Here we go, the start of another epic adventure! Drop a review, make a writer happy, and get the next chapter faster.
"Hmph! You're not too shabby for a beginner."
Fifteen year old Mayalla grinned from ear to ear at her newfound friend's praise, her jade eyes sparkling. The seventeen year old boy was the son of Professor Birch, a well known Pokémon Professor in her new home region of Hoenn. He was also her neighbor, and her first opponent in a real Pokémon match.
She called back her Mudkip, a Pokémon given to her by Professor Birch after she teamed up with the small creature to help fight off some extremely angered Zigzagoon. When one had a Pokémon companion with them, pests like Zigzagoon were nothing to worry about. However, when one left their bag with their Pokémon lying 15 feet away…
Well, the professor was lucky that the strawberry blonde came running towards the cries when she did.
After having shown an obvious talent running deep in her blood – no doubt something instilled in her by her father, the Petalburg Gym Leader Norman – the professor allowed her to keep the small blue Pokémon, on the basis that she go find his son and let him give her a real fighting experience.
She'd found the boy on Route 103, taking notes of the Pokémon that were native to the area, and looking for any more that might have migrated there, though he was more than eager to drop it for a Pokémon match. It had been a close match between her Mudkip and his Treecko, but with one well-timed dodge and a harsh pound, she had managed to pull out a win, much to the older boy's chagrin.
Despite the shame he felt that a newbie trainer – who was a girl – had defeated him, Kyle Birch held out her prize money for the match.
"Oh, no, I can't accept your money," Mayalla shook her hands, taking a step back.
The older boy laughed and pushed it towards her. "It's customary, Maya. When a trainer is defeated, he or she has to pay up."
She sighed and accepted the money. "I thought I told you not to call me that. My name is Mayalla. Not Malla, not Maya, not any variations."
He chuckled. "It's just a little nickname. What's so wrong with it?"
"It's not my name!"
The two continued to bicker back and forth all the way back to Littleroot Town. Ever since she'd gone and introduce herself to him a week before, when she'd just moved in, he'd been twisting her name around into all sorts of different nicknames. He seemed dead-set to call her anything but what everyone else called her, which annoyed the young girl to no end.
They found the professor working at one of the many machines in his lab. He stood up and dusted himself off when his son called for him.
"Welcome back, kiddos! How did it go?"
"Well…" Kyle started, but was cut short by eager Mayalla.
"I actually won! Me and Mudkip make an awesome team!" she jumped forward, clasping her hands in front of her and smiling big.
The professor laughed heartily. "Glad to hear it! This boy needs a good beating every once in a while to keep him in shape," he smacked his son's back, while the boy turned more and more red with every word spoken.
"Anyways…I've always been taught that first impressions are important. And you have made a fantastic first impression on my son and me! You're already showing potential to become a great trainer. It's very obvious who your father is!"
Now it was Mayalla's turn to blush. "You're too kind, Professor Birch," she smiled.
"That is why I would like to ask a favor of you. I study Pokémon, obviously. My son and I both have been trying to collect data of all the Pokémon in the Hoenn region. There are always many new Pokémon to be discovered!"
He turned and walked over to a box lying next to a shelf and withdrew a small, red digital device. "I would like to ask you to work with us to gather data on Pokémon. It would be much appreciated and very helpful to my research! This Pokédex is brand new, and currently has absolutely no data. I have to keep several on hand because…well, you know teenage boys."
"Dad…I've only broken two and lost one!" he growled indignantly.
Mayalla withheld a chuckle and accepted the device. Flipping it open, she realized there was already an entry: Mudkip.
"Any known data is already added when you scan a Pokémon, even if it's one you just meet in battle. However, my work is never complete. You'll probably notice, as you go on, there are several holes in the data. It's up to you to fill those in for me!"
A large smile began to creep across the young girl's face. "Wow…this is…amazing!" She looked up and closed the device. "Thank you…I promise not to let you down! Where would you like me to start?"
"My son and I have already spent a lot of time studying the Pokémon that live on Routes 101 and 103. What we're really in need of is someone who can go beyond those routes – into the greater Hoenn region. I assume that, because your father is the Petalburg gym leader, you could at least go that far to study for me!"
An adventure to the greater parts of Hoenn? Her smile could only grow bigger.
"That's not all that you'll need, though," Kyle stated, withdrawing five capsules from his pocket. "Here. Take these as somewhat of a 'newbie care package,' a gift for you. You'll need these to start catching Pokémon, which will help us all in studying them."
"This is…so cool!"
The professor beamed down at her. "Now, I suppose you should run and talk to your folks before you get too far ahead of yourself. After all, I'm sure they'd like to know your whereabouts."
Mayalla thought of how protective her mother could be. "I probably should. Maybe you could put in a good or two to my dad, as well?"
"I'll see what I can do. I'm certain Norman would be more than happy to hear that his daughter was eager to become a trainer just like him."
"Anyways, it's getting close to dinner time," Mayalla stated, glancing at the clock. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kyle."
The older boy nodded. "I'll be eager to hear what your parents have to say about you helping us in our research, so I expect to see you bright and early, soldier!"
She humored him by turning on her heels and saluting him as she walked out the door. "Sir, yes sir!"
X-X-X
She couldn't help it, her fork clattered to the table the moment her mother finished speaking. "Y-you're kidding, right?" Mayalla's mouth dropped open.
"No, I'm not," her mother responded in a dead-pan tone. "You're not running around an unfamiliar region. Who knows what kind of terrible things you could run into?"
"But didn't you hear me?" she could hardly stay in her seat. "Professor Birch asked me to do this! Do you really think that he would send his friend's daughter out into danger?"
"He assumes that you are just like your father, but you're not. You're a beginning trainer, Mayalla. You hardly know a thing about Pokémon! You've never shown an interest when your father tried to talk to you about it!" She took a seat across from her daughter at the dining table. Norman had yet to come home to join them for dinner, as the gym often kept him late.
"That's because he never let me experience a battle for myself. Mom…I really want to do this. I really want to try to become a trainer."
"Just last week you were convinced you were going to be a politician," her mother responded in a condescending tone. "And a few months before that, a doctor. A few months before that, a businesswoman. You never make up your mind. You're always changing your plans. How do you know you'll want to stick with this?"
"Because right now, I have a chance to actually make this happen. No more 'preparing' for the career," she put air quotes around the word. "I have the chance to actually put my plans into action. Besides, Dad started out as a trainer, and look what he's accomplished now!"
"Your father was a young man and capable of fighting off an attacker," her mother countered.
"That's a load of junk, Mom, and you know it. Dad was a nerd who couldn't fight away a leaf. Remember? That's why he chose Slakoth as his first Pokémon – it was so average and lazy that it made him feel a lot better about himself."
"But you'll be out in an unfamiliar place on your own, sweetheart," her mother chose to ignore Mayalla. "And what if you get attacked? Do you honestly think that a bunch of thugs will wait for you to call out your Pokémon? Not everyone plays by the rules, Mayalla. I'm just trying to look out for your safety…"
Her tone grated on the young girl's nerves. "Well, don't. I can take care of myself, thanks," she threw down her napkin and stormed up to her room, ignoring her mother's calls for her to come back and be respectful.
I'll be respectful when you realize I'm not a little girl anymore.
She slammed her bedroom door and locked it, throwing herself onto her bed. It wasn't fair. It wasn't like she was running off to join a gang, or do something unheard of! There were plenty of children younger than her who took up their Pokéballs and set out to become trainers. Back in Kanto, Professor Oak would hand out Pokémon and Pokédexes to anyone who was at least ten years old. It was customary, especially in Pallet Town, for ten year olds to take on the trainer's life. Mayalla, living in Cerulean, had decided against doing the same, since at the time she was convinced she would become a nurse.
Now, she was regretting her decision. Her dad had been willing to take her all the way to Pallet to get a Pokémon, but she'd turned him down. After all, they were still having that Rocket crisis, as well…that was hardly safe.
She'd yet to hear of anything like the Rocket Organization in Hoenn. So far, it seemed like Hoenn was much safer than Kanto.
And yet, her mother wasn't willing to let her go on a journey that could ultimately lead to her new career, something she could really enjoy.
Mayalla glanced out the window. It was starting to get dark, and she was already exhausted from the stress. It wasn't too unusual for her to be in bed before 8. She enjoyed her sleep, after all.
She began to prepare for bed and soon had her lights out. Suddenly remembering her new companion, she called forth her Mudkip. The little blue Pokémon greeted her happily, wagging its little back fin.
"Hey little buddy. Wanna sleep in my bed with me?" She pulled back the covers and patted the mattress next to her.
"Mud!" the Pokémon happily obliged, curling into a little ball against the curve of her stomach.
She giggled quietly. "Good night, little buddy."