Roxie looked behind her at the sound of the pokemon lab's front door, mentally adding another straggler to her count. Not including herself, that left nine boys and six girls. They were missing four people which meant that twenty percent of their classmates were choosing at the last minute to forgo their journeys. After working so hard to get to this point, everyone from their trainer school should be here, but obviously, that wasn't the case. Maybe it didn't seem like a big percentage, but their graduating class was tiny.
Out of their seventy-eight mixed graduates, fifty-eight were civilians which left twenty as trainers, but it seemed even that dismal number was dropping. Realistically speaking, not everyone had what it took to become a pokemon trainer. It was better they realized it now than regret it later when they were about to be mauled by a wild rhydon. And yes it was unfortunate that not many people were choosing to leave, but it was to be expected when there was more to be worried about than wild pokemon. Now that it was confirmed that Team Rocket was outpacing law enforcement, it was necessary for trainers to fight back.
It wasn't always like this. Roxie remembered a time when every kid in her neighborhood wanted to be a pokemon trainer, when being a trainer meant having the adventure of a lifetime. It was the ultimate milestone eleven-year-olds. Trainer and pokemon deaths were few and far between and pokemon thefts were rarely if ever reported. Now everyone saw it as a death sentence, too scared to venture out alone on the off chance of encountering Team Rocket. Roxie didn't want to meet them either, but she wasn't going to let a group of criminals control her life. She wasn't an idiot of course. She knew that if she ever encountered them, she was deader than dead. Luckily the chances of her encountering them on this side of Kanto were close to nil. Team Rocket never ventured near Kanto's West Coast, likely smart enough not to meet Giovanni and the Elite Four, Kanto's strongest pokemon trainers. Instead they were always being sighted near the bigger cities: Celadon, Cerulean, Saffron and Vermillion. By Roxie's estimation, she and her pokemon would be more than ready to defend themselves once they'd passed Mt Moon.
There was a cough and everyone, including her, realized Professor Oak was done readying the starter pokemon. The chattering stopped and everyone was now impatiently waiting for him to speak. Roxie was at the front of the crowd, grinning and sharing the excited energy in the room.
Today was the day that they had all been waiting for - the day where they could choose their very own starter pokemon and set out on their journeys. It was a significant event for all standing because it was also the day that they were finally being seen as adults. For Roxie, this could not be any more monumental. She'd waited eighteen years for this and it was finally going to happen. She worked her butt off to earn her trainer credentials in school and it was finally paying off. She was going to leave Pallet Town. Freedom was just steps away, hidden within a red and white ball.
"Now before I let you choose your starters, I just want to say how very proud I am of each one of you. Graduating the academy is no small feat. Ten years ago, trainer and pokemon deaths were at its peak in more than half a century. Because of the rise in criminal activity, an age restriction was issued by the Pokemon League so that trainers would have longer schooling and therefore have the skills needed to better defend themselves.…"
Roxie steadfastly began blocking out Prof Oak. She respected the man and saw him for his great accomplishments, but she already knew all the statistics and the likelihood of her dying in the wilds vs dying at the hands of poachers and thieves. Yes, there'd been a drop-in trainer and pokemon deaths due to the new age restriction, but there was also a lower overall count in pokemon trainers, quality over quantity to sum it up. That's not to mention the steady rise in pokemon poaching and thievery and subsequent higher demand for law enforcement in the last two years, correlating with Team Rocket's public debut two years ago. This wasn't new. She'd had it drummed into her head by her teachers, parents and everyone else in Pallet who wanted to discourage her from becoming a pokemon trainer. If it didn't daunt her then, it wasn't going to affect her now.
There was a reason why she was leaving on her journey straight out of the academy and not continuing her education. However much this dismayed her parents, she was tired of lectures. Hell she was tired of Pallet Town. She was ready to break out and travel to her heart's content. She was going to go to Kanto's big cities, party it up and meet the love of her life. And while a part of her admitted she was being naïve, Roxie didn't really care. This was her life and if what she was choosing was a mistake, then so be it. She wanted to experience new things and have a life of adventure and winning contest ribbons was where the act would lead her. She was going to become famous… more famous than her mother. It beat going to college, wasting money on an education for a job she wasn't even interested in… like running a family bakery.
"Gary and Roxie please step up. As you two were this year's valedictorians, you'll be the first to choose your pokemon," said Oak.
Gary immediately whoo ped and sprung away from the small crowd. "Heh 'bout time Gramps, I mean am I right?!" he said turning to the audience. Straight away cheers and loud proclamations of Gary's name ensued, inadvertently causing lab equipment to shake.
"Settle down. You'll all get your turn!" Oak exclaimed, cutting celebrations short. He cautioned others to take a few steps back from some of the more precarious parts of the lab.
Roxie followed but at a more sedate pace. It was just like Gary to make an ass of himself, not that he really mattered. After today, it was unlikely she'd ever have to encounter him again. With that thought, Roxie smiled to herself as she quietly walked to the machines holding red and white pokeballs.
Although there were numerous choices, there were only three pokemon that Roxie wanted to choose from: charmander, a fire type; bulbasaur, a grass type; and Squirtle, a water type. Unless bought from a high-priced breeder, these rare pokemon could only be found in Kanto's most remote wilds. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses and various own uses. Charmander would provide heat, bulbasaur likely could identify edible plants and squirtle could provide water (however gross) and safely swim her across bodies of water. Roxie wanted to deliberate more but knew she had already made up her mind.
Eagerly, Roxie reached for the pokeball and released the charmander.
White light collapsed and formed an orange lizard with a long fiery tail. It stood on its hind legs, scratching his jaw in a bored manner. He acted like he couldn't care less whether she chose him to be her starter or not, but Roxie noticed the fidgeting of his tiny claws and his sneaking glances to her. There was a cautious look in his blue eyes, a warning for her not to step too close. Roxie thought he was adorable and desperately wanted to hug him, but stopped herself. She didn't want to startle the little guy when he already looked nervous enough.
Crouching low, Roxie smiled and gently held her hand out to the pokemon far enough to give him space, but close enough to show she wasn't afraid. She hoped the lowered height made her seem the least threatening as possible.
"Hi my name's Roxie. Do you want to be friends?"
The fidgeting immediately stopped and surprise overtook him, no longer holding the bored facade.
Noticing she had his attention, she continued more confidently, careful to keep eye contact. "I'm going to be a Pokemon Coordinator. I want to adventure and get out of this boring place, but I need a strong and reliable partner to do that. In return, I promise to take care of you and make you as strong as you want. So what do you say?"
Roxie felt a little sad but hid it knowing how perceptive pokemon were to human emotions. It was almost like he couldn't believe she was asking him for his help. He looked a little silly the way he was bulging his already enormous eyes. When he recovered, it took him a moment longer to register her hand before he bashfully smiled and nodded, timidly returning the handshake.
Roxie wondered if he was just naturally shy when meeting new people. He was a fine specimen for his species with his healthy flame and larger than average height. Any trainer would be lucky to have him for a starter. Taking another cursory glance, she noticed the small scars already littering his smooth scales. Roxie judged him to be a scrapper. His tail even supported her observation: though still timid, his quivering tail flame betrayed his eagerness – making an incredible fiery sight…. So maybe it wasn't shyness. Maybe a bad experience with another trainer? Whatever it was, she was sure that with more time, he'd grow more comfortable around her. She'd already achieved the first step of winning him over.
From her research, Roxie knew that a charmander's tail flame represented its life force and its ranges in emotion. It was almost poetic in the way charmanders and their evolutions added more complexity to a hazard like fire. Their specific fire brought pain and death, but also almost literally breathed life. Roxie just knew Charmander's fire would make a perfect contest showing. Where most people would have seen a fire pokemon for its destructive nature, Roxie oddly became inspired. She admitted she was a little different in the way she saw pokemon for their splendor, but this was also one of the reasons why she wanted to be a coordinator; she wanted to showcase their beauty. Her mind wandered to the training needed to hone his abilities and her excitement grew and suddenly she knew Charmander was the perfect partner for her. She couldn't wait to be friends with him.
Roxie looked to Professor Oak. "I choose Charmander."
"Then I choose Squirtle!" Gary yelled.
"Good choices you two," Oak pointed to the left and said, "Savannah, my assistant, will ID your pokemon and pokedexes."
Ignoring Gary's obvious if predictable bid for type advantage, Roxie nodded and promised Charmander she'd release him later before returning him to his pokeball.
She moved to Savannah, beating Gary to the woman by almost a full second. Roxie wanted to childishly taunt him, but she caught herself and instead gave her full attention to Professor Oak's assistant. Today was the start of her successful career as a mature, "take no prisoners" pokemon trainer and she wasn't going to ruin that by lowering herself to Gary's level.
Roxie gave Savannah her trainer card and if the woman noticed fire burning in Roxie's eyes while she scanned the pokeball and pokedex, she didn't voice it.
Once done, Roxie received her items, swiftly thanked Savannah, shook Oak's hand, then thanked him and practically skipped out of the building. Day one's checklist was almost halfway done. All that was left was to get home, say bye to her parents and then leave for Viridian City.
"Yo Roxie!"
Roxie internally groaned. She debated whether it'd be easier to run, but he'd already caught up to her so she resigned herself to confronting the infatuated boy. Only he could sound this arrogant at – she checked the time on her phone – 7:25 in the morning. She'd hoped to avoid this by leaving earlier than him, but the boy was persistent. If she were being honest, Gary Oak wasn't bad looking. In fact, Roxie could easily see why a lot of girls found him attractive. His face wasn't disfigured and he was tall with what could be called a lithe build. Roxie surmised he was at least 5'10" – at least three inches above Roxie's sufficient 5'7". He was her main rival in Poke Academy, grade wise, and unlike that Damien kid, he always treated the academy's pokemon well. He also knew how to draw a crowd and a lot of people liked him for his talents. It was the kid's attitude that bugged her. Gary was your typical know-it-all, but with a bonus: he came with a smart mouth, which was really unfortunate because he knew how to get under people's skins, especially hers. It's how he was able to rank himself above others and still stay confident. To put it bluntly, Gary was a bully. Roxie quietly suspected a superiority complex. You could see it in the way he couldn't stand tying with her or the way he always had to have eyes on him. Maybe it had something to do with being in a famous family? His grandfather was a well-known pokemon researcher and his sister was a Top Coordinator that, just last month, had finished in third place for the interregional Valor Festival.
Roxie stopped her train of thought. It was none of her business and she frankly didn't care.
"Hey Roxie! I've decided I'm going to let you travel with me. I have my convertible and I can protect you!" He gestured to the red sports car behind him where several girls with pom-poms were already piled in. "You can even be one of my cheerleaders," he grinned suggestively.
Roxie narrowed her eyes, flatly responding, "No thanks Gary."
Spending her freedom with him? Nope. Protection? Not gonna fly. Don't even get her started on the cheerleaders. There was no way those girls weren't being paid.
Not done yet, Gary leaned down, closer to her level, jeering, "Then who are you journeying with?" He didn't give her room to speak, obnoxiously sniggering, "A gorgeous girl like you can't go alone."
Roxie pursed her full lips, ready to erupt, but unwilling to give him the satisfaction. Another reason she didn't like him was because of the way he looked at her, as if he was actually better than her. Like he didn't just look at her like she was a piece of meat, although those were sometimes the worst where it felt like he couldn't decide between punching or, to her disgust, kissing her. But other times he'd get so resentful of her class ranking, he'd form this gloating, challenging look in his eye and question her abilities in front of other people and draw them into the fold. She truthfully couldn't count the many betting pools he'd been able to provoke from their classmates or, Roxie shamefully admitted, from her when she somehow wasn't at the point of his fixation. His over the top challenges were one of the many instances Roxie especially wanted to knock him down a peg and, like a sucker, she always accepted – not that she always won. His rivalry with her was what drove her to new competitive heights, so however unorthodox (and Roxie would never say this to his face), she was grateful. Without him always pushing her or …rattling her cage, Roxie honestly didn't think she'd be able to go on her own journey. He'd been a necessary evil, but now he was no longer needed.
She just wished everyone wasn't so influenced by Gary. While she was popular for her class ranking, she'd never been interested in forming closer relationships with her peers, too busy working and studying. Gary knew this and took advantage of her lack of friends. It was because of his doing that they were always questioning her ability to safely travel. Did no one acknowledge that she'd graduated valedictorian? It was utterly disrespectful and so very like Gary to bolster everyone against her. He knew she hated it too – it's why he was doing it now. The jerk really knew how to get to her. And although she'd accepted the fact that a lot of her classmates were genuinely just looking out for her, it was still aggravating. And while she knew it would be better to form a group to travel with, like the rest of her classmates, she was a prideful autonomous woman; she could take care of herself. Despite how dangerous it was to travel alone, especially for girls, she was willing to take the risk in order to better her growth and self-discovery. Pallet Town had stifled her long enough. It was just a little ridiculous that no matter how capable she was in self-defense or battle strategy or camping in the wilds, other people in the future, besides the people of Pallet, were still going to find it odd that she was traveling alone. It was silly to let it bug her, but she was going to have to get over it. Ugh she hated how much she could attribute her readiness for her journey to Gary.
She put her hand on her hip (it gave her more attitude), heavily sugar-coating her words, "I'll be fine Gary. There's a reason you and I got the highest scores in our class."
Gary faltered at being reminded of their tied grades and Roxie smiled sweetly, for an extra slight, fluttering long eyelashes and altogether acting oblivious to, but inwardly reveling in the boy's plight. It was a little underhanded to remind him of what he considered his faults, but like Gary, Roxie also wasn't above hitting where it hurt. She didn't lie down and let anyone, especially not Gary, take shots at her without giving ones of her own. Of course, these digs could almost be called light-hearted when she considered what Ash and Gary fired at each other in the heat of their pokemon battles.
"Right well… if you change your mind, you can always call me." Gary coughed, gaining some composure. "I'm leaving as soon as Ash gets here. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes all the pokemon are gone!"
"Yeah sure. See you." Hopefully never.
Wind breezed past and Roxie flicked her long hair away from her face. She was ready to get on with her journey. With her back turned towards Professor Oak's lab, Roxie began to make her way down the dirt path, towards home. She ignored the feeling of Gary eyeing up her ass, loath to provoke another exchange. As far as she was concerned, this would be the last time they'd be trading barbs for quite some time. When she spoke to him again, it'll be too soon.
20 minutes later
"I'm late! I'm so late! Shit, shit, shit, shit!" a messy haired boy cried, running at top speed in his pajamas. "I'll take a bulbasaur or a squirtle! Hell I'd even take a goddamn magikarp! …Well maybe not a magikarp! Just please, please have a pokemon Professor Oak! Please!"
On her way home, Roxie passed the market district, two kilometers from home.
Usually, her parent's bake shop would already be open for business at this time, but today her workaholic parents had thankfully decided to open later in the morning in order to spend some time with her before she left.
Although they were able to live comfortably, they were the type of family that still needed to work regular hours. Most of their income came from their successful bakery: Sweet Angie's Deserts, the first and only bakery to open in their small town. Her mom was the one to come up with the idea and inspire Roxie's dad to partner and open shop.
Their bake shop was known for its delicious pastries, deserts and cakes, but what really set it apart from other bakeries was its effective focus in pokemon sweets such as poffins, pokeblocks, and pokepuffs. With her mother's extensive experience as a pokemon coordinator, she and Roxie's father had been able to incorporate poffin and poke block recipes specifically marketed for breeders and coordinators…. Wait specifically market… effective focus? Roxie tried and failed to ignore how well she'd just sounded like the bakery's mission statement. She inwardly shuddered and vowed to never speak of this to her father lest he gets the wrong idea and thinks she actually wanted to go to business school… and then eventually own the bakery. She blamed it on the many hours she'd clocked in helping her parents at the cashier and working in the back, baking deserts.
Her thoughts wandered back to the bakery's success and she admitted that her mother's status as a Top Coordinator had definitely helped to attract more customers, not that anyone could argue their credibility when the effects of their original poffins and pokeblocks could speak for themselves…. She really needed to stop with those mission statement words.
Her mother still amazingly made guest judge appearances at local contests and, under the guise of wanting catering, fans still made appearances at the bakery to challenge her to battles. And with the rate of the bakery's current popularity, Roxie honestly wondered what would happen if her mother actually tried making more frequent appearances in contest halls. It would be so easy for her to branch off from pokemon coordinating to talk shows and other media, but Roxie didn't hold her breath. Ultimately, this was where she and her mother differed. Roxie wanted fame and attention but her mother, on the other hand, has never liked it and has always preferred the place where she and Roxie's father grew up: the quiet tranquility of Pallet's vast hills and grassy fields. Roxie loved Pallet for its peaceful atmosphere too, – honestly, she did! – but it got boring knowing everyone who lived in the small town. There were never any surprises. It was with this reasoning that Roxie could say that she's never understood her parents' homebody mindsets, but she was nevertheless thankful they supported her decision to travel.
When Roxie made it home, she absently took in the house's outward appearance. Before entering the property, you had to first pass the white picket fence. From there, there was a walkway that lead up to a porchless two-story white house. The house held a broad frame with a steeped pitched, grey shingled roof. To the left and right of the dark wooden front door were windows with dark emerald shutters, giving the house an overall symmetrical effect. To any stranger, the house was functional and pleasing in appearance, but it was an overused design in Pallet, so, to Roxie, it was boring and unoriginal.
The dorky welcome mat her dad had picked out, the exceptionally green lawn and the well-maintained flower beds tastefully intermixed with square shrubs were the few ways Roxie could tell her house apart from the rest of the neighborhood. No one else in Pallet could boast of gardens of this quality. They even had trophies to prove it! Not that Roxie or her parents had anything to do with those wins. The maintenance was all due of course to her mom's bellossom, Cherri, as no one else in the family had the time nor the dedication. Truth is Cherri had a bit of a rivalry with the roserade next door.
It wasn't a small house either. At times it felt bigger than it actually was when Roxie was alone as she didn't have any siblings or close friends to talk to, but those times were rare when she was so busy with school and the bakery. It wasn't like she didn't have her parents' pokemon to groom and spend time with either, so she wasn't completely alone.
As she entered through the foot door, she was immediately hit with salivating smells, suitably making her remember her empty stomach. Her parents had undoubtedly made breakfast. Hopefully, they hadn't started eating without her.
"Mom, Dad I'm home!"
"Did you get your pokemon?" she heard her dad yell from the kitchen.
"Yeah!"
Moving past the living room, Roxie was met with a table piled high with breakfast foods. Pancakes, eggs, toast, hash browns, ham, orange juice, fruit, and coffee were displayed almost like they'd come straight out of her mother's cooking magazines.
"Congratulations honey. We're so proud of you for graduating. We thought we'd have one last meal before you go. We're going to miss you babygirl," said her dad.
Her mom nodded and comfortingly patted Roxie's shoulders. "So eat up! You're not going to have a home cooked meal for a good while."
Warmth filled her and Roxie smiled. They were right; It was going be a long time till she'd be able to eat her mom and dad's cooking again. It was just like her parents to be so thoughtful.
Her mom passed Roxie a plate. "Where's your pokemon?"
"In his pokeball."
"You should release him. Pokemon have to eat too."
Roxie nodded. She set up a bowl for Charmander, and poured their standard homemade mix for pokemon and as an afterthought, she added an oran berry for more energy. She then released him.
Charmander, now out of his pokeball, took in his surroundings and noticed the food in front of him.
"Eat up Charmander. We're hitting the road after this," Roxie told him.
He didn't waste time, making happy chewing sounds as he ate.
Roxie and her mom laughed and turned back to the table.
Conversation easily flowed between Roxie and her parents. They were thinking about adding new pokemon desserts to the bakery menu. Her mother was debating whether to travel to Alola or Kalos to sample their specialties. Roxie jokingly wondered aloud the timing of their vacation and her leaving on her journey. Her father denied it, but Roxie persisted and almost roped him into catching her a rare pokemon for a graduation present before her mom playfully intervened. Now that she was officially a trainer, there was no reason for her to not catch her own rare pokemon. Eventually the conversation changed to more present topics.
"You have your bag packed and you know where you're going right?" her dad eventually asked.
"Yes sir," Roxie said. She knew he was just asking because he was worried, so it was best just to comply.
"And you have everything you need? You have enough money?"
"I have the league standard 1,500 in my account and you know I saved up a lot tutoring at the academy and working at the bakery."
"Hn," her dad frowned.
She knew that look. He still wasn't happy about her going on a journey. And from the way her parents kept glancing at each other, neither was her mom.
She couldn't believe they were going to go back on their word! All year they'd argued over this and it had taken her making valedictorian for her dad to begin to support her decision to leave Pallet. Roxie honestly wasn't sure if she could leave without her parents' permission. She respected them too much, but if that's what it was going to take to leave, then Roxie would endure. She was stubborn and it was expected she'd leave solo. She just thought she'd be able to depend on her parents to cheer her on.
Finished eating, and noticing Charmander and her parents were already done, she sullenly gathered up their plates and loaded up the dishwasher.
Her father shifted in his seat and turned towards Roxie.
"Are you still sure about this? Even with a pokemon, it's still dangerous going alone. It's not like when your mom and I were kids. Going on a journey is a great experience, but there's a reason the League moved the age line up to eighteen and I'd feel more comfortable if you took one of our pokemon with you."
Rising to help Roxie clear the table, her mom added, "Pidgeot's already agreed. She wants to travel again and she can be a great lookout and fly you to the nearest pokemon center too."
Frowning, Roxie truly thought about her situation. She was leaving her safety net with an untrained pokemon and with a basic grasp of survival and self-defense. Any number of things that could happen to her. Yes, Pallet Town was mostly surrounded by weak and young pokemon but what about later? And it wasn't just pokemon she had to worry about…. Running wasn't a sure enough getaway. Who's to say that Team Rocket wouldn't track and follow her for her rare pokemon?
Roxie moved her hands in a surrendering motion. "Okay. You guys don't need to sell me the idea. I get it."
Pausing, her parents each gave her exasperated looks and Roxie wanted to cringe. She wasn't that bad was she?
She'd been going on for months fully expecting to leave with just one pokemon, thinking she'd just have to train Charmander extra hard and that'd be it. The academy hadn't left her ignorant either and she had top scores in self-defense. But anything could go wrong… okay so maybe she had been a little too busy envisioning how much fun it was going to be traveling alone. Big deal. Rookie mistake. Done and over with. Dad's caution was starting to freak her out and it wasn't like she couldn't see the benefits of having Pidgeot on her team. She'd learned her lesson. Moving on.
Done cleaning, Roxie leaned against the counter and observed Charmander. The pokemon was done listening to the adults and was opening the bottom cabinet drawers, curiously pawing at items.
Roxie idly scratched her cheek, looking away from her parents.
Attempting to change the subject, she asked, "So where is Pidgeot?"
"She's waiting for you in the backyard. Here's her pokeball," said her mom, handing Roxie the device.
"Alright. I'll go get her and then I'll get my bag and leave."
Receiving the ok, Roxie hurriedly returned Charmander before he could touch the rattata poison. Disaster averted, Roxie made for the back door.
Roxie moved to the back porch and surveyed the area. Pidgeot liked to roost in the tall trees. Knowing she'd never been able to climb the darn things, Roxie instead yelled, "Pidgeot! Will you please come down?!"
An unmistakable screech from high up caught Roxie's attention.
Circling above, the great avian pokemon was a sight to see. Strong wide wings, beautiful plumage, and a glossy red and yellow crest – the 5'11" pidgeot was a fine specimen of her breed. Roxie could easily picture how her mother and Pidgeot were able to win the Kanto Grand Festival so many years ago.
Pidgeot made a slow descent. Touching ground, she cooed and greeted Roxie affectionately nuzzling the girl's shoulder. Roxie laughed and stroked Pidgeot's glossy feathers.
Quietly, she spoke. "Hi, pretty girl. I heard you wanted to travel with me, is that true?"
Pidgeot fluttered her wings and chirped in confirmation.
"Okay. I'll be counting on you to help me and my pokemon if worse comes. I know you're older and far more experienced than me - I'm not your trainer - but please don't undermine my authority in front of Charmander. That's all I ask."
An affectionate head butt was all the answer Roxie needed.
"I'm gonna return you, but I'll be sure to release you once I start leaving Pallet."
Pidgeot nodded and Roxie said her thanks before the large bird was enveloped in red energy.
That done, Roxie pocketed Pidgeot's pokeball and then walked back and reentered the house. All that was left was to say bye to her parents.
She moved up the stairs to her room and grabbed her bag, taking one last look around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. The room was just as she'd left it this morning. Posters of world region maps, pokemon contest showcases, pokemon evolution cycles, and pokemon type charts littered the walls with little to no paint showing through. In contrast, the bed was neatly made and there was no longer any clutter or dirty laundry covering the floor, desk, and dresser. She'd cleaned last night and gone through everything even remotely significant to her journey, but even still she wanted to be sure.
She went through a checklist of her bag: extra clothes, detergent pods, laundry bucket, clothesline, towels, washcloths, camping equipment, cooking and eating utensils, food, pokemon food, potions, full heals, pokeballs, first aid kit, repels, town map, journal, compass, rope, psyduck tape, water bottle, iodine pills, solar phone charger, sunscreen, makeup bag, toiletries, fishing rod, and her folded bike. It was too bad she couldn't bring more clothes or shoes, but she didn't have the space to be frivolous. It was, for this reason, she almost threw out her matches, but kept them just to be prepared. Once done, she left her room and made her way down. Her parents were still inside, waiting at the end of the stairs by the front door.
"You have everything? You're not forgetting your phone?" her dad asked.
Roxie was about to answer, but her mom impatiently interrupted before she could.
"Ok, she gets it! If she's forgetting something, we can always mail it to her at a pokemon center!" She pushed past her husband to hug Roxie. "It's time for her to leave. She's a pokemon trainer now," she said, pointedly stating her last words to Roxie's dad.
The man grunted and shot her mom an annoyed look that completely went ignored.
"And before I forget, I want you to have this. I saw it at the store and thought it'd be cute. Consider it a going away present," her mom said, handing Roxie a long rectangular box.
Opening it, Roxie found a shiny silver chain. It looked like a charm bracelet, only there weren't any charms. There were clasps on the chain for what looked like… pokeballs?
"It's a bracelet that you can attach your pokeballs to. Isn't it cute?" her mom explained.
"I love it. Thanks, Mom!"
She attached Pidgeot and Charmander's pokeballs to the chain. The clasps were sturdy and only opened if she pulled at them a certain way. Overall, the bracelet was pretty and conveniently made it easy for her to carry her pokemon.
Her dad opened the front door and they went outside. Hugs were exchanged and Roxie was finally able to say goodbye.
Before leaving her parents' sight, she turned and waved. Continuing, Roxie eagerly made her way to Route 1.
A/N: So here it goes. I'm writing again. If you're new to this story, welcome! And if you're returning, wellll you probably forgot about me anyway haha. It's been a while. I updated chapters one and two, so please check them out and refamiliarize yourselves. I also toned down the language. I personally don't like swearing too much now. It just feels a little immature. Maybe that's a sign of growth? Who knows.
I personally don't know when I'll update again. But until I stop, please tell me what you think.
