I sat at my window, looking out from my room. I could see a faint reflection of myself. My brown hair was messy, and stared at myself with my own green eyes.

Tomorrow is the day I graduate from the Ranger School. It's been so difficult being so far away from home; Almia is just so different from Kanto. Being homesick won't keep me from my dream though. I want to be a Pokémon Ranger.

My parents weren't too enthusiastic about it at first. They're both breeders, and it's more than likely my older brother, Chris, will become one as well. Actually, as far back as our family tree goes, almost everyone was either a breeder or an ace trainer. Way to break the chain, right?

I still remember the day I knew I wanted to be a Ranger. I must have been about 8 years old…

It was a warm summer day, and a cool breeze blew through the trees. I started to head towards the front door of the house, but my dad stopped me.

"Where do you think you're going Miss Vivian?" he asked. I looked up to an identical set of green eyes staring into my own. His black hair was messy, and a smile stretched across his face.

"Aw dad, I'm just going for a walk!" I giggled, as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"You know, I'm pretty sure your mother and I would like to know something like that before you actually go."

I crossed my arms to mimic him. "Well you know now…so can I go?" I asked excitedly.

"Vivian? Where are you going?" I heard my mom call from the other room.

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "I just wanna go for a walk!" I replied. My mom finally appeared through the doorway. Her brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and her hazel eyes glittered with worry.

"I'd really rather you didn't go out Vivian. On the radio they're saying some Pokémon are still acting strange from when Team Rocket sent out that strange broadcast…"

"Mooooommmm I'll be fine! Please please please please can I go?" I pleaded.

"Vivian, you can't promise me that!" she countered. Did I mention she gets very paranoid from time to time?

"Alright ladies, calm down" my dad chuckled, "Vivian do you promise to be careful?"

I smiled, nodding vigorously. "I promise!" I held out my pinky, and my mom held it in hers. She still had a worried look on her face.

My dad smirked, but my mom shot him a glare. She sighed, and said "Alright. Just make sure you come home in time for dinner. If you see Chris, tell him dinner is at 6."

I cheered and quickly sped out the door.

My original plan was to wander around Cerulean City for the day, and maybe even bother Bill up at the cape. However, my plan changed when I came across Route 9. I decided today I would finally venture down and see how far it goes.

It was somewhere along this route I met up with Chris.

"Vivian? What're you doing here?" he asked. His dark brown hair was thick, and it was long enough that it just barely covered his sea green eyes.

"I'm going on a walk. Why are you in the tall grass?"

He shuffled out of the tall grass, which had left scrapes all along his legs where his shorts didn't cover. "I'm looking for Pokémon you dummy. I'm looking for one I can raise and take care of on my own. If I can do that, maybe mom and dad will let me help out around the day care more."

"But the day care is so boring!"

"Maybe to you it is, but one day I'm going to make it famous!"

I rolled my eyes at that. "Do you know where this route goes?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, it goes to the Rock Tunnel. Haven't you been there?"

"Nope. Mom doesn't usually let me go out by myself."

Chris ruffled my hair and chuckled. "Come on, I'll show you! You can even see the back of the Power Plant there!"

It took us about five minutes to reach the beginning of the tunnel. I remember the feeling of awe I had when I first saw its massive size. We stood for a few moments, marveling at it. We also tried to guess the approximate size of it. Chris, being 12, had more reasonable guesses than I did.

When we gave up on the guessing, I saw a smile spread across his face. "Do you wanna go inside?" he asked.

"I dunno Crhis, I promised mom I would be careful…"

"Come on, Vivian. What's the worst that could happen? Afraid a lil' Zubat's gonna getcha?" he teased.

I huffed and crossed my arms. "I'm not afraid of a dumb Zubat!"

He laughed and pulled me towards the entrance. "Come on then Vivi, we're goin' in!"

It was cold inside the tunnel, even near the entrance. We didn't wander too far, seeing as we only had my dad's Nidorino with us. We stopped immediately as we heard a roar.

"Chris! Did you hear that?" I asked, scared at the possibilities of what it could be.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what it was. Sounded like a huge Pokémon though…"

The roar came again, but this time sounding louder and closer. I grabbed Chris' arm. "Can we go now?" I asked, my voice becoming shaky.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan!"

We turned and ran back to the entrance, only to find it blocked by a towering Onix. We gaped at the giant rock snake Pokémon, fearful of its raging mood.

"Oh my gosh! What are we gonna do?"

"Crap! I dunno!"

I turned and gaped at Chris. "You made a swear!"

"Vivi now is so not the time for you to be a tattle tale!" he shouted.

Before I could respond that, we watched in awe as blue loops of light began to appear around Onix. They stayed for a moment, and then slowly faded away. It was almost as if the Onix had miraculously calmed down. It paid no attention to us as it went along its now merry way.

"Phew, that was a close one eh Plusle?" I heard a woman's voice say.

I heard the Pokémon cheer as the lady turned towards us. "Hey, are you two alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

We continued to simply stare at her. She was nothing like the women around here. She wore black biking shorts with a yellow stripe down the side, with a matching shirt that was white at the top. She had black knee-high socks with red and white shoes. Her red headband stood out against her teal blue hair.

She smiled at us, and the Pokémon called Plusle hopped onto her right shoulder. I had never seen anything like the pair of them before. "My name's Solana, and this is my partner Pokémon, Plusle. I'm a Pokémon Ranger."

My eyes widened as I continued to stare at her. It was then I noticed that her eyes were red. "A Pokémon Ranger? I've never heard of one…" I said.

"I have" Chris said, "but not usually around here. Aren't Rangers usually in the Almia or Fiorre region?"

"Well yes, but we've been branching out. Many other regions, like here Kanto, have requested to have Rangers nearby to assist the police force."

My curiosity was getting the better of me. I could have cared less why she here, I just wanted to know what she had done to make the Onix calm down. I wanted to do whatever it was she did.

"How did you make the Onix happy again?" I asked.

She smiled. "That's how I capture Pokémon. See this gadget here?" she said, handing me an odd looking remote of some kind. I held it in my hands, awe-struck. "This is called a styler. It made those blue loops of light that you saw around the Onix. I befriend Pokémon with this styler. It's a bit complicated to explain to you right now, because you're so young, but I think you'll get it one day."

I looked up from the styler to Solana. "Can I have one? Pleeeaase? Can I be a Pokémon Ranger? Can I use your styler? Can I get a cool uniform like yours? Can I-"

"Woah Vivi, calm down. You're gonna scare the Ranger away" Chris said.

Solana laughed. "Tell you what, if you really want to be a Ranger, you have to go to the Ranger School all the way in Almia first. That school will help you learn everything you need to know about being a Ranger. If you can do well there, you'll be a Ranger in no time! You'll even get your own styler and uniform!"

"Does that mean you're from the school?" I asked.

"No" she chuckled, "I graduated a few years ago. I actually work for the Ranger Union. I get sent on all kinds of missions to help people."

As she continued explaining what it was like to be a Ranger, the styler started beeping. I handed it back to Solana, and she pressed a button.

"Voicemail" a voice said.

"Solana here" she replied.

"You're being sent on another mission. Officer Jenny has requested you accompany her to Mahogany Town. You are to take the Dragonite Bus immediately. Apparently there is a situation at the Lake of Rage."

"I'm on it!" she replied.

She clicked the button again, and put the styler in a special holder on her belt. "Well, I've got a mission to do. Will you two get home ok?" she asked, with genuine worry.

We nodded as a response, and watched as she left the cave. The sound of a slight whimper caused us to come to our senses again.

"Chris…did you hear that?"

"Yeah. At least it's not another angry Onix" he said.

"It sounded really sad…"

"Yeah, it sounded like it was hurt."

We looked around for a source of the whimpering. After a few moments of searching, Chris called me over, as he claimed he had found the course. As I peered over his shoulder, I saw a Machop, holding on sadly to its right leg. It looked battered and bruised, probably from earlier when the Onix had been rampaging.

"Aw Chris look how sad he is!"

"Poor lil guy. I'm going to bring him back with me. I'm going to take care of him! He's gonna be the best Machop ever!"

Chris carried the Machop back to the house. All through Route 9, and walking along the path home on Route 5, all I could think about was Solana. I wanted to be just like her.

Now here I am, years later, sitting in my dorm room at the Ranger School.

I looked away from the window and over towards my bed. It was probably about time I got some sleep. I quietly walked across the room, and lie down on my bed. I shuffled to lie on my side, and glanced around the room. My room-mate, Kendra, was fast asleep, as she probably has been for the past two hours. I was jealous that she could fall asleep so easily. She shifted slightly, and her red curly hair shone in the moonlight.

I shifted onto my back, waiting for sleep to come to me…

"Vivian! VIVI! You're such a bitch to wake up! Come on, we have a ceremony to get ready for!" Kendra shouted.

I rubbed my eyes and opened to see a now relieved Kendra. "Oh my freaking God. Finally. Hurry up and get ready! We have like, an hour. That's not nearly enough time!"

I smirked, knowing she'd be ready by then. Kendra's a bit of a diva, and most definitely a spaz. I got up, ready to start the first day of a new beginning.