Chapter 5: Departure

At first, Kamryn had tried to argue when I told her that we would be leaving on our Pokémon journey, but in the end she merely shrugged and said, "It's your life." After that, she didn't say much for the remainder of my stay in Pallet. I had a funny feeling that she wasn't mad at me, even though I couldn't think of any other reason for her to clam up.

We spent the next day preparing for our trip and visiting Tracey and Amber. Unfortunately, it didn't look like they were going to wake up any time soon, which meant that they would not be able to see us off the following morning. I felt a little guilty about leaving them in such a state, but there wasn't anything I could do for them except take up space. The world outside was waiting for us, and I wasn't about to sit around and twiddle my thumbs.

The following morning brought us to the little hill in the road that connected Pallet Town to the city of Viridian. The sun was rising over the peaks of the mountains when I arrived there with Kamryn, its rays spreading light and warmth over the face of the earth. Professor Oak and Riley were already waiting for us at our destination.

"Well someone made it here on time," Riley grumbled. He was wearing a green, plaid shirt with a plain, black T-shirt underneath it. With that went his favorite pair of blue jeans and new sneakers. I could also see the cord of his axe hanging around his neck. "Where's Lance?"

"Probably oversleeping," I said, the corners of my mouth twitching in amusement. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"He'd better be," Riley muttered, adding other inaudible words to his threat. In my mind, I began to urge Lance to hurry up, because it looked like Riley had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

"It's still pretty early—I'm sure being a few minutes late wouldn't hurt," Oak chimed in. I glanced over at the old man, wondering if he had forgotten just how easy it was to get on Riley's nerves when he was agitated. Maybe when he said he was getting too old for things, he actually meant it. Fortunately, Riley didn't seem to have heard his comment.

A few minutes passed as the four of us waited for Lance to show up. I rolled my stiff shoulders and fingered Hisa's Poké Ball impatiently, eager to be on our way. I was wearing a new white hoodie over a cerulean T-shirt and jeans, under which the miniature sword hanging around my neck was concealed. I didn't want to have to answer any questions about it, so it was better to keep it hidden.

"Hey guys!"

We all turned in the direction of the voice, soon spotting Lance's form approaching us in the distance, his hand waving in greeting.

"Lance, you idiot!" Riley yelled. "What took you so long?"

"Calm down man…at least he showed up."

It took another few minutes for Lance to reach us, time by which Riley had calmed down to his usual self. We greeted each other with high-fives before Professor Oak cleared his throat and brought out a small wooden chest that he had been carrying under his arm.

"What's that?" Lance inquired, pointing. The professor unlatched the top of the chest in reply, exposing three Poké Balls nestled in black velvet. My friends and I stared at the spheres incomprehensively.

"You remember that I had a surprise for the three of you on the day that…incident occurred, don't you?" he asked, as though that would answer our question. "Well, this is it."

The three of us continued to stare, not knowing how to react.

"Professor," Riley began, the first among us to stir, "we can't just accept something like this. We wouldn't be able to repay you." Lance and I nodded in agreement—we would've felt bad if we just took free Pokémon without earning them.

The professor let out a sigh, but a grin spread across his face.

"I should've known you'd say that." He proffered the box, a twinkle lighting his eye. "If you won't take them as a gift, then consider this as a request."

I frowned, puzzled.

"Why a request?"

"The Pokémon inside these Poké Balls have led harsh lives until they came into my care. They're not very trustful of humans, and the fact that they were made unique outcasts them from other Pokémon."

Made unique? I echoed. He made it sound as though someone had manufactured them.

"I would like you three," he went on," to give them a brighter future so that they won't have to live knowing only what they've been through."

A pause followed Oak's words as we each considered the idea from a new perspective. Riley, again, was the first to respond:

"Well…if you put it that way…"

Each of us reached for a Poké Ball simultaneously. I grabbed the one that was closest to me, feeling the cold metal orb slide into my hand. Suddenly I was aware of all the responsibility that lay behind the task of raising the Pokémon inside.

"We won't disappoint you," I promised, attaching the Poké Ball to my belt. I felt excited about the fact that I finally had more than one Pokémon on my team.

"I'm sure you'll all do fine. Now, let's send you guys off before the day grows older, shall we?"

I glanced up at the sky, which was beginning to turn pale yellow. Soon it would become its usual shade of blue.

"Yeah, come on guys!" Lance called, taking off down the road. "Let's go!"

"I'm surprised he's getting a head start for someone who's always late," Riley grunted. "Wait up!" With that, he darted down the path after Lance. I turned and faced Kamryn, who had been standing by us silently.

"Well, see you when we get back."

For a moment, she didn't answer, and I was afraid of the possibility that Kamryn actually might be mad at me. But then she stirred, and managed a small smile.

"Alright then, Swift. Go out there and have fun."

I nodded, returning the grin. Perhaps she wasn't mad at all. Without looking back, I ran down the road after my friends. After all, our dreams lay at the other end.

They watched as Swift, Lance and Riley disappeared over the next hill. By the time they had done so, the sun already hauled itself over the horizon.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Professor Oak asked, a concerned look planted on his aging face.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Kamryn challenged. "Of course I'm sure." A silence passed between them as they continued to look out over the landscape, and Kamryn's eyebrows furrowed. Maybe she wasn't so sure after all. "Well, it doesn't matter at this point—Swift is better off making her own decisions and being out in the world than being stuck in here…or in Almia."

The professor sighed, and suddenly he was beginning to look very old indeed.

"Perhaps….but are you sure they'll approve of this? It might not necessarily be safe."

"Safe? Nothing's safe these days." Kamryn turned and began walking back into town. "Besides, they were the ones who begged me to help."