Prologue

"You sure you're ready to go?"

Caelienn scoffed as she gathered the last of her things. "I'm not five years old anymore. I'm an adult now." She slung her bags over her shoulder, looking smaller than she was against them. It looked as if she wouldn't be able to carry them long, but she was known for some extraordinary strength. "And it's high time I set out on an adventure. I've been wanting one for quite some time. I already have my Pokedex and PokeNav. I'm more than ready. Continue to fret over my safety if you wish. But it will do nothing but bring you pain."

"Your mother will not like this", the woman started. She was a maid of the house Caelienn had lived in for all her life.

"She can just kiss my ass", said Caelienn. "Father has already given me his blessing and set my account for anything I may need."

Caelienn wanted to say that her so-called 'mother' was just her step-mother, but knew better. She came from a wealthy family and if word spread that her father had been in an affair, it would hardly bode well for him. She valued her family's pride as pure wealth, even while her real mother was of the middle-class. So not even her best friend and rival knew the full story. The only ones besides herself who did were her father and step-mother. And her step-mother didn't want to ruin her father's reputation, being so deeply in love as she claimed to be. But being an arranged marriage, Caelienn wasn't so sure of the true nature of the 'romance' between them.

"Mother is just overly concerned", she said, nearly choking out the word. It almost made her sick to think of it. She didn't like the woman all that much. "As it is, I won't be traveling alone. Lillianne will be with me."

"And what about your sister", asked the maid.

Caelienn rolled her eyes and grimaced. She knew that if her sister knew of her plans to travel, she would want to come along. And that would only make things more difficult for her. She disliked being responsible for taking care of her bratty half-sister. The child was a nuisance any way you looked at it. And her birth mother spoiled her beyond reason. It was part of the reason Caelienn wanted to leave home and start her travels. She hated having to put up with her step-mother and half-sister.

"By the time she finds out, I'll be long gone", said Caelienn. "I don't wish to have her joining me. I've finished my schooling early, and so I want to go out and explore the world for a while. It's time I see if I can really survive."

The maid sighed and crossed her arms. She knew the woman wouldn't listen to a word she said. "So be it. I can't stop you."

Caelienn smirked and turned to leave, casually saluting the blond woman. "Then I'll be on my way. Take care of my father, Namine."

Before the maid could say any more, she took off in a flash. Somehow, she had been at the top of her class in all her subjects, along with Lillianne, as part of their constant competing. They forced each other to strive to do better, and wouldn't hesitate at finding someone to help each of them if it meant doing better than the other. They'd compete at anything, too. It didn't have to be at sports or grades. They could compete in games and still be as enthusiastic.

The girls had been best friends from childhood, and rivals for just as long. Lillianne wasn't quite as well off as Caelienn, but that didn't stop her from doing anything with her. She was of the few who wasn't condescending because of her social status. In fact, the woman had made it a point to always try and best her, instead. Everyone had said their competitions with each other were the perfect way to tell how close they were.

And now, the girls were ready for an adventure. They had packed the necessities- sleeping bags, money, food, water, and some changes of clothes. It wasn't going to be a short journey, considering they were going to be gone for several months, if not a few years, too. Of course, they'd keep in touch with their families. It would have been wrong to just abandon them, since they both placed at least some value in them, if only in parts of the package.

Of course, during the journey, she hoped to find her real mom. She hadn't ever really known the woman, since she'd lived with her dad and step-mom since she could remember. The only thing she knew was the place her parents had met, which was Slateport City. But Lillianne didn't know of that intention, and the plan was to keep it that way. So Caelienn had t o be careful what she said about the entire situation.

As soon as Caelienn reached the edge of the town, she saw her best friend arriving, as well. She sped up and reached the sign just as raven haired woman did. It was a tie, but at the same time, she didn't lose their race to get there while dealing with family.

"Ha!" Caelienn stopped and breathed hard.

Lillianne poked her friend, pursing her lips tightly. "You didn't win this one", she said. "So don't get cocky."

Caelienn just smirked. "You didn't win either."

Lillianne just rolled her eyes at the sparks of pride on Caelienn's face. "Well, anyway… You're ready, right?"

"Namine was trying to stop me from going anywhere", said Caelienn, sobering up greatly. Her expression dulled greatly to look as if she didn't really care. "She's a little too worried. We'll be fine if we're together, right?"

The other woman sighed. "Honestly, you'd think you were coddled as a child… We should get going, then."

Caelienn looked at the sign that read the routes to outside their hometown and watched it intensely. She was ready to go and wanted to start her journey as soon as possible. But the first thing on her agenda was to catch a pokemon and start raising it. Sadly, her step-mother never allowed her to have any while under her own roof. But now was different.

She was beginning a new part of her life.

To Be Continued