"Well, Pikachu… it looks like we're moving on." Ash said, placing his hat on his head to block the sun. He said it a little sadly, and Pikachu's concerned expression reflected that. He slung his bag over his shoulder and started down the steps of the porch. He'd stayed at the Therapy Center as long as he'd felt comfortable doing, especially since he'd upset Kate.

"We're going on a Hoenn adventure, buddy. It'll be awesome! Just you and me, like it was in the beginning!"

"Pika…"

Ash had hoped that Kate might come with him—for whatever reason, he enjoyed being around the girl, and it made him feel at ease. He thought that travelling with her would be more than enjoyable—experiencing the world with companions was always better, but somehow he really wanted to share them with Kate, especially.

He was partway down the path when he glanced back with a sigh. Just when he was about to turn away, the door of the Therapy Center burst open, and Kate yelled "Ash!" after him. She wore a green skirt to her knees and a white blouse, but that wasn't what surprised Ash the most—it was that her light brown hair, that had once been to the middle of her back, was now just above her shoulder. She jogged towards him,

"I—I don't know if the offer still stands, but... I'd like to travel with you, Ash. Or at least, I'd like to try." There was a faint reddish color to her cheeks.

Ash was stunned for a second, and then mumbled, "Y—your hair…"

She fingered the shortened locks. "Oh yeah, I just… I thought that a change might help give me some courage. Be a new person and all that."

"It suits you." Ash said earnestly.

"Thanks."

"And you know… if you're planning on travelling, you might want a backpack or something. Oldale is pretty close, but after that…"

"Oh, gosh," Kate began, a little flustered, "I'm really an idiot, aren't I?" She'd forgotten all of the smaller details while she'd said goodbye to the children- some had cried, some had ben angry, and some, like Sachi, had encouraged her to go become the best Pokémon champion in the world. As she and Ash walked to the path out of Littleroot, her limbs started to feel heavier, and her heart thumped in her chest. Finally, they reached the edge of Littleroot, and before them was a vast expanse of forest.

Her hands started to shake.

"Hey… hey, what's wrong?! Are you hurt somewhere?" Ash flitted around her like a worried butterfly, hands waving in his confusion. Ash had never been good at dealing with crying women.

"There's something that I didn't tell you, Ash. The biggest reason that I haven't left Littleroot isn't because I was afraid to leave the Therapy Center… it's because I was afraid to go outside town at all." She said, threading her fingers together in front of her. "When I was younger… barely a teenager… I was stupid enough to think that I could make it to Lilycove on my own, with just my Vulpix. I wanted to spend all my allowance to buy a firestone to evolve Vulpix into a Ninetales. I barely made it past Oldale when I was attacked by wild Pokémon. Vulpix fought valiantly to protect me, but I didn't get out unscathed. I nearly died, and since then, I've been afraid of… well… everything. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

Ash shook his head and his brows were furrowed. "I can't say that I know much about stuff like that, but I do know how to keep moving forward. You just need to put one foot…. In front of the other. And let your Ninetales help you. Me and Pikachu will be here the whole time too, ya know." Ash walked a few feet in front of her, then turned with an extended hand.

Kate took a breath, trying to dispel the memories that were surfacing of that terrible day. The claws, the growling, the blood… her Vulpix's cries… the pain as she'd laid in a hospital bed…

The she reached for Ash's hand and exhaled. She focused on its warmth, on the sun on her face, Vulpix's pokéball at her hip, and knew that she would be okay. As long as she took baby steps.

Ash grinned. "See, it's not so hard, right?"

"Not so hard at all." Kate agreed.

And now Ash Ketchum was sure that his adventures in the Hoenn Region were off to a good start. He let go of Kate's hand soon, and she took confident steps onto rout 101. She had to start somewhere, after all.

"Hey, Ash?" Kate asked about forty minutes later.

"Yeah?"

"I still don't have any traveling supplies."

"That's okay, we can share for awhile."