'Congratulations!'

Autumn stares at the paper with wide eyes. The words she had been both dreading and excited for gleam back at her. Their curving lines unaware of how much her life has changed by the meager decision to let her attend school. Funny how fate has a way of tossing things into her face.

She got the mail past Jeffrey's all seeing eyes and snuck back into her room. It's Saturday afternoon, no classes, no parents, just her and Wallace in the house. Camille will be calling later, but now Autumn wants to call her first to discuss the new development.

"I can't believe I got in, what idiots..." she mutters under her breath. "But I got in! Now all that's left are Mom and Dad."

"What is it?" he peeks his head in. His hair, ruffled and in full "bed head" mode, falls down to his ears. He's been thinking of growing it out, but he's not sure to what length yet. Autumn told him to, because then he can be Rapunzel.

Autumn frowns at him, "I didn't call you."

"No, but I sensed you were having trouble with my 'twinning' powers," he wiggles his fingers while standing in the doorway. "That, and when you mutter to yourself, I know you're struggling with something."

Ignoring his quip about 'twinning' powers, she twists the paper around to show him. "Those idiots let me in."

He perks up at the news and rushes in. She yelps as he tackles her on the bed and wraps his arms around her tight. "I'm so proud of you! Getting into a well known school all on your own!"

"Wallace," she grumbles, trying to push him off but he's too heavy. "Ugh, this is a problem now."

"Why? Isn't this what you wanted?" he loosens his grip and sits them back up. Lombre has wandered in from his room and looks at the two sitting on the bed with hesitance. "Come on in, buddy."

The pokemon smiles, giving a small cry of glee before running up to the bed and clambering onto it. He takes his normal spot in Wallace's lap, smiling up at Autumn as if he knew about the good news too. She pats his soft head and whistles for Kirlia and Mightyena to join them.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think I'd get this far," she admits. A bark sounds from the hallway and in comes Mightyena, galloping as Kirlia sits on his back. He leaps onto the bed, curling around the two as Kirlia mirrors Lombre's position on Autumn's lap. "I didn't expect that they'd let me in."

"This is good! I think they're going to be proud of you. Now they have to let you go," he explains as if it wasn't a big deal.

Autumn's face grows red and she lets out a loud groan. "Never mind, I'm not going. This is too much work."

"Autumn, no."

She stops at his serious tone. He's giving her a sharp look, his eyes burning and his face set in a frown. "This is something you should do. Why do you think I said I'd be on your side?"

"I know, but now... It's a real possibility. Leaving. And I'm worried," she admits. Kirlia reaches up to pat her trainer's cheek, Autumn glances down at her pokemon. The psychic type gives her a confident smile. "It's just, what if I don't make friends? What if no one likes me?"

"Awww, Fall. It's gonna be okay!" Wallace leans over and pulls her into a hug. He kisses the top of her head and hushes her. "You're going to make tons of friends."

"You're just saying that because you're my brother," she mutters into his shoulder. "I don't know how to make friends. I don't have any here, and I'm not exactly out and about on a regular basis."

His grip on her tightens. "Autumn, you'll make friends. You're smart; you'll be able to interact with other humans. It's possible. If you need me to, I can stay there for a while with you and-"

"No!" she sits up and glares at him. "You can stay the first day, but after that… no. I need to get away from you too! It's always Autumn and Wallace, or Wallace and Autumn. I need to be my own person now."

He knew she would say that, he just didn't expect it to hurt as much as it does. Autumn sees the look in his eyes dim, and she takes his hands in hers. "Brother, I love you and all. But you can't expect us to be always attached at the hip forever."

"I know, I just didn't expect you to be leaving so soon," he sighs, accepting her grip in his. "You won't go far will you?"

"Uh, maybe?" she narrows her eyes, considering the idea now that it's more than a dream. "I'm not going to do one round of contests here and call it good. I wanna travel all over!"

"But you'll visit, right?" he looks a bit panicked.

She laughs, squeezing his hands. "Of course! I can't be too far from my brother!"

The two snicker and giggle, falling onto each other in a mess of pokemon sitting on them. They spend a few minutes staring at the ceiling in silence. Each knowing that this is the moment they're going to look back on and realize it's the time that changed their lives. Autumn curls into her brother's side, she's gonna miss him no doubt.

"I'm going to tell Camille first," she informs him. "She'll be so happy."

"I'll come with," he slides out of bed.

The two make their way down to the foyer and to the grand room where the video phone sits in the corner. They pull up two chairs and Autumn dials her sister's number by heart. Clutching the acceptance letter in hand, she prays that it's not too late over in Unova.

Being much older than the other two, Camille hasn't been around since she got married and decided to study medicine. She lives in Unova with William, her husband, and her daughter, Lisia. The two adore their niece and send her gifts every chance they get. When they come and visit, Lisia is always with Autumn and Wallace. She spends time learning about contests from Autumn and learning the secrets of fashion from Wallace.

It's been awhile since they've talked. Unova has a bigger difference in time that makes it difficult to coordinate calls.

"Hello?" Camille's voice comes through the video phone.

"Cami!" the two siblings cry out.

"Hey, guys! What's up?" she beams at the two. "Jeez, you guys look so much older than last time I saw you. Makes me feel old."

"You're not too old now," Autumn grins at her sister.

Ever since she was little, she thought her sister to be beautiful, more worthy of the name Rapunzel than her own plain looks. Freckles coat Camille's face, starting from beneath her eyes and cascading downward. She used to try and hide them as she has the most out of the three children. And her hair, so beautiful, falls in golden waves past her shoulders. Autumn has grown out her hair to try and get it like her sister's. Though her daily activities have made it clear that it's either tied up or cut at an awkward medium length.

Despite being an adult, the oldest sibling doesn't have too tough of a time relating to her younger siblings. Sometimes, she can act like a parent and not a sister. It can get on their nerves, but Autumn and Wallace manage to be understanding. They're close, and know that Camille is always willing to talk.

"Let's not get into ages now," Camille grimaces, turning 34 hasn't been the best thing on her plate. "I was going to call you later. What's up?"

"Autumn's got wonderful news for you!"

"Wally, shut up!" she jabs at him, nudging him aside to have the full screen. Holding up the acceptance letter, Autumn smiles with excitement. "I got accepted into Rustboro's Trainer Academy!"

"Isn't that an elementary school?"

"Cami! It's the other one!"

"Oh...oh! That's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"She did it all by herself," Wallace perks up, peeking in on the side of the camera to give her a wink.

"Uh oh. How are the parents handling that?" Camille frowns.

"They're thinking about it," she rolls her eyes and sighs. "I also didn't think that I'd get in."

Camille smiles. She understands Autumn's frustration. Despite Audrey's efforts to make sure the neighbors knew they weren't identical, it didn't stop her from treating them as rivals. Thankfully, neither of them took those roles seriously. They were lumped together for most of their life and now they want to separate and their parents can't keep up. They've only just started to realize Autumn's dreams are no longer dreams, now they're goals.

It's going to be a rough road, but it's better that Autumn is paving the way and not their parents.

"I think they'll say yes," she starts out, interrupting whatever argument happening between the other two. Autumn turns to her, attentive as she is, and listens. "They're going to try and get you stay. Just stay confident and keep them in the loop from here on out."

"I will, now I just have to tell them I got in" Autumn moves to the right side of the screen as Wallace settles on the other side.

"Tell them at dinner. Tell them that you thought they'd keep you from your dreams. I know how suffocating it can be for you," Camille considers her words and continues on. "That's another thing about people, Autumn. Sometimes the truth is the best way to go. Even though some people don't like hearing the truth, it just has to be heard sometimes."

"I'm not that clueless about people," Autumn pouts in return. "I know the basics."

"You know the basics of interacting with people on an impersonal level," Camille clarifies with a knowing smile. "I've seen the way you talk to other kids your age..."

"Okay, but the kids here are brats!" she defends herself immediately. "I can't help that they think they're better than everyone based on how much money they have."

"You can't, I agree. That's okay, just don't sass the kids at school. They're going to assume the same about you," Camille laughs. "Just be yourself."

I don't know who that is.

"I'll try," she promises.

The siblings move on from there. Turning the conversation to other topics. Lisia and school, Will and work, Camille and work. Neither have been to Unova, but they would love to visit sometime. Camille and her family live in Nimbasa City. Autumn's heard about the theme park there. It's small, but they're planning on building it up in the upcoming years. When it's done, she wants to go and spend the entire day there.

Not only that, but she wants to catch some of the pokemon there as well. They're strange and really different than the ones she's seen around Hoenn. They don't do contests out there, but it's a vast region, she'd find something to do easily.

"Is Lis around?" Wallace questions, glancing around the screen.

"No, she's out with friends right now," Camille smiles. "She's going to be angry with me for talking to you and not letting her know. I'll have her call tomorrow. By the way, I have a quick question."

"Yeah?"

"What should her first pokemon be? I want it to be a Hoenn pokemon, she's desperate to be there with her aunt and uncle, you know."

"What can I say? I'm the best uncle around," Wallace smooths his hair with a satisfied grin.

Autumn rolls her eyes and nudges him aside. "Does she want one now?"

"No, I'm actually worried about her," the oldest sister confesses. The other two lean in closer, their brows furrowed and faces scrunched. It's not often that Cami worries about her daughter. "She doesn't know what she wants to do. I fear that she's going be stuck wandering around for a while. I have her in lessons right now, but nothing seems to be sticking."

"She doesn't like the lessons?" Autumn tilts her head.

"No, she does. It's just... she's not skilled at much right now," Camille looks guilty and admitting that fact. "She's good at art and loves to write. But anything else, cooking, dancing, even swimming, she's not the best. You'd think my genes would come through, but it seems as though Will's have stayed strong."

"Ooh," Wallace squints, rubbing his chin. "I think you should let her just relax a bit more before getting a pokemon. Lessons get extra competitive once someone obtains a pokemon. The other kids feel as though it's a stab at their pride and try to do even better. Just keep her in the arts classes and she'll eventually find something to do."

Camille nods as though she expected to hear that. Sometimes Wallace is just as mature as the other people her age. She knows that he's going to say something sensible when it comes to serious situations. Any other time, she tries not to listen to him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just don't want her to feel like she needs to have a pokemon to be a success."

"She'll be fine," Autumn reassures her sister.

"I believe so...But what pokemon?" Cami wonders, intrigued by the idea.

"Wasn't yours a Surskit?"

"Yes, but I don't think she'd want a Surskit like her mother."

"What about a Wurmple? Then she can get a Beautifly!" Wallace muses.

"Or a Dustox, and I'm not sure I wanna pay money to detoxify its wings so it can float around the house. Besides, she's not a fan of bug types."

"Is she a fan of water types?" Autumn comments in a flat tone. Everyone in their family likes water types, even if they just have one on the team. The appreciation of water types seems to be a family trait.

"Yes, but she doesn't want one," Camille laughs in response. "Typical, I know. But, I don't know. She won't be getting a pokemon for another few years, so no big deal. Just wanted to see what you guys thought."

"We think things will be fine, and she'll know what pokemon she wants when she's ready," Wallace smiles at his sister.

"Yeah... Anyways, I gotta head out soon. Wonderful seeing you guys! Autumn, let me know how things go with our parents tomorrow, okay?"

"I will. Love you!"

"Love you too, bye!"

Both siblings turn away from the phone and face the rest of the house. Autumn lifts up the acceptance letter and pouts. How is she going to bring this up? It's not going to be easy, that's for sure. Her parents can jump to conclusions pretty quickly, and if it goes that way, she'll definitely need Wallace on her side to bail her out. But she only wants to use him if she has to. He can't always be there to get her out of trouble; they're going to have to realize that she can make her own decisions.

"Come on, let's go practice. Jeffery will be listening and hounding us if we don't," Wallace stands up from the stool.

Autumn follows him with a sigh, folding up the paper and shoving it deep into her pocket. From the stairs, their pokemon join them on their way to the piano near the front window just a few feet from the entrance. Kirlia stands atop the piano waiting for the music to dance to. Lombre sits behind the stool waiting to listen, and Mightyena sits next to the piano, hoping to howl along to the music.

The two play for an hour or so, neither really caring what to play and sometimes playing two different songs. Either way, Jeffery counts it as practice and they love to have fun with it. The pokemon are a chorus and the two find it energizing. Autumn feels much better as they peel away for a lunch out front.

Over lunch they discuss possible ways to bring up the conversation during dinner tonight. Autumn just wants to dive right into it regardless of what may happen. Like ripping off a bandaid.

Wallace, on the other hand, would rather lead up to it. Butter up the parents, get them feeling proud of her and then hit them with the news. That way it'll soften the blow and they have time to think about how grown up Autumn is.

She's not a fan of that one, but they'll just have to wait and see what happens when they get there.

OoOoOoO

"So, you two, how was your day?"

The question is simple and soft coming from their mother. Autumn almost chokes on her veggie stir fry. Next to her, Wallace pats her back softly and with a small laugh. Neither of her parents really seem to think it's out of the ordinary.

"We called Camille today," Autumn states first, she can feel the letter in her pocket like a heavy weight. "She was worried about what pokemon to get Lisia. She wants it to be a Hoenn native one."

"Oh, that's exciting," Audrey's eyes brighten up at the aspect. "Did you say a Wurmple? Beautifly is such a pretty pokemon."

"That's what I said, but Lisia isn't a fan of bug types," Wallace replies with a twinkle in his eye. "She likes water types but doesn't want any. She's so particular."

"Hmm, I wonder where she gets that from?" Liam snorts under his breath.

"Dad, I wonder where I get it from," his son replies with an indignant glare.

"Touche."

The two girls share a laugh.

"Anything else you did today?" Audrey wonders.

"Well, we played piano and, wow, Mom and Dad, Autumn is so good at it," Wallace starts, leaning forward in his chair. "Not only that, but she did some ballet too, she's so good. Kirlia was there and, man is she one tough coo-"

"I got accepted into Rustboro's Trainer Academy," Autumn blurts. Wallace glares at her but she rolls her eyes at him. "I got tired of your brown nosing."

"That's fantastic, dear," Audrey smiles from across the table. "We knew you would."

"So, what's your verdict?" Autumn shifts in her seat, next to her, Wallace grabs her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.

Stay calm.

"Are you sure you're ready?" her mother questions with a raised eyebrow.

"Mom, seriously? You've been telling Wally and me that you want us to do what we love, to explore, and now you're backing down from that?" Autumn accuses with an even tone.

"I'm not backing down. It's just, you're my little girl, and Rustboro is so far away," she responds with a pout.

"Mom, I want to go to school, and then I want to travel. I want to be a coordinator. I want to see the world."

"For how long?" Liam questions. He seems interested in what she has to say.

"Uh, school? That's for a year, I'd graduate in May and go...somewhere. Traveling? I'm not so sure. I was hoping to do research at school," Autumn replies, looking hopeful.

For a tense moment, it's silent as they absorb the information. Liam's chewing has slowed, and he glances over at his wife with a frown. Audrey is staring at Autumn, her eyes scanning her face as if trying to find an answer. Wallace squeezes her hand once more for reassurance.

"Mom, I'll still be in the region. You have to let me go sometime," Autumn softens her voice, leaning on the table. "Let me go."

"Mom, she's not a little girl anymore. She's sixteen, and she'll be seventeen after graduation. She'll be fine," Wallace's voice cuts into the room.

"I'll come back and visit. It's not like I'll cut off all contact," Autumn promises.

Liam and Audrey share a look, sitting next to each other the two lean their heads in and whisper. Autumn grunts and grumbles, leaning back in her chair and rolling her eyes at them. Beside her, Wallace pats her shoulder. Even he is not so sure about letting her go, but how else is she going to learn? He gets to go, it'd be unfair if she couldn't.

Their parents continue their conversation, once in a while glancing down the table to look at the siblings eating their food and watching them. Despite being close to them, Autumn can't make out a single word they're saying and it frustrates her. She downs her food and water, pushing away the dishes to stare at her parents expectantly.

The two of them glance at Autumn before grinning.

"You're letting me go?" their daughter gasps.

"Of course."

She rips the letter out of her pocket and dashes to the end of the table. Liam breaks into laughter, accepting the letter from her and reading it over. His face creases, impressed by her ability to get in. Audrey shows the same thing when the paper is passed to her.

"I'm impressed!" Liam bellows raising his glass. "Jeffery, get the cake out! We're celebrating my daughter's success!"

"Right away, sir!" Jeffrey calls from the kitchen. "I knew she could do it!"

After celebratory cake, Audrey and Liam disappear, off to discuss the situation of their daughter leaving. It's a big deal, leaving home to become a trainer, some places even hold festivals for kids deciding to go. Some families have elaborate ceremonies planned and special rituals done. They're just not ready for something so big to happen to Autumn, to them she's still a little girl.

"I bet they're coming up with a way to keep me here," Autumn tells her brother as she logs onto her computer and goes to her pre-made account on the Academy website. "They were fine at dinner, but they're going to find something to keep me here."

"Can't you have a little faith?" Wallace smirks, leaning over her shoulder to read the screen. "What classes are you taking?"

"Umm, Coordinating 101, Fashion and Design, Cooking, and Caring for Pokemon for Coordinators..." Autumn reads off the list posted on her screen. "Not too bad, there are a few textbooks I'll have to rent out."

"Is the school expensive?" Wallace squints at the screen.

Autumn clicks on a link that leads her to the main page, with a one armed shrug she comes to a page detailing the fees. "Not really, it's just entrance fees and any other special material needed. Rustboro has a thing where they want anyone who wants to learn to be able to go. So there are sponsor's who will pay fees for students. Like...," she lifts a finger to the scholarship and sponsor's page, "Look, some people from Devon pay for students as well as the League because of the gym that's there."

"Wow, how serious is this school?"

"Some people go here for an education before going off to Universities to become nurses, doctors, and other important things. That's why there's a scholarship page specifically for them. They can get scholarships to whatever college they'll be going to after the Academy," Autumn points out the list she had referred to with a smile. "I'm gonna have to shop for new clothes and supplies."

"Don't forget a ticket to the mainland or do you plan on teleporting there?" he gives her a comical look.

"I was hoping you would take me, I know you were planning on leaving around the same time. And your first opponent is the gym leader there, so why not?" Autumn suggests, going back to her account to find a list of items to pack.

"I thought you didn't want me there for more than a day," he states, nudging her arm with a playful grin. "You gonna miss me that much, Sis?"

"It was for you. You're the one that can't let your little sister go. But if you don't want to take me, then fine, I'll find my own way there."

"I was kidding!"

"Should have thought about that twice."

"You are going to have a hard time making friends with that attitude..."

"Hey! At least my joke was harmless, that hit below the belt."

"It did, I'm sorry. I love my wittle seester!"

"You're older than me by five minutes!" Autumn grunts, trying to push her brother away as he smothers her with wet, slobbery kisses. She nearly falls off the chair, but he pulls her back up with a laugh.

"It's nine minutes and eleven seconds, thank you. Anyways, I bet you're going to miss that," he snickers, leaning on her shoulder to go through the packing page.

"Sometimes, I wonder..." she mutters under her breath clicking the print button and retrieving the papers from below her desk.

At his silence, Autumn turns to her brother to find him giving her a strange silent look. He's having one of his moments again. The moments where he's way too wise for his age and needs to censor himself so people don't find him weird. But he doesn't have to do that around her, she doesn't mind his bouts of wisdom. Though sometimes she wishes he wouldn't say such wise things and then break his leg a week later from trying to climb a steep section of wall.

"What?"

"I have confidence in you all the time, Autumn. Don't forget that," he shifts on his feet, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? I'm not leaving forever. I'll be back."

"I know, but you'll be so far away, and for a long time," he replies. It's silent for a quick moment before he shakes his head and smiles at her. Wallace once again. "I'm gonna go to bed now. I'm really proud of you Autumn."

"Thanks, Wally," she hugs him goodnight, while he kisses the top of her head twice.

As he leaves she turns back to the computer screen and flips through a few more pages. Scanning in a mindless swirl of words, reading random facts about the academy and the community surrounding the school as well. Rustboro seems like an okay place for her to live. She likes the idea of it being a close knit city, all on one level. She's been to the mainland before, just not extensively or specifically Rustboro.

She likes it, but only from what she's read.

Switching off the computer, Autumn flops down onto her bed. Kirlia gets up from the pillows and moves to kneel beside her distressed trainer. Autumn flips onto her back and stares back at her pokemon. Inseparable since a trip to the mainland, Kirlia, a Ralts back then, was glued to Autumn's hip. She had found the pokemon outside in Lilycove, lost and scared in an alleyway.

She coaxed her out with food and offered to take care of her. Back then, Wallace had just gotten his trainer license and caught the Ralts for Autumn after seeing their bond. He wanted them to always be together and so they are now. Kirlia is always with Autumn, trailing behind or just lurking in her pokeball. Sensing her trainer's distress and coming to her aid when needed. She's the therapy pokemon she didn't know she needed, and definitely got lucky.

"We're gonna be amazing, huh?" Autumn finally speaks with a face set in determination. "We're gonna be great, and we're gonna have fun, right?"

"Kir-lia!" the pokemon cheers, raising up a slender arm to the air. She does a graceful twirl before settling back onto the pillows.

Autumn watches her pokemon with a smile.

"We got in."