This is my first Pokemon fanfic.

Be nice, please ^_^

In the darkness of her bedroom a girl rolled over in her sleep, oblivious to the sun shiny day just outside her closed blinds. Her brown, shoulder length hair stuck out every which way as she smiled dumbly at her sub-conscience. Pidgey were chirping merrily at the citizens of Rojahn, a small city south of Pallet.

Rojahn was known for it's nightlife and not for it's Pokemon trainers. After a serious depression in Kanto, Rojahn was the place suffering citizens were told to go, but life there was anything but simple. The unemployment rate was at an all time high and more and more homeless people walked the streets.

All these worrisome things, however, were not on the mind of fifteen year-old Billie as she slept. Her and her father lived in a small, two bedroom, apartment that they could barely afford. It was located over a shop her father owned where he sold his impressive word carvings. Business wasn't exactly booming since the citizens of Rojahn used what little money they had on food.

Billie was woken up suddenly when her father entered the room, her green eyes alert; she'd always been a light sleeper. A Raichu, named Roy that had been with her since childhood, poked his head from under the blankets to investigate as well.

"Billie, darling?" her father sat on the edge of her bed, knowing very well that she was awake. He looked more stressed than ever, if that was possible. His graying black hair was unkempt and the circles around his eyes had an extra shade of purple to them. The collar of his faded blue polo was too loose for his skinny neck.

"Morning Pop," she smiled at him, hoping it would ease his stress momentarily.

"Sweetheart it's noon," he laughed; the laughter met his eyes only slightly. "We have six months"

Billie sat up, Roy almost shocking her as he moved out of the way, "To do what?" It was a silly question; their landlord had been warning them about their rent lately.

"To get organized, to find somewhere else to go, and for me to find a 'real' job," her father said this last part with a thoroughly depressed look on his face.

"Where else would we go?" she asked. They had had this discussion many times and they both knew the answer. Her father had no college education, though he was highly intelligent man, because his parents couldn't afford it. Finding a job was easier said than done.

"Billie, I just want the best for you. You're growing up so fast…" he sniffed, "I don't want to leave here as much as you do. Rojahn is a dump, I'm going to be honest, but it's our home. It's not our fault the government doesn't care that we're in debt…" he shook his head and pet Roy, who was listening just as intently as Billie was. "I just wanted to warn you so you'd be prepared."

Billie always knew something like this would happen but talking about it now made her extremely upset, "Pop, I'm not going to allow this! We can get the rent! We can clean this place up!"

He father smiled appreciatively, "Business isn't doing so well, Billie…"

"Can't I get a job?"

"No one wants to employ a fifteen year old, no matter how smart you may be! There are barely any jobs to choose from anyways…" he father explained.

"Isn't there anything I can do? We can't just sit here!" Billie grabbed her father's hand and squeezed it tight.

"Rai rai raaaai chu," Roy nodded, looking just as determined.

"What would you do?" her father sighed.

Billie was at a loss. She looked around her dark room until her eyes focused on the Pokemon League poster. The winner always got some amount of money nowadays.

"I could enter the Pokemon League," she half suggested to herself.

"The…the Pokemon League?" her father never reacted well to this subject. "No, you couldn't. It starts up again in 4 months and you need eight badges to enter…"

"Four months is less than six, Pop! And I could get those badges. I would hate leaving you here, but I'd send back whatever money I got along the way," she said.

"But you need Pokemon to do that Billie. More than one," he added as she pointed to Roy, who looked rather proud of himself, "You need poke balls to do that. Poke balls cost money."

The door was pushed open as her father's Persian came in with a tray balanced on his head. It had some medicine and a glass of water. Her father had five other poke balls in his room that Billie was forbidden to mess around with. He kept them in his top drawer and insisted that they were empty. The Persian purred and left the room after the medicine was taken.

"Will you just trust me? Let me do this," Billie begged her father.

He contemplated this, petting his Persian that had returned to rub against him affectionately. When he sighed Billie knew the answer.

"I suppose…"

Billie squealed and hugged her father, "Oh thanks Pop!"

Billie had her things packed by dinnertime. Roy helped her decide what things she would absolutely need and the things she could do without. From under her mattress she pulled out about 200 dollars that she'd been saving since she was nine. She wouldn't tell her father about her begging on the street every once in awhile; he didn't like charity. Although he never asked where the random money came from. It was easy for a pretty girl like Billie and a cute Raichu to beg money from people who needed it too.

Her father prepared a box of macaroni, a luxury in their household, for her last night there. "You know this is going to take a lot of work," he said, serving her up half of the box. Roy sniffed at him hopefully until he got a plateful as well.

"I know Pop, I know. But maybe I'll get enough money to help us move somewhere nicer, you know?" she smiled. Her father just smiled back, not wanting to drown any of her hopes.

Comments greatly appreciated =D