My flesh twitched as I writhed in pain. I could feel the wetness of my own blood beneath me. I could feel the stinging pain of the lash marks on my flesh, where my blood trickled out. I could smell it, too. The blood, the scent of coming death. I could taste the salt of my tears. I could smell the mold on the walls and the undeniable scent of urine. This is where I had lived since I was born, and here I had always expected to die, just like my brother.

My brother, whose last words to me were, "get out of here while you still can." My brother who cried every night when I could not. My brother, who passed away when he was only seventeen. And from what? Illegal experimentation. Why? Because he refused to leave me behind. Had I never been created, he would have lived. He would still be alive, and he would be free. I didn't deserve to live, he did. He could have lived a life worth living, become the very best trainer, and been loved by all.

And now I would die too. I would die in this hell. And for no better reason than that I was alive, and that I was born in a family of mad scientists. Parents that beat me mercilessly and the help didn't care if I lived or died as long as they got paid. The same parents who now stood over me, laughing. They were laughing at the biggest joke they'd ever seen: me. I couldn't help but cry. My brother's voice echoed over and over again in my head as I held myself in a puddle of my own blood. I could see the light, and I could feel its warmth spreading over my body.

And then my eyes jerked open. My friend Cheren jumped as I lurched up in my warm bed. I noticed my own heavy breath, and the shivers running through my entire body. I was pale and sweaty. He was horrified.

"Wh-what kind of nightmare were you having?!" He hissed with his eyes wide. His glasses had almost fallen off of his face. I held myself for a moment before answering.

"I reached the final battle of the Elite Four and lost... I was using some really cool Pokémon at first, but... they all seemed to de-evolve until they were nothing more than eggs... Really Cheren, it was terrible!" He laughed at me with a smile on his face.

"That explains why you looked like you were about to cry. But really, Wolfang, you shouldn't be so scared. I'm sure you'll be a great trainer." He laughed, "Not as good as me, but still great."

"How do you know...?" I grumbled.

"Let's see... You have hundreds of Pokémon books hiding in this cramped room of yours, you visit the first gym leaders every Tuesday, you work at the professor's every Sunday when all of her usual employees are off, you spend hours playing with wild Pokémon on a daily basis... Am I missing anything?"

"How about the fact that I've never been in a Pokémon battle my whole life? I can read and watch Pokémon battles and learn every little thing about Pokémon, but that doesn't mean that I will ever amount to anything!"

"Well, I guess we will find out today."

"Huh? What's that supposed to-?"

"You forgot?! We get our Pokémon today! After Today we are officially Pokémon Trainers!" I could tell that Cheren was already imagining himself as a great and powerful Pokémon master.

"Why are you in my room, anyways? It's weird, especially since I was still sleeping." I cooed, "Cher~en, is there something you're not telling me?" He rolled his eyes and held his head.

"We promised that we would meet here, remember?"

"Nope, not at all." I answered with a laugh.

"Wolfang!"

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" I smirked as he glared at me. I stood up from bed and started to push Cheren out of my room, "Out. Out! I need to change."

"Tell me when you're done." He grumbled as he started down the stairs.

I could never forget what that day was. I was up into the early morning pacing with eager anticipation, driving myself mad. I was scared, excited, happy, mad, and depressed at the same time. I couldn't stay in bed. I couldn't stay put. It was a wonder I got any sleep at all. I changed into my favorite clothes, red, black, and perfectly suited for a Pokémon trainer.

I was fully dressed, not including my shoes, when a knock came from the door. I slipped down the stairs, literally because of my socks, and ran to the door. "Don't open it! Don't open it!" I shouted to my aunt, "I wanna do it!" She took two steps away from the door just as I swung it open. "Bianca!" I shrieked with joy.

"Wolfang!" She answered with equal obnoxiosity. Then I saw it. The briefcase in her hands.

"Is that-?" I began.

"Yes!" She answered pushing me into the house and shutting the door. We already upstairs before Cheren could even grasp what was going on.

"Hey, Cher-bear! We're not waiting for you, so hurry up!" I called. Soon, we were all gathered in my room. This was it. The moment we had always waited for. The greatest question was-

"Who gets first pick?" Bianca asked. I immediately raised my hand.

"I volunteer Cheren to go first."

"Why me?"

"I want to give you a head start. You're going to need it if you even hope to beat me." Cheren looked like he wanted nothing more than to kill me.

"Be nice, Wolfang!" Bianca uttered through her giggles.

"Fine…" I grumbled. Just then, Cheren raised his hand.

"I volunteer Wolfang." He responded.

"I refu-"

"I agree." Bianca interrupted.

"Aw! Why?!" I gasped.

"You walk to Striaton to visit the school." Cheren explained.

"Lots of kids do that." I grumbled.

"Well," began Bianca, "Every Sunday you spend an hour each attempting to talk to professors, or their assistants, from every region. On Monday to Thursday you work for Professor Juniper."

"And on Friday," Cheren finished, "You go to Striaton to talk to the gym leaders."

"That leaves Saturday that I don't do-"

"On Saturday," My aunt's voice came from below, "You try to sneak out to route one to go befriend the Pokémon. Don't act like nobody notices. I won't even mention the summer job you have with grandma and grandpa at the daycare!"

"That doesn't mean-"

"You eat lunch with the Striaton gym leaders!" Cheren moaned.

"They're nice guys!" I answered. Before I knew it, I was being shoved towards the briefcase, which had found a resting place on my wardrobe. "But… but…. But…" I stuttered as I pushed back on their hands, "But… But…"

"Come on, Wolfang!" Bianca howled, "Pick one!"

"Fine." I growled, slowly opening the case. Three pokeballs, each with a little Pokémon inside. The other two were soon looking over my shoulder. I could hear the voices, just as excited as we were…

"Look! Look!" One called.

"Pick me! Pick me!" Another one said.

"I'm the obvious choice! Look at me, I'm fantastic!"

"No! I'm better!" The third Pokemon didn't speak. His ball was shaking.

"You should probably pick one of the others. I-I'm not very good." I heard come from the final ball. I grabbed the ball and took it to my bed. I quickly released the Pokemon inside.

"Hi, I'm Wolfang." I introduced myself.

"You should have picked one of the others…" He muttered.

"That's why I picked you." I said it so nobody else could hear. The little orange pig pokemon looked up at me.

"I'm not strong or smart like the others." He replied, "or brave."

"Don' need tah be." I replied as Bianca grabbed her own pokemon.

"I heard you can't be a good trainer without strong, brave pokemon."

"It doesn't take bravery or strength to be a good trainer, or a good pokemon. It takes heart, and I can tell that you have plenty of that." Cheren soon grabbed his pokemon, and we were all ready to leave. All except Bianca, who stood in the center of the room with a devious smile on her face.

"What now, Bianca?" I asked, "We need to hurry to Professor Juniper!"

"Let's have a pokemon battle." She cheered. My pokemon, a Tepig, shook in my arms.

"Why?"

"To test our skills. You battle me, and then Cheren can take on the winner."

"Bianca," Cheren muttered, "I hate to burst your bubble, but isn't this room a little small to be a battlefield?"

"Scared?" She mocked.

"Tepig, wanna try it just once?" I asked. He took a deep breath.

"Okay…" He answered with uncertainty.

"You're on, Bianca. Brutus and I will kick you and your pokemon's tail!"

"Brutus?" Cheren snickered.

"Yeah, Brutus!" I snapped.

"I'm… Brutus?" Tepig muttered.

"All Right!" Bianca shouted, "Snivy, I choose you!"

"C'mon, Brutus. You can do it. I'll be right here cheering you on!" I responded, putting him onto the floor.

"Ready? Begin!" Cheren shouted.

"Tackle, Brutus!"

"Snivy scratch!" The pokemon dashed at each other. In the blink of an eye, the pokemon were right beside each other.

"Careful, Brutus! Dodge his attacks!" Brutus was barely out of the way when an eerie Scrr echoed through the room. Yes, I now had Snivy scratches on my bed.

"Snivy, look out!" Bianca howled as Brutus started to rush at her Snivy. He dodged just in time for Brutus to hit my TV stand.

"Brutus!" I shouted. He shook his head and got out of there just as the TV crashed to the ground. Cheren looked on in horror.

"What's going on up there?!" My aunt snapped.

"We're having a battle." I responded simply. I closed my eyes as a loud crash echoed through the room. I cheered when I realized that Brutus finally hit Snivy. "Yay, Brutus!"

Snivy charged at Brutus again, and with a snap and a crash, he scratched the leg off of my dresser. The briefcase and all of my clothes tumbled to the floor. With one final crash, Brutus slammed into Snivy, knocking it out and ending the battle.

"Good boy, Brutus!" I cheered, grabbing the small pig and hugging him. "You were awesome!"

"I did it?!" He gasped. "I did it! Yay! I'm strong!"

"Hey, Wolfang, your Pokémon is pretty tough." Bianca laughed.

"Of course he is, because Brutus is an honorable man!"

"Oh no, I get where this is going. Caesar? Really?" Cheren moaned.

"Yes!" I cheered, "I came, I saw, I conquered."

"You haven't conquered anything yet." Bianca felt like she should point out. I smiled mischievously.

"Brutus and I conquered you, didn't we buddy." I snuggled the small Tepig close.

"…Yeah..? Yeah. Yeah! Yeah! We Conquered!" Brutus started to cheer and squirm in my arms.

"Th-that doesn't count!"

"I won! I won! I beat her scary… Scary…"

"Ah! But look at my room! Bianca, you have a BAD Snivy."

"Snivy! Scary Snivy…. BAD SNIVY! Bad Snivy! Bad Snivy!" Brutus started to chant after I had said it myself.

"Brutus is a rotten baby. He was lucky this time." Snivy growled as he was pulled back into his pokeball. Brutus whimpered.

"Don't worry, buddy. He'll get nicer around Bianca." I assured him. Then, a smile crossed Cheren's face.

"Well, since your room is already a mess… I guess there's nothing wrong with taking my turn." He chuckled. I looked at Brutus calmly.

"Well, you up for another battle."

"A-against Oshawott? Sh-she's even scarier than Snivy."

"Are you sure?"

"… Let's do it!" I smiled.

"You're on, Cheren! Prepare to lose!" I put Brutus gently down onto the ground and he was raring to go.

"Go, Oshawott!" Cheren threw his pokeball and a small, blue, otter-like pokemon came out.

"That's a she?!" I joked. It kind of reminded me of Cheren when he was 9. All it was missing was the glasses and the braces.

"How rude!" The Oshawott exclaimed.

"Hey, be nice to my pokemon!" Cheren objected.

"I was joking, Cher-bear. She's beautiful. Nothing compared to Brutus, of course. He's gorgeous. But she's pretty." I shook my head confidently.

"Enough talk. Let's battle." Oshawott growled.

"Ah… I… I…"

"What, are you going to chicken out, Tepig?"

"I… uh… M-my name… My name is…"

"What?"

"My name is BRUTUS!" He howled angrily.

"Go!" Bianca cheered as the battle began. Cheren couldn't even say a word as Brutus tackled Oshawott.

"Hurray, Brutus!" I cheered.

"Hey, you didn't even give him an order yet!" Cheren shouted. I smirked.

"Bite me, Cheren. You're just mad because you're losing!"

"I'm not losing! Oshawott, use Tackle!"

"Gladly."

"Dodge it, Brutus!"

"Yes, boss!" Brutus shot out of the way as Oshawott tried to tackle him.

"Now, Let's return the favor. Brutus, Tackle her!" He smiled as he charged at the Water-type Pokemon.

"Oshawott, look out!" Cheren was too late as Brutus ran into her for a second time, knocking her out of the battle. "You're cheating!"

"How am I cheating?!"

"You have had too much battle experience."

"Too much… What? Is that even possible? Bianca?"

"No."

"Ha. I knew it. Cher-bear's throwing a fit because he lost."

"St-stop calling me that!"

"Well, The professor is probably waiting for us. We should get going."

"What about your room? We can't just leave it like this…" Cheren grumbled.

"Why can't we?" I mumbled as I picked Brutus up again and gave him a tight hug.

"Seriously, Wolfang? Your aunt won't want to clean up after us." Cheren scorned. He looked at me angrily, but I laughed.

"Heh. If you ask me, we did her a favor. This will make it easier for her to convert this room into her little spa-hottub-girly… stuff… room… The She-cave."

"She-cave. Really, Wolfang, you're making up words now?"

"Hey, there's a man-cave. Why can't there be a she-cave?"

"Because."

"Why?"

"There's no such thing."

"Why?"

"Because they… because…"

"Holy- Cheren doesn't know something!"

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"Fine, I will." I shot down the stairs as Cheren bolted at me.

"Cheren used tackle, but it missed!" Bianca called from above.

"Get back here, Wolfang!" Cheren growled.

"Losing your cool is not cool, Cher-bear." I could hear him start coming down the stair. "Bye, Aunt Phoebe. Next time I see you, I'll be the champion of the Elite Four. By the way, my room is a mess and all of my furniture is broken."

"WHAT?!"

"Later." I was out the door before Cheren could catch me.

"Grow up, Wolfang!" The call echoed from the house like an echoing roar.

"I think you're in trouble, Boss." Brutus muttered nervously.

"What is that? Why are you calling me boss? I'm not your boss, Brutus. We are equals… Coworkers… Friends."

"Friends…?"

"Yeah, friends. Everyone in the world is my friend, both human and pokemon." I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, "I don't believe that there are bad people out there. I simply believe that some people… some people fall into a darkness that they can never escape from. That is… that's why I want to be a pokemon trainer. I want to help those people, because I… I…"

"Wolfang, you forgot your Xtransciever, so get your butt back in here!" My aunt's voice howled.

"Ah! I guess it's back into the lion's den." Cheren and Bianca left the house as I went in.

"We're going to go talk with our parents. We'll meet you at the professor's lab afterword." Bianca said happily.

"Eheh, good luck with that."

"Good luck to you." Cheren chuckled, "Your aunt seemed pretty angry. You're screwed."

I opened the door, and Phoebe looked calmly at me. She quietly gave me my Xtransciever (oddly pronounced cross-transceiver). "I know we're not related," She muttered, "but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I need you to stay safe and keep out of danger, okay. I didn't rescue you from Team Rocket so you could get yourself hurt again."

"Yes, ma'am…" I muttered.

"You must not tell anyone that you can talk to Pokemon. You must never tell anyone that you can understand Pokemon. You are just a normal girl, okay. No using fire blast, no hydro-pump, no thunderbolt, no volt tackle, no grass knot… You are just a girl."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Are you even listening?! I want you to be safe. I don't want you to be some… some freak show like you were in Johto. You are just a NORMAL girl. I cannot stress that enough. You can't tell Cheren, Bianca, Juniper, or ANYONE you meet."

"I know. I know. I'm just a normal girl. My name is Wolfang, not R012403."

"Right. And if you need to talk to anyone, talk to your grandparents. Do not talk about Team Rocket, or experimentations, or anything unusual that may lead to you accidently letting your secret slip."

"I know. I know. But seriously I need to get going. Let me fly."

"N-no! No flying!"

"I was speaking metaphorically." I hooked my Xtransciever onto my arm and left. Brutus looked at me sadly.

"Why can't you tell people you talk to pokemon? Can't everyone?"

"No… and… If people know that I can talk to you… I will be laughed at… I'm just…I… No, It's nothing."

"NO, YOU'RE NOT LEAVING HOME!" Brutus jumped at the shout and pulled himself closer to me.

"What was that?" He cried.

"That was Bianca's dad… That can't be good." I shot off towards Bianca's house.

"WHY CAN'T I?!"

"IT IS FAR TOO DANGEROUS!"

"BUT WOLFANG AND CHEREN ARE GOING!"

"CHEREN IS A MAN, AND WOLFANG IS AN ORPHAN! SHE DOESN'T HAVE A FATHER TO TELL HER NO!" I arrived at the door and froze as he said it. It was true, I was an orphan, but… did he have to say it like nobody cares about me? The way he said it was so…

SLAM!

Pain jolted through my face as the door slammed into me. It slammed into me with such force that I was forced back and Brutus was shot out of my arms.

"YOU CAN'T STOP ME! I'M OLD ENOUGH TO START MY OWN POKEMON JOURNEY!" Bianca shouted as she left her house. "Wha? Brutus, what are you doing out here alone?"

"W-Wolfang?! Boss?! Are you okay?!" Bianca tried to pick up Brutus, but he squirmed from her grasp and ran over to me.

"Wolfang?! Oh my god, what happened?! You're bleeding!"

"I was marveling your front door, wondering how your parents make it so pretty, and then it hit me."

"What hit you?"

"The door."

"Of all the times for you to joke…" Bianca laughed.

"Hey, You go on ahead and meet with Cheren. The orphan will talk with your dad." I offered.

"You… You heard that?"

"Please! The Elite Four had to stop and try to figure out what that was, you two were talking so loud."

"You know he doesn't mean that, right?"

"I know. I won't hold it against him." I grabbed Brutus and entered the house with extreme caution.

"W-Wolfang, Honey, What happened to your nose?!" Bianca's mom gasped.

"Your door hit me in the face when an angry Bianca slammed it open. What is going on?"

"My daughter is not going out there! It's dangerous." Bianca's father growled.

"So you don't trust me."

"What do you-"

"It's because I'm an orphan, isn't it?"

"I told you that she would hear you if you didn't keep it down." Bianca's mom mumbled.

"It's nothing like that!" Her dad objected.

"Then what is it?! People have been traveling together with Pokemon for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. In Johto, children can start travelling when they are ten."

"This isn't Johto, Wolfang! I'm worried about my daughter. The world is an unsafe place, and I-"

"Nobody knows that more than myself. I know the world is dangerous, but I also know that Bianca is strong. She could do it alone if she wanted to, but she's doing it with us; Cheren, myself, and her pokemon. I promise that she will return safely. Let her go. She'll be fine."

"But-"

"Please!"

"But I… I…" He seemed to desperately search for a reason, "I… I understand. Okay, She can go. But if she gets hurt-"

"I will personally see to it that she doesn't get hurt. I will protect your daughter with my pathetic orphan life."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Eheh, nope. I'll be on top, the Elite Four Champion, and I will make sure that everyone knows about how you called me an orphan."

"That's… fine… just… promise me my daughter will not get hurt."

"I promise that I will not allow her to get herself into a dangerous situation, and I will not pull her into any of my super-dangerous, crazy orphan stunts."

"Fine. I'll accept that."

"Great. Now I gotta grab a tissue and get outta here. I'll see you guys when I'm rich and famous!" I grabbed a tissue from the kitchen counter, held it over my nose, and rushed off to the Professor's lab.

Cheren was waiting patiently for me, but Bianca looked terribly nervous. Her green eyes looked expectantly at me. I smiled as I gave her a thumbs up. "Brutus and I spoke with him, and he's going to let you go. We are all good here."

"You're the best, Wolfang!"

"Was there ever any doubt, my dearest Bianca? Now, come on! Let's get inside!" I placed Brutus on top of my head, grabbed the other two's hands, and ran inside. "The party has arrived!"

Cheren hid his face as I said it, but Bianca started to snicker quietly. "Oh, Wolfang, I almost didn't hear you come in." The local Pokemon Professor, Juniper, joked. She rolled her eyes when she saw me. "Oh, put Tepig back in his pokeball."

"My name is Brutus!" Brutus objected loudly.

"Whoa! He's a lot more energetic now, isn't he? Of the trio, I thought Tepig was the quietest."

"My name is Brutus!"

"I don't want to put Brutus in his pokeball!"

"Wolfang, you need to keep your pokemon in its pokeball. It will get lost if you don't." Professor Juniper advised.

"No." I growled.

"Wolfang." She warned.

"He's not hurting anyone!"

"You can be so stubborn."

"Yes." She sighed angrily.

"I… I won't win this battle, will I?"

"Are we going to battle again?!" Brutus gasped, "Yay! I want to win again! Let's battle!"

"Hey Wolfang," Bianca said, "It looks like Brutus is really happy with you."

"Of course he's happy. Brutus is the best Tepig in the world!" I snuggled with the orange, pig-like pokemon.

"Yay!" Brutus cheered, "I'm the best!"

"So you named your Tepig Brutus?" Professor Juniper asked.

"Yes!"

"Are you sure that is what you want to name him?"

"Of course. Anything else would be just silly." I cooed.

"Bianca is right. You have already had your first pokemon battle, haven't you? Your pokemon already seem to trust you." She glanced at Cheren and Bianca's pokeballs, then looked at Brutus, "Some more than others." She smiled calmly, "Now, as for why I gave you your pokemon…"

"It's for the pokdex right?" Cheren interrupted.

"Wait. Pokedex?" Bianca looked over at us rather confused.

"What?! You don't know what a pokedex is, Bianca?!" I gasped.

"I'm astonished, Cheren. Nice work. Wolfang isn't the only one who has been studying pokemon." She smiled proudly, "Still, let me explain everything from the beginning, for everyone's sake." I sat down and started to play with Brutus. Juniper always had a tendency to be rather… longwinded, and I knew everything there was to know about the pokedex; from its creator to the many different pokedex regions.

Basically, a pokedex is a device that lets you know more about pokemon. Dexter, the voice of the pokedex, knows everything. It was created by Professor Oak from Kanto.

"Wolfang! Cheren! Bianca! You'll go on an adventure to complete the pokedex, Will you not?"

"Okay! I-I mean… Yes, professor!" Bianca agreed hastily.

"Thank you very much." Cheren thanked calmly, "Because of you, I can become a Pokemon Trainer, exactly as I've always wished." Everyone looked at me.

"Hey, you could count me in from the start. I want to be the very best, and that means meeting every pokemon. One of the greatest accomplishments a trainer can have is completing their pokedex. I gladly accept this challenge!"

"All of you, thanks!" Professor Juniper said more proudly than ever before, "You have given me the best possible answer!" She proceeded to grant us our pokedexes. "Next, I need to teach you how to meet pokemon. Please meet me at route one." With that, she left.

"It's okay to go on adventure since the professor asked us, right?" Bianca muttered shyly. I rolled my eyes.

"You'll be fine, Bianca. You can't… You can't listen to your dad forever. Sometime you will have to spread your wings and fly. Above all else, though, you need to-"

"I can explore, and maybe find out what I want to do in life."

"Yeah!"

"I think I'd like that."

"We can travel however we want while we complete the pokedex." Cheren added. We all just stood there staring at the door.

"What are we waiting for?!" Brutus howled.

"Right. Let's go meet our future!" I shot towards the door.

"C-come on! Wolfang, wait up!" Bianca called. However, I froze to see Phoebe behind the door. As a result, I was pushed to the ground. Brutus had the luck of falling right into her arms. He was safe this time.

"There you are!" Phoebe greeted happily, "What did the professor say?"

"What do you think she said? Look! I have a pokedex! You can't treat me like a kid anymore!"

"Oh, look at you, big girl! She cooed as she reached out and grabbed my cheek, "All ready to start her own journey!"

"H-hey! Stop that!"

"Oh, my big girl! Did you remember to pack plenty of underwear? Oh, and your pajamas. Oh, how about your lotion? All that sun will be bad for your skin! Oh, and don't forget these." She held something out to us. There were three maps.

"Thank you. I'll take good care of it." Cheren said as he took a map.

"One for you too, Bianca."

"Thank you so much!" Bianca cheered as she received her map.

"Yeah… thanks…" I muttered as I grabbed my map.

"And don't worry about Wolfang's room. I'll take care of tidying up."

"There better be a hot tub when I come back."

"Oh, behave Wolfang." She started to look at Brutus and smile. "Ah, Pokemon. They are so cute, but they have enough power to destroy a bedroom! They really are something…" She handed the small pig to me, "With pokemon like that at your side, you'll be safe wherever you go! I hope that you'll find lots of places that you like in the Unova region, and become wonderful adults." She looked at me and smiled, "If you ever decide to grow up! Have a great trip." She left about as quickly as she seemed to come.

"Shall we head to route one?" Cheren asked awkwardly, "The professor is waiting."

"Yeah! Let's go, let's go! Wolfang, hurry and come too, okay?" Bianca chanted.

"Heh. Last one there's a rotten Togepi!" I started to run for the route. However, my headstart was short live, and I was quickly too far behind to win.

"You suck." Brutus noted at my running skills.

"Maybe if I didn't have all this weight on me I could have-"

"Hey, don't blame me for your sucking."

"Fine."

"Wolfang, this way!" Bianca came back and felt the need to drag me to the location of route one. Cheren was waiting patiently.

"You suck at running." He noted.

"I know. I know." I growled. He chuckled calmly.

"Bianca says that if we're starting a journey together, she wants us all to take our first step at the same time."

"Oh, how cheesy." I cooed.

"oh, come on Wolfang!" Bianca begged, "Let's all take our first step on Route one together!"

"Fine." I muttered. It's hard to say no to someone who's been your friend for over ten years.

"Okay, here we go." Cheren said in an unusually bubbly tone. He locked his right arm with my left, and Bianca locked her left arm with my right.

"One…" Bianca muttered.

"Two…" Cheren continued.

"Three!" Brutus and I shouted. The three of us stepped forward, our first steps into our future .