Welcome to Cherrygrove

Kotone could feel eyes on her as she made her way down the path. All around her was tall grass, and even taller trees. Despite the crisp morning air and the lack of people, the feeling of being watched followed her. Every once in a while she caught a break from the tall grass, but then, every once in a while, she was jumped by a wild Pokémon. But still, she wouldn't walk with her Chikorita. No matter how many ferocious Pidgeys and feral Ratata came in her path, she would only take Chikorita out when a battle was initiated.

The thing was so… Happy, despite always being locked away in its Pokeball, and it made Kotone feel uncomfortable, almost anxious, as she watched it. When they would win a battle it would run up to her, pushing through the tall grass and making calls of excitement. With a grimace on her face every time, Kotone would send it back into the Pokeball, she didn't want it to touch her. Who knew what would happen if she let it rub against her, it could bite! Or maybe it didn't know that move yet…

None-the-less, Kotone kept on trudging along. She kept wondering why she couldn't have been given a cuter Pokémon, she could somewhat stand those types. She might've even let it out to walk with her if it was a Meowth or something. With a sigh, she shoved Chikorita's ball into her bag. Shaking her head a little bit.

She had said she wanted to go out and find herself, but in a world where everyone was so infatuated with Pokémon, would she be able to anywhere? "Why can't we just be focused around humans, instead of their stupid side-kicks…?" She muttered to herself, kicking a stone against a tree.

Kotone continued looking down, now that the tall grass was getting sparser and shorter. The farther along she went, the more definite the road got, until there was barely any tall grass and Cherrygrove City was in sight. Kotone had fond memories of Cherrygrove, ever since she was young she would visit there with Hibiki. They would go swimming, or Kotone would just play in the flowers. There was no gym in Cherrygrove, either, which meant there weren't many trainers, and that meant there was less Pokémon battles in and around the city.

Getting closer and closer to the city, Kotone got lost in her thoughts. What was the point of pointless battles? She could sort of understand battling as a form of entertainment for people, but why was it considered a plausible occupation when nothing would be accomplished from it? Sure, there was that one in a billion chance that you could become 'the very best'. But honestly, for all but one it will never happen.

A Pokémon doing something else, such as heavy lifting for its owner, or doing a chore seemed to make so much more sense to Kotone. Have the Pokémon do something for you, while you may take profit, instead of doing something and being left empty handed. "Hmm… If this Chikorita could do something cool, it could make up for its lack of… Cuteness." She whispered to herself. But then again, she could see it now, people confronting her, saying she wasn't treating her Pokémon 'right' because she didn't treat it like a human. Kotone almost laughed, 'treated like a human'.

Jolted out of her thoughts by a ringing, Kotone picked up her Pokegear, looking at the caller ID. She opened it up and spoke into it, "Hibiki?" The question being more rhetorical than anything.

"Hey, Kotone! What's up? Your mom called me, how come you didn't tell me you were starting your Pokémon journey, too? You know I wanted to travel with you!" His voice filtered through the speaker in the machine. Hearing the words 'Pokémon journey' Kotone cringed… "Now, Hibiki," she started, "You know how I feel about that… I'm not sure I'm going to become a trainer at all…"

"But Kotoneeeee—" She snapped the Pokegear shut with a grumble, she wanted to whine, but it would look weird if someone saw her complaining to herself. Hibiki was always trying to convince her that it might be good if she became a trainer, that she would learn 'the power of friendship with Pokémon!' or something like that. She would have been able to deal with it, but today she was tired and grumpy, and didn't feel much like trying to reason with him.

Ignoring the rest of his calls, Kotone finally walked into Cherrygrove, immediately there was a Pokémon Center to her right. Fishing through her bag, she pulled out Chikorita's ball, turning it over in her hand. She didn't like the thing, but it was still her responsibility. Walking into the Pokémon Center, a woman with pink hair greeted her with a cheerful smile, "Is there anything we can do for you or your Pokémon, today?" She asked. The woman was so happy—Joyful, even—that Kotone couldn't help but smile herself, "Sure, that would be great." She replied, handing the ball with Chikorita in it to the bubbly nurse. She told Kotone to have a seat, and that her Pokémon would be ready shortly.

The building looked clean wall to wall, not to mention very yellow. But it was a nice yellow, more of a gold than anything. Yet strangely, the red countertops didn't looks out of place at all. The only thing that did look strange, was the… Clone? Doppelganger? Perhaps twin of the nurse standing in front of an escalator. Not too sure what to make of it, Kotone simply walked past her.

Taking a seat by a window, Kotone coaxed a granola bar out the front pocket of her bag. Chewing on it, she began mulling over what she had to do that day and the next. Begrudgingly, she acknowledged that she should train Chikorita. After all, if it wasn't strong, it would be useless. There was a beach nearby, and she remembered Prof. Elm telling her that grass types were strong against water types when he gave her the poke—Her Pokegear began ringing again, and she grumbled. She figured she may as well answer it to shut Hibiki up.

"Look look, Kotone, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have brought it up!" He pleaded as soon as she hit 'answer'. Kotone was pouting as she listened to Hibiki basically bargain his life if it would make it up to her. "It's not a big deal, Hibiki. Really, I swear." She replied, but she knew he wouldn't give up so easily. In fact, it only made him apologize more. "Just you wait! No one should make a girl upset, but trust me! I'll make it up as best I can… Now… I just gotta find out what… I'll call you when I find out!" Then she heard the familiar click of the connection being ended. "Really, Hibiki…" She muttered, being put right back into her grumpy mood. The doppelganger nurse approached Kotone, sensing her agitated mood.

"If you need a rest, we have room available to trainers for a minimal fee, in fact, this Center is so small compared to others, we're the cheapest!" She cheered, a smile plastered on her face, "Only 100 Pokedollars and you can come and go for the whole day!" the young nurse continued. Kotone was shocked for a moment, that was a pretty good deal, and it might just be what she needed to calm her nerves. "I'll take it!" Kotone stated as she got up and began stretching, "Just lead me to it."

The room was significantly different from the main lobby, Kotone could only guess the rooms were colour coded, as hers was only a shade lighter than the nurse's hair, and she was already in a better mood. The nurse said collected the money, then told Kotone to have a nice day. As soon as she was out the door, Kotone plopped down on the awfully generic bed, lying on her stomach. This wasn't too bad, she thought. Sitting up, she examined the rest of the room. There was a wooden desk and chair set that had a pad of paper and pen on it, a large mirror hanging above it. There was a small door, and Kotone guessed that it was either a closet or bathroom, she wasn't sure.

The pink walls relaxed her, reminding her of her room at home, while her walls weren't pink, nearly everything else was. Laying on her side, Kotone shoved her bag onto the floor, she began thinking about more than just the next few days. What would it be like in a few months? How about when she's seen all of Johto? Would she have found who she's meant to be? Whether it was in the next town, or the last one? With these thoughts circling her head, she began to drift into unconsciousness, letting sleep wash over her.


(The action should be starting soon ;D Don't you all worry.)