ourselves."

All three of them looked at each other, wide eyed. They hadn't even heard about something like this before.

Then Calum shook his head. "I'm going to have a smaller, more focused team. That's not for me." He raised his hands, gesturing to the girls on either side of them. "I say give it to one of them."

"The idea sounds nice, but I don't think I would use it the best. You should give it to Kota."

Said girl found it strange that no one asked if she wanted it. It seemed like her opinion didn't matter.

Before she knew it the box was snugly packed into her duffel bag, and Tierno was handing her a letter. "This is for your mother. From the Professor. It's explaining what you'll be doing for him."

Well she wasn't about to go back to that house. The note she left would just have to do.

They all stood up, Tierno, Trevor, and Calem taking off in the direction of the forest while Shauna faced Dakota with her hands on her hips. "Alright, Kota! I want you to be my opponent in my first battle!"

Dakota looked at the green eyed girl, tilting her head a bit. Froakie grumbled a bit as he shifted his weight so he wouldn't tumble off her head. "Shauna, you do know that Fennekin has a type disadvantage to Froakie right?" She lifted her right arm up, allowing Froakie to jump down and land on her elbow. He croaked deeply, showing he was ready for any fight he had to face.

"I know. But I have to at least try!" The little fire Pokemon she had just received barked excitedly as she ran around her trainers feet. Both of them had a little twinkle in their eyes, a little spark of life. It was a sparkle Dakota never had in her eyes. At least, she had never seen it when she was looking in the mirror.

"Alright." Extending her arm, she let Froakie jump down to the ground. "Let's see what you've got."

It only took two hits from from a bubble attack for Fennekin to collapse, securing a victory for Dakota and Froakie. "Aw, I wasn't done watching my lil' Fennekin yet." Shauna pouted as she gathered the little fire type into her arms, immediately tending to the exhausted Pokemon. She was giving the creature such a gentle look. A loving look, like a mother for her child. Something Dakota wasn't familiar with. She wasn't sure if her mother used to give her, before she turned into the obsessive control freak she was at the current time.

Who knows. She might have been a decent person once upon a time.

Froakie jumped up to his trainers shoulders, giving off a happy croak, obviously preening himself. "You have a type advantage over her, Froakie. Don't get a big head just yet." The blonde reached up to poke the frog in the cheek, smiling at the little grumble he gave in response.

Looking at Shauna, Dakota smiled at the girl. Maybe being friends with her and the others would be able to make up for sixteen years of isolation.

Quite a bit of events developed over the next three hours. Dakota headed off to the Santalune forest, briefly stopping by a trash can to drop off the letter meant for her mother. On the edge of the forest Calem stopped her so he could show her and Shauna how to catch a Pokemon, and give both of them Poke balls. After that she headed into the forest, accompanied by Shauna. The girl wanted to spend time with her new friend and didn't even ask if the Johto national was up for walking through the trees, dealing with her hyperactive tendencies.

As they were walking she caught three new Pokemon. Fletchling, Pidgey, and Pikachu. She battled a good number of trainers, powering up her team quite a bit and earning even more money.

Once she and the others got out of the forest she separated from the group. Battling every trainer on the way, she slowly made her way into Santalune city. First thing she did when she got there was go into the supermarket to go shopping with the money she had earned in her battles.

She got three pairs of jeans. One blue, one black, and one white. There weren't any shirts she wanted, so she was planning something with the dresses she had packed. She got a pack of Sharpies with a hundred and fifteen markers, a fifty pack of colored pencils, and a sketch book. Then, as she was heading to the check out line, she noticed that she was passing by an aisle full of hair dye.

Smiling, the blonde went down the aisle to browse the selection. Time for some fun.