Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters. I only own Lilly Revere, her mother (who will remained unnamed), and my precious laptop.

Ages: Lilly- 15

Professor Oak- 50

(Lilly's Birthday)

'Today's the day,' thought Lilly as she emerged from her bathroom clad only in a dark blue towel. Today was her 15th birthday and the same day that she was going to start her Pokémon journey. Walking over to her closet, she picked out a black, long sleeved turtleneck along with a dark green fabric belt with silver trim, a black skirt, and knee length dark grey spandex along with a pair of black and white converse. Shrugging out of her towel and into her clothes, Lilly glanced over to her wall clock.

'10:37am huh?' thought Lilly as she looked out her window and over the Pokémon lab's lake, 'Guess I had better pack then.'

Getting onto her hands and knees, Lilly reached her hand under her bed before pulling back and placing a dark blue, one shoulder strap backpack onto her bed. Studying the room from afar, Lilly walked over to her dresser and pulled out a maroon, two-piece swimsuit, a change of clothes, a pair of black plaid pajama pants and a tank top. Folding the clothes, she placed them in the bottom of the larger section of her bag. A blanket, a towel, hygiene items, and a small sewing kit soon followed her clothes while a purple sleeping bag was strapped to the underside of the bag.

Zipping up the large section, Lilly opened the next pocket of her bag and began filling it with potions, antidotes, and Pokéballs. Remembering she had an escape rope on the top shelf in her closet, Lilly walked over to said closet before standing on her tip toes and feeling round on the top shelf. Feeling her hand brush over the rope, she pulled it off and turned to put it into her bag. Behind her, she heard a rustle of silk falling and turned back towards her closet. There, lying in a small pile on the floor was an old, royal purple and black kimono. Slowly, Lilly set the escape rope in her bag and shuffled over to the fallen kimono. Picking up the silky material with two fingers, she held it at arm's length, examining one of the few objects that connected her to her past life. From inside the kimono, a pair of sais, a black half face mask, and a black obi fell out. Scooping up all of the items and holding them close, Lilly decided then and there that she would bring them with her. Realizing that it was almost 11am, Lilly quickly placed the items in her arms into the bag before swinging the bag up and over her head and allowing it to settle on her left shoulder across her back. Grabbing Ryuu's Pokéball from her bedside table, she quickly returned him into his Pokéball before attaching it to her belt and walking out of her room. Soon, Lilly stumbled across Professor Oak. Seeing his assistant walk into the lab with all of her Pokégear, Oak smiled at her.

"I believe the time for you to start your journey has finally arrived."

Lilly nodded softly, "So it seems."

A small silence passed between the two before Professor Oak walked over to Lilly and embraced her.

"It seems like it was only yesterday that you had stumbled across Arcanine and I in that field."

Lilly laughed softly into the Professor's lab coat as she returned the hug, "I remember that day. Five year old me had to save your sorry butt from being roasted by your own Pokémon."

Oak chuckled before releasing her from the hug and holding her at arm's length, staring into her dark purple eyes.

"You were always like a daughter to me Lilly, and I thank you for the opportunity to know you better. But now, the time has come for you to start your journey with your two Pokémon."

Lilly looked confused, "Wait, two?"

Oak smiled before pressing a Pokéball into the palm of her hand, "I know Ryuu was your first Pokémon, but I want to feel as if I helped you begin your journey. Go on, see who I picked out for you."

Not needing to be told twice, Lilly enlarged the Pokéball before tossing it into the air. A red beam of light emerged from the ball and began to form on the floor. After a few seconds, the Pokémon inside, now outside, the ball was a Charmander. Handing Lilly a red Pokédex, she scanned her 'starter'.

"Charmander, the Fire Lizard Pokémon. A flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that a Charmander will die if its flame ever goes out."

Lilly launched herself at the Professor, "Thank you Professor! I promise to make you proud."

Professor Oak returned the hug, "You already have Lilly."

Lilly soon ended the hug and turned back towards the Charmander who was watching the interaction with a slight interest.

"Hi Charmander," said Lilly as she squatted down in front of the Charmander, "My name's Lilly and I'm your new trainer."

Charmander slowly looked up at Lilly and blinked at her. Chuckling softly, Lilly reached her hand out, palm facing up, and stopped a few inches away from Charmander. Feeling no ill intent from Lilly, Charmander walked a few steps closer and sniffed her hand before latching down onto her hand with his jaws. It wasn't painful, mind you, but, to Lilly, she felt as if she was being used as a personal chew toy.

"Mouthy little thing, aren't you?"

Charmander's eyes seemed to glisten with amusement as he carefully let go of her hand.

"Guess I should have warned you about that," chuckled the Professor.

"Nah," said Lilly as she wiped the saliva off onto a nearby rag, "I'm going to find more hidden secrets about my future team, so I gotta be prepared for anything."

Re-enlarging Charmander's Pokéball, she recalled her newest Pokémon back into his ball before attaching it to her belt, right next to Ryuu's Pokéball.

Turning to the Professor, "I'll introduce Ryuu and Charmander to each other later."

"Good plan. But, you still have one more present. It's from Giovanni. It just arrived this morning so I left it outside."

Again, a confused look graced Lilly's face. Chuckling, Professor Oak gently pushed Lilly in the direction of the Lab's front door. Both eventually made their way outside and what Lilly saw made her gasp. Resting against the side of the Lab's steps was a brand new, black and red mountain bike with shock absorbers and pegs on the back tire. Strapped to the front was a black pouch, small enough to not be distraction to the driver but large enough to place a small Pokémon or her backpack in. From inside the pouch, something shiny glinted off the sunlight. Trying to tame her sudden urge to squeal like a little girl, Lilly walked over and opened the pouch. Inside the pouch was a black leather wallet and a simple letter. Placing the wallet under her arm, Lilly opened the letter.

'Dear Lilly,

Well, Happy 15th Birthday. Since I couldn't be there myself, I had them ship your present to the Lab so I hope it gets to you in time. The bike should help you on your journey and I made sure that it was fully covered. So if you happen to drive it over a cliff, you can replace it at any nearest bike shop. Inside the wallet are a few things. One of which is my video chat call number, so you can update me on how your journey is going, and a credit card. Professor Oak isn't the richest and I would hate for you to have to stop your journey, even for a few days, just so you can work for some money. I, myself, do not have any children, so do not feel as if you are wasting my money. Hope to hear about your journey soon.

~Giovanni

Lilly laughed softly to herself, "Guess I'll call Giovanni up as soon as I beat my first gym. Gotta have something to tell him when I call him up."

Lilly finally turned back towards the Professor, "No need to worry, Professor. I can handle myself out on my journey and, if I need any advice, I'll be sure to give you a call."

Professor Oak nodded, "I'm sure you will Lilly. Good luck!"

Lilly nodded as she mounted her new bike, "Thanks Professor! Tell Ash and Gary that I'll be waiting for them at the Indigo League!"

And with that, she was off. Both the lab and the waving Professor growing smaller and smaller in the distance. She originally had wanted to tell Ash and Gary that she was leaving today, but decided not to. Let them keep guessing where she was, how many badges she had collected, and how much stronger she was. She wanted them to be a challenge when she –hopefully- faced off against them in the Indigo League. And now, here she was, age 15 –mentally 27- and starting her own Pokémon journey with a Charmander and Ryuu.

'Today is the first day to a new life for me,' thought Lilly as she passed Pallet Town's small white picket fences, 'As the saying goes 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.''

Unknown to Lilly, a single being flew along the trees beside her, watching the emotions flash through her eyes.

'Curious, curious,' thought the Pokémon.

'Yes,' it thought, 'I shall watch her grow alongside her Pokémon and, when the time is right, I will join her…. –giggle- oh I can't wait for that day!'

And with that, the Pokémon teleported away. None knew of its presence except for the God of Pokémon itself who watched down at the interaction with a small smile.

'It is time…' he thought.