Chapter 1

I stared at my mother and father with a scowl as I clutched the pokeball in my hand. They were glaring daggers at me also, their brows turned down in anger.

"What did you say…" I heard my father ask me with a hiss that will put an ekans to shame. I glowered at him, not backing down, surprising him a little by my resistance. I usually don't get into trouble, so they only see me as a submissive little growlithe at its master's command. But that was over. This was the new me.

"I said that I want to become a pokemon Trainer," I repeated myself, while trying to sound a little confident in myself. I was doing a pretty good job at it.

"B-But why? You-You have such a future with your grades! You are very intelligent, sweety!" That was my mom. "And where did you get a pokemon?!"

Flashback

A blonde twelve-years-old girl walked down the path of Sandgem Town's Supermarket, looking bored at the weather. It was raining slightly, and the sun was trying to come out without any accomplishment from its part. The girl sighed and changed the bags full of food to her other hand. It was starting to get annoying carrying these bags. Ever since her Big Brother left on his own adventure around Sinnoh, she was the one that had to buy all the groceries when her parents were out. And it wasn't fun.

"Watch out!" The girls clear-brown eyes widened as a man knocked her to the ground not-so-gently. She glared at him hatefully and he just fidgeted nervously. Then, his eyes fell on the girl he has just bumped into while running. Looking once more around him, and seeing no one around, he nodded to himself in determination. "G-Girl, look. I-I need you to do me a-a big favor, o-okay?" The blonde girl stared at him, studying him. Her round eyes where full of innocence, yet intelligence. She was taking her time and time was the only thing that he didn't have. "Please, some people are after me! I-I just want you to save him!"

The girl blinked at the man confused, noticing that there wasn't anyone else with him. Then she asked, "Him who?"

He fished a pokeball out of his bag and pressed it into her palm with shaking hands. She gazed at it as if wondering whether to give it back or to keep it. With a start she recalled that her parents didn't want her to have any pokemon. With an anxious shake of her head, she made to give the man his pokeball back, only to notice he was running away once again.

"Hey!" She shot up to follow him but sudden gunshots stopped her in her tracks. She froze on the spot; silence filled the road of the peaceful town as the sun finally came out from behind the rainclouds. She looked down at the pokeball.

Now what? Should she keep it, or just give it to the police?

The blonde sighed yet again while minimizing the metallic ball and pocketing it on her coat pocket in one swift motion.

Begrudgingly, she continued to her house, deciding to not involve herself in other's business.

Later she realized that she was stuck with a magikarp,(it just had to be a magikarp) that wasn't owned by any trainer and that the police refused to keep. Her parents wouldn't like that. That much was obvious…

But, what could go wrong if she kept it? Well, it needed a home, and it wasn't like the fish pokemon would go all murderous on them…Yet.

She flopped down on the floor with a sigh, hearing the content 'karp, karp' noises coming from where the red pokemon was swimming at the bathtub. She smiled slightly.

One week later the same girl lay on her bed, contemplating the possibilities of becoming a pokemon trainer. She has been thinking for the past week ever since obtaining the Fish Pokemon. It was weak, she knew that, but she believed (after spending some time with the fish) that one day it would evolve into an EPIC gyarados. And she had other few pokemon in mind that could make a pretty strong team. The only problem was her parents. They won't let her go like her brother had. Apparently she was 'too frail, better at books and studies'… But maybe they'd accept her choice? Could they accept her choice?

And so, Ariann Roman, spent the last four months of her normal life, wondering if there was a way she could convince her parents on becoming a pokemon trainer without breaking their hearts (which there had to be…)… and that she already had a starter whom she called Epic… and that said starter was a magikarp…

…Yeah, she'll have to try very hard to convince them.

Just in case, she decided to spent those four months learning about pokemon and trying to train her magikarp a little… which didn't go very well…

"Epic, use tackle on that bidoof!" The magikarp stared at her in confusion before the bidoof tackled it to the ground. Ariann let out a panicked command saying, "Do something!" To her utterly displeasure, her magikarp splashed and was knocked out. And that, my folks, was her first pokemon battle.

But she was sure that they could overcome their weaknesses… if they tried hard enough.

She sighed as her magikarp was knocked out, again, by a starly this time. She kicked the bird in frustration and went back to her house to wait for Epic's recovery.

Yes, they'll have to try very hard indeed.

Actuality

"I found him. He's mine now," I told her, staring at her in indifference. I wasn't going to back down. If worse came to worst, I will run from my house and start my journey myself. With or without their support. A lot of kids did this, so I could try it too.

"Ariann, you know you don't want this," my father told me seriously. I glanced at him sharply.

"I have waited months for this to happen, and now that is finally my birthday, you won't grant me my sole wish? You won't let me go?" I told him icily. I knew I hit a spot when I saw him flinch. Now was my chance, "Dad, you know I love you guys, and Big Brother too, but I want to travel and have an epic team and, well, live." Dad never went traveling because he was always scared of the aggressive world we live in, so he works as a cop in our small town where he can fight off crime and protect his small family. And even though all of the officers have pokemon, never in my life have I seen my father's partner. "Please." I used my final resource, my trump card. I never plead, and my parents knew that. Maybe I could change their mind…

Father let out a defeated sigh and I smiled slightly. I was happy, but I knew it would come to this when I used the magic words (not really, but who cares? I get to travel!).

"Okay, you can go," he told me and I patted his head in thanks. Finally, I will be a trainer.

The moment my parents signed for my trainer ID at the pokemon Center at Sandgem town, I took off on my own journey. Ready to meet new people and pokemon alike. Ready to face off life. Ready to live.

Ready to find my Epic Team.

I smiled slightly at my thoughts, rolling Epic's pokeball in the palm of my hand (I forgot to properly introduce him to my family. I made a mental note to do so when we met later. Hopefully, years later). My course would take me north, away from my house in Sandgem town and towards route 202. I have never been on route 202 before so I was looking at the grass and trees and paths in curiosity, never forgetting to keep an eye out for any potentially epic pokemon that I could add to my soon-to-be-Epic Team. Instead I found a few other pokemon which I avoided, since Epic was probably stronger than them. I kept walking without a care, not actually paying attention anymore. That is until I found myself at a trainer's mercy.

"Hey! I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" I heard him shout at me. I studied him. He seemed to be more experienced than I was and was surely more experienced than most of the pokemon around…

"Sure," I told him, since I needed some experience battling more people instead wild pokemon. I read somewhere that battles against trainers were different than battles against wild pokemons, so hopefully that wasn't true. Because I'll be screwed.

He grinned at me and took out a chimchar. I threw Epic's pokeball, while shouting, "Go Epic!" After Epic was out (and flailing, or bouncing or whatever he does), I heard the boy snicker.

"You called your magikarp Epic?! That's hilarious!" I glared at him. How dare he mock my pokemon?! And not only my pokemon, but my naming sense too! Now I see why trainers get so heated up while battling other trainers…

"They evolve into gyarados, you know!" I shouted at him, trying to show some confidence and some experience (which I obviously didn't have). He just smiled and told me instead, "Let's start now, hm?" I narrowed my eyes at him before turning towards Epic.

"Listen up Epic, today we're going to have our first official pokemon battle. Let's do our best, okay?" I told him seriously. After all, my first pokemon battle may decide whether our journey will be easy or simply a pain in the butt. And it will also decide whether training for three months on the same route was good or just for nothing.

I stood up and yelled.

"Epic, use Tackle!" The only problem was that my magikarp was too slow compared with the Fire pokemon. The chimchar dodged the charge that my magikarp made and scratched him instead.

"Chim, use scratch again!" The chimchar went running towards Epic and I took that opportunity to shout an order at him.

"Epic use Tackle!"My pokemon complied and gave the chimchar a powerful tackle before it could lay a claw on him. "Good Epic, now use Tackle again!"

"Chim, use ember!" I froze as I saw my pokemon almost get torched by the ember the chimchar used. If Epic hadn't jumped at the right time…

Suddenly an idea popped in my head. We had used the combo only one time successfully, so maybe we can pull out another trick…

"Epic, come here!" Epic looked at me in confusion and then started to jump towards me. My opponent ordered his pokemon to attack before Epic could reach me though. Just as I expected.

"Epic turn!"

"Chim, use ember!" The chimchar ran towards us and I waited for the right timing. As the chimchar opened his mouth to let out the famous ember attack, I shouted,

"Epic, use Splash then Tackle!" I saw Epic make a big jump, and fall a step behind the chimchar, missing the ember completely. Then before it could react, Epic tackled it to the ground. It groaned but made to stand up again and before I could command anything, Epic tackled it to the ground again. This repeated itself two more times before I heard the trainer say…

"Okay, I forfeit. Call back your Magikarp." I stared incredulously at the trainer. Then I smiled, looking back at Epic and running towards him in happiness. We have won our first pokemon battle!

"Wow, Epic! That was so…so…so epic!" My magikarp just stared at me happily, constantly making 'karp, karp' noises. "I'm so proud!" Okay, I usually don't hug people (unless it's my Big brother. My mom used to tease me saying that I have a brother complex. Which I don't have… I swear…) or pokemon for the matter, but I just couldn't stop myself! I hugged Epic and, before I could praise him again, the other trainer interrupted me.

"Nice battle," he told me smiling. I returned Epic reluctantly and nodded at him. "You have a good strategy there. Very nice. How many badges do you have?" he asked, truly interested. I hesitated. Okay, I didn't have any badges, but he could steal from me if I said I had no experience of being a trainer… "I assure you I am not gonna steal anything. I'm not a thief. See? I have my own three badges," he told me, laughing a little at my hesitation. Then he showed me his three badges: Oreburgh's, Eterna's and Veilstone's.

"Wow, you have so many..." I couldn't help but be awed by the three little badges this stranger had. One day, I'll have all eight of them.

"Yeah, yeah, can't pass Wake though," he told me smiling sheepishly. "So, now I'm training my team with a new addition." I guessed he was talking about his chimchar.

"Well…I don't have any badges. I'm a newbie," I told him sincerely, while secretly hoping that he was telling the truth. If not, I could always kick him where my Father told me that always hurt the most.

"Damn, then you're good! And your magikarp, Epic was it?" At my nod, he continued, "That fish is strong!"

"Yeah, well, I have to go. I want to get to Jubilife before it gets dark," I told him starting to walk the road towards Jubilife city. If I can get there before dark, then I may be able to get to Oreburgh in three days and get my first gym badge! Well, I will still need to train, but it shall be fine. I heard footsteps behind and soon I found that the trainer was walking. Behind me. Now tell me if that doesn't scream thievery or assault?

"Why are you following me?" I asked him, looking back at him. He just smiled. He seemed to be one of those good guys that always hurt the girl the worst in the movies. This guy was dangerous…

"Well, you knocked out Chim so I guess I have to go to the Pokemon Center." I looked at him in suspicion while putting my hand in my shorts, where Epic's pokeball was. If he really was a thief, then he was getting nowhere near my Epic. He noticed this and put his hands up defensively. "I'm serious!"

"Yeah, well, I don't know you," I told him bluntly. He looked crestfallen at my words. I sighed irritated and made some thinking. Being with an experienced three-badged trainer may give me some advantage. I maybe could watch and learn some of his battle strategies. Nodding mentally to myself, I decided that it was okay.

"Okay, whatever. We can travel together," I told him, and then as an afterthought added, "But our priority is Oreburgh."

"Oreburgh?"

"I don't plan on staying too much time on a city that doesn't have a Gym Leader," I told him referring to Jubilife City. He seemed to understand me; after all, he was a trainer. Maybe when he was going to get his first badge he was thinking the same thing.

"Well, I'm Rick, nice to meet ya," the boy, Rick, told me with a fox-like grin. I noticed now that he had clear brown eyes just like mine as well as dark brown-hair, quite unlike my own long blonde tresses. He was small for a boy, about the same height as me.(Not that I was small or anything!*lying*)

"My name is Ariann Roman. I hope we can be comrades," I told him with all sincerity. He smiled and was about to tell me something but a black blur leaped at us snarling.

It was a luxio.