The alarm beeped annoyingly as it signaled that it was eight o'clock in the morning. Natalie reached her arm out from beneath the blankets and searched around blindly for the button that would shut off the irritating device. She had accidently knocked it off of the nightstand. She flung the covers off of herself with a groan and climbed out of bed, kneeling down to pick up the alarm off the floor. She immediately shut it off and went about getting ready for the rest of the day.
As she was brushing her teeth she happened to glance down at her PokéDex which proudly displayed the date on it. Natalie's eyes went wide and she spit the toothpaste that was in her mouth into the sink.
"Crap! I was supposed to meet up with Professor Rowan this morning!" She quickly wiped her mouth off and ran downstairs after grabbing her backpack. Her mother looked over and blinked when she saw her run down the stairs.
"You haven't left yet?" She asked. Natalie quickly tugged on her grey hoodie and combat boots. "I'm going! I'm going!" She said and slung her backpack onto her back before racing outside and down the road towards Sadgem Town.
Crap, I'm late! Crap, I'm late!" She huffed as she ran up to the laboratory doors. As she reached for the door handle, the door flew open and a blonde-haired boy with brown eyes plowed into her. Both of them fell backwards from the impact. Natalie growled and rubbed her forehead, irritated that she was now later than she had been. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" She snapped.
"Why don't you watch where you're going?" The boy retaliated in a harsh voice. Both then blinked as they realized the identity of one another. The boy grinned. "Oh! Hey there, Nat!" He said. Natalie gave him an irritated look.
"Don't you 'Hey,Nat!' me." She grumbled. The boy was her childhood friend and neighbor, Markus. She then noticed that he held an orb-like capsule in his hand. It was a PokéBall.
"Hey, Markus, did you already get your Pokémon?" She asked.
Markus blinked and looked down at the PokéBall he held in his hand and grinned.
"Sure did!" He said and flashed her a smirk. "You better hurry up and get yours before they're all gone." He teased in a sing-song voice.
Natalie jumped up off of the ground. "Shoot! I almost forgot!" She ran past Markus and into the laboratory. "Sorry I'm late, Professor!" She said, skidding to a stop infront of his desk.
Professor Rowan looked up from his work, peering at her through his lenses. "You're late." He said and stood up from his desk.
"I know." Natalie said and sighed guiltily. "I got a late start this morning."
Professor Rowan rubbed his forehead. "Don't let it happen again." He said. "Follow me."
Natalie nodded and followed him into another room where a Turtwig and a Piplup sat on a bench, eagerly waiting to be chosen.
"These are the two that I have left." Professor Rowan said and motioned towards the two Pokémon.
Natalie glanced back and forth between the two Pokémon. That means that Markus must have chosen Chimchar. She thought. This means that the logical choice would be Piplup. But…Her eyes landed on Turtwig. Something seemed to draw her to the grass-type Pokémon. The Pokémon stared back at her intently, awaiting her decision. Any logical person would pick Piplup. Then again, I'm not just any person.
She turned to Professor Rowan. "I've made my decision. I choose Turtwig."
A wide grin spread across Turtwig's face and it ran over to greet its new trainer.
Natalie knelt down and caught the Pokémon in her arms. "Welcome to the team," She said with a grin and rubbed the back of her head, "Or at least the start of one."
Professor Rowan walked over to a nearby desk and picked up a PokéDex and five PokéBalls. He brought them back over and gently handed them to Natalie. Natalie gratefully accepted them with a nod, already knowing what condition she had to meet for the Professor.
Professor Rowan glanced down at the Turtwig and the back at Natalie. "Are you going to give her a name?" He asked.
Natalie looked down at the Turtwig, thinking thoughtfully about it. "I'm kind of bad with names but," She hesitated for a moment, "I think I'll call you Twert."
Twert bounced up and down with excitement before running around in circles.
Natalie chuckled and returned the Pokémon to her PokéBall, clipping it onto her belt. She then placed the PokéBalls and PokéDex into her backpack before slinging it over her shoulder. Natalie turned to Professor Rowan. "I'll contact you as soon as I get to Jubilife City." She said, grinning widely with anticipation.
The professor nodded. "Just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt."
Natalie chuckled and waved her hand dismissively as she walked towards the door. "No need to worry about me. I'll be fine." She then scampered outside.
Professor Rowan sighed. "I worry about that girl." He muttered to himself before stalking back over to his desk to continue his research.