Chapter 1

Sunlight streamed through my window, ignoring the blinds I had folded up to prevent it. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I pushed white-blonde strands of hair out of my face and peered out of my window. My bedroom was on the second floor of the house I shared with myself, so I had a pretty good view of the streets below. Everything looked normal. People were already out in the streets going about their business. I spied the neighbor's children across the street tormenting our local stray Meowth. I sighed happily as I rolled out of bed, nothing ever changed in this town and that was how we liked it.

I began to make my way over to my closet but my toe caught on the edge of my desk. I stumbled forward, clutching my foot in pain, and heard a thump as the picture on my desk fell forward. I drew in a breath, hoping the glass hadn't cracked. It hadn't, but I felt the familiar pang of sadness as I righted the picture of my parents and me.

My parents disappeared three years ago. I had been fourteen at the time and I still remembered them fondly. Both of them had been great trainers, which was why they had been chosen by the professor to deal with some sort of disturbance in the region. They went willingly and the problem was dealt with, but nobody heard from them again.

I ran my thumb along the top of the frame, removing any dust that had collected. Then, I shook myself out of my daze and tore myself away from old memories.

After I had showered and dressed, I cleaned up my room a bit and headed downstairs to get on with the rest of my day. I had to cross the living room to get to the kitchen where dishes from the night before filled the sink. I took care of the dishes and fixed myself breakfast. Carrying my breakfast with me, I retrieved my laundry from my room and set the machine running. It was only after all my chores had been finished and my dishes cleaned up that I could relax in my favorite room of the house.

The library may not have been the biggest room in the house, but it was the warmest. Not only was the temperature warm, but there was something about the room that was inherently welcoming. The floor was covered in a soft red carpet as opposed to the hardwood in the rest of the house. There was a fireplace set into one of the walls, currently dark, as it was a bright summer morning. A comfortable sitting area was arranged in front of the fireplace and a large writing desk sat against the opposite wall. The walls themselves were more bookshelves than walls at this point. Books of all sorts filled every available shelf, all organized neatly. At least a third of the books in this library had been written by my parents in their extensive research on Pokemon.

An open book lay on one of the chairs, right where I left it. I picked it up, sank into the chair, and began reading. Not ten minutes later, I was interrupted by a knock at my front door. I rolled my eyes, set my book down on the side table, and got up to answer the door.

I opened the door, ready to make excuses as to why I couldn't help my neighbor in the garden today. Those excuses died in my mouth when I saw it wasn't my neighbor standing on my doorstep, but Professor Spruce. The professor lived on the other side of the region, in Solferino City. He only visited our little town once a year to meet aspiring trainers and send them out into the world. However, I knew for a fact, that time of year was still months away.

"Good morning, Alice," he greeted me, tugging at the edges of his long coat.

"Professor Spruce! What are you doing here?" I didn't mean to sound rude but the question came out blunter than I anticipated.

"I came to talk to you about a few things," he said lightly. I squinted, searching the lines on his face for a hint of a lie. "Can I come in?"

I stepped aside to let him through. He waited for me to shut the door, and followed me to the living room where I offered him a seat. "Would you like me to make you anything?" I offered politely.

"No, that's alright. Thank you for the offer."

Satisfied, I took a seat across from him, watching as I removed a grey bag from his shoulder and placed it on the coffee table between us.

"I'm going to skip straight to the point," he began, running a hand through his slick, greying hair. "I would like you to consider becoming a trainer." He raised a hand to stop me from protesting. "Please, just hear me out."

I sat back, arms folded. Already, I didn't like where this was going. Even before my parents disappeared I had hesitated to become a trainer. After they left, I promised myself I'd never become one. I didn't want to abandon the people who loved me, as my parents had. Nonetheless, I nodded at the professor to continue. I preferred to get this over with sooner rather than later.

"You've rejected my Pokemon now for almost five years now, and I understand why you have, truly, I do." The professor paused and let out a deep sigh before continuing. "But we have a problem. There's a group of bandits terrorizing the region. They've been infiltrating towns and cities, stealing Pokemon, and threatening those who don't comply."

"So, why come to me?" I asked, absently picking at the fabric of my shirt. "I'm sure there are plenty of other young trainers out there willing to help stop this."

Professor Spruce leaned forward, folding his hands together. "There are," he admitted. "But I came to you because we believe this is the same group that your parents were sent to stop all those years ago."

I froze with a fabric thread between my fingers. "They're back?" I whispered.

"Unfortunately, yes." He drew in a slow breath and gave me a sympathetic look. "I know this is hard," he said. "But this could be a chance for you to find out what happened to them."

I raised my head to meet his gaze. The hope in his eyes was almost too much for me and I looked away again. "I don't know."

Undeterred, the professor gestured to the bag he had set on the table. "This bag contains everything you'll need, should you decide to go. Well, almost everything." I raised an eyebrow at him as he scratched the back of his neck. "The starter Pokemon I brought for you were..." He laughed nervously. "They were stolen on my way here."

"Of course," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"It's not too hard to catch one," the professor rambled. "And generally they won't attack a human unless provoked."

Professor Spruce stayed for longer than I would've liked. He seemed convinced that I was the only person who could do this and he refused to leave until I promised that I would at least think about it.

When he finally agreed to go, he left the bag on my table. He got up but stopped halfway through turning the doorknob. "Oh, one more thing." I fought the urge to scream. "I was supposed to deliver a message to you from Mrs. Wells." At this, I straightened. "She says she needs your help moving a couch."

I deflated a bit. "Thank you, professor." He nodded and left.

As soon as I heard the door click behind him I relaxed in my chair, sighing. I knew there was no way I'd be able to go back to my book now, so I slipped on my shoes and got ready to leave. I didn't head out immediately for fear of running into the professor again, and by the time I got out, the sun was high in the sky.

When my parents disappeared, they left me in the care of the townspeople who, in my opinion, did a pretty good job. To repay them for their kindness, I had taken up doing odd jobs for whoever needed it. Sometimes that entailed gardening, babysitting, Pokesitting, or, in this case, moving a couch.

It was a beautiful day outside. Summer was coming on fast and the trees swayed gently in the warm breeze. The wind carried with it the smell of smoke and roasting meat. I could see the column of smoke coming from a neighbor's house and I debated stopping by to pick up some lunch. I reminded myself that Mrs. Wells needed me and I knew she would insist on feeding me whether I was hungry or not. I smiled to myself as I continued down the road.

There were no streets in our town, only tree-lined dirt paths between the houses. Mrs. Wells didn't live far, only about a five-minute walk. Although, in a town this small, nobody lived too far from each other.

Mrs. Wells answered the door with a smile on her face, as usual. She was a small woman, barely level with my chin, but she was quite hale for her age. Her curly hair had been grey for as long as I could remember, yet she walked without the use of a cane.

"Alice! I'm glad you came," she said. Her voice was serene and sweet. It matched her appearance perfectly. "I wasn't sure that the professor would remember to tell you."

She waved me inside. Her companion, a friendly, well-behaved Persian greeted me as soon as I stepped inside. He weaved between my legs purring and I reached down to pet him. The air inside her house had a faint, barely perceptible, floral scent, akin to perfume. The house was well-lit, and all of the windows were open to allow as much light as possible to come in. The white carpet was almost blinding in places where the sun hit it.

"Come this way, dear," Mrs. Wells said. Her flower-printed dress swished around her ankles as she led me into her living room. "I borrowed a dolly from the Black's yesterday." She gestured to a large wheeled platform next to a green couch that sported various stains and holes. "It should help you move that old couch. I'll be in the kitchen making us something to snack on if you need me."

With that, she left me alone in the living room. I walked to the couch and tried an experimental lift. It was heavy, but I could do it. By lifting half the couch at a time, I managed to maneuver it onto the dolly where I would be able to easily wheel it out of the house. Mrs. Wells reappeared just as I finished dropping it on. She held out a steaming cup of tea, which I declined, and a plate of cookies, which I gratefully accepted. I munched on a cookie as I moved the couch outside.

Mrs. Wells had already ordered a replacement couch. It sat in its box around the side of the house. She helped me cut away the box, then, I wheeled the new couch inside and placed it where I was told to.

The work took my mind off of the professor's request for a time, but once I said goodbye to Mrs. Wells, there was nothing to distract me. I usually visited the center of town to window shop and talk to the townspeople in the afternoons, but today I found myself unable to do anything but wander around town, lost in my thoughts.

The sun was sinking by the time I made it home. I walked in the door and my gaze was drawn to the grey bag that sat, unassuming, on my coffee table. Was the professor right? Was this my only chance to learn about what happened to my parents? If so, then it wasn't something I could pass up. It would mean breaking my promise to myself, but if it brought me closure it was worth it, right?

The evening was spent cooking, folding laundry, and cleaning. I made sure everything was spotless before I went to sleep. In the morning, I packed my things. I made sure I had enough food to last me until I got to the nearest town at least. I took up the professor's bag and gave my keys to my neighbor, with instructions to take care of the house in my absence. Then, I struck out eastward, heading for adventure.