Chapter One

It was a beautiful morning, the beginning of springtime. I'd gotten used to the quick seasons after enough time in Unova. The full round of seasons passed three times during the time that I was used to seeing one round. At least it meant that I never got bored of looking out the window because things changed so quickly.

Days passed at about the familiar speed, though.

That day, though, Professor Juniper had dropped a gift-wrapped box off at my house and all three of us knew what that meant. This was the day we got our own Pokemon. This was the day we began our adventure.

I stood with my rear end and shoulders leaning against the wall and my arms crossed over my chest, just looking at the box as Cheren paced back and forth in my room. We were waiting for Bianca to get here before we opened the box and made our choices.

And I thought my Ferret Syndrome was bad… Bianca needed medication for it, I swear. Not that anyone in this world understood just what that meant. On one of his brief visits I'd made sure that Jeremiel gave me a ready supply of coffee and I'd managed to keep both of us dosed on a daily basis. Bianca never questioned why I shared it so readily, especially after I introduced her to hot chocolate and how the two of them tasted blended in the same cup.

Divine stuff, I swear.

We'd known this day was coming, so I asked a favor from Jeremiel and I had a gift for Bianca once she got here so we could make our choices.

Finally she arrived, mumbling apologies for being late and I just couldn't be angry with her. I'd spent far too many years of my own feeling awful about my own issues to really take issue with someone else who had the same problems, but worse. All I could do was walk over and hug her tightly.

She hugged me back and I swear I felt the tears in her eyes. "We're gonna be Trainers today!" Her voice was an excited whisper.

I pulled back long enough to press a package into her hands. "Here, this is for you. It's some of the crystals I use to make my coffee and a pot to make it in. There's also a tin of chocolate powder."

Her eyes widened. "For me?"

"Yes. I want you to promise me, Bianca, promise me that you'll drink at least a cup of this every single morning while you're on your journey, okay?"

She nodded. "But I don't have a gift for you or Cheren!"

I smiled. "Your friendship is the only gift I need, and knowing that you're able to find where you belong in this world. That matters more than anything else to me, Bianca. I want you to be happy."

Cheren sighed. "Can we choose our Pokemon now? Lynette and I have been waiting for a while."

Bianca nodded quickly. "Yes, let's choose. Lynette, since this is your house, you get to choose first, okay?" Cheren nodded his agreement and they stood on either side of me as I looked at the box. "Go on, Lynette, which one will be your friend?"

I took a deep breath and opened the top of the gaily wrapped box and looked at the three pokeballs, each shaking slightly from the excitement of the Pokemon within them. I could hear their voices, even within the Pokeballs, hear their excitement. The three of them were as excited about having Trainers as we were for becoming them.

A Tepig, an Oshawott, and a Snivy.

I bit my lip as I looked back and forth among them. The Snivy looked back at me like he was measuring me and simply nodded. He would be clever and underhanded if he had to be. The Oshawott simply bounced on his flippers, all energy and eagerness. The Tepig puffed his chest out like he knew that he was the manliest creature in all of Unova.

It made me smile back at him.

I'd learned, over time, how to say a few words in the language of the Pokemon so that I wasn't always speaking to them where others could hear me. I needed that skill as I looked at the Snivy. I need your help. My friend needs someone to protect her and you are clever enough to do so.

I heard the squeak of assent and then spoke out louder. "Awwww, how cute! Bianca, isn't that Snivy adorable?"

I almost burst out laughing at the sudden double-take that the Tepig took, looking at the other Pokeball and then back at me. He could not understand what was happening. What… am I not attractive too? I'm a warrior! I'm the mightiest of Tepigs! What are you doing ogling the Snivy?

Cheren rolled his eyes. He had no use for cuteness and he'd figured out what I was trying to do; I could see it in his eyes, in the way he looked at the Oshawott and the Tepig. "What are you going to choose, Lynette?"

Bianca stood very close as we looked at the three Pokemon. "Are you going to choose the Snivy, Lynette?"

I bit my lip. "He's Grass-type. I don't know how good I'd be with him. You were always better with our studies on Grass-types than I was."

The Tepig blinked several times and looked at the two of us and then back at the Snivy, who was looking as intentionally adorable as he could, blinking large eyes as he looked up at Bianca. Waaaaaait, he said as I could almost see the wheels grinding in his head, I see what you're doing there! You, Trainer, are a clever one! Choose me, Trainer! I am the strongest!

It took all my control to keep from bursting out with laughter at him. Yes, he was going to be perfect for me. I loved his attitude.

I took a deep breath. "I'll take this one," I said, reaching for the Tepig, who squealed with a gloating sound akin to a roar, "Do you want the Snivy?"

Bianca smiled and reached for the Snivy with a fond smile. "Yeah, that means that Cheren get the Oshawott."

Cheren scowled for a moment, confused about what had just happened and the nagging feeling that I'd outsmarted him… somehow. "Why do you get to choose…? Oh never mind, I wanted the Oshawott anyway." Water trumped Fire, usually, so I suppose he was taking comfort in that.

I simply grinned as I opened the Pokeball and let the Tepig jump into my arms, squealing with joy. I was a Pokemon Trainer! With a Pokemon all my own.

Bianca stood with her Snivy sitting on her shoulder. "Hey, let's battle! We're Trainers now, we should battle!"

The Tepig loved the idea. Yes! A man's soul can only find purpose in battle! Your friend is very wise!

I barely restrained the eyeroll. Yes, they were young and relatively weak compared to some of the ones I'd seen and helped raise when I was still with Grandma and Grandpa at the Day Care, but they were Pokemon, and I knew that this was a bad idea. Still, Bianca wanted this, and the Pokemon wanted this, so I sighed and nodded.

My Tepig friend leapt forward as Bianca's Snivy hissed and swung his tail back and forth and leered condescendingly. Oh, he was canny indeed, trying to catch my friend off guard and getting him to lower his defenses.

"Tepig, roll over him!"

Bianca's eyes glowed as she fist pumped, watching her Snivy battle. "Get 'im, Snivy! You've got him weakened, now hit him hard!" Snivy, though, was still trying to catch Tepig with his guard down. "No, don't do that again, attack him! Tackle him back!"

When the dust cleared, both were scraped and bruised and quite obviously damaged, but Tepig had Snivy pinned and grinned at him even as he panted for breath. Got ya… but barely. Well fought, my friend!

Snivy chuckled low. Next time the battle shall be mine.

Bianca pouted slightly. "Wow, your Tepig is so strong."

"It was very close, Bianca. You and Snivy did very well, you know. One more Tackle and Tepig would have been down. Weakening him first is a very smart tactic to take."

My praise must have been completely unexpected because her eyes went round and then she leapt forward to hug me tightly. "You mean that? Thank you!" Then she saw what the battle had done to my room and her eyes got even more round. "Oh wow… look at this place… so small but so powerful!"

Cheren shook his head as he walked over and healed both Pokemon. "But look at the mess! You need to be more careful."

Bianca turned to him. "Hey, why don't you battle her?"

He looked surprised. "That's right, I'm a Trainer now and I can keep better control of my Oshawott so we won't make the damage worse."

I chuckled. "Bring it on, Cheren. Might as well take both of ya."

The Tepig squealed happily. That's the attitude, Trainer! My power knows no bounds!

The Oshawott merely bounced eagerly. Fight! Fight!

Oh my word… he was an idiot… I knew Cheren needed some humility… but this was making it too easy. I looked at my Tepig. "Don't assume anything; just do what you do best."

Oh, I intend to, Trainer. I am the greatest Tepig in the world!

The battle was short, fierce, and my Tepig emerged the winner, to the surprise of neither of us. Cheren seemed surprised, though, said he'd made a "strange blunder".

We were Trainers, finally. With battles under our belts and everything. After apologizing to my mother, who volunteered to clean up the mess for me, we hurried outside. The Professor wanted to see us after we'd made our choices. She had a favor to ask, of that we were certain.