When Mary-Sue's tenth birthday finally dawned, she woke up groggy, hung over from remnants of Chimecho's soothing tones, an unfortunate side effect of the Pokémon-induced sleep. She sat up, looked over at her room, and saw her father slumped in the middle of the floor, still wearing his work tunic, snoring softly; it took her a moment to think, but then she leapt out of bed.

"Dad!" she shouted. "Daddy! It's my birthday, daddy!"

"Hnuggh?" Mr. Jones groaned, rolling over and blinking his green eyes open, the skin beneath them baggy and bruised.

"Wake up, wake up! I'm ten!" Not waiting for a moment, Mary-Sue dove into the bathroom, rushing through her morning routine and only slowing down to get her hair just right.

"Take it easy, baby girl," her father moaned, rubbing his face, still in the process of sitting up when she emerged. "You still need to pack." He mustered a smile then, and added, "Happy birthday, sweetie."

"Thanks daddy!" Mary-Sue chirped, going for her wardrobe, wondering what exactly she was going to wear now that she didn't have to wear a uniform for school anymore…

"Oh, honey, I made you something."

Mary-Sue froze, then spun around and hopped in place. "What, what?!"

"I was gonna…" Her father yawned, scrubbed his eyes again, then took a deep breath and straightened up. "I was up all night," he admitted, as though it wasn't obvious. "I was going to show these to you when you woke up." His exhaustion suddenly seemed to evaporate, and he stood, revealing the bundle he'd been lying on top of and gesturing with a flourish. "Ta-da! The perfect clothes for an adventure!"

"Hmm?" Mary-Sue blinked, trotting over to the pile, and she picked up one of the garments. It was a t-shirt, just her size, and designed similarly to her pajama shirt: triangles of fabric artfully stitched across a different base. In this case, though, the base was a soft but dense black cloth, while the outside was all the same, a sky-blue material that wasn't exactly coarse, but definitely heavy-duty. While she couldn't say she loved the color, the way the triangles had been sewn together just asymmetrically enough to be artful without looking hodgepodge, the pronounced seams that leant the clothing a pattern that was pleasing, almost captivating in design…all of that was completely her style.

"I love it!" she cried, hugging the shirt. "You make the coolest stuff, dad!"

"I'm so glad you like it, sweetie," her father sighed, dropping to his knees again. "I made you a warm-weather set and a cold-weather set, plus boots and gloves to match."

The young trainer was already sorting through her new garb, separating the shorts from the long pants and the t-shirt from the long-sleeved shirt and assessing them all. The bottoms weren't made up of triangles, and didn't have black cloth lining, but instead had a bit of embroidery added to better match the tops, a thin starburst pattern in indigo thread. More exciting were the fingerless gloves that looked just like the Champion's, except that they were a dark brownish-gray and very soft, almost as though they'd already been worn a thousand times. The boots matched the gloves, and came halfway up to her knees, tight but stretchy in such a way that they didn't need laces to stay securely on her feet - just the way she liked it.

Geared up in the warm-weather set, Mary-Sue had to dash back into the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. Actually, the colors weren't so bad on her - the pale blue set off her brilliant red hair, making it look even brighter. Of course, everything fit her perfectly, and with her hands gloved, Mary-Sue thought she looked like a real trainer.

"I'm so ready!" Mary-Sue shouted to her entire apartment, face scrunching with delight, and she pumped her fists and barreled over to her exhausted father. "Thank you, daddy!" she exclaimed, crushing him in a tight hug.

"You're welcome, baby girl," her father murmured, gently hugging her back even as he struggled for breath.

"Did I hear a birthday girl?" called a woman's voice from down the hall, and Mary-Sue released her father to run to meet her mother as the woman who'd given her her hair emerged onto the landing between her room and the rest of the top floor.

"Mom!" the girl shrieked, bounding over. "Look, look, look what daddy made for me!"

"You look wonderful!" Mrs. Jones exclaimed, a broad smile lighting her face, though her sapphire eyes seemed almost sad.

"I look like a real trainer now!" Mary-Sue grinned. "And I have an ID number and a Pokédex, and - and the care package should get here soon, right? So all I need is a Pokémon!"

"Have you eaten anything, dear?" her mother asked in response to the pointed statement.

"No," Mary-Sue grumbled, "I just got up. But please, please can I see my Pokémon?!"

"Let's have breakfast first," her mother insisted. The career coordinator glanced behind Mary-Sue, then sighed heavily. "I'll cook, since your father was up all night."

Blinking, Mary-Sue turned around and saw that her dad had passed out on the floor again.

"When did you get home, mom?" Mary-Sue asked in a stage whisper as the two of them went downstairs.

"Late," Mrs. Jones answered, also lowering her voice. "But your father was still up, and didn't even start working on your birthday present until I went to bed." The scarlet-haired woman hesitated, then added, "He's really worried about you, you know."

"I know," Mary-Sue sighed.

"Wobbu wobbu?" asked the blue blob waiting at the bottom of the stairs, mimicking the humans in hushing its voice. It extended its stubby arms towards Mary-Sue in confusion.

"Sorry, Wobbuffet," Mary-Sue told it, "we need to be quiet so dad can sleep." She paused, realizing that she wouldn't have another chance to be caught by its soft, cushy body, and quickly gave it a hug. "I'm gonna miss you," she said.

"Wooooo-buffet!" proclaimed the creature, hugging her back.

"Quiet!" Mary-Sue hissed.

"It's okay, dad's a heavy sleeper," her mom chuckled, lightly patting her dear old companion's smooth head. "Come on, Wobbuffet, help me make breakfast."

"Woo-buffet!" The blue blob released Mary-Sue to salute its partner, then waddled over to the stove with her.

"Try not to burn anything," Mary-Sue told her mom as she trotted out to the living room to wait. While her mother wasn't a terrible cook, per se, her father was definitely the finer chef, and once or twice, Mrs. Jones had had a mishap with the oven, as though she'd never really learned to use one.

Out in the living room, Mary-Sue glanced at the door to the apartment, wondering when the standard-issue new-trainer care package would arrive - she couldn't leave without it. In the meantime, she turned to the Pokémon curled up on its soft bed by the door.

"Hey, Meowth," Mary-Sue said, bending down and poking the furry creature. "Wake up. It's my birthday."

"Good ta heah," grumbled the lazy feline, though he did turn over and stand up on his hind legs even as he rubbed his face. "It'll be nice ta get some peace and quiet for a change."

Mary-Sue giggled.

Blinking its massive eyes, Meowth looked up at her, then flinched, almost doing a double take. "Where'd ya get those clothes, kiddo?" he asked.

"You like them?" Mary-Sue smiled, straightening and twirling to show off her new gear. "Dad made them for me last night!"

Meowth blinked again, then sighed heavily. "Figures," the talking cat grumbled. "Just gotta ask for trouble, don't he?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mary-Sue asked.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Meowth dismissed. Then, he gave her a rare smile and added, "Congratulations on growin' up. Do ya have a Pokémon yet?"

"Mom got me one, but she won't let me have it until after breakfast," Mary-Sue explained.

The little white creature folded his arms like a human would, his broad mouth drooping into a frown. Silently, he looked towards the kitchen with a pensive stare, as though he was thinking about something deeply serious. "Ya know, I could go wit'cha," he suggested after a minute. "I'm a Pokémon, too."

"No thanks, Meowth," Mary-Sue said teasingly. "You're too old and grumpy to be my partner."

"Hey!" snapped the cat, turning to scowl at her. "I'll have you know, I can still raise a claw ta da best of 'em! Nobody'd give ya trouble wit' me around!"

The young trainer laughed; as far as she knew, her family's Meowth had always been more of a human than a Pokémon, and had never been in a single battle, or even a contest, despite his unique talents. "Uh-huh," she giggled. "Sure, Meowth."

Grumbling under his breath, Meowth padded over to the kitchen to help Mary-Sue's mother. Mary-Sue looked at the door again, waiting for the knock that would mark the arrival of her package, then decided that was boring and bounded back up to her room to start packing up. She already had everything she needed: a tent and sleeping bag, a collapsable pot and pan, some packaged easy-prep rations, a big paper map, underwear, all-purpose soap, a comb, toothbrush and toothpaste, the second clothing set her dad had made, and of course, her pajama shirt - no way would she be leaving without that. With her Pokédex and some cash tucked into her pockets, her backpack fit everything else with room to spare, and she shrugged it on, almost shivering as the reality of the day continued to sink in: in a matter of minutes, she would be leaving on her journey to become just like the Champion.

Breakfast was finished a few seconds after Mary-Sue finished packing; Mrs. Jones had overcooked the eggs slightly, but Mary-Sue didn't mind all that much, feeling far too excited to even taste. Then, while she was eating, that knock on the door finally came, and her mother barely beat her there to answer it.

"Hello," said the mailman, holding a box, "I have a delivery from the Trainer Program for one Mary-Sue Jones?"

"That's me, that's me!" Mary-Sue shouted, pushing past her mother and grabbing the package. The adults exchanged some words and paper-signing while Mary-Sue tore open the box to reveal her new trainer equipment: five empty Pokéballs, two potions, one antidote, one revive, and one collapsable fishing rod. There was a note with the supplies too, either a congratulations or an instruction pamphlet or both, but Mary-Sue tossed it aside and loaded the stuff into a special pouch in her backpack. Feeling actual, genuine Pokéballs in her hands was surreal, and she slowed down to appreciate one of them - it was a little heavier than she'd expected an empty one to be, a mark that it was the real deal.

"Come finish breakfast, baby girl," her mother spoke up suddenly, and Mary-Sue jumped, nearly dropping the capsule she'd been cradling in her palm.

"Coming," Mary-Sue said, quickly stuffing the rest of the care package into her backpack before returning to the table. It was really almost time, she just needed a Pokémon and she'd be on her way…

At last, she'd gulped down the entirety of the meal her mother had made, and after the dishes were clean in the sink, she turned to her mother and hopped in place. "Can I have my Pokémon now?! Please, mommy?!"

"Yes, yes, alright, it's time," Mrs. Jones smiled, and she took out a brand-new Pokéball from her pocket.

Mary-Sue reached for it, but then her mother pulled back slightly.

"Now, listen, baby girl," Mrs. Jones said to her daughter, "please try not to be disappointed, okay?"

"Huh?" Mary-Sue blinked.

"I know you wanted a Shinx," her mother said, and Mary-Sue's heart skipped a beat, "and I really was going to catch you one. But while I was looking for one in the wilds north of Jubilife City, I saw something run past me and hide in a bush, and when I looked into the bush to see what was there…" She eyed the Pokéball in her hand almost wistfully, then smiled down at Mary-Sue. "Well, I just knew this Pokémon was something special. It has incredible potential, and if you raise it right, it'll shine. Just like that Trubbish in Unova, remember?"

"Yeah," Mary-Sue nodded, "I remember."

Her mother's smile widened as she relaxed. "I have an intuition about these things," she went on, "and I know this Pokémon can be great. I haven't been wrong about this sort of thing in years, you know. So please don't be upset that it's not what you wanted."

"I know," Mary-Sue chirped. "It's okay, mom, the Champion didn't start out with the Pokémon he wanted either - he wanted one of the standard starters, Pikachu wasn't even one of his picks at all, but he made do with it, and then he took it all the way." She grinned. "I'll do the same with this one, no matter what it is. And I'll raise it right - Pokémon need to be raised with love, trust, and understanding, I know all about it."

"Good girl," Mrs. Jones praised, and she knelt down and held out the red-and-white capsule at last. "Well then, it's time you meet your partner. Here you go."

Shaking, almost reverent, Mary-Sue took the proffered orb in both hands and lifted it. There was a tangible energy to the device, a sort of hum that made it vibrate in her grasp, marking it as being occupied by one of the magical creatures that filled the world. Barely able to even breathe, Mary-Sue palmed it in her right hand, tapped the button once to expand it, and hefted it a few times - it had the same balance as the painted wooden sticks she'd trained with at school, but it was different, it was real.

"I choose you!" she shouted, throwing the Pokéball, and it popped open in the air with a flash of white light.

From the light formed a tiny creature, bulbous and oblong in shape, barely rising past Mary-Sue's ankle. As it finished manifesting and the light faded, the green-and-yellow colors of the figure revealed, it turned to her on tiny legs and squeaked, "Budew?"

"It's…It's a Budew," Mary-Sue gasped.

"Dew?" questioned the tiny plant, looking around the room. "Budew dew?"

"Um…hi," Mary-Sue managed, and then she lunged for the little thing and picked it up in both hands. "Hi there, Budew!"

"Dew?!" it exclaimed.

"It's so nice to meet you!" Mary-Sue gushed to it. "I'm Mary-Sue, and I'm your trainer now!" She hugged it hard, ignoring its alarmed protests. "We're gonna conquer the Pokémon League together!"

"Dew! Deeeeeeew!" it wailed, squirming in her grasp.

"Sweetie, don't crush the poor thing," Mrs. Jones chided, half-laughing.

"Sorry, sorry," Mary-Sue said, forcing herself to loosen her grip and set the tiny creature back down on its stubby little legs. "I'm just so excited! I've been waiting to meet you my whole life, Budew!"

"Dewew…?" Budew looked around, then noticed where its Pokéball had fallen. "Dew!" it exclaimed. "Budew!" Remarkably quickly for something that barely even had legs, it trotted over to the capsule and eagerly bumped its face into the button on the front, dissolving into red light and disappearing back inside.

"Huh? Hey!" Mary-Sue exclaimed, grabbing the Pokéball, and she tapped the button to open it, white light flashing and revealing the Budew again. "I didn't call you back to your Pokéball!" she chastised the tiny plant.

"Budew!" it squeaked, and it leapt for the ball once more.

"No!" Mary-Sue shouted, standing up and holding the capsule far out of its occupant's reach. "You're supposed to stay out here with me unless I say so! And the Champion's Pikachu never gets in a Pokéball, why would you want to go back in?!"

"Dew!" exclaimed her new partner, and it started jumping feebly towards the Pokéball being held high above its head, flailing its stubby legs in the air as though hoping to propel itself far enough. "Dew! Dew! Dew!"

"Love, trust, and understanding," Mrs. Jones reminded her daughter gently, patting the young girl on the shoulder. "If it wants to be in its Pokéball, you should respect that."

"I guess," Mary-Sue grumbled. "But it's not like the Champion at all…"

Apparently realizing that it couldn't get to its resting place, Budew feebly chirped its name a few times, looked around frantically, then dove under a chair.

Drawing a deep breath, Mary-Sue sighed heavily, kneeling down to look at the baby Pokémon that was huddled in the best shelter it could find. "I guess, all Pokémon are different," she conceded. "Okay, you can stay in your ball until we get outside the city, but once we're on the road, I'm going to call on you so we can get some things done, okay, Budew?"

"Dew?" it asked, tiny eyes fixed on the device in Mary-Sue's hand, and it extended towards it as much as it could without coming out. "Dew, dew!"

"Okay, okay!" Mary-Sue groaned, and she aimed the ball at its resident. "Return," she told it, tapping the button, and red light drew it back inside.

For a minute, she stared at the device. This is…my Pokémon, she thought, and it was still surreal to really consider it. Mine. I'm a trainer now…

"Do you need anything else before you go?" came her mother's voice.

"Huh?" Shaken from her trance, Mary-Sue looked up at her mom, and realized it was time, really time. "No, I - I'm all packed," she managed, and her gaze drifted to the door. "I guess I…I'm really going now." She shrunk Budew's Pokéball and attached it to the strap of her backpack, staring at it, a powerful feeling bubbling up deep inside of her.

Smiling, Mrs. Jones knelt down and gave her daughter a tight hug. "I know you'll do great out there," she told her. "I'm so proud of you, baby girl."

"Yeah. Yeah!" Mary-Sue shouted, and she turned and squeezed her mother tightly. "I'm gonna be the very best, like no one ever was!"

"I'm sure you will," her mom giggled.

"I will!" Mary-Sue insisted, and she quickly kissed her mother's cheek. "Bye mom, I love you!"

"I love you too," Mrs. Jones said, pecking the young trainer once on the forehead before releasing her, and Mary-Sue dashed up the steps to where her dad was still passed out.

"I'm going now, daddy! I love you!" she told him, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek too.

"Huh?" he groaned, then grabbed her in a fierce hug at the last second. "Don't go yet!" he cried. "Please, please don't go!"

"I'm going, daddy, I'm going!" Mary-Sue laughed, struggling in his embrace, but she accepted his big, sloppy kiss on her own cheek and squeezed him back one more time before squirming out of his grip. Flinging herself back the way she'd come, she shouted, "Wobbuffet, catch me!"

"Woooo!" cried the blue blob as Mary-Sue leapt from the bottom of the stairs onto its cushy body one last time.

"Goodbye, Wobbuffet!" Mary-Sue trilled, squeezing the squishy creature as tight as she could. "Tell Corviknight and Appletun and Chimecho that I said goodbye too!"

"Wobbu!" promised the Pokémon as Mary-Sue resumed running for the door.

"Hey, don't I get a hug?!" called Meowth.

"Bye Meowth!" Mary-Sue said, dropping to her knees and giving the talking cat a crushing squeeze. "Take care of mom and dad for me!"

"I will," choked the furred creature, though he didn't struggle. Much.

"Be careful out there, baby girl!" her mother called as she finally reached the door.

"I will, mom, don't worry about me!"

"And call us when you get the chance!"

"Yeah yeah. Bye!" And she slammed the door to her apartment closed and bounded for the stairs.

Outside, down the street, Mary-Sue sprinted with all her might, her new boots proving to have the perfect grip for running, both on her feet and on the cobblestones. She dashed past the schoolhouse and headed straight for the gatehouse leading out to Route 8, a place she'd only ever gone with supervision before.

"Hello there, young lady," said the gatekeeper when Mary-Sue burst in. "Are you a new trainer taking the Gym Challenge?"

"Yes I am!" Mary-Sue declared, and she took out her Pokédex and handed it to him. "My name is Mary-Sue Jones, and I'm ten years old today!"

"Let's take a look, then," the man smiled at her, as he held her device to a reader on his desk. Something beeped, and a green light lit up. "Mary-Sue Jones, Celadon City, birthday today, ID number one-six-one-five-eight…Everything seems to be in order," he told the young girl, handing back her Pokédex. "Good luck on your journey!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Mary-Sue squealed, and she pocketed her precious device and turned to where the door to the outside world was now open to her, sprinting into the morning light beyond Celadon City.