Chapter 4

After a week, I finally healed and the cripplingly long hours that I wasn't on a hair-raising adventure ended. If I was going to live here, I would have to make the most of it, but making the most of it didn't require me breaking every bone in my body.

But there was one slight down side for me starting my journey.

Mom tried to dress me.

When she finished, she stood back and smiled, "Don't you look adorable! All the girls will love it!"

Now, before I even tell you what she had forced upon me, there are two things wrong with what my fake Mom just said. One: When a parent-or fake parent-says your clothing's adorable, you know something's wrong. Two: The "girls" are Mom's prehistoric friends. Not exactly my crowd.

The clothing was something you would want to skip too if you saw it. Pigtails with bows. I mean, come on! I was fourteen! She had forced me into a pink Little-Bo-Peep dress and white tights. I'm not even sure I recognized myself!

"Mom," I cried, "I'll get mocked before I even get to my bike."

"Oh pish-posh," she replied, "you look absolutely lovely."

I looked at her with horror and replied flatly, "I'm. changing. Now."

I ran upstairs and through my dress on the ground. For that tiny moment, I wished I had chosen Torchic to burn it.

I put on some short jeans, and blue shirt. I undid my bows and my hair floated to my cheeks. I reached for a blue baseball cap on a high shelf, put it on, and finally walked out.

"Good-bye dear, don't push yourself!" said my fake Mom as I raced away.

I was finally free. Freedom was something you had to wait for in the America, and I was so glad that the land fate had chosen for me had no time limits on independence. I was free to live, the only thing in control of me was my own choice, all the worries of homework and social life faded, and the only thing I worried about was not going the right direction.

Kevin was enjoying the freedom too! It was a sunny day, and he was soaking up the sun, while screaming with glee.

"Enjoying yourself?" I asked putting a hand on his head. He nodded violently, "Well, could you hand me the map?" I asked.

With his mouth, Kevin handed me the map from the basket. I stopped and looked at it, "Let's see... well Rustboro City is just north of here, but we have to go through Petalburg Woods..." I paused and thought this over. Now, the Petalburg looked like a day's work to get through, but it looked like the fastest way to Rustboro, "What do you think, Kevin? You up for it?"

Kevin wasn't paying attention. He was obviously mad because I had stopped, "I'll take that as a yes."

We stopped by the PokeMart and began toward the woods, but something stopped me. I passed a building and saw a sign "Petalburg Gym" I repeated, "Sweet, I wanna see!"

I grabbed Kevin by the ear and pulled him inside. My eyes darted left and right around the gymnasium. It was cold and empty, not a soul inhabited it, until I saw him.

The gym leader, my guess. I got a pit in my stomach, like when you get a million flames on your story, and you see yet another comment. Is it another flame?

"Hi!" said the man. He had dark eyes and dark-purple hair. His red shirt's collar curled around his head, "Are you here to battle the great Norman?"

My voice shook at his overpowering looks, "I-I'm still not sure if I want to battle or if I want to do c-contests."

He laughed and I looked up at him. He was tall. Really tall, "I remember that time in my life when I thought about such things-" he looked at me, "You're a beginner, you're a little older than the rest of the beginners."

I nodded my head, "Yeah. I always had an excuse."

"Let's have a battle," said the smiling man, "Just for fun!"

Somehow I was forced into it, and I had NO CLUE WHAT TO DO!

I started how I thought I should, "Get your game on!" Oh wait... wrong anime, "I mean-LET'S GO!"

Kevin jumped into action and Norman threw a Poke ball. Out came a...a...

"Go! Slaking!"

It was a gorrilla, a really weird looking gorrilla, but I wasn't backing down. It was time once again for

What

Would

Deavan

Do?

I thought it over. Oh, why didn't I ever listen to him rambling on in his room about Pokemon stuff, "Uhh-Kevin, tackle!" I ordered. I looked. Kevin jumped high in the air and tried to hit Slaking, but it just grabbed him lazily and threw him aside. Kevin came flying back to me. Tears began streaming and I jumped to catch him, "No!" I screamed. My hair flew in my face and for the most important moment of this fight, I couldn't see. For some reason I can't explain, I caught him and crashed to the floor.

"Ow." I cried flatly, "That hurt."

Norman helped me up, "It's all right!" he laughed, "I was just giving you a taste of what you're gonna get if you do battles, and you just started. Kevin's expierance level is probably six right now, and mine is fourty-seven. It's absolutely fine for you to lose."

I watched Kevin's lifelessly fidget and turn. A hand fell on my cap and Norman said, "He's a real fighter. If you want to go with contests here's a good plan," I looked up and he continued, "choose a different Pokemon. He's a kind of Pokemon who'll fight to the death, not try to beautiful while doing it."

I was sent to the Pokemon Center, a kind of nurse's office for Pokemon, and I started up to Petalburg Woods.