Chapter 1

Today is the day, I thought as I put on my Pikachu hoodie and a pair of jeans. I grabbed a black bag with the symbol of a pokéball on it and stuffed everything I need into it. A confident smile on my face, brown hair shining, I jetted out of my room.

Today, I set off on my journey as a Pokémon trainer. My mother believes I'm too young, just turning ten, but there was no way that I would've waited another day. I grabbed a piece of toast and just before I was out the door, I caught my mom watching me with a melancholy expression. Her brown hair was twisted in a single braid. I turned, mimicking her expression.

"You're leaving so early… Why don't you eat something first? I could make you something to eat if you'd like." My mom said all of this quickly, eager to spend a few more minutes of time with me. "Would you like that?"

"Mom," I began. "I'm okay, really." I smiled at her. "I'm just going to go see Professor Birch. After that, I'll come back-"

"So we can say goodbye." She finished for me, frowning.

There was a long silence after that. It made me feel bad. I was her only child and I was leaving to go on a, in her opinion, dangerous journey. I had insisted on leaving today; I had turned ten about a week ago and it was a promise she had made to me. My father had been on my side, being a trainer himself. When he took my side in the discussion she was devastated. And though I felt bad, it was my dream to raise Pokémon of my own and become a widely known trainer.

"No, Mom." I said. "So we can say 'see you later'." I sighed. "I'll try to visit as soon as I can, okay? Besides, if I catch myself a flying type I can be across all of Hoenn region in hours!"

"Why don't you take your father's Pidgeot?" She suggested.

"Shouldn't I be in charge of who takes my Pidgeot?" My father said from behind us.

My father was a strong man. Not bulky, barely muscular, but wisdom lurked in his eyes. He scratched his chin while his Pidgeot stood proudly on his shoulder. My mom watched him, hope crushed.

"He will be alright. Our boy can take care of himself." He glanced at me. "Right Pride?"

I simply nodded before looking back to my mom. "I promise, I'll be okay."

She eagerly held up her pinky.

I frowned. "Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore." And as I said it, I wrapped my pinky around her own. I stepped back. "I'll be home in a bit!"

With that, I dashed out of the door and into the sunny outdoors. I walked passed our garden where my mom's Bellossom tended to the plants for her flower shop. I waved goodbye to the little Pokémon as I jogged through Littleroot Town. Today was calm and still. The small amount of people who lived in Littleroot was buried away in their homes at this early hour. Tailow, Pidgey, and Pidove flew through the air as I made my way to Professor Birch's Pokémon lab.

As I walked, I hadn't realized that I didn't consider what Pokémon I would choose to start out with. Typically, Professor Birch will hand out a rare Water, Fire, or Grass Type Pokémon to a new trainer to start off with. Living in the Hoenn Region, I'm guessing I'd get to choose between Mudkip, Torchic, or a Treecko. At the moment, they all sounded so cool! I arrived at the Pokémon lab and when I entered, I was amazed.

Technology I couldn't name surrounded the whole lab. Many men and women in long white lab coats shuffled around hastily, skillfully managing all of the technology. I glanced at a tall white machine that held three pokéballs and walked over to it. I stared at the machine for a few moments before someone put their hand my shoulder.

I flinched, quickly turning around to face the brown haired man. He looked youthful and wore a friendly smile. I stuttered a bit. "I'm sorry! I was just looking around..."
The man laughed a bit. "Don't worry about it. It's quite a fascinating place though, isn't it?" He said. He glanced around the lab admirably, then looked back at me. "But anyway, is their something I can help you with?"

"I'm starting my Pokémon journey today." I said. "I came to-"

"Oh!" The man exclaimed. "You must be Pride! Yes yes, your father spoke to me yesterday. There's nothing more exciting than picking out your first Pokémon for your first journey."

I nodded in agreement, trying to keep my excitement contained. "I need to speak to Professor Birch. Is he here?"

The man bowed dramatically. "Professor Birch, at your service."

My eyes widened and I blushed embarrassed as I realized how casually I had been speaking to him. "Oh, it's so cool to meet you!"

"No no, the pleasure is mine." He said. He motioned to the machine I was looking at earlier. "Now let's get to the exciting part!"

Professor Birch grabbed the three pokéballs and threw them into the air, releasing the three Pokémon.

As I anticipated, Mudkip, Treecko, and Torchic were the three that came out.
"Here we have a trio of newly hatched Pokémon." Professor Birch said, motioning to them. "A sassy, female Treecko, a hyper, male Torchic, and this relaxed, male Mudkip."
I eyed each of them with amazement. In a few seconds, any of the three would be my new partner. I kneeled in front of the Treecko.

"Hey there." I said, extending my hand. The merely stared at me the rudely looked away. I took my hand back. Not you, I thought to myself. I stepped up to the little Torchic who was jumping up and down excitedly.

"He's so jumpy!" I exclaimed.

"Chic!" Torchic mimicked my tone.

I patted the Torchic's head, feeling the warmth of the fire type Pokémon. Torchic has a lit of spirit and a good attitude, I thought. Maybe I'll choose him! But it would be unfair to choose without giving Mudkip a chance. I crouched in front of Mudkip who was sleeping peacefully.

"Hey little guy." I said, smiling. Mudkip opened one of his eyes, saw me, and opened the other one curiously. He lazily stood up and stared at me wide eyed.

For a few minutes, we had this intense staring contest. Our eyes were locked on each other's for what seemed like hours. Eventually, I blinked. Satisfied, Mudkip rolled over onto its back with a victorious expression. I laughed at this; though Mudkip was determined in his own way.

I stood up and faced Professor Birch. He smiled at me. "Have you chosen?"
I nodded. Though the three were all potential partners, I made a decisive decision. I pointed. "I choose Mudkip."

At the sound of his name, Mudkip rolled over, cocking his head to the side.

Professor Birch nodded happily. "Very well." He handed me Mudkip's pokéball and five others. "Those five pokéballs are to start you off."

I put the pokéballs in my bag and nodded to him. "Thanks so much Professor Birch! I promise to take great care of Mudkip." I said, kneeling down. I looked at Mudkip. "We're going to be great partners, don't you think?"

Mudkip responded by jumping onto my head, between the ears of my hoodie. I grinned, taking it as a yes. I nodded my head to Professor Birch. "Thank you Professor."

Before I could walk away, he called back to me. I turned to see him walking over to me with a red device.

"You see, Pride. The Hoenn region is full of Pokémon of all kinds. Some from Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, and even the Unova region lurk here." He smiled before continuing. "This is a Pokédex. You can use it to gain information on Pokémon that you run into on your journey. I'd like you to collect data on all of the Pokémon you meet so I can go further into my research. Would you do that for me?"

I nodded, wide eyed, taking the device. "Of course! Wow, this is awesome." I bowed my head a bit. "Thanks so much."

He waved to me. "Take care, Pride! The world of Pokémon is an exhilarating one, my young friend. Enjoy your journey to the fullest!"

I waved to him as I turned to leave. As I walked out of the door, another boy walked in shouldering me. His hair was blonde and his green eyes were piercing. His expression screamed "I'm better than you". He only looked a year or two older than me.

"Watch it, dude." He said to me as if I were going to listen.

"You bumped into me, genius." I said, smugly.

Mudkip opened an eye, annoyed by his sudden departure from my head. He spewed a Water Gun attack at the boy's face.

The boy growled, frustrated, wiping his face. "Keep your loser Pokémon under control." With that, he stomped away.

I rolled my eyes, picking up Mudkip. As we walked away I grinned, praising Mudkip for his actions. "Good boy."

With Mudkip in my arms, I rushed home, eager to get started on my journey. Dashing through the garden, I ran into my house with Mudkip extended.

"Look!" I said excitedly.

My dad frowned. "A Mudkip?"

"Dad, he's awesome." I clarified.

"Kip!" Mudkip agreed.

"It's cute!" My mom said, supporting.

"He just seemed like the right choice, y'know?" I said, face to face with Mudkip. He yawned tiredly. "I like him. He's so chill!" I looked back to my mom and dad. My mom had a sad smile on her face and my dad's face shone with, well, pride. I walked over and accepted their embrace.

"It's okay, Mom." I said softly. "I'll be okay. We promised, remember?"

My mother nodded, tears dripping from her eyes. She spoke in a quiet voice. "Of course. I know you'll be fine."

My father put his hand on my head and gave a supporting smile. "If you ever need anything, you come back here immediately, you hear?"

"I know, I know!" I said, eagerly.

We all stood in silence for another few minutes. None of us were looking at each other. Mudkip shuffled uneasily on my head. Pidgeot cooed soothingly on my dad's shoulder. After a long pause, my father nodded.

"You better get going, son." He said reluctantly. "It's still early but time goes by fast when you're traveling."

Agreeing, I grabbed my bag and embraced them once more. "I love you guys. If you want to talk, I have my pokégear, okay?"

"We love you too!" My mom said. "Call us whenever you need to hear Mommy's voice, okay?"

"Mom!" I said, my face glowing red. I opened the door to leave, glancing and waving to my parents once more. In seconds, I was out of the door.

Walking though Littleroot, I felt stronger. With Mudkip, with Pokémon trainer status, I felt as I could do anything.

"We're going far, Mudkip." I said confidently. Mudkip looked down at me from my head and made a small sound. I chuckled. "I need to get to know you better. That way we can understand each other better." I patted his head. "We'll work on it together."

Just as we reached the exit to Littleroot, I hesitated. I looked back at the small, peaceful, quiet town I grew up in. It was even more quiet than usual, with little people shuffling around outside. I took a step forward, still looking at the town. Blocking out the nostalgia, I turned away and walked out of Littleroot town, walking the path towards Odale town.

"Kip?" Mudkip said curiously. He looked down as if trying to make out my expression.

"It's okay, Mudkip." I said, rubbing his head. "I'm fine!"

As we continued walking, I realized how often I glanced back at Littleroot Town as it slowly faded out of view. My family, my neighbors, and the town itself are all special to me. From this morning to a few minutes ago, I seethed with nothing less than excitement. Now the memories came back to me. From moving into the town five years ago to picking out my partner this morning, every moment created a special memory. Funny how you can't miss something until it's gone.