a/n: Just apologizing ahead of time that this chapter is so bipolar. And thank you to JohtoBlue and japaneserockergirl for those reviews, I really appreciate them. c:

Flawless; Chapter 3

"You got everything?"

"I... yeah."

Her bedroom looked rather empty as she stepped towards the door. The heavy knapsack she'd slung over her shoulders weighed her down quite a bit; she nearly fell when she spun around to catch the last glimpse of home she'd see for a while.

This is it.

Eric stood in the doorway, his own, much smaller bag outfitted to his back. Dark rings were present under his eyes, his short hair a bit unkempt – perhaps it was only her wishful thinking that he and Charlotte had actually gone to sleep so early in the night.

"I'm gonna go say goodbye to Charlotte one more time; she's probably just waking up now," he said, walking across the hall to the guest room door. "Just let me know when you're ready to go. But we'll need to leave soon if we're gonna make it to Littleroot by nightfall, the Pokénav says it's about a day's travel from here."

"Okay," she replied, watching the tiny flex of his forearm as he turned the doorknob and disappeared behind the wood partition, a little crack left open as it swung back on its hinges.

Sophie sighed. He never failed to be hopelessly handsome, even at seven in the morning and with disheveled bed head, he looked absolutely perfect. Her own hair was tied up in a messy ponytail; it would only become more knotted if she wore it down. This was going to be an adventure, not a beauty pageant; trainers weren't meant to be models, with scabbed knees and rough hands. Though, everything seemed to be rough in the wilderness; it was a harsh life out there in the Hoenn region, with an unforgiving terrain, fierce wild Pokémon and skilled challenge-happy ace trainers ready for a battle, their Metagross and Salamence raring for a fight.

Or so she'd read.

And Charlotte wears her hair in messy ponytails sometimes. Eric likes it. A tiny smile appeared on Sophie's lips, but her features hardened as she became more and more aware of the significance of her situation.

She gently shut her door before pressing her forehead against the wood frame, eyes shut tight.

I can't believe that this is happening. Her senses seemed to sharpen; the smell of the petunias in her windowsill, the tiny flecks of dust that danced in the dim morning light, the tiny imperfect patches in the pale green paint on her bedroom walls – she seemed to become more aware of the minute details of her once ordinary room. Little things that she'd taken for granted every day stuck out to her the most: the Clefairy quilt her grandmother had sewn for her to ward off nightmares, the bedside lamp that had aided her late-night novel-reading, the fairytale anthologies that wouldn't fit in her bag that called to her from her desk, begging to be read once more before she embarked... She'd known that she would have to venture from all of these things one day, but she just couldn't comprehend that it was finally today.

I'm going to visit a lot, she thought, giving her Abra plush a tiny peck before setting it back on her bed, adjusting it so it could be "comfortable." I'll be back before I know it.

Sophie sighed, taking in a final deep breath of the array of sweet, floral scents. She could hear a few Taillow calling out to one another from outside her window, surely flitting around in the cloudless blue sky.

She grinned.

They were Taillow that could potentially become hers.

Though she'd said many emotional goodbyes to Papa and Daisy that morning, Sophie still had to hold back tears when she and Eric reached Route 102.

A gigantic wooden sign was pitched at the Petalburg city limit, informing everyone who passed of his or her entry into the wilderness. Sophie was familiar with it; she had traveled out into the route's forests many times with Daisy, even though she had never ventured too far into the trees. Her father's car proved to be a more safe and practical form of transportation on their trips to Oldale. And he really couldn't help but worry about her whenever she left the city, just as any father should. What if Daisy got hurt? What if she got lost? What if some inexplicably strong trainer challenged her to a battle?

Of course, her situation was entirely different now. Hoenn wasn't a region of pretty little forest scenes inhabited by clumsy Seedot and playful Marill. It wasn't her bedroom, or her television, or her favorite book, or Papa; it was raw, unpredictable nature.

And it was sort of surreal; the sign that had been a giant inhibition; the bolded words that had been etched into the planks served as a constant reminder of her late start. But all that meant so little to her now; soon enough, it would mean nothing at all. Route 102 would be hers to explore, with no one to tell her otherwise.

What if I'm not ready?

"Hey, you coming? We gotta get to Birch's place A-SAP!" Eric called to her, about thirty feet farther down the thin dirt path that extended into the wood.

Sophie jumped at the sound of his voice, alarmed that he was no longer standing beside her.

"O-Oh, sorry! I'm coming!" she yelled back, having no trouble leaving the sign as she caught up to the young man. He chuckled as she stumbled under the weight of her heavy pack.

"Ha ha, sorry for walking ahead, I just wanted to see how long you'd stare at that route marker before you realized I was gone," he grinned, every white tooth gleaming in the morning sun.

"Ha, oh, yeah," she murmured, falling into step beside him. "I was just a little distracted..."

"What, by the sign? Yeah..." he sighed, gazing at a few Zigzagoon as they staggered after each other from bush to bush. His eyes shut as he took deep breath of the forest air. "I remember how I felt when I first started my journey. Tasting that first bit of freedom, it was crazy... It was me and Meg against the world, you know?"

Sophie couldn't imagine the world ever showing any animosity towards someone like Eric.

"Yeah... I know what you mean," she mumbled in reply.

They walked for some time, the sun rising higher in the sky, peeking down at them from above the treetops. Sophie's eyes locked onto each pebble that they passed on the trail, so as not to accidentally catch a glimpse of her traveling companion. One look at his messy locks and angular features and she wouldn't be able to look away.

Eric continued to check their progress on the Pokénav, alerting her when they were a quarter of the way to Oldale, then halfway, then three-quarters of the way there...

"Hey, you wouldn't mind if I brought Meg out, would you?" he asked as they began their post-lunchtime leg of the trek, forcing the girl to abandon the tiny indentations in the road in exchange for his handsome stare. She lifted her head and met his eyes with her own, red filling her cheeks.

"O-Oh, that would be fine! I mean, y-yeah, it'd be nice to see her again," she answered, fumbling over each word.

"Awesome, I know she'll love this warm weather," he beamed, unhooking a simple red-and-white Pokéball from his belt and lightly tossing it into the air. "Okay, come on out, Meg!"

Pop. An enormous, pale green quadruped emerged from a stream of red light. She was dinosaur-like in appearance; a huge tropical blossom surrounded her neck, two long antennae protruding from her forehead. She smiled at her human companion, and then focused her attention on Sophie.

"Meygaa!" she exclaimed, nuzzling the girl with her cheek.

"Aww, hi there, Meg," Sophie laughed, petting the Pokémon's long neck. "It's been a while."

"Nearly a year, huh?" Eric remarked, eyeing the two as Sophie embraced the grass-type Pokémon.

"Yeah," she agreed, giggling a bit at Meg's gigantic, goofy grin. "A whole year..."

"Mey mey!" the Pokémon gave her own rather enthusiastic response.

"A year feels like a forever away...," he murmured. Sophie could admit that he wasn't the most the eloquent person, but the inflection in his voice gave her enough reason to look away from the Meganium, averting her gaze to the young man for the smallest moment against her better judgment. She caught his lips playing with a weak smile, his tired eyes wincing as he stared at his starter Pokémon.

"Everything's changed so much. I mean, it's only been two years since I've been with Char, and it's already been three months since I proposed..."

Sophie could remember the conversation she had had with Charlotte on the phone, her sister oozing on about her new boyfriend while Papa was unpacking from the move. Has it really been two years since then?

"And now we're here in Hoenn, and you're finally starting your journey... Hah, I feel like I'm an old man now, I-I'm getting a job and everything..."

Was his voice wavering as much as Sophie thought it was? Maybe it was her imagination, maybe his eyes weren't glossing over as he gently patted his Meganium's flank...

"... Meyga?" the creature responded to his touch, confused.

"But, uh, do you know which Pokémon you'll be choosing as you starter yet, Sophie?" Eric asked, speaking more quickly as he changed the subject. "It's a pretty important decision. Can you imagine where I'd be if I'd have picked that Totodile or Cyndaquil? I'd be a completely different person without Meg!"

"Mega, ga!" the creature brightened.

"Oh, uh, well..." Sophie hesitated; she was completely unsure of which starter she would choose. She had hoped that she would formulate a decision sometime during their journey to Littleroot, or maybe when she came face to face with the Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip. Weren't they all equally wonderful?

Eric probably thought she was stupid. Surely there was a starter she wanted in particular.

"...You really don't have any idea?" he guessed.

"No... I don't," she admitted, gently rubbing the Meganium's neck with her hand," I guess I can't really decide which one I want... I like all of the starters."

"Well, maybe there's a specific type you'd like?" he inquired. "Your dad loves grass-type Pokémon, so what about Treecko? Or do you prefer the fire-type?"

She didn't know which type she preferred. She'd never grown up with any preference. Her father loved grass- and poison-types, her mother loved psychic-types, though she and Charlotte had never cared for any specific kind of Pokémon; they battled with whichever creatures were allotted to them when they had attended the Trainer's School. Sophie adored every type, really; fire-types were strong but stubborn, grass-types were calm and easy to raise, water-types were a happy medium...

But what if none of them like me?

"I... really just can't decide," the girl replied, pulling her arm away from the Pokémon and letting it drop to her side as they continued their trek down the dirt path. Her face reddened as her eyes returned to the pebbles in the trail; she must've seemed so indecisive, so unprepared...

"Well, I guess I can see where you're coming from. You'll definitely have a better idea of who you'll choose once you get to the lab," Eric reassured, giving her a light pat on the shoulder. "I knew I wanted Chikorita from the get go, so I really didn't have this problem!"

"Megaana!" Meg agreed, nuzzling her trainer.

Her face grew even more flushed, her shoulder tingling from his touch, however brief it had been. A small smile crept onto her lips, and she managed to look up at him again for a moment before averting her gaze to Meg once more, catching a glimpse of his sun kissed skin.

"But I'm really happy you're going through with this, Sophie," he continued, grinning at the girl, unaware that every smile disarmed her even further. "Being a trainer is an amazing experience... I wouldn't trade anything for the years I've spent with my Pokémon."

She couldn't help herself; the question bubbled up from inside her, fit to burst at any moment. Maybe it was the slight pained tinge that appeared under his grin; maybe it was how tightly he held Meg when he wrapped his arms around her neck, as if his action was an apology; maybe it was Charlotte's dulcet voice ringing in her ears, her blood boiling at each honeyed word.

No, Eric, it wasn't.

"Then why are you giving it up?"

It just slipped out; those words penetrated the air with a slight harshness, Sophie's voice wavering with each syllable, her lower lip quivering, unable to grasp the final word as it escaped from her. The sounds of the forest faded into the background; the Taillow's caws and Poochyena's cries ceased. A silence enveloped them, and they stopped almost simultaneously.

"I-I mean...," she stammered, however worthless her words were. "It's just that... If you love it so much..."

He turned, as she couldn't even look away as his gaze bore into her.

And suddenly, he was so near her she could hardly breathe. She'd never been this close to him, inches separated their faces. Her body was immobilized, her eyes locked onto his russet irises. The smile had disappeared from his lips; it was replaced by a slight frown, every muscle near his mouth tensed and contracted. Sophie got a better look at the dark rings that had formed under his eyes, and noticed their whites were a little bloodshot; maybe he hadn't been able to sleep for an entirely different reason than Charlotte keeping him awake...

He averted his gaze to the Meganium that stood behind her, and Sophie swore she had never seen anything as pitiful and heart wrenching as the look he gave his partner.

Or, perhaps, the Pokémon that was his partner. He had never sworn to Professor Elm that Meg would be his, to have and to hold, 'til death did them part.

"It's just time," he murmured.

And she had nothing to say.

They reached Birch's lab just as the sun was setting. The bulky man watched them approach from the doorway; he had clearly been expecting them.

He looks sort of like Papa. Burly appearance, gruff beard; he was certainly similar in physique to Sophie's father. He smiled widely as the two travelers came up the path to his laboratory and home, waving enthusiastically.

"Ah! There you are! You two made excellent time!" he exclaimed, stepping out of the threshold to allow them to enter his abode.

They stepped into a very simplistically decorated room; a few large machines lined its white walls, bleeping and blinking, words running across their screens. A few desks sat in its far corners, various papers scattered upon them, their chairs rolled askew. But what caught Sophie's eye was a table by the window; two Pokéballs lay neatly on its wooden surface.

Those must be –

"Yeah, we set out pretty early, and we've been tracking our progress all day," Eric said, gripping the Pokémon professor's much larger hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Eric Adams of Celadon City!"

"Ah, yes! Mr. Rossetto told me you'd be escorting Sophie here, how very kind of you!" the professor replied with a firm handshake. "I'm Professor Birch, though I'm sure you already knew that... Ah, but Sophie!" He directed his attention to the girl, noticing her eyes locked on the two red-and-white spheres.

"Oh, uh, yes! Hello, Professor!" she answered, blushing a bit with embarrassment. "I-It's nice to finally meet you!"

"And you as well! But I'm sorry to say" —he motioned towards the Pokéballs – "that another one of the beginning trainers visited me earlier today, so I'm afraid you'll be a little disappointed if you'd wanted to choose Torchic."

Her eyebrows furrowed a bit, though Sophie tried to remain unfazed. Sure, she'd narrowed down her choices to the little chick Pokémon, but as long as the others were around... No, in fact, this only made it easier for her to decide.

Everything happens for a reason, anyway.

"Though you still have two choices; the other young man woke up this morning with a nasty cold! Oh, but I'm sure you'd like to meet them before you make a decision, anyway," Birch continued, grasping an orb in each hand. "Okay, guys, come on out and meet Sophie!"

He pressed the orbs' center buttons, and with a pop, the two creatures appeared in streams of red light.

The first was a four-legged amphibian-esque Pokémon, with fins protruding from it head and backside; its tiny blue body was in no way unbalanced by these large appendages, or by its bright orange external gills that fanned out from its cheeks. The little thing was rather cute, and it bore into Sophie with its beady eyes as it grinned up at her.

The second was a light green, bipedal lizard; its large tail looked as though it could do some damage to its opponents. Its pose was a bit defiant; its yellow eyes stared at the ground, its arms crossed. Maybe it was trying to appear "cool" and "aloof."

"This is the water-type, Mudkip, and that one's the grass-type, Treecko," Birch explained as he pointed to the respective Pokémon. "Both are excellent choices for a starter! I'll just let you pick right away; I'm not the kind of Professor that gives a 'world of Pokémon' spiel to everyone, and I'm sure you've got the gist of all that you're about to encounter, your father told me you've been waiting for this for quite a while."

Sophie could already tell which one was which. Ever since she'd arrived in Hoenn, she'd counted down the days, the hours, the minutes, waiting for this one moment; she'd studied these Pokémon over and over again, memorizing their evolutions and movesets in an attempt to formulate some decision on which one she would pick to accompany her on her journey.

It's... It's finally time...

She considered the two creatures that stood before her. The Mudkip looked a little eager – maybe too eager –to be chosen, its tail fin wagging as it eyed the young girl. However, the Treecko gave off an entirely different vibe; the thing didn't look like it was going to be a very obedient partner.

But what if I need someone stubborn? That Treecko looks so strong; oh, but the Mudkip is so cute! And Swampert is really strong, and it's a ground-type as well as a water-type...But Sceptile can learn Solar Beam, and I love that attack...

They were both equally matched in her mind. She couldn't decide; and she was sure it would be rude to ask for a coin flip...

Maybe... maybe this is a subconscious thing. Um, let's see, well... I love reading, and Professor Birch has that big bookshelf, and the one standing closer to the bookshelf is...

"I'd..." She hesitated, before following through. "I'd like to choose Mudkip."

The Mudkip's eyes and smile widened immensely, while the Treecko just shrugged. Birch returned the latter to its Pokeball, while entrusting Sophie with the former's.

Sophie glanced at the creature, unsure of what to do next. She tried awkwardly opening her arms for the Pokémon to jump into, like in the movies, except the Mudkip didn't quite understand; it continued to stare her down without budging from its spot, its unblinking gaze beginning to unnerve the girl.

"Uh... I'm sure you and Mudkip will make a great team," Birch remarked with a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah, a Mudkip! That's awesome, Sophie!" Eric beamed, before rummaging in his sack. "Hey, but before I head out, I got something for you. Just a little thing I picked up from Devon."

She gratefully accepted the new Pokénav he had produced from the bag, along with another gadget the professor handed her.

"And that's a Pokédex; it gives you some basic information on each of the Pokémon you will come across on your adventure. Try to fill it up as much as you can for me, got that?" He winked, before picking up the wide-eyed Mudkip from the floor and placing the creature in Sophie's arms. "It will also give you the Pokémon's gender, if you're the nicknaming type."

Sophie fumbled with the load she was holding; though she was able to hold the Pokédex up to her Mudkip long enough to have it register its information.

"Mudkip, the mud fish Pokémon," it bleeped. "Its fin can detect changes in the flow of water and air currents. Despite its small size it has the ability to lift large boulders."

More information about the Mudkip appeared on its screen, but Sophie quickly honed in on the pink "female" symbol that appeared in the corner.

It took a moment of returning the little creature's gaze before she concocted what she believed to be an appropriate name.

"I'll call her Lily," she announced, "Like in lily pad."

That sounded a lot less profound out loud than it did when she'd thought it to herself.

The Birches' spare room was rather lonely. They'd probably gone to bed an hour ago, though Sophie couldn't fall asleep. She lay on the twin bed, wide awake, with a snoozing Lily at her feet. Eric had checked into a small inn down the road; he'd be leaving early the next morning to return to Petalburg, while Sophie was free to go wherever she pleased.

Free.