Had I known I was going to be dragged around by an annoying fifteen-year-old girl, I would've happily gone to Aquacorde Town on my own after consulting a directory.

The walk here hadn't started off too bad, but I should've stopped Shauna when she told Calem she wanted to look around and take me along because, according to her, I was still new to the region and needed to get to know the area better. She wasn't necessarily wrong in that point, but the fact that she had visited all four stores twice, I would've thought otherwise. Why did I let this happen?

I wasn't a very patient person, to begin with, so imagine my annoyance as I watched Shauna bounce from one end of the store to the other and looking at everything in detail. Even the clerk standing behind the cash register seemed annoyed that Shauna wasn't even interested in buying anything. At one point, I had considered ditching her, but that would be rather cruel of me. I might not be the most friendly person in the world, but even I didn't have the heart to just leave her.

Either way, I had enough of this.

"Shauna," I spoke in a very agitated voice. "This is the third time we've come to this store and you still haven't gotten anything. Either buy something, or we can leave and never come back. We need to get going already for goodness sakes! There are people waiting for us too!"

The brunette gave me a small pout and put down the Abomasnow snowglobe as a small but audible "fine" left her lips. As we left the store, I saw that the clerk had her hands clapped together as a thank you for getting Shauna out of the store for good. After leaving the store, we searched the town for Calem. Thanks to his hat that stood out like a sore thumb, I found him sitting with two other boys, whom I assume were Professor Sycamore's people that we were supposed to meet.

I grabbed Shauna's hand and pulled her along, making our way over to Calem. When we arrived, I let her hand go and took a seat next to the black-haired boy. Shauna sat down on the opposite end that was to the right of Calem.

"It's about time," Calem kidded. "I was just about to go get you two."

Rather than answering with a sarcastic retort, I decided it would be best to bite my tongue. The last thing I wanted was for me to put a bad impression on Professor Sycamore's pupils. I will not let Professor Rowan's efforts in getting me into this program go to waste. Besides, Shauna was the one to blame for our tardiness. Calem turned his gaze away from me and settled on the two boys I have yet to know.

"Here's the new girl I was talking about." The black-haired boy motioned toward me. "This is Emilia Grey. She was Professor Rowan's pupil."

"Pleasure to meet you." I displayed a stern nod in a business manner.

Taking the opportunity to get a better look on the boys, the first thing I noticed was how young they were. If I had to guess, I'd say maybe younger than Calem and I by three years or so. It made me feel rather awkward being one of the older ones I wasn't sure how Calem felt about it either.

One of the boys, probably the youngest of the group based on his petite form, had bright ginger hair in a bowl haircut. He wore a white polo under a green vest and had some strange device hanging from his neck. The other boy, most likely older than the other boy but younger than Calem and I, was a greater contrast.

He had short black hair done in spikes. His onyx-colored eyes held a mischievous glint, but perhaps he was a harmless one. The boy wore a black t-shirt that had a Vanillite design on the center. Unlike the other boy, this one was rather big, but no doubt held a lot of strength.

"That boy with the black shirt is Tierno and the one with the ginger hair is Trevor," Shauna introduced, motioning to each one.

"Emilia... I like that name." Tierno nodded. "But how about we give you a nickname? What about Lady E?"

"No way!" Shauna interjected. I flinched at the high pitch of her voice. "We should call her Li'l E!"

I sat back and rolled my eyes, shaking my head at this nonsense. Even back in Sinnoh, neither Lucas or Reese, who were fellow lab assistants, egged me about having a nickname. What were these people thinking?!

Both Tierno and Shauna immediately snapped their heads toward Trevor, who looked as though he'd been caught in a bloody crossfire. The boy looked as though he was going to pass out from pressure.

"U-Um... I like E-kins..." he spoke in a shy and quiet voice, his face flushing afterward. Tierno and Shauna face-palmed at the plain and boring nickname.

I felt myself getting annoyed. Why were they going through the trouble of giving me a nickname for goodness sake?! I wasn't even close to any of these people to begin with! This was very ridiculous.

"Well, Emilia? Which is it?" Calem asked. I heard Trevor sigh in relief when Shauna and Tierno looked over at me in anticipation.

"Just call me by my actual name," I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest in a stern manner. "I didn't move from one region to another to make friends. I came here for an internship or whatever it is Professor Sycamore has set up with me and I would really appreciate it if we could get straight to the point."

As I ended my complaint, I was welcomed with incredulous pairs of eyes from everyone. Tierno and Trevor were left with their jaws hanging, which only meant they have never dealt with a person like me. Shauna was more hurt than surprised, but Calem regarded me with wide grey eyes that flashed with the same hurt his younger sister felt. The whole ordeal left an awkward air to linger about.

I wasn't sure what the whole deal was. Lucas and Reese were the closest people I had as friends, at least until I started pushing them away. While it broke my heart to leave them without saying goodbye, they were also part of the past that almost drowned me. Even after what happened with my dad and younger brother, I couldn't keep pretending that everything was okay when things weren't. They wanted to help me, but there was no way they could.

I was beyond saving.

Coming to Kalos might have been a mistake after all. If these people were insisting on being friends, then this opportunity might not have been best for me in the end.

"A-Alright!" Tierno clapped his hands together as an attempt to break the ice. "Now that that's out of the way, let's get to why you're really here." He picked up a glass case that was on the floor next to him. "It's time to pick your first Pokémon."

"But before that," Trevor interrupted. "You'll need these."

The ginger boy handed each of us a small device with a strange design on it. I rose a curious eyebrow as I took my time inspecting it. If I was correct, then this must be a Kalos version of a PokéDex. It's a different model than the one I was accustomed to seeing in Sinnoh.

"It's called a PokéDex. It records data of any Pokémon you encounter and it also gives you additional information if you catch the Pokémon," Trevor explained.

Shauna and Calem might've found that information useful, but I already knew what a PokéDex was. I proceeded to put the device away into my messenger bag. Tierno pressed a button that was on the side of the glass case, opening it to reveal three PokéBalls that contained our starter Pokémon. Tierno explained what was inside each one. There was Froakie, the Water-type, Chespin, the Grass-type, and Fennekin, the Fire-type. I knew nothing about these Pokémon, but I already had my heart set on the Water-type.

If he was here right now, that little dork would've begged me to choose it.

A tap on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. I tore my gaze from the glass case and turned to see Calem and Shauna grinning at me. This made me wonder why they were still being friendly with me even after my rude comment earlier. I had basically said I wasn't interested in being friends.

"Emilia, since you're the new girl, you can have the first pick," Calem insisted, Shauna nodding in agreement.

"Alright then..." My hand immediately went to the first PokéBall I've eyed since Tierno revealed them to us. "I choose Froakie."

"Then I choose Chespin." Calem reached for the second PokéBall.

"I wanted Fennekin anyways." Shauna sighed as she reached for the last one. Tierno handed each of us a sealed envelope.

"Here's a letter from Professor Sycamore," he informed us, though he kept his eyes on me specifically. "You need to give this to your mom."

"Very well." After putting away the letter and my PokéBall into my messenger bag, I stood up from my seat. "Thank you for everything."

Without waiting for a response, I turned my heel and walked toward the gates of Aquacorde Town. As I left, I couldn't help but pull out the PokéBall that contained my starter. A small grin made its way to my lips as I recalled my younger brother once telling me he couldn't wait to be a Pokémon Trainer when he was my age. He made me promise that we'd each get a Water-type starter as our little tradition. That little dork would've been so jealous if he saw me right now.

The moment I took one step out of the town, a familiar voice made me come to a halt. My grin immediately dropped into a small scowl as an annoyed sigh left my mouth. These people needed to learn that I wanted to be left alone, especially her. It seemed as though words weren't enough to stop her.

"Emilia, I challenge you to a battle!" she declared, her breaths coming out in short pants. The girl probably came running to catch up to me.

"If I do, will you leave me alone?" I asked as I looked over my shoulder at Shauna.

"Cross my heart and hope to die!" she beamed enthusiastically.

I couldn't help but smirk as I turned round to face the brunette. My grip on the PokéBall tightened at the thought of a battle, though it was a shame she was going to be my first. However, my smirked faltered when I saw that determination, which reminded me of my little brother. I quickly shook my head to rid the thought away.

Shauna tossed her PokéBall into the air, snapping me out of my thoughts once the bright light flashed.

"Let's go, Li'l Fennekin!"

A small four-legged Pokémon appeared before me when the light faded away. Its entire fur was a soft yellow color, but its tiny paws were white and the fur in its ears were blazing red. It was clear to me that this battle would go in my favor, for I had the advantage with a Water-type. Did she honestly think she could win like this? I'd just have to make sure she didn't.

"Fine, bring it!"

I immediately tossed my PokéBall into the air. Midway, the red and white capsule opened up and released a beam of blue light. I caught the PokéBall back and took a look at the Pokémon that was officially my starter. Froakie was a rather small thing, only reaching a little past my ankles. Froakie's body was a light blue color with a white fluffy scruff around its neck which resembled foamy bubbles.

The question now was what moves did this Pokémon already know. I quickly fished out my PokéDex from my bag and pointed the camera lens at my new starter. The screen was loading before the information gathered was displayed.

Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon.

Gender: Male

It secretes flexible bubbles from its chest and back. The bubbles reduce the damage it would otherwise take when attacked.

Known Moves: Pound, Growl, and Bubble.

Seeing that Froakie already knew a Water-type attack, I smirked a little at myself before turning off the device and put it away again. Shauna wouldn't know what was coming at her.

"I'll let you have the first move as a common courtesy!" I shouted over at her.

"Ha! Big mistake!" She pointed at Froakie, who seemed unfazed one bit. "Fennekin use Tackle!"

The little firefox held no hesitation and charged at Froakie, preparing to send my starter flying. My arrogant grin grew when Froakie finally became aware of what was coming toward him.

"Dodge it," I ordered.

The Bubble Frog Pokémon effortlessly jumped out of the way before Fennekin could even touch him. Fennekin skidded to a halt, causing my amusement to rise when it looked around in confusion. Froakie landed behind the opponent, a smirk mimicking mine visible on his face. Shauna gasped in surprise before warning her Fennekin.

"Quick, behind you!" she cried out, but it was too late.

"Use Bubble," I told Froakie.

My starter opened its mouth wide and shot out bubbles of different sizes toward Fennekin. Shauna called out to Fennekin and told it to counter the attack with Ember. Both attacks collided, creating a small smoke cloud to appear. Froakie emerged from the residual fog and landed right next to me. The smoked eventually cleared up, revealing a cautious Fennekin.

This was a perfect opportunity to end this.

"Finish this with your strongest Bubble attack," I told Froakie.

Shauna was unable to give her Pokémon a command in time, for the number of bubbles overwhelmed the opponent immediately. The little firefox yelped in surprise as the bubbles made contact with its fur. As the last Bubble attack hit Fennekin, the small firefox collapsed, clearly exhausted and too weak to continue to fight. Shauna's look of dismay was evident as she looked at her fainted Pokémon.

Froakie hopped back to my side with that unfazed look he had in the beginning. I've never related to a Pokémon as I did Froakie. This battle was already decided from the beginning; it was fire versus water, the latter being the advantage. She had no place in being sad if the odds were against her from the start.

Besides, she had no chance against me.