Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon; obviously.

"He's waking up... shh!"

Wow... my head really hurt. In fact, everything hurt. My hands especially. I tried moving them, but something was constricting the movements. I felt a warm presence on my side, and slowly, I opened my eyes to see where I was.

"Kyle?" An adult voice asked. It sounded vaguely familiar; too deep to be Professor Elm's but too male to be any mom. After adjusting to the searing light, my vision slowly returned, revealing me to be in a bed. Around me was an older man, and Professor Elm.

My mom was nowhere to be seen. Neither were my friends. I understand the journey was exciting, but still. They couldn't even wait for their childhood friend to wake up first? Visibly upset, the man who'd spoken earlier spoke again.

"I see you're distraught some... don't blame Lyra or Helgi. They left before you were injured."

"Huh?" Unable to remain upset, I peered up at the adult, his eyes staring at me tenderly. Suddenly, I recognized him to be Lyra's father. I'd been over there a few times, all of them containing him. Although I was a dude, he seemed generally cool around me, and had a lot of trust too. Somehow, I suspected he knew about my crush.

"Your Cyndaquil couldn't find Chikorita or Lyra, because she'd left moments before. I was walking back to my house with my wife when your little pokemon here seemed frightened. I recalled Lyra saying you had a Cyndaquil, so I figured it to be yours. I tried to talk to it, but it ran back towards your house. It seemed to be calling me, so I followed, and found you unconscious." Lyra's father explained patiently.

"Thank you... what about my mom? Didn't she hassle you or something for breaking in?" There was no possible way my mother would just let anyone waltz in; me in danger or not. She had to have said something.

"She... wasn't home..." The hesitance was understandable. But I couldn't believe my mom wasn't home. Where the hell could she have gone?

"D-do you know where she is?"

He shook his head. "None. Nobody's seen her. I'm sorry Kyle. This must not be the best awakening ever..."

To his shock, I chuckled.

"No, but still." I laughed a bit, before sombering up, and realizing the biggest question I had, hadn't been answered yet. "Why did I collapse?"

Lyra's father went to speak, but he was cut off by the silent Professor Elm.

"How often are you eating?" He asked, catching me off guard. Hence, I had no answer prepared.

"Um, whenever we have food." I replied, not even catching Elm's sigh.

"You collapsed because you hadn't eaten enough, and your body was weak. Add shock to the mix, and you were destined to break down. It's a lucky thing you managed to get upstairs..." Professor Elm trailed off, leaving me to imagine what could've happened. Would I have bled out? From a small cuts from glass?

As if reading my mind, Professor Elm spoke once more. "Those were no small cuts either. That glass severed an artery. You were lucky you didn't bleed out. We stitched up the cuts, and removed the glass. Just be careful using your hands." I nodded, not having the voice to speak. How could I speak? I was basically told I died.

"Rest up... we'll check in on you later." Professor Elm said distantly, moving to leave the room. Peering around, I recognized it as the lab. Well, a room in the lab.

"Does this mean I can't being my journey?" I asked, feeling so young and let down. Sadly, both men nodded painfully. Neither one wanted to tell me my dreams would be put on hold.

Walking out, and flipping off the light, I felt alone.

The only thing that kept me from breaking down was Cyndaquil. His soft breathing from my side, and warmth was enough to keep me sane and thinking positively.

I smiled at him, then frowned at my scenario.

It wasn't until 12:01 on Thursday, August 21 when I made my decision.

I was leaving. Now.

Backpack? Check. I found a stray one in the closet. It was red, with a black pokeball on the back and a few pockets.

Pokemon? Check. Cyndaquil was walking next to me, albeit a bit drowsy.

Map? Check. I nabbed one from the desk.

Clothes? Check. Made sure to run home and fetch some. Oddly enough, my mom still wasn't home.

Food? Check. Enough non-perishable food to last me 2 weeks. Plus, I was only going to Cherrygrove City- that was a week's trip at longest.

Sighing contently, I turned, and looked back on my town. The midnight breeze swirled the air around, but the dark remained inky. No lights came on, and no "Get back in bed!" calls were sounded. I was away. I was free.

As I walked down the dirt road leading to Route 1, I heard a flurry of footsteps behind me. I growled to myself. Why wouldn't someone try to stop me?

"Cyndaquil, prepare for battle." I said quietly to my partner. Even as young as he was, he immediately recognized the call to fight. Turning around, he reassumed the defensive pose, and lowered his head.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped, and in the abyss of the night, I could see the outline of a man.

"I'm not going back." I said, not afraid of the punishments. I heard a quiet chuckle, and the outline move closer, more features becoming distinguishable- until I was looking at the face of Mr. Terlyn.

"I'm not here to stop you, I'm here to wish you luck, and give you this." Reaching into his pocket, the lab assistant drew out a small red Pokedex, and 5 empty Pokeballs.

"Here... these both should help you on your journey." I gratefully took the items, and stowed them away in my bag. Finally... it all felt real.

Mr. Terlyn stared at me a moment, blinking. Then, he smiled and sighed softly.

"I... I remember your father and I both setting out on our quests too... he was so headstrong then. Always the courageous and better trainer. You could tell he was meant for great things..." My eyebrows rose in surprise at the unexpected twist. "You have that same aura... good luck Kyle. I know you'll do great."

With that, he turned around, and meshed with the dark- as if he'd never been there.

"Cyndaquil... are you ready?" I asked, looking down at my partner. He nodded, and although he blent in well in the darkness, I could see him nod. In the last few hours, he had gone from being a timid, young and helpless Cyndaquil to being a Pokemon ready to battle. Ready to travel the regions.

"Alright. Let's go." I said, a smile on my face. I was finally on my own journey.

I was finally where I belonged.

Route 29

I read the sign, and nodded in confirmation. Walking forward, I listened to the quiet hoots of nearby Hoothoot- one of the most common nocturnal Pokemon. Any trainer that started in the night would usually be found by morning with a Hoothoot in his/her arsenal.

Cherrygrove City wasn't too far from New Bark. In fact, it was usually a hour walk or so; you just had to be aware a lot of young Pokemon dwelling in the trees and grass. But so far, I had yet to cross paths with a wild Pokemon. And as much as it didn't bother me, there was the part of me that began panicking.

'What if I get to Cherrygrove, and Helgi and Lyra already have 2 or 3 Pokemon? Will I fall behind even more?' From that, I began wondering if their starters were more powerful. What if they were? Would I be embarrassed if they challenged me to a battle?

As if knowing I was worrying, Cyndaquil sounded a soft cry, and a short nuzzle to the side of my leg. I completely forgot my dilemmas and turned to the fire-type.

"Cy-Cynda?" Unsure of what it was saying, I tried assuming.

"Um, are you asking if I'm alright?"

Cyndaquil shook his head, not taking his eyes off of me. Which was hard to do, since its eyes weren't open. We'd stopped walking, just to have this conversation.

"I'm fine buddy, thank you. I'm just wondering about what's gonna happen when we get to Cherrygrove." I quickly explained to the small Pokemon, who in return, snorted and bumped into my leg- hard. My knee buckling immediately, I fell down with a hard thud.

"OW! Cyndaquil, what the hell?" I shouted, forgetting it was almost 1 in the morning. When it didn't stop staring at me, I realized what it'd done. A nice Tackle attack.

"Were you... were you demonstrating your strength?" I asked, and Cyndaquil nodded in confirmation. I smiled; he wasn't worried about the upcoming battles because he had faith in himself. And now, I felt bad because up until then, I had next to no faith in the little guy.

Crouching down, I scratched Cyndaquil on the scruff of his neck, causing him to purr. A smile grew on his face, just as it did on mine. After a few moments, I stopped and stood up once more.

"Alright! Onward! To Cherrygrove City!"

But the second the words left my lips, I felt like a fool. In the near distance, a glowing building could be seen, standing tall and bright in the night.

"Is that...?" I trailed off, not able to remember the name of the building. It had a red roof, and it seemed so obvious, but I somehow couldn't remember.

"Cyndaquil!" My partner cried happily, beginning to sprint toward the building. In a rush, I followed, excited for the upcoming challenges.

We were on our way.