After getting her first Pokémon from helping Professor Birch, Summer's dad still refuses to let her leave Hoenn. Her mom sends her to her brother's farm so she and Professor Birch can talk to Summer's dad. When Summer and Blaze get there, she remembers something about her past that influenced her view on Pokémon. Little did she know that a Pokémon was watching her from a distance. What will Summer's dad decide in the end?

Chapter 1: My First Pokémon and My First Legendary Pokémon Sighting (Part 2)

While walking to Oldale Town with Blaze in my arms, I thought about my uncle. Uncle Alberto was my mom's older brother and one of my favorite uncles. He had short black hair and always wore farming clothes and his favorite straw hat. He owned a farm near Oldale Town with his pet and companion, Clifford the Growlithe. I always went there for a week during my breaks and helped him and my aunt, Auntie Marisol, around the farm. He raised Miltank to harvest MooMoo Milk and create products from them. Everybody from Rustboro City to Slateport City loved his homemade chocolate and vanilla MooMoo Milk ice creams. He also raised several Berry trees, especially those with medicinal and culinary qualities. I loved learning the properties and healing qualities of each Berry. I helped Uncle Alberto pick Berries and occasionally, I brought some home to experiment with homemade Pokémon food and human food using Uncle Alberto's recipes. It was messy and sometimes I burnt the food, but I loved learning so much from Uncle Alberto.

Then, I remembered the Poochyena earlier might still be close by. Blaze seemed to remember this before going through Route 101; he looked around cautiously while I was daydreaming. All of a sudden, one of the Poochyena from earlier ran towards us. It appeared to be frantic about something. Blaze then jumped out of my arms and wanted to battle the scared Poochyena.

"Blaze, wait!" I commanded. "Poochyena doesn't want to fight. It seems there's something wrong."

Blaze looked at me and walked back to me. Poochyena calmed down a bit, then led me to a small bush in the middle of the route. I looked inside and saw two Poochyena: one badly wounded and poisoned and the other watching over it.

This looks really bad, I thought. I have to take it to the Pokémon Center. I immediately grabbed the wounded Poochyena and ran towards Oldale Town, with Blaze and the other Poochyena following me.

As we reached Oldale Town, I tried to find the Pokémon Center. Suddenly, I heard a man call my name. I looked in that direction and saw Uncle Alberto and Clifford.

"Hey, Summer," he said. "Your mom said you'll be coming, but I didn't expect to see you so quickly. But it looks like our walk to the farm will have to wait. What's wrong with that Poochyena?"

I showed him the sick Poochyena and said, "I found it in a bush. It seems to be poisoned by something. I don't have any healing items to cure its poisoning."

Uncle Alberto looked at the Poochyena and wrote a note. He gave the note to Clifford and told him, "Clifford, go back home and give this to Marisol." Clifford nodded and ran north of Oldale Town.

I asked Uncle Alberto, "How come we're not going to the Pokémon Center?"

He had a worried look on his face and replied, "Nurse Joy is currently at a nursing conference, so her Chansey is too busy helping the other injured Pokémon there. I sent a note to Auntie Marisol to get several Pecha Berries and a MooMoo Milk bottle, put the items in his medicine bag, and give it to Clifford to bring back."

As soon as he finished talking, Clifford came back with his woven medicine bag. Uncle Alberto took a mortar and pestle from the bag and crushed two Pecha Berries. He then mixed in the MooMoo Milk, making the powder a light pink drink. He poured the drink into a sippy cup so it'll be easier for Poochyena to drink it.

"Here, Poochyena, drink this," Uncle Alberto calmly said. He tried to feed the Poochyena in my arms, but its friends snapped at him.

"Uncle Alberto, I think the Poochyena don't trust you yet. Let me do it," I said.

Uncle Alberto smiled and nodded. He gave me the sippy cup, and I fed the sick Poochyena. Its friends stopped snapping at Uncle Alberto and watched me. The sick Poochyena immediately became healthy and barked with delight. I put the Poochyena down and its friends nuzzled him with happiness. Then, the two Poochyena from earlier looked at me worryingly and knelt down.

I see, I thought. I knelt down and petted their heads. "I accept your apology. Don't feel bad. I understand now why you two attacked Professor Birch earlier because you were trying to protect your hurt friend. Professor Birch understands that he was too close to your den and he feels bad as well." The three Poochyena then rubbed their faces in my hands and ran off towards Route 101.

"I'm glad that Poochyena's feeling much better," I said after a sigh of relief. "Thanks Uncle Alberto, and you too, Clifford, for getting the medical supplies." Clifford barked happily, and Uncle Alberto gave a hearty laugh.

He replied, "Well, Summer, you handled the situation well and the Poochyena seemed to understand your intentions. You always have a way of understanding Pokémon."

I smiled at his praise, and it really boosted my confidence.

Uncle Alberto noticed Blaze and asked, "Oh, is this your starter, Summer? He looks like he'll take good care of you on your journey."

My smile turned into a worried look, and I told him, "I was going start my journey in Kanto today, but Daddy wants me to travel around Hoenn."

Uncle Alberto chuckled and said, "Well, your dad worries about you and wants you to be closer to us. But, I understand you wanting to go to Kanto: it's where many new Trainers start and it'll have Pokémon not native to Hoenn."

"It's exciting to go to Kanto, but I'm a little scared of being so far away from home," I said quietly.

Uncle Alberto smiled and said, "Why don't we go to the farm and continue this conversation. I'm sure Auntie Marisol would like to help you out as well."

I nodded, and we walked towards his farm past the Oldale Town hills. Three red wooden barns welcomed us to Uncle Alberto's farm. The barn on the left had milk bottles on the walls and was for his eight Miltank and Curt, his Tauros. They were feeding on green grass in a fenced pasture while Curt occasionally looked up to spot any trouble. The barn on the right had flames painted on the walls was for his herd of ten Ponyta led by Darren and Cindy, his Rapidash. They were racing each other around the corral and it seemed like they were having fun. The plain-looking barn in the middle was a storage barn for harvested Berries. There was also a large refrigerator and freezer for storing Moomoo Milk and making Moomoo Milk ice cream and butter. As we kept walking towards his house, we waved to all of his Pokémon. They all walked up to their enclosed fences and smiled at us. This brought me back memories of milking Miltank and riding on Ponyta.

After passing the storage barn, we arrived at his orange wooden one-story house. Although Uncle Alberto's house was smaller than the barns, it was very welcoming and had small Berry trees growing on the two windowsills. Their main Berry trees, filled with delicious fruit, stood behind the house. The smell of baked goods coming from the open door brought back happy memories with my aunt and uncle. A woman with braided black hair and glasses waited for us on the porch swing. Clifford ran over to her and leaned on her pink floral dress.

The woman picked up Clifford and said, "You are such a good Growlithe, Clifford. Thank you for bringing Al the items so quickly."

She then looked at us and gave me a warm smile. "Hello, Summer," she said, "it's so good to see you again."

"Hi, Auntie Marisol!" I said with a big smile. "Thanks for letting me come visit."

"Of course, dear," she said. "I see you picked Torchic for your starter."

"Yeah, he helped me and Professor Birch earlier, we just instantly connected. I nicknamed him Blaze," I told Auntie Marisol and Uncle Alberto.

"I bet you two are hungry from your adventures today. Why don't you two come inside? I made some Pecha Berry pie," Auntie Marisol said.

"Thanks, Auntie Marisol." I said with a happy thought. Pecha Berry pie was Auntie Marisol's specialty pie.

We went into the house and headed to the kitchen. The kitchen had shelves of dishes and cups, counters filled with baking ingredients, drawers of utensils and cookware, a sink, and a medium-sized refrigerator. A table with four chairs and a Pokémon feeding station sat in the middle of the room. Auntie Marisol went to the counter, cut up the cooling pie, and placed five slices onto five plates. Uncle Alberto went to the fridge, took out a gallon of Moomoo Milk, and poured it into three glasses and two bowls. I took two of the plates and gave them to Clifford and Blaze at the feeding station, and then I brought the other plates and three forks to the table. Auntie Marisol brought the Pokémon the bowls of Moomoo Milk, and Uncle Alberto place the cups on the table. I eagerly ate the pie and drank the Milk. I saw Blaze was hesitant to eat while Clifford heartily ate the special treat.

"Come on, Blaze," I said with a kind voice. "It's really good."

I put a piece of pie on my fork and put it in front of Blaze's beak. Blaze sniffed it and ate the piece. Blaze's eyes sparkled and he began to quickly eat his slice.

I giggled and told him, "Don't eat so fast, Blaze. There's always more if you're still hungry."

I looked up and saw Uncle Alberto and Auntie Marisol smiling at me. I felt a little weirded out and gave a slight smile back.

Uncle Alberto said slyly, "You're ready to become a Trainer."

Auntie Marisol nodded and said, "You really care for Blaze, even though you two met earlier today. That's the most important sign of a Pokémon Trainer."

Although I appreciated the praise, I still wasn't so sure. I made a small frown and said, "Thanks for the compliments, but that means I have to live on my own. I'm worried that I can't find any place to stay during my travels."

Auntie Marisol and Uncle Alberto looked at each other then nodded. Auntie Marisol got up and took the dishes to the sink.

"Why don't you come help me feed the Ponyta, Summer? It'll help you calm down," Uncle Alberto said, getting up from his chair.

I was a little confused, but I said, "Sure, Uncle Alberto. Blaze, want to come help?"

Blaze looked at me with a beak covered in pink syrup and nodded. I chuckled and wiped Blaze's beak with a napkin. I got up, and Blaze jumped into my arms. We then left the house and headed to the Ponyta barn.

After a short walk to the barn, Uncle Alberto got the hay for the Ponyta and Rapidash from a hay pile outside and put it into a large gray wheelbarrow. As he pushed the wheelbarrow to the feeding trough, Blaze and I made sure the wheelbarrow didn't tip over. I got a pitchfork lying near the trough and moved the hay into it. The Ponyta and Rapidash saw us near the feeding through and ran over towards us. They immediately ate the food and neighed us thanks.

As I let Blaze stand on the edge of the trough and talk to the Ponyta, Uncle Alberto said, "You know, this reminded me of a time when you wanted one of my Ponyta."

I looked at him and remembered only faint memories of it. "Sorry, Uncle Alberto, I don't remember much about it," I said with a sheepish grin.

Uncle Alberto gave a hearty laugh and said, "Don't worry about it. Do you want me to tell you what happened?"

I said, "Sure, I'd love to hear it."

Uncle Alberto got two blue folding chairs from the barn and set them up near the trough. I sat closer to Blaze and Uncle Alberto sat closer to Darren.

"So…let me see…." Uncle Alberto mused as he rubbed his chin. "I believe this was when you were seven. That year, Darren and Cindy gave birth to a shiny Ponyta."

"Wait, I do remember that Ponyta!" I exclaimed. "Waves was so pretty with her blue mane."

"That's right, Summer," Uncle Alberto said with a smile. "You really loved that Ponyta and even named her. I really did want to give her to you, but you know your dad."

"Yeah…" I said with a sigh. "When I was younger, I didn't understand why. But now I know it was because we didn't have room to care for her."

Uncle Alberto nodded. "You were really upset when your dad told you couldn't keep her."

I felt bad about my reaction, especially since I didn't talk to Daddy for a week.

Uncle Alberto continued his story. "A week after your dad said no, Waves was ready for a new Trainer. As I recall, a girl named Susie wanted Waves for her first Pokémon. I was worried how you would react, but I knew I had to tell you. When I told you Waves was going with Susie, you became more distraught and refused to give Waves to her."

"It seemed so silly back then," I said with a quiet tone. "I was so selfish about having a Pokémon that I didn't consider Susie's or Waves's feelings at all."

I was about to cry when Uncle Alberto got up and put his hand on my shoulder.

"I know it was really hard, Summer," he said solemnly, "but I was so proud of your decision. When you saw Susie crying because she wanted Waves, that's when you saw the bond between her and Waves was special. You held back your sadness and let Susie take Waves with her. Susie then let us know how Waves was doing through Taillow Mail and all the pictures she took with her. You smiled when you read the letters and saw the pictures. You became excited about traveling and meeting new people and Pokémon, and even more so after a new letter came. I knew then that you would be just fine traveling away from home, because you'll also meet new friends and Pokémon on your journey."

Uncle Alberto saw it was getting late and said, "You should start heading home soon. Why don't you pick some berries for your parents? I have plenty to give away."

My mind was lost in thought as the Ponyta and Rapidash finished eating and headed into their barn. I then heard Uncle Alberto and said, "Thanks, Uncle Alberto. I appreciate it."

Uncle Alberto gave me a side hug and we headed to his Berry orchards with Blaze running after us. We walked around his house and saw the large trees filled with Oran, Pecha, Rawst, Cheri, and Leppa Berries. Uncle Alberto and Auntie Marisol not only harvested and sold the fruits, but made pies, cakes, and other foods to sell. Uncle Alberto got me a wicker basket lying by his house, and I took it.

"Come on, Blaze," I told my Torchic. "Let's go find some delicious fruit for Mommy and Daddy."

Blaze chirped happily and followed me as I went through the trees. I harvested Oran, Pecha, Rawst, and Cheri Berries while Blaze happily ran around the trees. I saw how happy Blaze was with me and wondered how Susie and Waves are doing now. As I thought about this, I felt a strong presence behind me. Blaze stopped running and stared in the direction of the nearby hills. I looked in Blaze's direction and saw a large Pokémon I never saw before at the top of one of the hills. The large four-legged Pokémon had dark brown fur, silver wings, and what looked like a colorful mask. The Pokémon stared at me intently and I felt a sudden warmth and comfort from its glare. It suddenly looked up and ran towards the east where Johto and Kanto were, and I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned around and saw Uncle Alberto. He said, "That Pokémon seemed to be interested in you."

I asked him, "Why would that Pokémon be interested in me?"

"I'm not sure," Uncle Alberto said. "Take it as a sign that you should start your journey in Kanto."

I nodded, and we headed to the front of the house. Auntie Marisol waited for us and handed me a Pecha Berry pie wrapped in an orange handkerchief.

"Give this to your dad, Summer," Auntie Marisol said with a small smile. "This will help him feel better about you leaving."

My dad loved Pecha Berry pie as much as I do, and I smiled. "Thanks, Auntie Marisol," I said.

Uncle Alberto then put the harvested berries into a wooden picnic basket and added a package of Moomoo Milks and Lava Cookies.

"Good luck, Summer," he said with a tear in his eye. "I know you'll be a great Trainer. Enjoy every moment of your journey."

I began to cry and I took the package with gratitude. Blaze saw me crying and rubbed against my leg to comfort me. I knelt down and hugged Blaze.

I looked up and saw the sun setting. Blaze climbed into the basket, and I held it in my arms. I turned to Uncle Alberto and Auntie Marisol and said, "We should head back home. Thanks for the food and advice. Bye!"

"Goodbye, dear," Auntie Marisol said.

I waved goodbye to my relatives and Clifford, who barked his goodbyes. I went back home with Blaze sleeping in the basket. Seeing Blaze and remembering what happened today gave me the courage to tell my dad I want to travel and start my journey.

When I arrived back in Littleroot Town, I saw my parents and Professor Birch waiting for me at the town entrance. My dad walked up to me and hugged me. I was so surprised I almost dropped the picnic basket.

With tears in his eyes, he said in between sobs, "Summer, I'm so sorry I let my emotions try to stop you from going to Kanto. Please be careful and have fun on your journey."

Realizing what he meant, I cried and hugged him back. After the embrace, I took Blaze out of the basket and returned him into his Pokéball. I then gave it to my dad. My mom then gave me my purple backpack.

"Your birthday presents inside your backpack are from us, Summer. It'll be very useful on your journey," my mom said with her warm smile.

I looked inside and saw my clothes, food, a Pokémon Trainer starter kit, a white wallet with 1000 Pokédollars inside, and a black Pokégear with my parents', relatives' and Professor Birch's numbers registered in it.

I joyfully said, "Thank you so much for your gifts and I'll keep in touch whenever I go to a new city."

Professor Birch walked up to me and said, "I talked to Professor Elm and told him you are coming to Johto to help him and his Junior Research Assistant. I'll also contact Professor Oak from the Kanto Region that you'll be going there to start your journey. He may have projects you can help him with while you're there."

Trying to hold back his own tears, he hugged me as well, then handed me a Hoenn Pokédex.

"Please use this on your journey," he said. "This Pokédex has data for Pokémon found in Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. It also has a special editing function that allows you to add and change any information. Feel free to use it if you find any new data."

"Wow," I said, overwhelmed by all the presents. "Thanks, Professor Birch. I'll do my best."

"That's my Junior Research Assistant," he said and laughed.

All of us then walked to Petalburg City, where the nearest dock was. My dad gave me a ticket for the S.S. Johto, the small cruise liner that visited smaller port cities, leaving from Petalburg City in 5 minutes.

"Goodbye, Summer," My parent said with calm voices. I looked at their eyes and saw they were sad but filled with pride. Filled with so much joy mixed with sadness of leaving home, I hugged my parents for what may be the last time for a while.

I heard the whistles from the ship blow, and I knew my journey was about to begin. I put on my backpack and looked at the S.S. Johto outlined by the setting sun. As I ran to the ship, I turned and waved goodbye to my parents and Professor Birch. After boarding the ship, I knew this was the start of a great adventure.

Pokémon: Blaze (Torchic): Brave Nature, moves: Scratch, Growl

Questions of the Chapter:

Who's the Pokémon watching Summer? (If you're re-reading this chapter and you're ahead, please don't spoil it for new readers)

What Pokémon will Summer catch on her Kanto journey?