Disclaimer: This story, the characters -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.
However as to not be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed).

Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.

The Send-Off

BER-BER-BER-BER!

My Exploud alarm blared to life in my small room of the two story house that stands on the outskirts of Castelia City. My body jerked awake at the eruption of noise as I let out a groan. I glared at the alarm clock proudly showing 6:30 AM and slammed my hand on the Exploud's "off" button situated between the two 'ears'. Once my good deed was done, I dropped my head back on the pillow, wishing to go back to the dreamland I have been so harshly expelled from.

Suddenly I jolted back awake and on a sitting position. Through the fog of my still half asleep brain had come the explanation of why I had set my alarm clock so early. Excited, I pulled my blanket away and got off bed. It would seem strange to many on wanting to fling off warm sheets from a cozy position in a comfortable bed. I have dealt with it too, more than once. But today was a different story. Today was 'the day'!

It's the day I was finally leaving on my own journey! And when I said 'finally', I do meant it. I should have done it six years ago, as 11 is the minimal age required for a child to get their first Pokemon and go travel around the region. I was flippin' 17 now and all I had was my Snivy I got from Professor Juniper. All that was thanks to my dad.

I remembered it rather well. The day after my 11th birthday, my old man told me that he wasn't going to let me go travel alone until I was at least 16 years of age. And mother agreed with it. No matter how much I pleaded, their answer – mostly daddy's though – was still no. So I had to see my friends and school mates go on their journey when I had to remain in school and study dry theories about Pokemon catching, Pokemon training and Pokemon raising.

Now, looking back, I had to admit he had rather good reasons: life on the road can be dangerous, even with a Pokemon, and could be expansive. I didn't have a job back then for obvious age reason, I only had my allowance. Then, even though I stayed home under his watchful eyes, dad still managed to fullfill my want for adventures, taking me on trips in the area, giving me tips to train Gaia – the name I gave my Snivy – and even letting us battle him and Inferno, his Emboar he had kept from his day as a trainer. We didn't win often, but we learned.

Though the best was when he introduced me to his motorcycle gang for my 14th birthday. I knew he used to be part of one when he was younger, with my mother, but I didn't think it was still going on today. And yet it was. He taught me how to ride his bike, first on deserted road, at a low speed, and when I learnt the basic and got my licence, he let me ride it whenever I wanted. Or rather, whenever I had behaved well enough to be allowed to. This lasted until I found a part-time job as a mechanic and bought one for myself. I laughed, recalling dad's face when he saw me proudly driving back home, riding Ferocity. Which I was bringing to Alola, of course.

Eager to get going, I rushed to my dresser and snatched my clothes. Most of them are dark colored, with hint of green of every shades. It was rather obvious it was my favorite color, and mom was always delighted to say that they had chosen my name well. I took a light green shirt, black shorts and clean underwear then went to the bathroom. Along the way, I knelt to wake up those two little rascals of mine. Both had their own beds: brown woven baskets filled with a red cushion for my Snivy, and a white one for Marie, the small Tympole I had adopted a while back. The two little Pokemon stirred and yawned.

"Wake up sleepy head. Today is a big day, remember?" I said with a laugh in my voice.

I took a very quick and very warm shower to finish waking up and got changed. All the while, I could head noise coming from my bedroom. I couldn't be certain what they were doing, but I had a very good idea that they should be chasing each other again… I sighed and took my hairbrush to try and tame my long midnight black hair. I have never cut them since I was old enough to take the decision. When this was done, I placed the hairbrush back down and quietly proceeded to open the door. As expected, my two Pokemon were running after each other, not caring at all that they could be disrupting things or pushing them out of their place.

"BOO!" I yelled as I violently opened the door which crashed against the wall. Gaia and Mary stopped in their track and Marie leaped in the air out of fear, which made me laugh. I laughed and opened my arms for them to hug me. If Marie bounced in my direction, Gaia took some more seconds to glare at me to show her discontentment.

"Com'on Gaia, it was fun." I said with a wink as she finally agreed to join the hug though she began to pat my cheeks with her tail leaf to annoy me, as a pay back for the scare I had given her.

"Alright, that's enough." I giggled after some seconds of it. I placed them on my unmade bed and put my hands on my hips. "So, are you ready for our journey?" I asked them. "You better be!" I cheered.

"You better be as well!" A deep voice from behind me interrupted me in my motivational speech, making my heart miss a beat.

"Dad! You scared me!" I yelled at him, turning to face him and his pleased face.

"Oh, I did?" he said, deceitfully guilty looking. He went into my room and gave a long look at the bag that I had placed on my beanbag chair the evening before.

"It seems you're all packed up." he said. "Are you sure you have everything you will need?"

"Dad… Of COURSE!" I couldn't help but exclaim after having rolled my eyes. "I did it with mom, and she had double checked it three times already."

"I know… Today is your journey. You need to be prepared."

"I am prepared." I said softly, putting Gaia and Marie back on my bed. "Dad, don't."

"Don't what?" he asked me, with obvious concern in his voice. It always pained me to see him so worried, but I shook my head. I wasn't going to let him have me stay.

"Don't get upset, you buffoon!" I completed. "You knew this was going to happen. And I have to thank you for letting me go." I added.

He nodded as he ran his hands through his thick black hair. "I know. It's just..."

"It's hard for you to let me go." I finished. "I have heard that a lot these past few days."

"Yeah… Well… did you have to choose such a faraway place to have your Pokemon journey? Why not here?"

I starred at my father and couldn't help but emit a small laugh. "That's too late for that now, dad. If you wanted me to go through Unova, you should have left me go years ago." From the look in his jade colored eyes, I can see that I have hurt him. But I wasn't going to take these words back, for they were the truth. I was 17 now, I could decide in which region I wanted to go on a journey. And I chose the most exotic one there was: Alola!

"I understand," he finally said, handing me my backpack and the thin black leather jacket I had put on it. It was my favorite jacket, the gang had given it to me for my last birthday and it had fake jadeites sewn on the shoulders. Of course I was taking it along. It would remember me the friends I had here, even though I was in another part of the world. "Don't forget to call us and tell how it is going…"

"Pokemon Center are the safest place there is, don't I go into dangerous locations. And if anything go wrong, I'll always be welcomed back home." I said in unisson with him, which made both of us laugh.

"Alright, you know your lesson by heart!" daddy said, ruffling my hair. I quickly put his hand away.

"Dad! Do you even know how long it took to brush my hair?"

"No idea, but you have no time to lose with it anymore!" he retorted with a wink. "Come down, your mother's pancakes must be ready!"

And indeed, the sweet smell of cooked dough reached my nostrils and made my stomach growl. Not caring about my hair anymore, I rushed downstair to the kitchen where mom was placing a plate full of pancakes in front of 'my' place.

"Right in time!" she said with a smile as I sat down and started gulping down the tasty pastry.

"Not so fast!" she said, though I didn't listen to her as I was too busy eating. "Hello cuties," she added as dad arrived with Marie and Gaia in his arms. "You want to eat too, don't you? Here I have what you need." She took both my Pokemon and put them in front of their bowls which were filled with Pokemon food.

"Will you be alright caring for them on your own?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied shortly. "I have been taught how to take care of Pokemon at school, mom."

"I know. But doing it at home isn't the same as doing it in the wild."

"I will be fine!" I snapped, getting up. "I'll be brushing my teeth then I'll be on my way!" I told them as I went upstair. Once I was done brushing my teeth and re-brushing my hair, I placed both brushes and toothpaste into a small vanity-case that I managed to pack into my bag. I then went to the wardrobe and took my black boots which I quickly put on before going to my desk and opened a small jewelry box that mom had given me when she still hoped I'd be more "feminine". There was only one jewel inside, one of my favorite items to wear with my jacket: a white spiked dog collar with a real jadeite in the middle. Now I was ready!

Taking my bag, I was about to leave my room when I stopped, the door opened, and took one last look at the place I have slept for so many nights, spent so many days, making plans for when my journey would come, playing, training, learning… I didn't know when I'd see it again.

I frowned. Now wasn't the time to be nostalgic! I dashed out of my room and jumped onto the stair railings, almost missing it as I didn't take into account the weigh of my bag, but still slided down with extreme speed to the first floor where my boots clopped onto the tiled floor.

"About time you came!" A deep voice hollered out. I snapped around to find Chuck, a friend of the family, his arms crossed over his chest. Immediately after, I noticed his wife, Mary-Rose, Tyler, my best friend, and his grand father, Wolvis. All of them were in the living-room.

"You…. When did you arrive?" I stammers, happily and surprised at the same time. I didn't take that long, did I? I didn't hear them ringing the front bell.

"A few minutes ago," Tyler answered. "You didn't expect us not to come to give you a sendoff, did you?"

"I… Oh, guys, thank you for this," I hummed, walking to Tyler and to them. Chuck greeted me with a hard slap on the back, emptying my lungs.

"Aaaw, look at this, she's being all emotional..."

"I am not!" I countered.

"I am sure! Just as I am sure you'll be fine down there!"

"Actually… it's up there, Chuck. Alola is a bit up North." I fired back in a sneer, that he completely missed and busted out laughing, then proceeded to ruffle my hair with a clenched fist. "I am so gonna miss that spunk of yas! Make sure ya don' lose it when yer up there!"

"I don't think I can lose it, Uncle Chuck." I said, pushing his fat hand off my head, the same way I had done with my dad's. "And please, no ruffling my hair… Dad did it already." I said, glaring at him.

"Guilty as charged," he said with a smile.

"Oh, but can I?" Tyler asked, and, not waiting for my answer, or rather, command, to not do it, he ruffled my hair even harder.

"I am gonna miss doing that!" He said, laughing until I elbowed him on the chest, making him stumble back from the impact. I watched him with a smirk.

"And I am going to miss doing that!" I retorted. I could see he was going to say something, but he was interrupted by a 'clic'. Turning left, I turned to see my mother. And a camera. "Hey, you could have warned me..." I said.

"It wouldn't have felt genuine." she replied with a sad smile.

"Come on, we can have a last group photo before Jade leave," Dad said, and with everyone in the gang agreeing, I couldn't escape from this photo shoot.

"Enough of that," Mary-Rose said after what seemed to be the hundredth pictures. "It's time for Jade to leave. She won't disappear, and you have taken so many pictures of her..."

"Alright… We don't want her to be late," mom agreed with a sigh. "Besides, I bet you don't want your motorcycle to get dusty, do you?" she commented with a hum.

I grinned and hugged her. In return, mom clutched me hard, seemingly not wanting to let me go. She was just like dad, only more quiet about it.

"Mom, I will be fine," I whipered to her, and she eventually released me from her embrace, nodding and running her soft hand through my messed up hair.

"Be careful!"

"I will mom! And so do you!" I told them all, driving their undivided attention on me. Not waiting for them to say anything that would lengthen these already way too long good byes, I bolted out the door, Gaia and Marie in tow, and to the garage where my parents', as well as my own, motorcycle cruisers were parked. Or used to be as apparently dad had taken mine out and Ferocity was waiting for me in the drive way.

Snatching my black and green helmet, I dipped it on, climbed on to my bike and, with a rev of the engine, rolled out just as the gang was getting out of the house, smiling at me.

I waved at them. "Alright guys! We'll see you all later! Don't do anything stupid now!" I said with a thumb up, over the purring engine. Then I flicked my hand from the side of my head as a farewell and, with another loud rev, I sped off to make my way to Mistralton City and its airport to finally get my journey started.