This story has been brewing in my head for a long time, so I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Pokemon (Either the franchise or, unfortunately, an actual pokemon).

IVY

Dex season was here. And the citizens of Lumiose City knew that it was only a matter of time before kids would take to the streets in droves, eager to get a partner to perform or battle with.

And Ivy was no exception.

She raced through the city, hoping the map she'd been given was accurate and that she wasn't late. She couldn't be late, not on the most important day of her life.

Two kids walked by her towards the local gym, talking excitedly to each other as their pokeballs glinted on their belts. Ivy glanced at them enviously as they passed. Soon, she thought, I'll be a trainer too. Like they are.

After passing rows of cafes and boutiques, she saw it- Sycamore's lab. A tall, cream-colored building, and the home of her future starter. She whooped and doubled her speed.

The gate creaked as Ivy pushed it open. As she walked down the path, she went over what to say in her head. Hi, I'm Ivy from Vaniville City and I want a starter… Hello, my name's Ivy and I'd like to have a pokemon...

A bell chimed when she opened the door. Ivy stepped into a brightly colored room about two stories tall. Sunlight streamed in from the windows lining the walls. A carpeted staircase swirled up to the upper floor. Several chairs were arranged in one corner, and a brown haired boy around her age was already sitting in one. "Hello?" she called.

"Welcome," said a woman, appearing from the top of the stairs. "You must be starting your journey, right? The professor will be here shortly." She gestured to the chairs. "In the meantime, why don't you take a seat?"

Ivy sat down in a stiff chair, bouncing with excitement. She tried to smooth her spiky black hair before the professor came. She could never seem to tame it the way her mom could. Then again, if she hadn't left the house before both of her parents woke up, she wouldn't have had this problem.

It's okay, she thought. Once they see how great my starter is, mom and dad wouldn't be too upset at me leaving early, right? Besides, I wrote a note explaining where I'd go. And on top of that, she was twelve- almost thirteen. She was old enough to go to places by herself.

You'll get in trouble anyway, said the logical part of her head. Ivy hoped that it was wrong.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the professor came in whistling. "Hey there," he said, holding up a case with three pokeballs inside. "I've got your starters ready."

The two kids walked over as he set the box on a nearby table. "Oh, and you'll need these as well," he added, reaching into his coat pockets and pulling out two dexes. He handed them to Ivy and the boy. "These are the new pokedexes. I'm sure you learned about them in school."

Ivy looked inside the velvety case. Inside one ball she could see a fennekin struggling to break free, rocking the ball as it tried to get out. Another one held a chespin curled up and asleep. Finally she saw the one she was looking for- the pokeball with a froakie inside. It looked up at her curiously as she picked up its ball.

She was already thinking about what it would look like after it fully evolved. A veil of water would swirl around it as it took down mega-evolved pokemon twice its size. Just like dad's greninja did.

The boy came over next, holding up his dex over the remaining pokeballs. "Fennekin: the fox pokemon," reported a cool female voice coming from the device. "Eating a twig fills it with energy, and its roomy ears give vent to air hotter than 390 degrees fahrenheit." He moved it over the chespin next. "Chespin: the spiny nut pokemon. The quills on its head are usually soft. When it flexes them, the points become so hard and sharp they can pierce rock."

He looked judgingly as the chespin snored away inside the pokeball. "I'm taking this one," he said, holding up the fennekin's ball. Chespin didn't even wake up as one of the lab assistants took it and carried it away.

"Well, good luck on your journey, you two," said Sycamore. The woman who had greeted Ivy earlier handed them two red bags with pokeballs inside. "Oh, and Ivy?" she looked up. The professor was smiling. "Tell your father I said hi. He's come a long way since he began his adventures here, you know."

Ivy skipped down the path, elated. She'd done it. She'd finally gotten her starter, and soon she'd be on her way to take down a few gyms. Now all she had to do was take the metro back to Vaniville, apologize to her parents, get her things, and she'd be on her way.

As she went down the tree-lined lane to the station, she noticed that the boy from the lab was still walking ahead of her. Apparently, he was going to the train too. They went into a narrow alley, and Ivy knew it would have the metro station's entrance waiting on the other side.

Suddenly, two people leapt out in front of them, blocking the way. They both had the same orange suits and hair, and were looking at the kids with predatory grins on their faces."Well, well," one of them said. "Two little kids straight from the lab." A scraggy cracked its knuckles threateningly by her side.

The boy stopped to a screeching halt and Ivy nearly crashed right into him. "Get out of the way," he snapped at them. On his shoulder, his fennekin growled in agreement.

"Oh, we'll be glad to,"Orange Girl drawled. "Once you both hand over your pokemon, that is."

So, what did you think of the first chapter? Was it too short or boring? Or too fast-paced? Leaving a review is completely optional, of course, but it would really help so that I know how to improve this story. :)