Thanks to those who made comments! You give me an extra reason to keep going with this. I get excited every time I see even one new review; I really appreciate it!

Well, today was the last day of school for me. Now I have a lot more time to be writing and editing this story and others. I'd better keep typing away!

Chapter 13
The Journey Begins

That morning, Marina returned to her role of being the first to wake. The clock in the guestroom read five fifty-seven in the morning, which was early even for her. She yawned as she went about her morning routine. Fixing her hair, she tied her bandana on her head with care. She then slipped her feet into her sneakers, petting her patient Misdreavus that hovered near her shoulder.

"Hold on a little longer," she told her. "All I have to do is put my things away and we'll be off."

"Muu," the quiet Pokémon cooed. Although King's high-tech collar sparkled actively around her neck, it only cackled and buzzed.

Clumsily at first, the girl knelt by her backpack and picked up her purple pajamas from the bed. The main pocket of her bag was wide open, its various contents scattered neatly across the floor. Trying to remember the order of organization her mother had advised, she placed the supplies in the bag as best as she could. When she was done, she placed her special green and white Poké Ball in last before zipping up all the pockets, standing with the backpack in hand. It was fairly heavy, but light enough to carry with ease once she got used to it.

Marina looked behind her, trying to wake herself up the longer she stalled. Outside the window, the little daylight appeared dreary, but despite this she could hear the bird Pokémon chirping and singing away. Beside her, Misdreavus watched silently.

"All right, what else?" whispered Marina. She sighed and tapped her cheek to further wake herself up. "Oh, right. A note!"

"Muu…" Misdreavus only sighed softly in return, watching as her Trainer went to the desk. The girl took out a pen and a little notepad from within a drawer, gripping the utensil with her right hand as she wrote. After a moment, she smiled affectionately as she flipped open another page and scribbled something else down.

"Okay. Done! Time to go, then." At that, she slipped her bag over her shoulders and left the room, making sure to close the door gently behind her.

Marina walked down the hallway along with her little ghost Pokémon, listening intently. Although she knew that she was being quiet, the silence in the lab seemed to exaggerate every sound she made. She would not mind being caught leaving by her friends, but it was mostly out of the fun of it to sneak out unnoticed. The looks on Kenta and Jackson's—especially Jackson because he was the more animated of the two—faces when they find out that she left before them were childishly amusing in her mind, and she smiled just thinking of it.

"Ma… Marina."

The girl jumped and suppressed a yelp upon hearing the synthesized voice of the collar. She faced Misdreavus, putting her finger to her own lips.

"Shh, we have to be quiet," she murmured urgently. Around them, some of the guest room doors were open. She did not know which rooms her friends were in, though she could certainly hear Jackson's snoring.

The little ghost seemed to understand the message, and began talking once they entered the main room. "Shouldn't you give them a proper farewell?"

"I'm a Pokémon Trainer, right? I want to start traveling already; somewhere beyond my hometown and other cities that I'm very familiar with," Marina responded positively with a smile, "They shouldn't worry about me."

"Muu, muuma mu," Misdreavus spoke, and the unreliable collar began malfunctioning again. Worried that the noise would wake her peers, Marina reached for the collar and flipped the switch.

"It'll be fine, don't worry," she whispered, offering a reassuring grin. She giggled obliviously at the Pokémon's cute sigh, and the two continued on. They passed the empty wooden table, and in the distance a few machines hummed softly. The broken window in the little library had been mended.

Marina touched the Poké Balls that rested around her waist. Officially, Pokémon Trainers can only carry up to six Pokémon with them at a time. This was not a problem for Marina before, but with the addition of Misdreavus and Murkrow, she had to leave one behind. Following her brother's advice, she decided to keep Misdreavus and left the Murkrow to Professor Elm, who would care for and observe it in his Pokémon research.

Having a full team on her already brought her a sense of heavy commitment, but one that she was more than willing to carry out. She promised herself to keep a close eye on her teammates.

Silver's a special case with Wani-Wani, she thought to herself adamantly. But I'm not going to let it happen again. These are my friends.

"Muu!"

Ripping her from her thoughts were an alarmed shriek, and a clatter of books beside her. Marina winced and turned to her Pokémon, who retreated from a pile of books she had knocked off the shelves. The sounds echoed in the spacious room for a few seconds before fading away.

"Misdreavus..."

"Muu muma muu…" Misdreavus seemed to apologize, floating timidly by her side.

Silence followed as Marina made haste to put away the fallen books back in place. In all honesty, she felt eager to leave. Despite being relieved that the professor was letting the subject of Wani-Wani lie, she did not want to linger anymore. Indeed, she desired to travel about freely like a Trainer ought to. Being in the laboratory made her think of worrying things, such as why the rude redhead felt familiar to her.

I guess I'm thinking too much.

"Let's get out of here," she murmured to herself as she placed the last book on the shelf. She turned and opened the door, letting her Pokémon through before closing it.

Stepping away from the lab, Marina took a moment to breathe deeply. She smiled as a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Turning to Misdreavus, she turned the collar back on and skipped down the path.

"All right! Come on, we have a Pokémon to catch called Hoothoot. We might find one, even with this light, so we should get going," she told her Pokémon in a more prominent tone now that they were outside.

"I will be right behind you," Misdreavus replied with a nod.

"You're so proper," commented Marina, "It's a little weird."

"In return, you're quite frivolous."

"Frivo-what?"

"Frivolous?"

"Umm, I don't know what that means. Oh well, let's go!"

"Muu! Muuma… Yes, let's."

The two turned onto the trail leading to Route 29. With a final glance over her shoulder at the familiar laboratory and her hometown, Marina quickly strolled into the wilderness with her Pokémon.

As the thumping of books and a brief shrill cry sounded, Kenta woke with a start. He sat up, his black hair—especially his bangs—messy and askew. Across the hallway in the other guest room, Jackson had sprung right from his bed and stood in the doorway of his room.

"Did you hear that?" Jackson asked groggily.

"Yeah," Kenta nodded and turned on a lamp, "It sounds like something fell over..."

"What time is it...?"

"Six-fifteen," answered Kenta as he yawned.

"Six in the morning?" Jackson seemed to wake more at the answer, shocked.

"Uh, yeah," Kenta replied and reached for his Cyndaquil's Poké Ball before walking into the hallway. Both boys were equally drowsy, but Kenta stayed alert in case the thief decided to make a return. However, neither of them heard anything else, not even the shuffling of feet. Those few moments of peace relieved the boys of any suspicion.

"Did someone else wake up?"

"...I think I know who," said Kenta.

"It wasn't my dad! No siree," denied Jackson.

"No, not the Professor," they made eye contact as Kenta continued, "Marina." He trailed off as he headed for the girl's temporary room down the hall. The door was left ajar, and his guess was confirmed as he walked inside. The bed's sheets were fixed, and the chair was set properly underneath the desk. Just about everything in the room appeared normal, like no one had ever stayed in the first place.

"She's gone? Where is she?" Jackson murmured, growing wide awake by the moment as he peered into the room.

"None of her things are here...I guess she left," Kenta quietly replied. Spotting a notepad on the desk, he walked to the desk and picked it up. "Look, she wrote something." As Jackson rushed over to him, he began reading the little letter written on it in Marina's bubbly handwriting.

Dear Kenta, Jackson, and Professor Elm,

I left on my journey while you guys were asleep. Sorry, but I want to truly start traveling! I might even be in Cherrygrove by the time you get this; Route 29 is a cinch for me. Please don't worry. I can take care of myself, really!

I hope I'll see you guys again soon. Maybe Kenta and Jackson can catch up with me before I get to the first Gym in Violet City? Tee hee! Good luck, and wish me luck too!

Love,
Marina

"Wh-What?!" Jackson bellowed. "She left? No!"

"Jackson, don't yell," Kenta told him groggily, "It's too early for that."

"Speak for yourself!" snapped Jackson, though he went on in a considerably quieter tone. "What was she thinking? I never even got to ask her again if she wanted to travel with me! She went off all alone like that without even saying goodbye—."

"She did bother to write us a letter," Kenta stated, interrupting him.

"So? It wasn't a goodbye in person. I never even got her PokéGear number!" Jackson continued to ramble on, not giving so much as a glance to his friend. "I've been meaning to ask, but with everything that happened I never had the chance! I knew I should have asked her during breakfast yesterday! Or maybe when I was done helping Dad with feeding the Ponyta! Agggh, what should I doooo?!"

Kenta shook his head and looked back down at the notepad, reading the letter again. Then, out of honest curiosity, he turned to the next page to find an extra little note.

P.S. Thank you, Kenta!

Below the small postscript was a set of numbers; Marina's phone number.

"...What is it?" Jackson asked as he suddenly stopped his ranting, noticing the grin that spread across Kenta's face.

"Marina didn't give a good-bye in person, but she did give us her PokéGear number," said Kenta as he showed him the paper.

At first, Jackson gaped in shock, but his expression quickly melted into suspicion. "What's up with that note to you?"

"Marina didn't know how to use her PokéGear, so I showed her yesterday. Hopefully she has the number right," Kenta replied, still beaming somewhat.

"So that's what you were doing..."

"You were watching us?"

"Yeah, I was. I have to keep my eye on my rival," Jackson snatched the notepad out of the boy's hand, "I'll be taking this."

"Hey, give it back!"

"For what reason?" Jackson shot back.

"Why else? To get her number."

"And why is that?" he asked and narrowed his eyes, folding his arms in an overly-pronounced way. "Huh? Huh?"

"...Nothing special. You know, just to talk," Kenta answered, mimicking Jackson in a much more modest manner. Moments passed with them staring at the note, and Jackson turned his back on him.

"Nope," he said flatly.

"Hey!"

"Whew, I'm tired already." Marina sighed, out of breath as she sat down on a bench in Cherrygrove's Pokémon Center. She took a look at her PokéGear, which currently displayed the overall map of Johto. It took far less time getting through the area due to her knowledge of Route 29 and the more detailed map that the PokéGear had to offer, however it still took a few hours because of the distance. Also, because she was in a consistent sprint the entire way, she was left out of breath by the time she reached Cherrygrove City.

"Aw, I never did find a Hoothoot," she said to herself. "Maybe next time."

Moments later, Nurse Joy approached her with a tray holding Marina's Poké Balls. Spotting her, the girl stood and took them with a small, appreciative bow. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

"Anytime," she replied kindly, "I saw you the other day, didn't I? Why are you still here in Cherrygrove City?"

Marina smiled and clipped her Poké Balls onto her belt. "Well, I was on an errand the other day. But now I'm on my real journey as a Trainer."

"I see. So you'll be taking the Pokémon Gym Challenge?" The nurse made a smile at her as the girl nodded confidently.

"Yup! I'll be getting all the eight badges of Johto," Marina merrily replied, "I'm going to go now while it's still daylight. No time to waste!"

"I'd certainly say so. You have almost a year before the Johto League Tournament starts, but all that traveling can take you quite a while. That's why these Pokémon Centers are here to help," Joy said and smiled sweetly, "Good luck then, Marina."

"Thanks; goodbye!"

Remembering haphazard search for Mr. Pokémon's house, Marina walked through Route 30 with her PokéGear constantly in hand. The next town was Violet City, one she had visited a few times in the past, and it contained the first Pokémon Gym for her to challenge.

The eroded dirt trail soon gave way to Route 31. Trees and tall grass continued to surround and occasionally overrun the path. It did not take long before she felt like she was lost, but she checked her map and stayed on the path as close as she could. Along the way, fellow rookie Trainers battled her with their freshly-caught Normal and Bug-type Pokémon. Each battle became progressively easier as Marina's partners grew used to following her commands at a moment's notice. She managed to win every match thanks to the amount of Pokémon she had, increasing her and her team's morale.

After a tedious match against a bug catcher that had nothing but five Caterpie and a Weedle, Marina double-checked her belt to make certain she had all of her Pokémon, and continued onward with glee. As excited as she was, she walked to conserve her stamina.

A sudden buzzing reached her ears, and she looked up to see a large, red bug Pokémon landing not too far away in the grass. Larger than her Misdreavus, it was just as cute with wide black irises, and it seemed to twitch nonstop as it nervously sat alone.

"Oh, a Ledyba," Marina murmured its name with a smile. She reached into a side pocket in her backpack blindly and took out her Pokédex. Flipping open the cover, she pointed the crimson device at the Pokémon. The machine came to life and displayed various data on the screen, including a picture of a Ledyba. It then spoke in an informative, mechanical voice.

"Ledyba, the Five Star Pokémon. Type: Bug/Flying
Ledyba are very timid and sometimes cluster in groups to keep warm and have company. The fluid secreted by its feet indicates its location."

Marina smiled and snapped the Pokédex shut, grabbing a Poké Ball to quietly throw it. "Go, Misdreavus! Use Tackle—Um, I mean, Psywave!"

"Muu," Misdreavus said wistfully. She soared over to the Pokémon and released waves of multi-colored rings. The Ledyba cried out in fear and looked at the two, its spotted wings buzzing as it took flight. It turned to fly away, causing the little ghost Pokémon to cut it off by flying in front of it.

Marina thought as she tried to remember Misdreavus's attacks as Ledyba attempted multiple times to escape. She had to catch up with the two Pokémon by the time it hit her, snapping her fingers. "Use Mean Look Misdreavus!"

"Mu!" Again flying in front of her enemy, Misdreavus narrowed her eyes, which shone a pensive yet alluring glare.

Ledyba flinched and grunted in aggravation, finally standing its ground.

Good! Can't escape now! Reaching into another side pocket, Marina retrieved an empty Poké Ball. She spun once and threw the sphere vigorously, calling out, "Alright, Poké Ball, go!"

The Ledyba spun about in front of Misdreavus before it was trapped inside the Poké Ball. The sphere then dropped to the ground with a heavy clunk. After a momentary jiggle, it went still.

The blue-haired Trainer smiled happily. Dashing toward the ball, she picked it up with her free hand. "Great, I caught a Ledyba!"

"Muu muu," Misdreavus snapped calmly, circling her.

"Oh!" With a slight apologetic bow, Marina corrected herself and affectionately petted her Pokémon. "Right, of course! We caught a Ledyba. Great job, Misdreavus!"

"Muu."

Giggling cheerfully, Marina held up her Pokédex again, placing the Poké Ball over a blue jewel-like mechanism below the screen. She tapped the navigational buttons for a while and selected the option "transport." The ball then vanished in a flash of light, much to her awe; knowing that it was transferred to Professor Elm's lab just like that amazed her.

"Well, that was easy. Thanks again!" she thanked her Misdreavus and recalled her cheerfully, facing the road once more. Marina gripped her PokéGear.

Okay, now onto Violet City!

The girl took a deep breath and marched onward, wearing an innocent and confident grin. In the back of her mind, she knew what she was leaving behind: her home; her family; her neighborhood friends; the homely Pokémon that inhabited Route 29; everything that was truly familiar to her. Though the path ahead of her was clearer than it was before, a vague and unpredictable future of battles, meetings, mysteries and new places awaited her. She knew this and pressed on, for it was the future, fate, and the path of a Pokémon Trainer.