I opened my eyelids and groaned a little when I saw that I still had an hour before my alarm went off. My roommate, Marie and her aipom, Lily, were still sleeping, their forms rising gently up and down. I found it slightly strange that the aipom slept in the same bed as Marie. My mom and dad had always told me and Paul to never let Larry inside the house, since he would wet the house. Not only that, but I never had the urge to spend time with Larry, and he always seemed content in his spot next to our pool.

Perhaps I woke up because of my excitement. Two weeks ago I had convinced my professors to let me register as a Pokémon Trainer, while keeping my status as a full-time university student. Sure, this meant much more work, but I received perks. For example, I wasn't going to starve to death in my adventure, since my university ID could be used in most restaurants, deducting money from my account. And since I was the winner of the Devon Scholarship For Future Innovators and the Mossdeep Space Center Math Stars Scholarship, I had some money leftover that I could only use through Oakwood's ID.

I still didn't have enough money to secure a safe means of transportation through Hoenn, but half the fun in a Pokémon Trainer's career lay in the adventure. Even the children of wealthy parents travelled through the routes, foregoing the train or cars or planes. The only time I would ever take a plane back to Rustboro was for when I needed to take a test in the university, but other than that I got the sweetest deal in the world.

Even though life seemed to have taken a liking to me, I couldn't help but feel guilty that I had lied to my parents about this. If they ever found out… Well, it's not like they could order me to come back, since I was financing my education by myself, but they were still my mom and dad, and they deserved to know this. But wouldn't it be selfish to worry them? They had Paul to worry about, and he was already quite the rambunctious character. Unforeseen rebelliousness from their oldest child would only add stress to their already weary minds.

Besides, it would be easy to fake my stay at the university. I detested video calls, so they wouldn't be surprised if I rejected their video conversations on my phone. Still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get an Pokégear or PokéNav, or at least a Pokétch. Normal cell phones weren't made for the harsh travel of a Pokémon Trainer, and signal wasn't very good in routes because the Trainer market wasn't worth all the installation. However, the Trainer market was still big, especially considering these devices saved lives, so they were developed intensely.

There was no use in trying to go back to sleep. Today I was officially registering as a Trainer and getting my training license. From now on, I would be held accountable to the League's rules and regulations. Stealing Pokémon, for example, was an offense that could easily revoke my license. Pokémon murder or death was also investigated by the League and civilian law. They were strict and ruthless, mostly because they had to make sure traveling was safe even for ten-year-olds. Champion Red and Champion Crystal's adventures, though held in wonder and admiration by every Trainer, were considered failures in the eyes of the League. Kids shouldn't be involved in the dealings of criminal organizations, after all.

I got out of bed and went to our bathroom, which would soon become Marie's. Perhaps the thing I would miss the most would be having a bathroom so close to my room. You couldn't really pick the moments when to have a nice shower, unless you happened to be close to a waterfall. Not only that, but if you were traveling with other fellow Trainers, which was recommended, bathing in a river could lead to certain awkard situations.

My mind had no qualms in traveling alone, but I had been recommended various times to try to befriend people on the road. Pokémon Trainers were no threat to other Pokémon Trainers, but, like always, there were bad people on the road who preyed on the weak and lonely.

As much as I hated to admit it, at the moment I was weak and if I traveled alone I would be lonely. Finding people to share the adventure would be a wise idea, at least until I get at least two badges. Then we could complete the Elite Four Challenge however we wanted.

I wrapped my towel around my body and went back to my room, searching for my clothes. I needed to look presentable today, at least for sake of the first impressions. I was having a background check to make sure I hadn't been involved in problems with civilian or League law before, and it would be a good idea if I didn't look like a ruffian.

Marie sighed deeply and murmured with her eyes closed, "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving," I replied softly, putting on my short-sleeved white shirt and navy shorts. "My appointment is at eight."

She mumbled, "Already?"

"I'll be back later. I just need my Trainer card."

Marie nodded and buried herself deeper into the covers. "Good luck," she slurred softly and went back to sleep. Lily shifted in the bed and moved to cuddle closer with Marie.

The hallways were already buzzing with conversation, even if it wasn't even eight. Most students usually started their classes around eleven, so it was a bit weird seeing so much action already. I went to the cafeteria, got my chocolate milk, and sat down in one of the empty tables. I was a bit queasy and didn't want to eat. I was a bit afraid of the future, since I had never lived on the road before. Sure, I had always envisioned having a journey and taking the Elite Four Challenge, but dreaming about something and actually doing it were two very different things.

I downed my milk in one go and quickly threw the carton in the nearest trash can. I didn't care I was very early, didn't care the Trainer Office might not even be open and I would have to wait outside. The faster I get to my journey the faster I would get through it. I didn't need my parents to tell me what I was doing was foolish; I told myself what I was doing was foolish. But becoming a Pokémon Trainer was that one thing I couldn't just give up, that one dream that I had to follow regardless of what my brain told me.

Maybe I was following my heart, but I knew my brain was berating me greatly. My dad would be so disappointed if he knew. My mom wouldn't speak to me for days. But those were the perks of being a college student; I could make my own decisions now.

I left my dorm and took the train to the Trainer's Registry, right next to Rustboro's Pokémon School for Children. That school had been the main reason why my parents had chosen to come to Hoenn when I was around eight. My dad wanted to send me on a Pokémon journey, but my mom feared for my safety, so we went to one of the only Pokémon Schools for Children in the regions, since the other nearest one was in Sinnoh, too far away for my mom's liking.

Unfortunately, my mom grew to hate Hoenn. She was from the temperate Kalos, and while she barely tolerated Richland, Hoenn was just absolutely unbearable. And in half a year we had moved back to Richland, with a lotad in tow.

The Trainer's Registry was an elongated, three-story building. The walls were a cream color, recently painted, and the windows were polished. A banner of a black figure holding a Poké Ball in the air. It was obvious that the Pokémon League maintained this place; anything by the League was beautiful. The amount of money they handled would make any businessman salivate. Holding a spot in the Pokémon League or the Pokémon Association was extremely coveted, because once you were in you were guaranteed to stay in as long as you wished. The only positions subject to change were the Elite Four members and the Champion, but since they held the most power it was understandable.

The automatic glass doors opened as soon as I stepped close by, the cool air hitting my face. The place was mostly empty, but there was already a small amount of children sitting with their parents in the chairs scattered in the room, waiting for their turn to be called. Luckily Oakwood had made the appointment for me, so my case was given a bit of a priority. My professors had wanted me to leave last week, but there was a test I wanted to finish before I left.

I checked with the machine close to the room and wrote my name and appointment number. I was given a ticket, P4532, and was asked to sit and wait for my turn. The moment my butt came in contact with the padded chair, a voice called met ticket number to window six, and I swiftly went there.

The man behind the glass was burly with a heavy mustache and balding hair, a frightening figure for a ten-year-old child. Then again, the League liked to hire intimidating people to give the children a sensation of foreboding. Pokémon were dangerous and weren't meant to be taken lightly, after all.

"Your ID?" he demanded, his dark eyes hard.

I handed him my Oakwood ID through one of the opening on the counter, trying to keep my shaking hand steady.

"Alice White, where is your residence?"

"Richland."

"Did you complete your test and have your results sent to our office?"

I nodded calmly, now gathering my thoughts. It had been a test designed for a child, but I still needed to complete the process like any other person.

The man turned to his computer and looked me up in his database. I had gotten a perfect score, of course, but when one of the questions was "What is ground immune to?" I knew it would be embarrassing if I missed one.

"Alice White from Richland, born June 18, 2007 in Camphrier, Kalos." He eyed me for approval, and I nodded again. "Seeing as you're not a little girl telling the world you're going to dethrone Wallace, I imagine I don't need to be stern with you, right?" I shook my head, and the man sighed and started typing something in his computer. The special printer on his desk started working, and I knew he was printing my Trainer's Card. "Even if I know you're not as stupid as the rest–" I resisted the urge to grimace or glare at him "–I'm still required by the law to tell you what this Trainer's Card allows you to do and give you advice on what to do in the following months.

"You're allowed to keep six Pokémon in their Poké Balls for official battles regulated by the Pokémon Association. As a Trainer without Badges, you're only allowed to have Normal, Bug, and Grass type Pokémon. This includes primary and secondary types. Earning more Badges will unlock more types. You must follow the Pokémon Association rules of battle, namely the Eye Contact rule. You must give up a fourth of your money if you lose a battle. You cannot steal, cheat, or kill on any circumstances. Failure to follow these rules will result in Trainer Status removal and civil and League law punishment.

"As soon as you capture a Pokémon, it will be registered under your Trainer ID and, if you already have six Pokémon, it will be sent to the Pokémon Computer System. Upon release, a Poké Ball will scan your fingertips, check with the League's system, and if they match the Pokémon will be able to understand you and you will be able to understand your Pokémon. You cannot understand other people's Pokémon and other people's Pokémon cannot understand you.

"It is advisable that you find other Trainers to travel with to lessen the chances of harm or death. It is advisable that you help any fellow Trainers on the field. It is advisable that you rest in a Pokémon Center as soon as you reach a new city. It is advisable that you take care of your Pokémon. It is advisable that you go to the Trainer's Store, the only store endorsed by the Pokémon League and its sponsors. Any questions?"

The printer stopped its loud noise and I asked, "When can I start?"

The man took something from the printer, a teal card with my Oakwood picture on it, and passed it through the small hole on the countertop. "You can now. I wish you good luck."

Marie observed all the shiny gadgets with wonder, Lily handing on her shoulder and mirroring her excitement. "This is so cool, Alice! You're the talk of the school!"

I frowned slightly and eyed the Pokégear and PokéNav. Both were good gadgets, but which one was best? Even though Silph and Stone were symbiotic companies, they still competed fiercely in the stores. "That's not what I wanted to do."

"I know, but still! That's so awesome!"

"Which one should I get?"

"I hear the only notable difference between the two is if you want to be a Pokéathlete or a Pokémon Coordinator."

My nose scrunched. "Not interested in any of those two."

"Then I don't think it maters. If anything… Xtransceiever or Pokétch?"

"Pokétch," I replied quickly. That one had been easy. The Xtransceiver was cool for video calls, but I had no need for video calls. Besides, the Pokétch was quite useful in keeping track of my Pokémon, something I would need if I wanted to have good notes for my professors. "I think I should support Devon, no?"

Marie shrugged and went to the shoe section. "I guess? I never cared much about business rivalries."

Her chosen major had been Languages. She really had no interest in the business world. Neither did I, but Mom and Dad had always shoved me for that side. "Hm, that makes around ten thousand. If I want to eat anything this month, I should stop."

The brunette gave me a look and laughed. "There is no way any Trainer can get your money, Alice. Oakwood money can only be spent by you and only on certain places. Even if you lose, your eating money is safe."

"I never said I wanted to have an uncomfortable journey. At any rate, I want to be out in the Petalburg Woods before the sun gets too high."

"Why Petalburg Woods?"

"I can only catch Normal, Bug, or Grass type Pokémon, remember? And Route 116 has those annoying whismur we keep hearing all the way in our dorm. And 104 annoys me just 'cause."

Marie giggled, and her aipom scurried from her shoulder and laughed on the ground to the sound. "They are just crying for their momma!" As if to prove a point, the aipom started crying dramatically.

I rolled my eyes and got the nearest Pokétch, a green one, and quickly went to the counter. I had my eye on various of the Trainer clothes and accessories displayed on the counters, but I had no money to afford them. The stylish Trainers were either veterans or the children of rich families, and right now I had no real money to my name.

The cashier stared at me with lifeless eyes and passed the items through the scanner. Yup, ten thousand dollars. It's a good thing I had thirty and I would get another ten by the end of next month. I handed her my Oakwood ID and she swiped it without even blinking. That's surprising; I thought she would've looked at me weirdly for being so old.

She handed me my purchases and muttered something unintelligible under her breath. I only stared at her with confused eyes before leaving the shop, calling Marie with me.

"So now what?"

"Now we go get my starter."

"You hear that, Lily? We'll help Alice get her starter!" Lily laughed and started dancing, yelling something with much excitement. "She says she can't wait!"

That was the main reason why I had brought my roommate along with me. I had no Pokémon, and any moron could tell you that you needed to weaken a Pokémon before it could easily go on its Poké Ball. That's what Lily was for. Yeah, she hadn't battled in almost eight years, but she was still a very healthy aipom and since Marie was willing to offer, who was I to refuse?

Oakwood had offered me a starter from its library, but it was not a real journey unless you caught your own Pokémon.

"After this we're going back to Oakwood and I'm getting my bags. I need to train my starter before I challenge Roxanne."

The plan was to get a Grass type Pokémon. It would be stupid to go to battle with only one Normal type, and I was a bit afraid of Bug type Pokémon. So Grass type was the obvious choice. Of course, I could always use all my Poké Balls and catch all the Pokémon I encountered, but I didn't feel like wasting my money so early on the game, especially when I barely had enough to feed myself for two months.

"What Pokémon live in the Petalburg Woods?"

"I don't know. I wasn't lucky enough to be a Pokédex Holder when I was younger, and I sure am not today. We'll just have to be surprised, I guess."

"Sounds cool."

We continued chatting about random things on our way to the woods. Gossip had already started in college, especially who was going with whom, or who hated whom, or who threw the best parties. I had never really been interested in all that information, mostly because I knew I was going to be leaving soon, but I enjoyed talking about it with Marie. She was laid-back and let me do as I wished. Sure, there was the awkward time when I walked on her and a guy getting it on, but it had been quickly forgotten. Besides, Marie was the resident redhead of our dorm; she was bound to gather some attention.

We reached the entrance of Petalburg after around half an hour of walking. So far, there were no signs of any Pokémon, but I knew they were scurrying around, avoiding detection of humans. Domesticated Pokémon loved their Trainers, if treated with care, but wild Pokémon were hard to predict; some were trusting, others violent. The most vicious ones around these parts were poochyenas, mostly because they were with their mightyena mother, and those could eat your throat.

The sound of nincadas were the first thing we heard as soon as we stepped inside. The woods were cool and dark, the canopy of the trees shielding us from the sunlight. This was the perfect spot for Grass and Bug type Pokémon, and I knew we were close to some Pokémon because I heard the rustling of bushes.

Lily had quieted down and observed her surroundings with an oddly critical eye, standing especially close to Marie. A Pokémon would protect its Trainer first and foremost, battling as it was necessary of them. Lily would protect Marie before me, and that thought left me slightly disconcerted. At least it gave me more of a reason to get my own Pokémon.

A green thing scurried at my feet and wandered deeper into the woods, leaving me frozen behind. That had been a real Pokémon, this close to me. I had never been so close to one before, never felt one without a parent being close by. In a way, that Pokémon had been my first brush with adventure, and I would be damned if I let it go. That Pokémon was going to be mine–– until I gave it up to Oakwood for study, but still…

Mine.

I shot off and followed after it, leaving a surprised Marie and jumping Lily behind. They would only weigh me down. I didn't need Lily to catch my own Pokémon. I didn't need anyone to help me with my adventure. Every feat I did would be mine. Every moment of glory would be mine to take, for when my parents asked if I had done everything, I would be able to say yes.

And they would have no choice but to admit they were wrong in denying me my adventure.

Unfortunately, the green Pokémon had the advantage over me. I didn't know these woods as well as it did, and I didn't have the friends it did. I could feel something eyeing me, sizing the opportunity to attack me. Well, at least I knew what kinds of Pokémon these were: the ones that attacked.

The green Pokémon appeared in front of me again, this time with other green Pokémon following behind it. Now that it wasn't scurrying around, I correctly identified it as a treecko. Torchics, mudkips, and treeckos were popular Pokémon to have in Petalburg, Odale, and Rustboro because they helped out with the first gym (torchic would need to evolve but it was worth it). They were so beloved amongst young Trainers that they had been dubbed "starters". Of course, when the young Trainers got tired of them and their journey and their families didn't want to deal with Pokémon, they were often released to the wilds. Torchics were abundant in the Meteor Falls, mudkips around Petalburg, and treeckos in Route 101. To see a small horde so far from their usual home was a bit weird.

But there were four treeckos, and only one of me. They could attack me or runaway and I would be able to do nothing. And until I captured one of them, it would be impossible to communicate.

One of the treeckos, the one I had seen, sized me, yawned, and started walking away. I felt my insides fuming. How dare it turn its back on me?

"Alice!"

I turned around and felt a my mouth curl. Perfect. I saw the little band of treeckos stop from the corner of my eye. "You're just in time, Marie."

Lily looked around and quickly spotted the treeckos, the hairs on its back rising at the first sign of battle. She growled slightly, and her Trainer's eyes widened.

"She wants to battle," Marie said softly. "But Lily cannot battle all four of them at once!"

The aipom growled something lowly, and I saw Marie's features fall.

"She won't back down." She sighed and reluctantly took a commanding pose, the one we had all been taught whenever we were about to start a battle. "Very well. Lily, use sand attack on all the treeckos!"

Even though it was at a numbers disadvantage, Lily had more battling experience than all the treeckos. It was something Pokémon traded in exchange for freedom. Trainers had the tactics, Pokémon had the power. It was a simple relationship that had existed since the advent of humanity.

Only one of the treeckos evaded the sand attack, the rest rendered momentarily useless from the blindness. This uselessness wouldn't last forever, though, and I knew I had to capture the treecko that had evaded the attack. It wasn't even the leader of the pack, but who was I to choose? These were Petalburg Woods treeckos.

"Now, use fury swipes!"

Lily viciously started slashing treecko. I had to hand it to the little guy, it tried dodging a couple of attacks, but I could see why the leader of the pack had been the other treecko; this one had a lot of work ahead of it.

One of the scratches had been particularly vicious and it managed to draw a bit of blood from its arm. I saw the treecko grimace slightly in pain and clutch its wounded right arm. I saw the other treeckos wipe their eyes and soon they were back on their feet, observing us. It seemed there was some type of code amongst these wild treecko pertaining to battles. Interesting. That's something I should note.

Now was the time I should catch it, when it was focused on other things. I reached deep into my shorts's pockets and drew out a small Poké Ball. I enlarged it and threw it to the treecko, hitting it on the arm. The ball moved once, twice, thrice, until it stopped, the blinking red light in the middle disappearing.

"You caught it," Marie whispered.

I crouched in front of the Poké Ball and took it in my hands. The band of three treeckos eyed me angrily, snarling at my face. I smirked and released the treecko, my treecko, in front of them. I saw it sway a little, no doubt a bit disorientated, and eye its previous family with confusion. I saw the faces of the treeckos fall in dismay before they weakly fled, leaving no trace behind.

"Who am I?" I heard my treecko ask in a very distinctive male voice. The Poké Ball was a brilliant device that not only bonded a Pokémon with its Trainer, but it also erased the memories of a Pokémon's wild days. It was impossible to domesticate a Pokémon if they remembered being wild. Of course, the power behind domestication lied on the amount of badges a Trainer had, which is why it was almost impossible for a rookie to have a salamance or even a beldum unless it was a figure worthy of respect.

Marie tugged my arm slightly and gave me a disapproving stare. "That was cruel, Alice."

I shrugged. "What, I should've kept him inside and waited for them to attack us again? They're wild Pokémon; they will fight until the end, and I don't want to fight."

My treecko turned and looked up to me with curious red eyes. "Are you my Trainer?"

I crouched so that I was to the same eye level and smiled gently. "Why, yes, little one. I'm Alice, and this is my friend Marie and her aipom, Lily."

Marie leaned down next to me and petted the treecko gently. "Hello there! Nice to meet you!"

The green reptilian cocked its head to the side, slightly perturbed. "Why can't I understand her?"

Lily started chatting with the treecko, apparently taking the role of explaining to him what was going on. Pokémon could communicate with each other with the same ease as humans could, granted they knew the same language. Apparently Lily and my treecko did, because they continued chatting. I could understand what my treecko was saying, but I knew nothing of what Lily was saying.

"You should give him a name," Marie said. "It's weird to call it treecko."

"Ladon," I quickly replied.

My redhead friend raised an eyebrow. "That was quick."

"I always knew I wanted to name my first male Pokémon Ladon. My first female Pokémon will be named Belisama."

She blinked. "I didn't know you had a thing for mythology."

"All our names can be traced back to either mythology or the names of things. I'm just going down a bit further down the roots. But I'm just giving the first two mythological names. The rest will get normal ones."

Ladon nudged my leg with its paw gently, attracting my attention. "So my name is Ladon? And yours is Alice."

I nodded. "You learn quickly. That's good; I have no use for stupid Pokémon."

Marie nudged me roughly with her elbow, and I turned to glare at her. Just like how everyone had their own way of raising their children, I had my own way of raising my Pokémon. She had no right to judge my way as long as it gave results.

"Think I'm gonna go back to Oakwood. I have class tomorrow and today has been a hard day. C'mon, Lily, let's go."

I had enough sense to know that Marie didn't want to talk to me at the moment, so I let her leave. Lily seemed oblivious to our fight, since she quickly climbed my body all the way up until my head and ruffled hair, annoying me much to her delight. She then jumped and followed Marie, singing and dancing all the way to the exit.

"Lily is very energetic," Ladon observed, a slight wonder in his voice.

I sat down in front of my Pokémon, uncaring that I was getting my shorts dirty, and beckoned the treecko closer. Much to my satisfaction, he followed my instructions. "Everyone has its own personality."

"I don't remember mine."

"It's not something to remember; you create it. You will soon find what type of Pokémon you are, don't worry."

Ladon leaned closer to my touch and started purring slightly with every caress to his body. This was nice, very nice. I had no idea having a Pokémon of my own would be so fulfilling. Well, there was Larry, of course, but since neither Paul nor I were Pokémon Trainers, it was impossible to communicate with him. Ladon understood, and, as far as his memory was concerned, I was the only thing he had in life.

I had just started to become entranced with petting him when his head snapped up and his tail started shaking a bit.

"What is it?" I asked, a bit annoyed.

"Danger," Ladon answered, his voice a bit fearful.

Just then I heard a gunshot from somewhere deeper in the woods and I immediately stood up into action. I could runaway like any sane person would, saving my life and Ladon's, or I could go find out what was going on. If anything, my only duty as a civilian was to report anything I heard or saw; I had heard something, and therefore I was going to report it.

"Are we not going, Alice?" Ladon asked when he saw me leave to the exit.

"And possibly get killed? No, thank you. I have a challenge to complete, and I'm not dying before even getting my first badge."

Ladon stared down, refusing to meet my gaze. "But… There's someone out there who needs our help."

"Not ours; the police's. Let's go, Ladon. The more time we waste here, the more likely the person might die."

The treecko glared up at me and stomped his foot. "I want to save the person."

My eyes narrowed. Insubordination was not something I expected so quickly, but I would make sure to kill it quickly. I leaned down and ran my nails lightly against the wound on its shoulder, my eyes cold as he winced in pain. "You forget your place. You're my Pokémon. You fight for me. You follow my instructions, not the other way around."

"Danger makes us stronger."

I sighed and shook my head. "Quite the brave one, aren't you. But very stupid as well." I eyed Ladon, his slitted yellow eyes glittering with determination. Then again, no coward had ever become a Champion. Red had driven away Team Rocket, an organization that had killed hundreds, when he was only ten. And yet that's precisely why he could do it: he was only ten. It took a special kind of psychotic person to pull a trigger on a ten-year-old, especially when defeating him in a simple Pokémon battle would send him with his tail between his legs. And yet that had been their downfall: underestimating Red, a Pokédex Holder.

I was no ten-year-old; anyone could kill me and have a relatively clean conscious.

"We need to become stronger," Ladon said, trying to coax me. It was then that another gunshot rang through the forest, and I made up my mind; debating with Ladon had taken too much time, and I wasn't about to be called a coward when I took the Elite Four Challenge.

"Let's go," I muttered and we took off in the direction the gunshot had come from, Ladon hot on my heels. It didn't take us too long to reach the commotion, considering Petalburg Woods was somewhat small.

We hid in the bushes, observing a man dressed like a pirate pointing his gun at girl dressed in blue clothing no older than fifteen, who was protecting a man writhing on the ground clutching his thigh tightly. From here I could observe the red liquid oozing to the ground, no doubt coming from the gunshot wound on his thigh. Since I could see no other injuries, I would assume one had been a warning shot, meanwhile the other had actually found its mark.

"That girl cannot be a casualty," I whispered to Ladon.

"Do you know her?"

I shook my head. "It's nature to try to protect innocents. We need to get that pirate's gun first. Pound him in the back of the knee and then the head. I'll take his gun."

Ladon nodded and at my mark shot off to action. He was silent and small enough to avoid detection until the first hit landed. I left the bushes and tackled the man, who was now clutching the back of his head in pain from the pound Ladon had landed. I wrestled the gun out of him, and even though he was wounded, he still fought long and hard. But, like I said, he was wounded, and I managed to snatch the gun and throw it to the bushes.

The pirate snarled and landed a nasty punch at my jaw, sending me flying flying a little further back. My head spun lightly and I heard a girl scream. A pair of boots angrily got closer to me but immediately stopped when Ladon gave him another pound somewhere in its body.

"Chic, scratch!"

I groaned and managed to sit up, nursing my injured jaw delicately. Even though I couldn't see myself, I knew that it would definitely bruise. Ladon ran in front of me and stared at my face with concerned yellow eyes.

"You little whores!" the pirate snarled and got out a Poké Ball from his belt. "I should've killed you before, but of course the Boss said I should avoid doing that! I'll just have Trent rip you to pieces!" He threw the Poké Ball up in the air and released a poochyena, Trent. "Bite that bitch's head off!"

I knew he meant me, because I was the one who had ruined his plans, but I saw Ladon stiffen and growl. I needed to fight if I wanted to survive. I couldn't trust that girl to guarantee my life. I was alone in this one.

"Ladon, leer and then pound him into submission."

His yellow eyes glowed, momentarily stopping the poochyena. He then sped up and used his tail to land a nasty hit on Trent's back, causing it to fall. But the poochyena was undeterred, and quickly got back on its fours and bit Ladon's tail, causing it to yelp in pain. Trent's jaws hardened, and I saw blood start to seep from the wound.

"Chich, ember!"

A small fire left the torchic's peak and roasted the poochyena's tail. My nose scrunched in disgust at the smell of burnt flesh, but I used this time to order Ladon to knock out Trent with a good pound on the head, knocking him out.

Ladon was breathing heavily and started licking his tail, trying to soothe his wounds. I looked around for any sign of the pirate, but it seemed he had used his own Pokémon as a diversion for him to leave.

The man who was shot was still groaning in the ground, but now that the danger had left, he seemed more calm. He had shaggy brown hair that clung to his face from all the sweat and he wore a dirtied gray suit, the pants stained red and brown. "Is he gone?" he bit out.

"Yeah, coward left his Pokémon here."

Even though I wanted to help the knocked out poochyena, I knew better than to try to touch another Trainer's Pokémon. Then again, was that pirate even a Trainer? He must be, if they were able to communicate. How had he retained his license for so long? Maybe a simple report would take care of it?

"We need to take you to a hospital," the girl who owned the torchic said, her voice gentle but with an underlying steel. "Can you stand up?"

The suited man tried to stand up, groaned, and shook his head miserably.

The blue-eyed Trainer stared at me with pleading eyes. "Hi, I'm sorry to ask more of you considering… Well, could you help us out?"

I nodded and stared at Ladon, who was still nursing his wounds. I got out my Poké Ball and pointed it at him. "Here, Ladon, you deserve a rest." So long as Ladon was in his Poké Ball he would be in suspended animation. Any death was prevented, even by status ailments. The worst that could happen inside was a faint.

The girl did the same with her torchic, the little bird chirping happily at being able to rest.

We each took a side next to the man and wrapped one of his arms around our shoulders. His eyes were still opening, but I could feel they were slightly feverish. If we didn't hurry to the hospital he might die of blood loss.

"You own a torchic? You must be an experienced Trainer." Fire Pokémon were only allowed to those who had two gym badges. The girl must be less helpless than what I thought.

"No… I don't have any badges yet. I only have torchic because it was a gift from my dad, and he had to ask the League for permission."

"Your dad?"

She smiled awkwardly at me. "Hi, I'm Sapphire Birch. Nice to meet you… Um, sorry, what's your name?"

"Alice White," I replied, a bit dazed. Professor Birch was the most famous Pokémon Researcher in Hoenn. He was sometimes a guest speaker at Oakwood, but that was rare considering he gave his life to nature. To have a run-in with his daughter… That was quite the coincidence. "You must be a Pokédex Holder then."

"Um, yes. I don't think that's important."

"Both Johto and Kanto have proven that Dex Holders go on to do great things. So far, I think you started with the right foot."

At hearing that, Sapphire turned away from my gaze and stared ahead, her blue eyes hard. "He said he was from Team Aqua, but I don't know who they are. I just know when I got there, he had shot this man. I tried to negotiate with him, but he only ended giving me a warning shot."

"He… he wanted our goods," the suited man answered, his breath labored.

I frowned and studied his face, noting that he didn't have much time left before he lost consciousness. "Now's not the time to talk. Let's get you to a hospital. Then we'll compare notes."

Sapphire nodded grimly and focused on supporting more of the suited man's weight so that he would exert less force. Strange happenings indeed, and I hadn't even started my Pokémon journey yet.

I might have to change the rating later on. Immense thanks to Echo Frosts, StallsalotHB, sky65, and AlltheAces for reviewing; you guys are wonderful!

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