A cool breeze blew through the streets of Pallet Town, riffling my long blonde hair. I tilted my head back and gazed up at the silvery Kanto morning sky.

Today was the day I was supposed to get my first Pokémon and join the ranks of the Pokémon trainers. I was really excited… but scared too. But that was natural, right?

Sighing, I looked ahead, at the gates that led to Professor Oak's lab. It was now or never. As I started up the path, I realized I was the only new trainer here. I hope he's here this early…

"Oh, hello, Anna!" The professor was standing at a small circular console with three Pokéballs on it.

"Am I too early?" I asked, suddenly very anxious and playing with one of my pigtails.

"No, of course not. You're right in time. Since you're the first, you have your choice of starters."

"Hmmm…" I considered the three Pokémon in front of me. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were good choices considering the Rock-types at the first Gym, but I wasn't a Grass-type fan, and Gary had made it clear he wanted Squirtle. That left…

"Charmander. I'll take Charmander."

I wandered down the dirt road towards Pewter City. It had been only a day since I'd received Charmander, and it already felt like we'd been together forever. I'd renamed him Scourge. Charmander seemed too ordinary for this little guy. He'd already tried to burn the professor and me when I released him back in the lab. Scourge succeeded in knocking over a rack of empty Pokéballs into the sink.

Up ahead was a small rest stop for trainers, consisting of a Pokémon Center, a Pokémart, and a few small restaurants and houses. Outside a few small children and Pokémon played under the watchful gaze of their mothers and the family Pokémon.

I gathered up Scourge and headed for the pretty, quaint looking Pokémon Center. Inside, I needed to meet with someone.

"Aunt Cynthia! Uncle Riley!" I set Scourge down and ran to greet my mother's sister and my father's brother. They had called the night before I left and told me to meet them here, because they had something they wanted to give me.

The three of us sat at a table near the window, where Scourge wriggled himself up onto my lap to look over the table at my relatives. They asked me how my journey was going so far, and how I liked being on my own.

"So, Anna. How's it having a Pokémon at last?" My uncle smiled at Scourge eating some Pokéchow I'd put on the table for him to snack on while we talked.

"Amazing, Uncle Riley. Scourge and I are getting along great."

"It'll be interesting to see how the toughest starter and the original rebel child get along once Scourge evolves." Aunt Cynthia chuckled. I didn't remember any of this, but according to both my aunts and my uncle, I was a very… willful baby. Where they got that, I will never know. I was an angel child.

"True." Uncle Riley agreed, and then reached into his pocket and took out a circular blue stone on a slim silver chain, and reached over and placed it around my neck.

"What- what is this?" I touched it with the tip of one finger, almost afraid it would blow up if I did.

"It's an Aura stone. Your father, like me, was an Aura Guardian in training. He believed you had the power as well. But…" my uncle sighed, and looked sad, "he died, before he could know for sure. In the event that something happened to him, he asked me to give it to you."

"Thanks, Uncle Riley." I leaned over and hugged him tightly, and then Aunt Cynthia.

"And this is from me. No Guardian in training is complete without a partner." He handed me an egg, striped with blue, gray, and red. "It'll hatch if you carry it with you, and keep it safe."

"Wow, an Egg! Thanks, Uncle Riley!" I exclaimed, beaming, and added, "I'll take really good care of it, I promise."

"Good."

We all sat for a while, and they gave me advice on training and Aura training. Apparently, if I wasn't careful, my Aura would flow into my Pokémon and make them nearly unbeatable.

The next morning, I said goodbye to my relatives, with a promise from Uncle Riley that he'd meet me in Cerulean City to check up on me.

I needed to leave too, if I wanted to get to Pewter City today. Touching my Aura necklace, I picked up my Egg, made sure Scourge was next to me, and headed out.