In the Forsythia residence, a young teen with long messy brown hair, Olivia, walked into the kitchen where her mother was making breakfast. On the girl's head was a Vulpix nestled into her bed hair, still half asleep and letting out a long yawn. Liv sat at the table, and looked outside, taking a piece of bacon off her plate and lifting to her friend.

"Liv, you have to eat too," her mother chided, placing another piece of bacon on her plate. "Aren't you going to apply to the PokéMart today?"

"I don't want to," she replied, a bit sour. "You're the one who applied for me…"

Liv's mother frowned. "Olivia, we discussed this… Why can't you just accept that things are changing around here?"

"I mean, if you let me go on my Pokémon adventure six years ago, I would probably be a gym leader or something and could help with money that way." Liv grabbed the second piece of bacon and fed it to her Vulpix again. "It's not my fault you bought into all that Pokérus propaganda…"

Liv's mother dropped what she was doing, and sat across from her daughter. "You just don't get it, Olivia, I didn't want anything bad to happen to you! How do you think I would have felt if you went off on your adventure, only to never come back because some virus had infected you and your Pokémon?"

"A virus that doesn't exist!" she snapped back. "You didn't let me chase my dream because of some stupid rumor! How do you think I feel?"

Liv shook in anger, glaring at her breakfast, not seeing the guilt flash on her mother's face. Her mother got up from the table wordlessly and walked to her bedroom. Liv, unable to swallow her pride to apologize, stomped out of her home and walked towards the PokéMart.

It wasn't a long walk over, but it was long enough that Liv was able to calm down a bit. Walking through the door, she entered the shop and put on her fake smile. She headed towards the cashier and greeted him.

"Good morning! I'm here for an interview for a position, when do you think the owner will be ready for me?"

The cashier smiled back and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Olivia Forsythia," she said awkwardly, before dropping her smile and frowning.

"Ooooh, I didn't recognize you with a smile," he said with a laugh. "If that's the best you can do, don't smile for the customers. Hahaha."

Liv didn't really care for being the butt of a joke, but given her spat with her mother, she was not in the mood to be made fun of. She stormed towards the door and shouted at the cashier. "Oh, fuck you. I didn't even want this stupid job anyway."

As she stepped outside, she made her way to a quiet corner and squatted down in frustration. She wasn't happy. Her mother didn't understand how she felt losing her chance to explore the world like every other kid got to. She started to tear up, but felt a warm nuzzle on her head. She picked up her Vulpix and held her to her chest.

"Thanks Claret…" she said to her Pokémon. Liv ran her hand down the Vulpix's pack, her soft fur bringing her a sense of comfort. Finally calm, she began to wonder. What was keeping her from going on her adventure now? Sure, she would probably get some weird looks from some gym leaders, and maybe some wandering trainers, but there was no hard limit on starting, was there? The longer she waited, the more she'd feel like she's missing out, so she put Claret back on her head and marched back home. Not even acknowledging her mother who was sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee, she ran up the stairs and began to shove things into a backpack. She dug around the back of her wardrobe to find a pamphlet she received six years ago, one that covered the basics before they received their first Pokémon. Unfortunately, her 'first' Pokémon was a stray Vulpix she had found and nursed back to health when she was fourteen. Luckily, the two now had an inseparable bond, but unfortunately, there was no way to tell if Claret was any good in battle. Sure, she had managed to burn a few Weedles and Caterpies, but it was never to maim them, just to deter them from messing with her mother's flower garden.

As she shoved a few items of clothing into her backpack, her mother came in. "Liv? How'd the interview go?" she asked, hoping not to anger her daughter again.

"I blew it mom," she replied, not looking over to her. "Cashier's a dick, and I don't fuck with his attitude."

"Language young lady!" her mother scolded. "I told you if you're not allowed to talk like that-"

"As long as I live under your roof," Liv finished, zipping her backpack closed. "Don't worry, mom, I'll be out of your hair soon enough."

Her mother's eyes widened, and she realized what she was doing. "Wait, Liv, you're leaving?"

Liv crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Yes mom. I'm not going to let you keep me here and waste away in this no-name town. You might like it here, but I don't. I could have been league champion by now! Red did it all before he was fourteen!"

"Liv, you're only a teenager, you have so much time to live for, your life isn't over just because others met their goals at a young age. The Red is not the norm, he's an exception! How many other eleven year olds do you know who've conquered the Elite Four?"

The teen huffed, and walked past her mom and opened a drawer to rummage through it. "So you don't think I could have done it?" she asked. "Hell of a supportive mother you are."

Her words appear to have struck her mother, as she physically flinched. "Honey… I…" she said, her voice wavering. She stepped back towards the door, and lingered for a moment before leaving. "I'm sorry, Liv."

Olivia nearly finished packing up and walked to the door ready to head out, but felt some guilt form in her stomach. She didn't mean to hurt her mother's feelings, but she didn't know how else to make her understand. Sighing, she decided to talk it over with her mother before she headed off. She walked over to her mother's bedroom, putting her Vulpix on the ground before entering. "Mom?"

"Hey Liv…" she greeted, wiping her face before turning around. "Come to say goodbye?"

"Don't be like that, mom," she groaned. "I'm sorry about what I said… I just feel you don't listen to me, you just talk at me."

"I don't listen?" she asked, a bit surprised. She paused, but decided not to pursue it. "I'm sorry, dear… Look, if you really want to go on this adventure, by all means, go. You have my blessing, for whatever that's worth."

Liv looked up with a mixture of shame and excitement. "Really?"

"Of course, honey. I never wanted to keep you from chasing your dreams, but I can't help but worry, but you're well past the official age to go out on your own… I've been selfish." She walked over to her night stand and took out a small black case. Sighing for a moment, she headed over to her daughter and handed it over. "Here, these are yours."

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's your Pokédex," she replied. "I had picked it up for you before I heard about the Pokérus virus… I never wanted to prevent you from going out into the world, but I could never convince myself that you were ready… but I was the one who wasn't ready to lose you."

Liv received the case and opened the case to see a red Pokédex and a belt with six pockets. She took the Pokédex out, and was surprised to see it was an older model. "Mom, is this-"

"It's the first generation Pokédex, one that I had special ordered from Pallet Town. I know you looked up to Red, and wanted to follow in his footsteps. I should have-" Liv wrapped her arms around her mom.

"Thank you, mom," she said, her grin threatening to split her face. "I'll make you proud, I promise. I'll send home money, postcards, souvenirs, everything!" The two held their embrace for a moment, before Liv finally broke away. "This is really happening, isn't it?"

"Yes, dear," she said with a sad smile. She then formed a faux expression of seriousness. "Now, don't come home until you have all eight badges, alright?"

Liv nodded, and saluted her mother, playing along with the charade, but couldn't help but laugh. The two shared a laugh as the tension of the room seemed to erode. "I love you, mom. I'll make you proud."

"You've said that already, sweetie."

"I know, but I don't know what else to say," she admitted. Composing herself, she called Claret over, who found her spot on Liv's head. "Alright… I'm off."

A few weeks later

Liv pulled another thorny branch off of her and groaned in pain. She was not proud of how many times she had been caught flat-footed by grass and bug-type Pokémon, nor how she still struggled to deal with them. Her Vulpix had attempted to defend her the first few times, but when the first Weepingbell didn't run away at her small embers, she grew frightened of battling.

"I guess you were a big fish in a small pond, huh, Claret?" Liv asked, holding her friend with both arms. "It's okay, you'll get stronger in no time, alright? We just have to keep at it."

Claret let out a negative whine, and a whimper.

"I know it's hard, but if we don't, how are we going to get to the Elite Four?" she asked as the two continued on through Route 30. She was heading towards Violet City, but now she wondered if she should have gone towards New Bark Town. It was a way to get to Kanto, but from what she learned in her research, there were no boats ferrying people back and forth. Her only choice was Azalea Town, but that didn't mean should couldn't attempt to get a few Johto Gym badges as a test run… although looking at how little her partner enjoyed fighting, she started to have doubts. Perhaps, becoming a Pokémon master like her idol wasn't as easy as she had theorized.

"Arrrrr-bokkk!" hissed a Pokémon from behind. Liv immediately jumped to the left as a massive Arbok poised itself to strike again. It showed its belly at her, revealing the threatening markings.

"Oh shit!" she shouted. She quickly took out her Pokédex to check the species, and was distraught to find it to be level 25. Looking back to her partner, who was still sitting at level 6, she picked up Claret and ran off. She could only hope that the Arbok was territorial and no longer saw her as a threat, but was too afraid of looking back to confirm.

Once she felt as if her lungs would burst, she took a break and turned to see nobody chasing her. Claret looked up to her with concern then away ashamed. It purred at her, as if apologizing.

"No, no, no, it's okay!" she assured, "this isn't your fault, don't you think that for a second!" Liv picked up Claret and began to nuzzle her. "You're perfect, okay? We both have a lot of work to do, but this is a learning experience. We can't take any moment out here for granted, especially the losses."

The Vulpix seemed to feel a bit better, and nuzzled her head into Liv's chest. Liv hugged the little fox, and proceeded to head towards Violet city. It didn't help that she didn't want to face the PokéMart owner back home, so she didn't have any Pokeballs, other than Claret's. Liv noticed that the sky was beginning to get dark, and decided she should set up camp before it became impossible to see. She found a clearing not too far, dropped her backpack and took out the tent she has had for nearly 7 years now. She had gotten it the year before she was allowed to go, in fear that she would forget if she didn't get it early. Unfortunately, as she was mid-way through setting it up, she realized something.

It was rather small. If she was a few years younger, it'd be fine, but now, she would only be able to sleep in it if she rolled up in a fetal position. "You can get a new one, Liv… just bear with it," she said to herself. Once she finished, she saw that Claret had picked up some dead leaves and branches.

"Aw, Claret, thank you!" she said, picking up the kindling. She dug a hole, according to the pamphlet, and made a circle of rocks. As she formed the pile in the center, she looked in her back for her flint. "I know I packed it somewhere…" she mumbled, taking more and more out trying to find her fire starter.

"Vuuul" said Claret, spitting some small flames on the kindle. Liv held her small tin in her hand and stared at the fire already beginning to grow. She took out a box of sandwiches her mother had packed, sharing one with Claret.

"Not a word to anybody, got it?" she bribed playfully. The Vulpix laughed and hopped into her arms. Liv placed the Pokémon in her tent and took out a can of Repel and began to spray around her camp. She refused to make any more rookie mistakes, but she realized how little she really knew about living in the wild. "One day at a time, huh Claret?"

She zipped up her tent and settled into her sleeping bag. Unfortunately, she found it difficult to sleep, as she could hear nocturnal Pokémon starting to awaken. Hopefully the Repels she had been saving didn't expire or something. She could hear the flapping of wings, the skittering of tiny legs, the chirping of insects and more. It became a cacophony of sounds she was not used to, but after a few minutes, she found it to be strangely soothing. Before she knew it, she fell asleep.

Liv awoke to the sounds of rustling. She looked around and realized her first day out was not a dream, and nearly jumped for joy, until the noise became louder. She looked around her tent and noticed that her tent door was unzipped and the worst came to mind. "Am I being robbed?!" she whispered. Instead of panicking, she grew angry, and jumped out of her tent, Claret following closely behind. "Who the FUCK is raiding my tent?!"

The rustling stopped and she noticed a purple monkey looking at her with wide eyes. It seemed to be frozen in fear at her reaction. The small Vulpix got ready to attack, but orders never came. She looked up to her trainer, to see Liv stomp over to the small monkey, and grab her cast iron frying pan and strike it upside the head.

"You thieving little shit! You think this is okay, you motherfucker!" she cursed, striking the Aipom over and over, earning shrieks of pain. "This is MY stuff, you fucking bum!" She ended up kicking the Pokémon outside her campsite. "If I EVER see you again, you better come with an apology, you purple bitch!"

"Pix?" Claret chirped, confused.

Liv looked down at her partner and laughed nervously. "Sorry, girl, I'm not a morning person, you know that… and the bastard had it coming."

"Vuuul"

"Right… you're the Pokémon, you'll do the battling…" she admitted. "Want me to bring him back so you can get some practice on it? No? Okay…"

Liv started packing her things, more than necessary thanks to the mischievous monkey, but found nothing was missing. Still feeling justified, she proceeded on her way north. Along the way, she ran into several Weedle and Caterpie, opponents Claret knew very well, which offered an excellent chance for her to train.

"Alright, Claret, use Ember on that yellow worm!" Liv called out. Claret didn't hesitate and unleashed a few puffs of fire that peppered the Weedle. The Weedle didn't run off, which was a surprise, and shot a stream of silk at the Vulpix.

"Vuuuulpix," she cried, feeling slower. The Weedle stalked over to it, purple poison dripping from its horn.

"Whoa, hey, you, stop that!" she shouted at the Weedle. "Don't use poison, you cheap bastard! I don't have any antidotes! Claret, get out of there!"

Claret struggled and managed to break free just in time to avoid the attack. After another ember, the Weedle fell unconscious. The small fox began panting, unaccustomed to so much activity. Liv cheered her on, and reached down to pick up her partner, but she jumped away.

"What's wrong, Claret?" she asked. "You won! Come on!"

"Vulpix…" she said, as she began to walk back and forth.

"You want to walk? Oh, of course! If that's what you want, by all means! If you get tired, just say the word, alright! Gosh, I'm so proud of you, girl!" Claret enjoyed the praise, and walked beside her trainer. "We got this, Claret, we just have to find our stride. First battle won, countless more to go!"

The duo continued on their way, running into a few more manageable opponents, and quite a few they had to run from, but Liv and Claret were becoming more and more in sync with each other. Although Claret's level had not risen, she now had a little battle experience that allowed her to react faster than before. The day was half over, and the two were starting to feel much more confident in their abilities, at least when it came to the local bug life.

"Hey, you!" a young boy shouted out. "You want to battle!?"

Liv looked over to the young boy in a blue cap. He seemed overly eager and was likely no older than 10. "You want to battle me?"

"Heck yes!" he said, taking out a Pokéball. "My Rattata is super strong! My big brother's Rattata is like, the strongest Rattata, but mine is going to be stronger!"

Liv crossed her arms for a moment, and looked over to her Vulpix. Claret was in good shape all things considering, and this kid is likely on his first adventure just like her. She didn't need to tell him that this was her second day. "Alright, sure kid, but don't get mad if I have to take it easy on you, alright?"

"Awesome!" he exclaimed. "Go, Rattata!"

"Come'on Claret," Liv ordered. The Vulpix took her stance before the opponent. Liv took her Pokédex to inspect the opponent's Pokémon. "Level 7? Oh shit… Claret, don't underestimate the rodent."

"Vuuul," confirmed Claret.

"Rattata, use Quick Attack!" called out the boy.

Liv was surprised at how quickly the little purple rat moved, and was alarmed when it landed a decent strike on her partner. "It's okay, Claret, you got this. Surround yourself with Ember!"

"W-what?" the boy questioned, never seen a move like that. "Wait, what's that mean?"

Claret began to spew small fires around herself, creating a ring of fire around her. The opponent Rattata continued with its quick attack but was forced to pass through the fire, singing its fur. Claret was better able to dodge the attacks, seeing the flames flicker before the Rattata came too close.

"Hey, that's cheating!" the boy declared.

"Don't be a sore loser, kid," Liv said, rolling her eyes, hiding the fact that she was flying by the seat of her pants. She had hoped the fire would have deterred the rat from attacking so carelessly, but the opposing trainer didn't seem to care about the wellbeing of his partner. Hell, he didn't even name his Pokémon. "Claret, ready your Disable."

The Vulpix narrowed her eyes, watching the flames carefully. As soon as the rat broke through the flames, she unleashed her ability, causing the rat to slow down considerably.

"Ember!" Liv shouted. Her partner unleashed another burst of flames to the purple rat who was already smoking a bit from the passes through the ring of fire. To the surprise of both Liv and Claret, the singed fur on the Ratatta made it easier for the embers to light the rat, scoring a critical hit.

"Ratatta!" the boy cried. He returned his Pokémon to its ball, and groaned. "Dang it! You're a really strong trainer, lady."

"Don't feel bad, kid, I'm going to be the next Elite Four champion. Now give me my money," she demanded. The boy huffed, but complied. He took out a few crumpled bills from his pocket and gave them to Liv. She raised an eyebrow and counted it. " 60 Pokédollars? What the hell is this? Is this it? I can't even buy a fucking soda pop with this shit!"

"It's all I have!" the boy claimed. Liv knelt down to meet his eye level.

"What's your name, brat?" she demanded.

"Jon…" he replied.

Liv took a deep breath and released it. "The next time you challenge me, or anybody for that matter, don't you FUCKING DARE have nothing but pocket change, got it? Not only was this not worth the damn trouble, I could have spent this time better getting to Violet City than kicking your rat's teeth in. 60 Pokédollars… I can't believe the nerve of you…"

She stood up annoyed, Claret following closely behind. She huffed for a while, but then began to wonder what she would have done if she was six years younger. Would she have been content enough with the win that the money would have been the cherry on top? Or did that kid really rip her off by wasting her time? Surely he didn't think he was going to lose, being ten or eleven and all, but 60 Pokédollars? Disgusting.

"You don't think I was too harsh on the brat, do you?" she asked Claret. The Vulpix chirped negatively, followed by a happy sound. "You really think so? Well, still, I'm proud of you! You beat that rodent who was a whole level ahead of you. Look at you go!"

The Vulpix puffed her chest out and smiled up at her trainer. The two continued their celebratory walk for a few minutes, battling a few more bug types along the way. Claret gained more and more confidence as she defeated more and more opponents, and Liv was glad to see her improve the efficiency of her Ember. The two had also practiced their Ring of Fire, surprised to see that it wasn't such a terrible idea, but quickly stopped when they nearly set the forest on fire. Luckily, Liv was quick thinking enough to stomp the first before it got out of control.

"Let's… not do that around flammable… things anymore," Liv said, catching her breath. "It was a good idea, but let's try to come up with something a bit more… controlled." Claret hummed in agreement, and hopped back onto Liv's shoulder, and nestled on top of her head. "You tired? Well, you've earned a break, you just let me do the walking, alright?"

Liv wandered around a bit more cautiously, not wanting to interrupt her partner's nap. She was still not used to hiking so much, but found the experience liberating. She didn't hate living at home in Cherrygrove with her mother, but she so desperately wanted to do something with her life. She loved Pokémon, but she only had experience with the local bugs and bird species, with the occasional rodent or water type. That's what made Claret special.

When Liv found Claret, she was being harassed by a couple of Poliwags who playfully shot bubbles at her, likely unaware of her typing. She nearly didn't make it because of it. Her mother helped Liv nurse her back to health, but Liv was the one by her side every moment until she woke up.

Claret was scared at first, of course, but was too weak to run off, which allowed Liv to gain her trust. It didn't take much, now that she recalled. All she did was offer her food and light pets when she ate. Claret was naturally cautious, given how she had reacted to her second encounter with other wild Pokémon. Liv had even offered the young fox to go kick the Poliwags' ass in retaliation, but the Vulpix was against the idea.

Liv looked up to see Claret's bangs poking over her own hair and her smile grew wider. The adventure was off to a rough start, but having her best friend by her side ensured Liv that everything would work out in the end. She continued her trek to Violet City when she finally came across a sign indicating she was getting close; only a few short miles away. She nearly jumped for joy, but refrained to allow Claret to continue resting. Picking up the pace, she rushed forward, only to trip by something striking her feet as she ran.

Liv's first instincts were to grab Claret and shield her from the fall, which resulted in her hitting her lip on a jagged rock.

"Ow, fuck!" she cursed. "Claret, are you okay?"

The Vulpix made an affirmative sound, before turning to the threat. Liv soon followed her partner's gaze, only to see what was possibly the worst potential typing matchup.

A lone Geodude with a few rocks in its hands threw them at the duo. It roared at them, grabbing another pair of rocks.

"Goddamn it," Liv cursed, getting to her feet. "We can't fight that thing, Claret, let's go!"

The Geodude crushed the rocks in its hands and began to scrub its body, causing it to shine a bit, before rushing towards the pair. Liv was surprised at the sudden increase of speed, before realizing it had just used Rock Polish, followed by a Rollout.

"NO!" shouted Liv as the Geodude nearly hit her partner. "Claret, get out of there, come on!"

The Vulpix cried out in affirmation, but the Geodude rolled between the two again, blocking off the Vulpix from escaping towards her trainer. Not moving from its advantageous position, it once again plunged its hands into the ground and pulled out more rocks, throwing them as Claret in rapid succession. The fox was nimble, but the continuous assault began to wear down her stamina.

Liv panicked, unsure what to do. Her partner was in a dangerous situation, but she had no answers. Before she could come up with something, the Geodue landed a devastating hit with its Rock Throw. It only took one, before Vulpix fell unconscious.

"You fucking bastard!" Liv shouted, running towards the wild Pokémon. The Geodude once again began to pull rocks out of the ground and throw them, but Liv took out her cast iron pan and batted them away. Unfortunately, the short stature of the wild Pokémon caused a few of the rocks to hit her in the shins and knees. Refusing to let the pain stop her from reaching her friend, she slammed her frying pan onto the top of the Geodude's head, causing it to grunt in pain. To Liv's horror, the small rock-type grabbed her ankle and threw her effortlessly into a nearby tree.

"Fuck," she said under her breath, having the wind knocked out of her. She wobbled to her feet, and did her best to run towards her friend, but could only hobble slightly. "You little shit, I'll fucking KILL you!"

Raising her frying pan again to protect herself from any more projectiles, she approached more cautiously. The Geodude seemed more weary, the frying pan having done a decent amount of damage. Liv eventually got close enough to her partner, she attempted to pick her up, keeping her gaze on the opponent the entire time, but as soon as she did, it used Roll Out again. Liv picked up her friend immediately, not willing to risk further injury, but the Geodude launched itself up, hitting Liv in her midsection.

She naturally curled inwardly, dropping her friend. Angry beyond belief, she dug her fingers as hard into the Geodude and walked over to a large rock. The Geodude flailed, trying to break free, but Liv refused. As she approached, she lifted the wild Pokémon over her head, and slammed it down on the boulder over and over. Eventually, she stopped hearing the Pokémon grunt, and tossed the fainted Pokémon aside.

Battered and bruised, she limped over to her friend, and scooped her up. "C-come on… let's get… let's get you to a…" she panted. "Pokémon Center…" Cradling the Vulpix, she gathered her things and headed towards Violet City.

Author's Note

Hello everybody! I had this idea I wanted to explore for a while, and I've decided to finally write it. Let me know what you think, and if you have any criticisms or advice on how to improve, please let me know that too!

With Love,
~Liz