Day 2

The rest of the night passed uneventfully and the two travelers woke with the dawn. Cherry Grove was just over the hill and they set off immediately, determined to make it as far as possible today.

The town was quiet. Ally passed through quickly, glancing briefly at the pokemart and pokecenter. They were both still closed, but she had the potions from the Professor still, and Dante had already recovered from last nights battle. She had been to Cherry Grove plenty of times as a kid, and wasn't that interested in checking the familiar town out.

She reached the town square when her pokedex vibrated insistently. She paused, then glanced at Dante. The cyndaquil glanced at her, eyes unreadable. The 'dex continued to vibrate, so she pulled it from her pocket and glanced at the screen. It was the Professor.

"Hello? Professor?"

"Ally! Hello. Look, I've just received a call from a colleague that lives just north of Cherry Grove. He has an egg that he thinks may be important for research. I want you to make your way to his house and pick the egg up, then head back here. I'll forward the GPS location to your map to make navigation easier."

"Oh! Alright then." She glanced down at Dante again, holding in a sigh. Part of the program that allowed her to get a 'dex and rare pokemon from the Professor for no charge stated that preforming favors like this, in addition to the field research that she would be doing with the 'dex, were not optional. Refusing them would cause her license to be revoked and her 'dex would be remotely wiped. And of course she would lose her stipend.

The Professor seemed to sense her disappointment at having her journey delayed. "Don't worry Ally, it should only delay you a few days. This will be a good way to force yourself to train with cyndaquil before you get to Violet City and the first Gym." She nodded. He was right of course. "Thanks Ally. You should get those coordinates soon. I'll see you in a few days." The line went dead.

True to the Professors word, moments later a notification popped up, stating that a new location had been added to her map. She studied it briefly, then pocketed the device again and began walking, Dante at her side.

They cleared the town shortly and were out of sight before they saw anyone. Ally slowed her steps. A young teen stood in he middle of the path, facing another boy. A pidgey and a rattata stood between them, locked in combat. She paused some distance from them, watching. The pidgey seemed to have the upper hand at first, with the rattata having a hard time scoring hits on it. But as she watched it flew down to tackle the other pokemon and rattata managed to tackle it hard. It regained altitude, but seemed to be struggling to stay aloft.

The boys were intent on their battle, and it didn't look like it would be ending anytime soon, so she edged around them, walking off the path and through a meadow of tall grass. The battle seemed to have spooked any pokemon away, making her hike off the path no more difficult than following the dirt road would have been. Dante strolled beside her, keeping pace despite his short legs.

They reached the coordinates Elm had uploaded by midday, passing a handful of houses and trainers along their way. The sun shone high above them. Clouds dotted the sky here and there. She could hear the buzz of small bugs in the trees as she walked. Dante moved to her shoulders. Like the day before they really didn't notice many pokemon on their hike.

Ally reached a hand out to knock on the cabins red door. Before her fist had fallen more than twice the door jerked open and a old man in a dark suit and matching fedora beamed at Ally and Dante.

"You must be Ally. It was I who sent an email to Professor Elm earlier. This is what I want Professor Elm to examine." He usher them into the neat home and towards what must have been his study. The room was filled with odd treasures. Evolution stones, fossils, feathers, and scales were displayed on shelves and tables around the room. Mr. Pokemon urged them towards the desk, where an egg about the size of a cantaloupe sat on a cushion.

"A friend of mine from Ecruteak gave it to me. I was intrigued, so I sent mail to Prof. Elm. For Pokémon evolution, Prof. Elm is the authority. Even Prof. Oak here recognizes that. If my assumption is correct, Prof. Elm will know it."

The man gestured vaguely at someone Ally hadn't noticed. This man was older as well, with white hair and a clean shaven face. He wore khaki pants and a long white lab coat. Ally blinked at him, speechless. The Professor Oaks? The Professor who gave both Red and Blue their first Pokemon? He was practically legendary.

"I'm Professor Oak, a Pokémon researcher! So you're Ally! I was just visiting my friend Mr. Pokémon. I heard you were running an errand for Professor Elm, so I waited here." His eyes lighted on Dante and he gave a visible start. "What's this? A rare Pokémon! I see! You must be helping Professor Elm's research! I think I understand why Professor Elm gave you that Pokémon. You will treat your Pokémon with love and care, it seems. ...Ah! You seem to be dependable. How would you like to help me out? See? This is the latest update for the Pokédex. It automatically records data on Pokémon you've seen or caught. It's a high-tech encyclopedia! I'd like you to have it."

He held out a hand for Ally's 'dex, and she hesitantly handed it over. He tapped the screen a bit, then slid a microSD into its port. After a few seconds there was a chime and he removed the card, handing the device back to Ally.

"Go meet many kinds of Pokémon and complete that Pokédex! But I've stayed too long. I have to get to Goldenrod for my usual radio show." He walked past Ally and Mr. Pokemon and placed his hand on the doorknob before pausing and turning back to face them. "Ally, I have a feeling that is not the last time we'll meet. I added my contact information to your pokedex."

And with that he was gone.

"Sorry to trouble you, having you go back and forth. But please make sure to hand it to Professor Elm!" Mr. Pokemon grinned apologetically at her. All Ally could do is shake her head and insist politely that it wasn't a big deal. They exchanged pleasantries for a few more minutes before Ally excused herself and excited the house, determined to make it back to the western side of Cherry Grove before nightfall.

She cradled the egg in her arms the whole way back to Cherry Grove, Dante moving back and forth between the ground and her shoulder. Once he borrowed into her pack, popping his head out the top and watching the trail fade behind them as she walked. Nothing disturbed them, though a brisk breeze did pick up towards nightfall. Dusk was just settling in when Ally finally crossed the northern border of town, and by time they had camp set up on the western side night was fully fallen.

Day 1

Ally left the lab with her new pokeball in hand and made her way east, towards the first route. Cherry Grove was the nearest town to New Bark, and the nearest place that would be selling any Trainer items. New Bark had never set up a market dedicated to pokemon items, despite it being not only the starting place for new trainers but also the last town before the great expanse of the harsh wilderness that led the best of the regions trainers to the Elite Four.

Perhaps, Ally thought wryly, if I don't make it as a trainer I'll open a pokemart here. She shook her head at herself and continued to walk down the streets. She had already made her farewells to her disapproving parents and envious little brother, so there was no need for her to stop on her way by the small two story house. She did study it as she passed though, wondering when the next time she would see it would be.The tall window peering between the oak branches and to the street below belonged to her brother, away at study group for the day. Her parents room was in the back, peering over a yard that they shared with their neighbors. Her small attic room had stained glass windows, a sailboat on the front window and the absol constellation on the back. She waved merrily to the sailboat and kept walking.

The edge of town was always a rather abrupt thing, even when you knew it was coming. Towns didn't sprawl in Johto, not like other places in the world. They just ended. Her foot stepped off the well maintained cobble streets of New Bark and onto the dirt road of route 29. A grin spread across her face.

The sun was high in the sky by the time she stopped for a break. There had been no sign of any wild pokemon so far, but then the route between Cherry Grove and New Bark was known for being rather peaceful.She sat on a log a few feet off the route and pulled a bagel from her pack, taking a bite and inspecting her new partner's pokeball. It was typical, she knew, for trainers to leave their pokemon in their balls unless they needed them, but that seemed odd to Ally. Why not have them out with you?

She shrugged, then pressed the little button. A flash of red, then a small tan and teal creature materialized in front of her. It blinked up at her, then glanced around. It was male, and looked rather young. Ally cocked her head at it.

"Hey there little guy." He looked back at her. She grinned. "I'm Ally. Would you like a name?" She didn't really wait for a response. Pokemon were intelligent, especially the psychics and longer lived species, but this was a young one. It couldn't be smarter than a toddler. "I think I'll name you Dante. That sound good?"

The cyndaquil tilted his head and let out a soft 'quill?'

"You and I are going to be going on a grand adventure together buddy." She continued, grinning at Dante. "We're gunna explore the world, become great champions, and find out everything there is to find out! How about it?"

His head tilted to the other side. Ally sighed. "Well, to start off I suppose we'll just make it to Cherry Grove." She stood and gestured to Dante. "Alright, let's go. If I have to walk, you've got to as well. We can keep each other company."

They set camp up that night just outside of Cherry Grove. The nights were warm and sleeping under the stars seemed like an adventurous and romantic thing to do. Dante, it turned out, did not yet know any fire moves so she had him flare up his back so she could catch some sticks to start their campfire. They hadn't seen many pokemon that day, at least not close enough to challenge, but they were both exhausted regardless. Ally fell asleep with a smile on her face, Dante curled up beside her in the sleeping bag.

Ally woke in night. The fire had died down to embers, barely glowing in the dark. Nearby she heard something rustling. Her eyes met Dante's. All she could see of him was the starlight glinting off his eyes. "Tackle?" She breathed at him. It sounded like something was going through her backpack. He slowly blinked at her, then crept out of the bag.

His back flared suddenly, tiny flames erupting from his bristly fur and casting weak light on their campsite. Ally blinked, eyes watering, and grinned at a stunned rattata. Dante immediately charged into action, tackling the little pokemon and knocking it away from Ally's pack. She grinned and whooped. The rattata scurried back a few steps, barring its incisors at Dante and uttering a low growl. Dante paused, seeming to wilt a bit.

"Go on Dante, use another tackle on it! You're much stronger than this guy." Ally called. She leaned forward, still tangled in her sleeping bag.

Dante squared his shoulders and charged the rattata again, this time knocking it off its feet and slamming it to the ground. It let out a squeak and scampered away, clearly beaten. Ally grinned at Dante, who was panting and clearly a bit winded.

"That was great Dante!" She reached over and pulled him into a hug, scooping him up and kissing his head. He luckily had the foresight to quench his flames before they could burn her.

"We're gunna make the best team!"

The begining

The morning sun shone brightly on the streets of the small town of New Bark. Puddles dotted the the sides of the streets from the rain the night before, and Ally found herself dodging them carefully despite her new boots. They had been advertised as waterproof, but she realized that she wasn't quite ready to test that theory. Not on her first day. Her first day as a pokemon trainer. She suppressed a shiver, her eyes lighting in excitement. She was 18, and had graduated the day before. Her parents had not been okay with her starting a pokemon journey at ten (very few parents were okay with that) and they were no more pleased with her decision to do so now. But higher education could wait. Heck, it could happen online while she was traveling.

She hitched her pack a little higher, settling the weight more comfortably on her hips. She had had her whole life to consider which pokemon she would choose as her first partner. Not that that really made it any easier to choose. There was far too much to consider when one was thinking of, essentially, a lifetime partner.

The Professor had agreed to hand her one of his research pokemon in exchange for her logging information about pokemon locations and moves into the pokedex that he would be providing her with. It was the standard deal that Professors across the world made with new trainers interested in the rare pokemon that they held. The trainers benefited because the pokedex compiled information from other pokedex across the region to give the trainers more information about where to find wild pokemon and type advantages that their pokemon may have against a newly encountered challenger. And of course they got a high tier pokemon to base their team around. The Professors benefited from the exchange with virtually free and reasonably accurate field researchers.

Ally glanced around herself, noting that the sky was mostly clear. There wasn't supposed to be any rain today or the next day, though she didn't set much stock in that. Weather in Johto was not easy to predict, especially if there were any pokemon around that knew the move rain dance. Her hands tightened on the straps of her backpack. The pokemon lab was just around this corner. Her steps faltered a moment. This was real.

The lab was actually not that prominent, nor that awe inspiring. Nestled in among the other shops in the downtown area of New Bark it sort of just blended in. Only the sign above the door 'New Bark Town Pokemon Lab' held any clue as to the buildings purpose. A clear glass door marked the entrance. Ally took a deep, steadying breath, and walked through.

The entrance of the lab was sterile, just tiled floor and white walls with a handful of potted plants scattered here and there. An assistant sat behind a desk, busily typing into a dual screen monitor. He paused at the beep that Ally's entrance caused and looked up, blinking as his eyes adjusted.

"Hello. You must be Ally. Welcome. I'm one of Professor Elm's laboratory assistants. If you'll follow me I'll introduce you to him." The young man stood and walked through a door next to his desk, only pausing long enough to ensure that she followed. They walked down a long hallway, closed doors leading off of it until they came to the end of the hall and entered a large room. One side of it held shelves full of pokeballs, computers and various machines scattered along the other walls. Potted plants were spread sporadically around the room, perched on convenient shelves and window seals. The Professor sat behind a rather cluttered desk, head resting on a hand as he peered tiredly at the computer screen in front of him. He was rather young himself, appearing to be in his early thirties. Half moon glasses perched on his nose, and his sandy blonde hair was rumpled as though he'd only just woken up. His red rimmed eyes, however, spoke of a long morning.

"Ally is here to see you Professor." The assistant said, causing Elm to glance up. He smiled and thanked the assistant, dismissing him. Standing he beckoned Ally over and gestured at a small table set off the corner of his desk. On it lay three pokeballs.

"Ally, welcome. Here for your first pokemon?" She nodded, though he did not wait for her answer. "I have laid out my available pokemon for you, the balls are labeled with their species and type." She stepped closer to the table as he picked up a small cloth bag and a device from his desk. The little red and white pokeballs were indeed labeled with the species they contained and a small symbol to show their type. A water drop on the top of a ball labeled 'Totodile'. A single flame on top of the ball labeled 'Cyndaquil'. A leaf on the top of a ball labeled 'Chikorita'. Her heart began to pound.

This was it.

"You will of course get the standard package for agreeing to help me with my research. A pokemon of your choice, at level five. Five pokeballs, a registered pokedex, and a pokemon trainer license." He handed her the small bag containing her standard pokeballs, then a rectangular device. "That's a new issue pokedex. It will double as a phone for you." She glanced at it as he quickly ran through its standard operations. It was a touch screen device, around three inches wide and maybe four and a half long. It was heavy, nearly a centimeter deep. She hefted it, then turned her attention back to the table of pokeballs. The Professor had stopped talking now and stood, patiently waiting for her to make her selection.

"I..." She raised her hand to the table uncertainly. "I think... I will go with this one." She said, deciding to go with her gut. Forget worrying about type advantages and disadvantages. Her hand settled on the pokeball with the tiny flame. Her lips curled into a grin.

"I choose Cyndaquil."