Adinitium City

As the sun's rays slowly broke through the evening twilight, Jasper opened his eyes. The sun was bright, but gentle on his tired eyes. He yawned quietly and turned to look into his reasonably tidy room.
"I guess I won't be seeing this place for a while..." He thought to himself, sadness pulling at him. He felt a movement to his left and jumped.

Ralts' head slowly rose from under the cover. Though Jasper could not see her eyes, it was obvious what they would show. They would reflect his own sadness. Ralts slowly crawled up Jasper's chest and leaned against him in what he took for a hug. Though Ralts had good intentions, it only reminded him of what would be waiting for him out in the world: uncertainty.

Jasper was used to having someone he could trust more than anyone around him. He was used to getting up and making his own breakfast and then taking a morning walk to the academy. But he could do that no longer. He closed his eyes, stopping the tears that were threatening to overflow from his eyes, and pushed away those silly thoughts.
"This is what I have been waiting for all of my life. I have been wanting to get out of here for so long and now I have the chance... I will not jeopardize that by thinking those kind of thoughts!"

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, his tired arms resisting.
"Come on Ralts, let's get ready. We've got a big day ahead of us." With much effort, Jasper swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Finally, he stood up and stretched his weariness away. Taking a careful step forward, he started on his way to the shower.
"Just a few more steps..." He gripped the bathroom door handle and opened the heavy door. After some time, the shower rained soothing, hot water. He stripped and entered, muscles relaxing one by one as his body was consumed by the flowing water. He relaxed fully, listening only to the sound of his breathing and feel of the tranquil drumming against his body as his vision faded to black.



Jasper awoke with a start. The water now felt like a icicles against his skin. He shut the shower off and took in what had happened.
"Stupid idiot!" He stepped onto the cold stone wooden floor with trepidation, instantly recoiling his foot. He placed his foot down again and felt the cold bite him. It's frosty poison rapidly infected his body. Hopping from foot to foot, he made to his the door and pulled the heavy door open. His next step made him sigh with content. How wiggled his toes on the warm carpet below and smiled to himself.

After changing into a basic blue t-shirt, ordinary blue jeans, his tan work boots and a midnight blue zipper, he want downstairs to get his breakfast. To his pleasant surprise, it was already on the table. The tantalizing smell of his freshly made pancakes enticed him. He sat down and immediately started eating. The first bite, and every one after it, exploded with luscious flavor.

A noise in front of him made him look up. He grinned and stopped eating.
"Good morning to you too Jasper." Jasper looked at his mother and smiled. In the many years since they left his father, she hadn't changed in the slightest. She was still as beautiful now as she was then. Olivia Oakheart's Butterfree gracefully hovered above their heads.
"Sorry mom." He replied, trying not to laugh.
"So, it's the big day. Have you packed everything you will need?" Her concern for him making him feel a lot better.
"Yes. Have you thought of anything I can call Ralts yet?"

Since he got his first pokemon, he had been trying to think of a name but so far he had thought of nothing. Jasper had asked his mother a few times now but she always gave the same answer, and today was no different.
"The naming of your first pokemon is special, and must be done only by you." Jasper sighed and continued eating.
"Someday, I'll think of something..."

He finished his plate of homemade deliciousness and got his messenger bag and Ralts' pokeball. His pokemon was following behind him like a lost puppy. He smiled and picked her up deciding to carry her instead.
"I'm coming with you to the store. I've got to pick up a few things." Jasper heard his mother call from the next room.
"Alright, just don't embarrass me." A joke was in his voice but silently, he wished that she really wouldn't embarrass him.

They warm morning air was like heaven against his skin. With sorrow in his eyes, he gazed up at his home and wondered when he would next return. The light brown walls had kept him safe for years but now, there were no walls. He would have to make his own way and fend for himself. He inhaled deeply and felt the early morning heat enter his bloodstream and warm his body reassuringly.
"I can do this."

Unable to think of any words to express their feelings, mother and son traveled to the Pokemart in a peaceful silence.

The sun shined brightly through the windows of the two bedroom house. Ms. Williams smiled as she walked up the stairs and to the door that said "KEEP OUT" along with various other things a teen might have to ward off others. Her smile never faded as she carefully opened the door and glanced inside to see her daughter still sleeping.
"Riza, its time to get up. You said to wake you up early." She called softly from the doorway. She knew very good and well that wasn't enough to wake her daughter, but it never hurt to try. "Riza..." she called again but was cut off. "Five more minutes!" Riza snapped, rolling over and pulling her covers closer to her chest. "Alright." Ms. Williams sighed before closing the door and walking down stairs.
"She didn't get up, did she?" Mr. Williams asked, though he knew the answer. Riza could sleep through anything. Fire, bomb, tornado; no matter what it was, she could probably sleep through it with no problem. She was the heaviest sleeper Mr. Williams had ever met, or even heard of for that matter.
"No she didn't. But when she does get up, you know she will be mad that I didn't wake her up." Ms. Williams laughed before pulling out the eggs and starting on breakfast.

A sudden scream that came from Riza's bedside table made her jump. It was loud enough, she was sure people down the road could hear. Though her eyes weren't completely open, she tried to find the alarm. Her hand ended up knocking several water bottles and coke bottles down before she actually found the alarm. Her fingers fumbled around the clock until she found the snooze button. With a small sigh, she forced her eyes open and stared at the time. For a second, her mind didn't register but soon she realized she was supposed to be up two hours ago. "MOM!" she screamed before jumping out of bed and running into the hallway. "I was supposed to have been gone by now!"

Within thirty minutes, she was dressed and had her hair done for the most part. Her pinkish hair was styled in a 'emo' cut with her long bangs pushed over to cover the left side of her face. The front and sides had been straightened perfectly, but since she was low on time, she left the back alone though it was already straight for the most part.
As she stared in the mirror, she checked to make sure everything was in place. Around her bright green eyes, she had a thick layer of eyeliner and on her eyelids, she had a smoky grey style. Her lips were a bright pink from the lip stain she had put on only a few minutes ago. Around her neck was a adjustable black leather band with a charm in the middle of it. The charm was a simple white circle with a picture of a haunter in the center of it. She smiled at the ghost. Along her wrist, she had several small colored bands and on her left she also had a black wrist band with silver studs along it. With all her accessories in place, she continued her mental check list.
Her black tank top was loose, but snug enough to hug her curves and show off her figure. She stared at the black cargo pants that she wore and was rather happy about them. Though she normally wore a skirt, she didn't like the feeling of grass along her legs. Also, she enjoyed all the pockets cargo pants had. Lastly, she gazed down at her mismatched socks. One was pink and had a cute little skitty all along it while the other was a smoky gray color and had a hounddoom on it. Something about it made her smile, though it was never intentional for her to wear mismatched socks. However, the mates always seemed to disappear when she got socks.

Walking down stairs she glared at her mother who sat in the living room with Skitty next to her on the couch. "Good morning." Her mother greeted, though she didn't look away from the tv. "Its not morning anymore. I was supposed to be up when it was morning. Its afternoon now!" Riza complained as she looked around the kitchen for something quick to fix. She wasn't much of a cook at all, but that was probably due to the fact she didn't like cooking. "There is some breakfast in the microwave." Her mom stated with a sigh. "Oh and so you know, I woke you up several times. It isn't my fault you sleep more then a snorlax."
Riza glared at the back of her mother's head for a moment before looking in the microwave and pulling out the small plate of food. "Either way, I'm going to be late for my journey now...." Her body leaned against the counter while she held her plate with one hand and used her other one for the fork. "Why is Skitty just laying there..." Riza asked in between bites. "Your going to make a house cat out of her!" She added in a growl before setting her plate on the counter behind her.
"Skitty" She called while holding a small piece of bacon. The kitten's ears perked up before she slowly moved to glance at Riza. Seeing as she had food, she jumped up, and ran into the kitchen, meowing with every other step. "Good girl!" She cheered before giving her the piece of bacon.
From the living room, she heard her mother laugh. "Who's going to make a house cat out of her?"

It wasn't long after that Riza was finally ready to go. She stood outside with both her parents, her Skitty, and her backpack filled with some clothes and other essentials. "We are going to miss you." Her mother whispered before moving closer and hugging her tightly. "Be careful and don't go into random buildings." Her father instructed before moving to hug both Riza and her mother who was still hugging her. Riza's father ended the hug and pulled her mother away too. "She will be fine." He whispered before glancing over to Riza and smiling. "Call me everyday. And make sure Skitty doesn't get hurt!" Her mother instructed while holding on to Mr. Williams. Pulling out a small cluster of bills, she handed them to Riza. "Its only 600 but its a start."
Riza sighed and nodded her head after taking the money and putting it in her back pocket. Looking down at Skitty she couldn't help but to smile. "Lets go."
For a second, Riza stood there and looked at the town around her. "I should probably go to the pokemart to get a few things before I head out..." She thought to herself before glancing in the direction of the building. "Ya, that would probably be smart" She added before sighing. "Come on Skitty." She said as she headed toward the building.
Inside, she noticed it was rather crowded. Was everyone leaving today? She sighed as she tried to get past people to look at the price of pokeballs. "Wow, these are expensive...." she muttered before heading down a different isle, trying to find the potions and such. When she finally found them, she realized she wasn't going to be able to get much of anything with the money her mom gave her. "Great..." She thought while picking up one potion. Heading back to the pokeballs, she grabbed one and then headed to the counter to check out.

It was early. In the harbor district of Audinitium City, the sunlight was just about to touch the land with the days first rays of warmth. White masts swayed in the night chill that was only now beginning to go away, and beyond even that was the sea, empty with the exception of a few early birds. Though the sun was not yet visible, it still painted the sky in pastel colors that didn't belong to the midst of day. The clouds came in shades of pinks and yellows, but largely, the sky seemed very clear, and held promise of a beautiful day ahead. From their crevices on boats and buildings, a few Wingull were calling each other in the way that Wingulls do, yet still unjoined by their likes among Pidgey and Pidove. Soon, though, the chirps of such birds would join in the chorus and, eventually, be accompanied the bursting life made by mankind. This was the season where people came down to this place. To rent a boat for the summer, or for the day, or simply sit by one of the many ice cream bars in peace, and watch the ships as they came and went. But at this time in the morning, the cobblestone streets gaped as empty and quiet as the restaurants and open-air cafés, and boats laid still and peaceful as their owners seemed to not have woken up yet. It was too early in the morning for people to be out and about, and at the very least that was the case for a certain key individual who still slept in one of the ships further away from the burst of the city. At the edge of the harbor laid a green area where several ships were docked. White fences surrounded little gardens, and mailboxes were attached to the wooden gates as if signifying that the properties actually belonged to the ships themselves - and this was actually the case. Just like a back yard typically belongs to a house, these gardens belonged to the floating vessels. In one of them, a few Stanler grazed on the remnants of hay that had been their dinner the previous evening, and the small, two-stored riverboat laid as quiet and peaceful as the land that surrounded it.

Inside the ship was a boy named Taru. Taru generally didn't look particularly awesome, because Taru generally looked kind of dorky and happy-go-lucky with his silly smiles and his habit of poking at things that interested him. But he looked awesome now, and he felt quite awesome too. I dare say it was within his right to do so, because in his own little pocket beyond space and time - and even beyond the grasps of logic itself - was a place that belonged to him alone. And this place was a sea of molten vanilla ice cream. It seemed to stretch out endlessly, though the raging waves of sugary sweetness that crashed around the boy completely obscured the horizon. Dark storm clouds loomed overhead, painted red by the light of hundreds and hundreds of burning meteors, molten rock that crashed into the sticky white, leaving temporary pillars of ice cream as they disappeared into the depths of the strange and dreamlike ocean. Taru himself was surfing through this sea, a wide grin pasted across his face as he shot through it at great speed. The surfing pokemon was a black Rayquaza, and Taru balanced upon its back as it shot through the white sweetness like an ancient sea serpent, a forgotten Midgards snake at the end of a dreamworld that looked like it was about to go under and perish at its own, chaotic Ragnarok. Speed butterflies tickled inside of Tarus belly, and his grin grew as a massive wave threatened to pull both boy and pokemon under - Rayquaza surfed away from the crash, and massive, delicious, living biscuits shaped like Sharpedo shot out from the odd, white water substitute. They reached for Tarus ankles, but never managed to close their strawberry-stained teeth around his limbs - he wouldn't let them of course. This was his lucid dream - this was the place where all of his oddest desires were just a thought away from his grasp. In the background, some epic music film score played, a fitting tune to an equally epic dreamworld and Taru fully enjoyed the reality that he had created for himself. The real world should be more like this. "Yahooooo!" he yelled out as the Rayquaza raised from the waters(?) and took to the skies, navigating through the falling, burning rocks and into the clouds ahead - an endless night sky spread out like a blanket, illuminated only but the stars and of the meteors that still came falling down.
'oo you li...' suddenly whispered through the night, and Taru turned around. He didn't recognize that sound - what was it doing in his dream? 'ees we li.. panca..' Oh no. Not already.Taru grimaced badly as he realized what would be the inevitable result of the intruding sound, and a bright light appeared on the sky that was out of his control. It was a UFO. It was not only flamepainted like a hotrod from the sixties or something, it also looked oddly like a digital alarm clock. 'DO YOU LIKE WAFFLES?' It roared through over-ized loudspeakers. 'YES WE LIKE WAFFLES. DO YOU LIKE PANKA-' click.

".. Down with the rule of the tyrant pancakes..." Taru groaned with his face buried in his pillow as his alarm clock was silenced. It stood on his bedside table, quiet now that he had turned it off with fumbling fingers that had somehow found the snooze button. He groaned again. Why did mornings always come too soon? With a considerable effort, Taru lifted the clock off of the table and shoved it out of the window over the head of his bed. He didn't want to lift his head from the pillow just yet, so he had to search with his hand for the circular aperture that was alreadly slightly opened, and pushed his clock out of the opening. There was a 'plums' kind of sound as the thing disappeared beneath the waters surface, and Taru smiled in his pillow as he finally got to do this. After all, today was the last day he was going to need the Giratina- damned abomination. He rolled over at his side, sighing contently as he tried to get back to sleep...

..
.....
......... Wait a minute.
Today. Today was that day, wasn't it? Taru jerked his head out of his pillow and stared ahead of him at nothing at all as he tried to gather the - still somewhat dazed - inside of his cranium into a working unity that would tell him what day it actually was. After mulling it over for a few seconds, it came to the conclusion that today was today. "Holy shit." Taru exclaimed and swung his legs over the edge of his bunker. For a second, he looked at the room that he had lived in for as long as he could remember - usually a disorganized mess, the fact that he had cleaned it up only served as a memento of the fact that this was the last time he'd ever wake up to it - at least for a while. The oak floor was polished, his desk was clean. Hell, you could even see the rag tug on his floor for a change. It looked... odd. Unusual. There wasn't enough time to mull on that, though, and Taru pulled his pajamas t-shirt over his head before he reached for a new, clean one. "Bless. Wake up, Bless!" he hollered with a voice that suppressed a laughter. "... Trike?" said a sleepy voice, and a canine head poked up over the edge of a basket at the other and of the room. "No sleeping in today, Blessy. C'm on, we're heading out!" Taru said and reached for the backpack he had prepared at the day before. His father was away at a business trip of some sort - Taru wasn't entirely clear on the details - and he had taken his younger brother Iiro with him. Erika, his sister, had already moved out, and so he had the entire ship to himself. He had said his goodbyes already, and it was a s good as well. The neighbors had promised to watch over his dads Stanler, as well as water the plants, and though he'd miss his home onboard the modified riverboat, there was no way in hell that Taru would hesitate now! His Elektrike followed his tracks as he ran through the corridors like he always did as a kid, with the new change that he wasn't going to do it again for a while. He jumped over the riling, not bothering to tinker with the land bridge, and only stoppped for a brief goodbye to his old Stanler buddies. "Guess I won't see you guys again for a while." he said and smiled at it. He gently scratched the forehead of one of the young bulls, and it let him be, enjoying the attention. "Well, I'll see you around eventually. Have it!" Taru said before he turned around and jumped over the fence with Bless, taking a running start towards the pokémart that was going to be his first destination. The Stanler looked at him as he disappeared from sight, between the ships, buildings and blooming willow trees, before they once again returned to the hay that was scattered around the lawn.

Though some early risers were already awake, Adinitium City still laid mostly quiet. Taru and Bless were the apparent break to this rule, as they made it to the mart running the whole way, both of them were slightly out of breath as they stepped inside the door to the mart. Several people were already here, and it was actually a bit of a crowd. Taru looked briefly over the heads of the people - many of which were people that he recognized as his old schoolmates that had graduated as well - but didn't see any of the faces that he was looking for. Oh well. They had to be around somewhere. He shrugged it off and begun to check the shelves for items that were going to be useful. He didn't have a lot of money to his name, and what little he did have was just the meager savings of an unemployed teenager. Any big spendings would have to wait until he found a way to cash in somehow, but he still grabbed a Potion and an Antidote before continuing to look at what they had in store. He wasn't going to buy anything else, but still, right? It didn't hurt to look. Bless, in the meanwhile, had left her spot at his feet and disappeared through the legs of the crowded room. Her tail was wagging vaguely as she followed a familiar scent, stopping at the boots of a boy she already knew. She barked, looking up at the owner of the shoes. It just so happened to be a boy that she had met before, a kid with a Chimchar to be precise. She looked up at David with intelligent eyes and her pink tongue hanging out of her jaws, apparently happy to run into him again.

Bo was estactic, she wouldn't have to travel alone! She giggled at the two in front of her. She walked beside them, Warden chittering about random things. The little tick loved filling silence with his own noises. She opened her own bag and made sure that she had money and her bag o' berries. Berries, in her mind, were a cheaper version of potions. She did, however, need to give Warden a move tutoring. She rifled through the money and counted. 600. That was all she told her mother to give her. Her mother wanted to give her 1,000 but she wasn't hearing it. The 400 went to her skates, which was better than give her the money.

She sighed and entered the Pokemart behind Carter. She merely watched the family dynamic and smiled. Once Carter left the counter, she wandered the shelves, looking at everything. Warden hopped onto a shelf and sniffed a Pokeball.

"Should we buy one? Or save the money for a move tutor? Electro Web would come in handy with Pokemon..." she muttered to the tick, who rolled the Pokeball towards from the edge and hopped back on her head. "Agreed. Saving the money is best. Plus you learn that move at level 15..." She grabbed the Pokeball, moved away from the shelves and wandered more. "And, now that I think of it, Heal Balls should be in the next town... I think the only Pokemon I want that's in that area is a Flying type..." Eventually, she made it to the line and was out of there quickly.

She found Carter talking to some people she didn't know and Seph, digging through the girl's bag. She tilted her head at the sight, wondering if all the people Carter seemed to know where like this. Warden clicked and chittered, talking for his friend and owner. She merely tugged on Carter's shirt.

"I'll be heading out... I don't like crowds..." she muttered, walking out the door. There she spotted Jasper and his mother. She politely waved at them. She moved away from the door and messed with the egg canister. The egg twitched at steady intervals, which was good. She smiled at it. "Hi there... I hope you hatch soon so we can play soon..." she told the egg before she held it in both hands, gently.

---

Rowan was debating her (admittedly limited) purchase options, about to ask Echo for input, when something smacked bodily into her back. She teetered on her toes for a moment, windmilling her arms wildly, until her natural grace failed her completely and she toppled, landing on her knees to avoid hurting the Dratini still securely wrapped around her.

He apology was quick in coming, in a familiar voice no less, and she sighed with the air of a long-suffering keeper, accepting the hand up and hopping back to her feet. “No harm done, David, though you might want to watch where you’re going next time. If you do that to less-friendly people, not everyone will forgive you, and it’s rude besides…” Rowan realized she was nagging and stopped shaking her head. “No big deal.”

Of course, the crowd in the pokemart was growing by now, both faces she knew well and distantly, mostly classmates from her time at the Academy. Speaking of which… Carter had apparently decided to make a nuisance of himself as usual, and she rolled her eyes. “Well, at least he can say he successfully picked up a girl, unlike you, you oaf,” her tone was irritated, but the smile kind of ruined it. If she were in range, she probably would have punched his arm or something, but she settled for a mock glare instead. The person with Carter, Bo Ah if she remembered correctly, made a hasty exit, and Rowan supposed she must not like crowds or something. Maybe she was just awkward; either was possible, but she wasn’t going to be so insensitive as to ask.

Instead, she put herself to rights, pushing a few strands of hair back into place and tugging at he hem of her shirt, patting Echo, who apparently decided that this was leave to give her a full-body squeeze that felt something like a hug, and went for her bag… only to find that someone had beaten her to it.

Judging by the blue reptilian tail sticking out of it, this was Seph. “Nothing in there but my Dex, a book, a sweater and a few meal bars,” she replied with a shrug. “And he’s definitely welcome to one of those if he wants it.” She wrinkled her nose and gently extricated the canvas contraption from the Totodile. “I’d rather keep the rest though, if you don’t mind, sir,” she informed the pokemon kindly, slinging the strap over her shoulder.

From the shelf she’d been standing at, Rowan extracted a potion and a pokeball. She debated over an antidote for a moment, but decided that Echo’s Shed Skin ability would keep her relatively safe from lingering status ailments, and she might need the money for something else later. “You two have plans, I take it?” she asked her friends, curious as to how far ahead they’d thought on all this. Rowan herself liked to plan to the last detail, but at the same time, she knew from the mail her brother occasionally sent that even the best-laid plans often came to naught on journeys like the one they were about to undertake.

The line wasn’t far from where they were standing, so she queued up and waited, paying for her items when she reached the check-out and stowing them in the appropriate places along with her remaining 100 poke in change.

It occurred to her then that people often undertook such endeavors in groups; an interesting thought. Perhaps one of them would be willing to take her along; she’d ask if it seemed likely after they gave their answers, but she didn’t particularly want to impose.

A bright red had flooded David’s cheeks as he aided Rowan. “No harm done, David, though you might want to watch where you’re going next time. If you do that to less-friendly people, not everyone will forgive you, and it’s rude besides…” David was already tired of the usual lectures from Professor Rowan. ‘Ok ok, I got it…’ David always found that the lectures weren’t necessary, but Rowan always treated him as a younger brother. To his relief though, Rowan had noticed her own lecturing. She stopped and shook her head. “No big deal.” He shrugged with a smile in relative annoyance as Flint began to stare at someone behind David. Lucky for him another familiar character reared his head.

"Such a gentleman Dave, pushing a lady down then offering to help her up. Wish I could be so smooth," Of course, Carter always cracked a joke about Rowan’s closeness with David. It was simply his thing. “Honestly Carter? You know full well I hate being called Dave...” David was pretty irritated now, these jokes of Carter’s always bugged him, plus Carter called him DAVE... DAVE! His name was clearly David, not DAVE. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Rowan had to jump in and provide her own witty response to the mix. “Well, at least he can say he successfully picked up a girl, unlike you, you oaf.” David sighed; he hated these situations. The result was almost the exact same to boot; David would get flustered and would end up making an absolute fool of himself. ‘Don’t say anything, don't do it.’ David then realized that Rowan was actually getting a little hot headed herself. ‘Maybe she’s annoyed too! She can be the fool this time!’ It certainly felt as though she would’ve smash Carter’s face in if she could. That would prove to be rather entertaining.

“Well, again, sorry Rowan. And uh, Carter, it was nice seeing you, again.” David shrugged, spun around and walked past Rowan towards the Pokeballs, snatching two as he walked towards the counter. “Phew, almost made a scene…” But of course he could still hear the two talking. "Hey! Stop that!" Carter was yelling pretty loudly, probably at his troublemaker; Seph, the Totodile. David sighed. "You know Flint, sometimes it's a pain trying to be everyone's friend..." There was a rather awkward silence, followed by David reaching over his shoulder to notice there was no Chimp. "Flint?" Then it hit David, he left Chimchar with Rowan and Carter! "Oh crap!"

He returned to the awkward situation to see Seph rummaging through Rowan's bag as she picked it up. "That Totodile..." It was pretty easy to find Flint; he was simply standing next to Rowan watching the events transpire. "Hey Flint, hop aboard buddy." David smiled, hoping Flint didn't realize his absence, and offered him an arm to climb. As Flint reached his usual perch without a hitch, Rowan had turned to both boys, “You two have plans, I take it?” Then it struck David, he did have plans... sort of. "Uh, yea I kinda do already." He shrugged rather awkwardly with one of those half backed laughs. "Well I'm going to pay for these Pokeballs, so I'll catch y'all later." As David waved his friends off he spun around to head towards the check out.

It was definitely odd though, David was distracted for a few short moments and suddenly the Pokemart was bustling with people. “Whoa, everyone’s here… I think.” He looked over the shelves to notice a small Bo fleeing the building. “Smart girl, heh… So, Flint, how do you like everyone?” This was the usual small talk that he and Flint would always have. It not only helped past time but it was rather entertaining since Flint was always a rather chipper Pokémon. This time, David ensured Flint's presence by turning his head towards the chimp. “Chim, chim Char!” The chimp cracked a huge smile as he chanted, causing David to laugh lightly.

The events seemed to just pile on one another; next thing he knew, a small Electrike was chilling at his feet. Flint was intrigued by the small green dog like Pokémon; he hopped down and inquisitively stared at her. David could see the wagging tail of the Electrike and almost immediately knew who it was; Bless, Taru’s Electrike. As Bless was apparently happy to see David again, he crouched down and gave the electric type a gentle stroke. “Hey Bless, it’s been awhile.” David smiled and lifted Flint up before her. “This is Flint, he’s my Chimchar.” He smiled again and placed Flint on the ground, he proceeded to stand with hopes of spotting the elusive Taru.

---

“Well, at least he can say he successfully picked up a girl, unlike you, you oaf.”

"Oh your harsh words! They cut deep into my heart!" Carter teased, grabbing the opposite side of her chest where his heart was located. Quickly the farce was dropped and his happy-natured smile returned. "I'll have you know miss Silversteen, that I already picked up a lady. A certain Du Bo Ah, so neh," He said, sticking out his tongue to punctuate the statement. Speaking of Du Bo Ah, the girl had managed to find him and tugged on his shirt, explaining her intent to get out of the quickly filling Pokemart. He nodded, "Of course," and let her go. He could understand if she didn't like crowds.

Also, he was greeted, and subsequently bid farewell by David. Carter again nodded, and added a, "Later," as he went on his way. Seph on the other hand had found his prize, the fabled meal bar, and had retreated from Rowan's back and crawled back up to Carter's shoulder. He allowed the pokemon to munch on the bar, seeing as it would probably serve to keep the little demon of a troublemaker out of anymore trouble. "... I'm going to end up paying for that at some point, aren't I?" He asked Rowan as he pointed at the meal bar- making sure he kept his finger away from the jaws of Seph.

“You two have plans, I take it?” Rowan asked as she queued up in the line. Carter took his spot calmly behind her, and awaited his own turn like a good boy. A wary eye from his mother made sure it kept him in line.

David was the first to answer her. It surprised his really, he thought David had departed. Apparently he was wrong. Also apparent, David had made plans. He stated his intention to purchase the pokeballs and took his leave. Again. And again Carter bid him, “Later. Again.” with his silly smile. Now back to the question at hand. "Plans? Haha, plans," Carter chuckled, "Implying that I even make plans. My plan so far had been wake up and adventure. A two step program if you will," he added with a grin as Rowan purchased his items and he placed his on the counter. A pokeball and a potion.

Oh, and a loving tap to the head from his father. "Ow! What was that for?", Carter asked. His father shrugged and said, "Dunno. Just felt like you needed one. but then when do you not?" Carter eyed his father suspiciously before he stretched out his hand. "You'll be gone for a while. I don't want you coming back whining about how it was too hard. Go out there and have fun, yeah? And don't so anything stupid please." His father said. Carter took the man's hand and firmly shook. "Of course Pop. I always have fun. Not doing anything stupid though... Not sure I can promise that," Carter said, taking his items and making room at the counter.

Back to Rowan, he shrugged, the crumbs on his shoulder from a certain messy eating totodile flying off. "How about you? Any plans?" He asked, looking around. She didn't quite seem like she had a group to depart in. "If you want, you could always travel with Bo and me," he added politely. Despite all of his teasing and such, Carter was a generally nice guy- and he liked Rowan. She was a big reason why he managed to pass the academy and take on this journey anyway. It'd just be rude to not ask if she wanted to join them- Course, he didn't think to ask Bo first...

---

Huh. Well, there’s a demeanor you don’t come across every day. Perhaps the girl’s bluntness was meant to be a hint, a ‘go away’ sort of thing that would have her huffing and stomping off. As it was, Rowan rather liked it, and it served well enough to remind her that she was not, in fact, here to talk shop, as it were.

“Right, of course; sorry. I tend to get that way when the subject is interesting.” She managed an apologetic smile, though she was only sorry if she’d irritated, and not for the fact that she liked talking about that sort of thing. “Hm.” She glanced back behind her and shrugged.

“Our mutual friend back there invited me to come along with you two, but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first, you know? I don’t want to impose or anything.” If push came to shove, she’d have no qualms about going her own way, it just wasn’t really a thought she really enjoyed all that much. She’d grown up surrounded by people and pokemon alike, and she preferred it that way, even if she didn’t always say so in as many words.

Echo, meanwhile, had removed her head from atop Rowan’s and slid off her shoulders, curious about the little tick pokemon that produced sparks. Still braced around Rowan’s waist, the dratini lifted herself forward until her face was about a foot away from the other pokemon.

Rowan sighed softly, gently guiding her pokemon back to her shoulders. “Now, now, that’s rude. You stay put and be good, okay?” Echo trilled back, something that sounded vaguely like “tini” before setting back into her spot. “I swear, one of these days you’re going to wander off and I’m not going to know that to do…”

She saw no need to force conversation when it wasn’t happening naturally, so she said nothing as Bo Ah considered her answer, however long or short that span of time might be. Patience was a virtue, or so her father had always been telling her.

It took a good while for Riza to simply find the right line. Once she was in it, it took another ten to fifteen minutes just to get to the checkout counter! However, as she waited, she looked at all the people around. Some she had known from the academy, but others seemed to be fresh faces. Lots of people had their pokemon out, riding on their shoulders or standing next to them.

As she moved up in the line a little, she glanced down and smiled at her Skitty. It wasn't at all what she had expected or even wanted. However, it had been a few days since she had received Skitty, and the kitten was proving to be quit nice to have around. She didn't meow too much, and she wasn't too bubbly. She was almost calm, but still had some of her kitten qualities. To be honest, Riza gave her mom some credit for at least finding one that wouldn't be annoying. Overall, she was glad to have Skitty as her partner. Before she knew it, she was finally at the checkout counter.

As she put the new things in her small messenger back, she walked out of the Pokemart. She gave a small sigh of relief. It was nerve-racking to be around so many people and in a crowded area. Suddenly, she realized that it must have been even more irritating for Skitty, since she wasn't very tall at all. "I'm sorry!" She said out loud as she scooped Skitty into her arms and hugged the small kitten pokemon. "Then again, if you were a ghost, you wouldn't have that problem. Now would you?" She whispered before giggling and kissing the top of the purring kittens head. "Skiiii?" The kitten meowed then started purring. "Alright, lets go catch some ghost pokemon!" she cheered before starting to walk towards the other end of town.

While she walked through the town though, she noticed a lot of trainers. Some on their own, others in small groups. As she passed them, she thought about asking where they were going, and if it were the next town, if she could join. However when she saw a guy with Ralts she stopped and tilted her head to the side. He looked almost sad, which is the reason she actually stopped. However, she decided to approach him. Setting Skitty down, she slowly walked over to him and waved slightly. "I'm Riza." She stated then paused for a second. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say and now wished she would have thought about it more before she approached him. "I'm about to go on a journey and you look like you might be too." She said while keeping her eyes on the ground, obviously nervous. "I was wondering if you might be interested in partnering up?" she finally finished but panicked. "I wont be a bother! I just thought it would be nice to travel with someone." she added quickly before glancing up at him to see his expression.

The small chimp and the dog-like Pokemon appeared to share a similar curiosity. As the electric type utilized its nose to catch a whiff of Flint's scent, he used his hand to pat the Electrike on its head. "Chim Char!" The chimp smiled exuberantly and hopped a few times in excitement. David had turned his eyes away from the small Pokemon only to hear the small electric type bark in response to the appearance of her trainer. It wasn't but a few moments later that Taru squeezed his way through the crowd. "Hey, David!" Taru was just about finished navigating the rather large flock of shoppers. "Guess you caught the late-train too, huh." David shrugged, giving Taru an expression that embodied the expression 'I guess'. "Hey, Taru! Uh, Late-train? I've been here awhile, I was just caught up talking with the entire store." David was pretty happy to see his classmate, although he did bring up a good point; at this rate, David would be stuck in the Pokemart all day. "Seriously, the way people flock to this place.. you'd think it was a zombie safe house. Or, like.. Ikea with a clearance sale.. uff!" David literally started laughing hysterically, he always found Taru's out of the box thinking to be the greatest. "I doubt that there will ever be a zombie invasion, but I can believe an Ikea sale!" It was tough for David to keep a straight face while responding.

"Well I'm glad to see that you actually woke up at a somewhat decent hour." David released a quick snicker. He noticed that Taru's bag was pretty full, or at least it looked quite stuffed. "It looks like you've completed your shopping, unfortunately, I still need to pay for these pokeballs." He sighed looking at the crowd, looking at the two pokeballs in his hand and back at the crowd. "So, uh, we decided that we're travelling together, right?" David felt the need to double check his information since he kinda regretted turning Rowan down earlier. Plus, he'd feel like quite the fool if he ended up assuming and didn't really have a travel partner. "Hey, since it's getting late and fast, I'm going to fandangle my way through this large group and buy these pokeballs, I'll meet you outside." David smiled before beginning his dangerous trek through the forest of humans that infested the Pokemart. 'This outta be fun... not.' Sarcasm probably wasn't the best policy here. David reached his arm down so that Flint could easily hop onto David's shoulder. "Let's go Flint, we gotta make our way to the front of this line... oh, seeya in a few Taru!" He waved at Taru and plunged into the herd.

The crowd of people was really uncomfortable but David proceeded towards the counter. 'I got this.' He was getting quite frustrated with the crowd and its dense quality, it almost seemed that nobody was letting him through. Either way he struggled through some rough patches of the crowd; on occasion he angered a waiting customer or simply got shoved back again. It took a solid five minutes of David forcing his way through the line to reach the front. "Mr and Mrs. Wright, I need to these two pokeballs asap! I have my journey to start." David was lucky to be pretty familiar with the Wright Family. "Oh, hello David. I'll ring you up so you can leave. That'll be 400 pokedollars." Mr. Wright smiled while he took the the 400 pokedollars from David. "Alright David, have a good journey, and be safe!" Mr and Mrs. Wright waved to David, who returned the gesture. "Thanks! Seeya!" Finally, David had gotten out of the crowded Pokemart and made it outside, with Flint still on his shoulder.

"Now where's that Taru?" David poked his head around and found no signs of Taru anywhere close by. "Hmm. I guess we'll just wait here for a little bit Flint. That's ok with you, right?" The small chimp was fine with whatever, so long as David was happy. "Chimchar Chim!" The fire on Flint's backside grew a little bigger as the chimp smiled. "I'm glad to see that you're as excited as I am!" he walked over to the bench and sat down. Flint immediately hopped onto the bench, sitting beside David.

Riza listened intently and tried to remain still. When she was nervous, Riza had a tendency to fidget and move around a lot, no matter how hard she tried to remain still. This time was no exception. As she stood there, her fingers twitched and she played with the bangles that her fingers could reach. She tried to keep her expression blank, but there was a sad look on her face she couldn't hide as she was sure he would say now.
"I suppose I don't really mind going with you but, and I mean no offense by this, but I don't really know you much...so for now...it's just until the next town, okay?" Suddenly, her face lit up and a smile spread across her face. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" She said in a very happy tone. Even her Skitty jumped with joy and gave a excited meow.
"And don't worry, in the next town, if you don't want me around, I will be gone." She said, trying to be calm. As she stood there, gazing at him, her Skitty rubbed up against her and meowed a few times, as if she were approving. Riza glanced down before picking up Skitty and kissing the top of her head. "This is Skitty.... I haven't thought of a name for her yet though." She explained, feeling a little stupid that she couldn't think of anything even though she had Skitty for about 4 days.

With a smug smile on his face, Taru couldn't help but shrug at the comment on his sleeping habits. "Well, what can I say? So am I." In his arms, Bless snorted at the comment. Apparently amused, she rolled her eyes and muttered something to herself that wasn't even directed at Taru. Taru pretended like he hadn't heard. "So, uh, we decided that we're traveling together, right?" Taru raised an eyebrow. "That's what I thought?" he said and gave another shrug at the comment. Though he didn't doubt that he'd run in to someone to act as his traveling partner sooner or later - I mean, who could resist his charms, right? - but he'd be a bit bummed if he ended up going down the first route of his trip alone. Besides, he had always enjoyed Davids companionship, and he wondered silently to himself if David was thinking about backing out now. But as his friend landed his temporary goodbye, it silenced Tarus mild worries, and he made a theatrical salute as if David was heading into a battlefield, rather than the crammed - but at least rather peaceful - line of the Adinitium City pokémart. "Safe travels, my friend. I pray that you shall emerge from your epic quest with all of your limbs still intact!"

Taru was rather relieved to make it out of the crammed store. He didn't mind crowds, or even the noise all that much. But in the end, it came down to a matter of preference, and Taru quite enjoyed the feeling of not having his movements severely restricted by other peoples shoulders. As soon as he made it through the door, he bent down and placed his Electrike back on the ground. "Righty-o." he said and straightened his back, shielding his eyes from the sun with a hand. He stood there in silence for a short moment, watching as other people came and went through the doors of the jammed building. People had really begun to wake up now. The streets were traveled, cars passed by. ".. You know, Bless." he said. "I wonder how long it's going to take us before we can return to Adinitium City." He stared into the distance for a while, oddly sentimental at the idea of leaving the town that had always been his home. Something in his mind pointed out that David probably wasn't going to emerge from the pokemart for yet a little while, being stuck in that terrible, terrible line of doom before he could pay for the stuff that he was after. So without another word, Taru started walking. He didn't make it far, just to the stone wall at the other side of the pokémart and he climbed it to get a better view. He could see the masts of the docks from over here, poking up in the distance behind some of the lower buildings. Below him, people gave him some odd looks as he stood quietly, arms crossed over his chest with a thoughtful expression, but he didn't glance back. He was saying his last, mental goodbyes to his home. "Hey, Bless..." he asked with the hint of a smirk appearing on his face. "If I scream really loudly.. do you think dads old Stanler will be able to hear me from here?" Suddenly an old leather came flying from a window and whacked Taru over the head. "Ouch!" he said and wiggled a little as he struggled to kept his balance. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, WHIPPAHSNAPPER." the voice of an old lady rang out. Taru frowned in surprise as he looked over the hedge of someones back yard, seeing the raised walking stick of a woman who could probably remember the dinosaurs. He counted eight individual Meowth that clawed on to her clothes. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!? IT'S EARLY, THAT'S THE TIME! NOW GET DOWN FROM MAH WALL BEFORE I CALL MY SALAMENCE!" she shouted and flung the other shoe flying with a surprising accuracy, once again, hitting Taru over the head. He was sent toppled over, but despite the throbbing bump in his forehead, he was laughing hysterically as he landed safely in the grass and took off running back to the pokémarts entrence with Bless right behind him.

"Holy shit!" he laughed once he finally came to a stop, throwing his head backwards into the sky. "Bless, can you believe that old lady? I want to be like that when I'm five hundred... Such a charming person." he chuckled and wiped away a tear. Ah, how hilariously random. Ah, random things... good omens, good omens.. he thought before he recognized Davids presence. He was sitting on one of the benches with Flint. "Ah, there you are." he said and stifled his laughter. "Sorry to keep you waiting.. do you have anywhere else you need to go before we leave?" he asked his former classmate, and new traveling partner.

---

"I see no harm in it."

Rowan nodded sagely, taking the acceptance for what it was. It seemed that Bo Ah was not the immediately-personable sort, but that was okay. You met many kinds of people from many walks of life on journeys like this, and Rowan was just glad that hers was finally underway. She looked back over her shoulder and nodded to Carter, unsure if he’d been close enough to hear the conversation, then stepped back from the area of the bench to allow Bo Ah space to put her skates on.

Speaking of… Rowan glanced down at her secondhand running shoes. They’d seen better days, to be sure, but they were still serviceable. She decided they’d do just fine for now; maybe she could save up enough money to rent or buy a bike at some point. It was hard to say.

She realized that she was unsure if the two of them planned on setting off immediately or trying their hand at the battle club first. Rowan herself would actually much rather do the latter, out of a general desire for preparedness as much as anything, but since she’d just joined this particular group, she was not going to push it. If they wanted to head straight for Route 4, that was fine with her. Though she’d planned on making a study of pokemon battle behaviors and trainer dynamic first, she could push that back for a while and focus on wild pokemon instead.

“Ready when you are,” she replied to the next question, beaming a half-smile. Including Carter in the next comment, she continued. “Knowing Mr. Enthusiasm here, I’m guessing we’re headed straight out?”

Turning herself towards Route 4, Rowan looked out at the road leading from her hometown. She was a fairly well-travelled sort, as both of her parents still had friends in other places and would visit every so often, but this was not to say that she was all that familiar with what she'd be encountering. Every venture into tall grass to "study" the pokemon there as a child had been under the watchful eye of her father or her brother, ready in case something a little less friendly wished to get hostile with the intrepid researcher. No Dad, no Preston, no safety net... perfect. Rowan loved her family to death, but she'd never really been able to try anything on her own. Anything she could do, someone else had already done, and though she was lovingly-indulged, that was all it really was.

Her brother, too, was on a journey, probably leagues ahead of her, but that was okay. She was accustomed to that by now, and it just gave her more motivation to claw her way out from under his shadow. Her father's, too. She wondered if that ex-student of his was still running his old gym or not. Here and now, she had a chance to find out. Suddenly, she understood the desire to head out of town with no more delay. There were adventures to be had, bonds to be made, pokemon to see and people to meet. Might as well start now.

---

As Night spread her dewy shadows over the city of Ardintium, the embrace that both wished could have lasted an entire lifetime finally ended. The more than half eaten dinner sat on the store counter between poorly placed and semi cluttered racks of bubble gum, cigars, and a tub of bouncy balls. JC held his mother out at arm’s length as she tried to keep herself composed to give her some sort of consoling speech but he could not bring himself do it. They had been through so much together no amount of words could bring a just end to their partnership and on top of that he had never been at much for words anyways; the right ones never seemed to reside within his grasp when he needed them.
He let go of her and turned to the glass door of the General Store and flipped the Open/Closed sign to the position he had put it in every evening for the past five years. He untied the sickly brown apron from behind his back and hung it on a hook which was precisely titled by an old piece of tape as “JC”. He took his prepacked bag out from beneath the counter, which had been hiding, out of sight from small population of customers they had that day but more importantly from his stepfather and boss Charles.
He hated Charles with a passion because he disrespected his pokemon and the pokemon which he battled. He had always had little care for JC as a person and only (in JC’s mind at least) kept him around to work in his store. But he wasn’t going to let his distaste of his stepfather to ruin the evening for him.
JC reached his hand deep into his bag and pulled out his signature blue hoodie and pulled it over his favorite white teeshirt. He securely fashioned his black and white hat backwards on his head. He took the long final walk from behind the counter around to the stairs leading up to his “family’s” apartment and back to the front of the store where his mother was standing, holding back sobs- her Furret, Coon, wrapped herself around her legs, sensing her evident pain.
James grasped her in his arms again and as he did all his mother’s strength holding back tears disappeared, staining the chest of his hoodie. He stood almost a foot over her slender body and placed his chin on top of her head.
“Come back to me as good a man, if not better, as you are now.” She pulled him in tight and secretly slipped 300Pokedollars into his back pocket- knowing after almost 18 years of knowing the boy where he kept his money- doubling the money he was traveling with.
JC held her back again at arm’s length saying “I will.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out a pokeball with a small “S” etched in the side. He took it, knowing the pokeball housed his first pokemon that his mother had been keeping a secret after what happened to it. She put it in his right hand and JC’s father’s bracelet jingled on his wrist. “I will always love you mom. You have done too much for me. I need to start life outside of this store.”
With that he released her and gave one last look at the shelves full of cereals and fruit. He then turned his head towards the glass door in front of him with the sign coincidentally giving him the “OPEN” face. He looked past and saw the Pokemart, owned by the Wright family whom he didn’t dislike but praised for valuing Pokemon as partners rather than tools. He had watched many trainers enter and exit that store the past day, all recent graduates of the Academy as he was himself, all starting their journey, though in the beginning of the day while the sun was out, and having close to no one- not even parents come visit his shop. He was the last to leave Ardintium that evening from the group of students.
He pushed open the glass door and an electric bell rang back in the shop. The cool night air brushed past his body as he took his first step outside. The door closed behind him and through muffled sobs he heard his mother lock the shop door for the evening. “Well looks like I’m on my own from here on out.” he said half-heartedly and a little sad that he hadn’t left earlier and gotten into a group of people as the others did. He reached into his right hand pocket and pulled out his lone pokeball. “We are partners now. We should travel together.”
He pushed the button and the small orb grew to the size of his palm. He threw it into the air saying “Come on out Starly.” The ball opened and fell to the ground. JC picked it up and stared into the inside of the metal sphere and thought to himself ‘where was the burst of light? Wheres’s my Starly?! I know I haven’t used him before now but why did nothing come out?’ He clicked the ball shut and shrunk it back down and put it in his pocket and as he looked forward a small bird Pokemon was hovering in front of him, flapping its wings. It stood about a foot tall and had a cute little tuft of hair that curled on top of its head. A scar ran vertically across his left eye but it didn’t seem to affect the Pokemon’s sight or ability to open and close the eye. The small bird let out a sweet sounding “Star-lee!” and JC jumped back in surprise! “Where did you come from?!” The Starly flew up above JC and sat on atop the sign which read “Ardin----- General –ore” for some of the lightbulbs in the sign needed to be replaced. JC laughed saying so you waited all day for me to start my journey! I’m sorry I am leaving so late!” He motioned for the Starly to join him and it swooped down from the sign and perched itself on its companion’s left shoulder.
The two crossed the road and entered the Pokemart and JC walked to the counter at the front picked up a Pokeball and placed it on the counter. “Just this Mr. Wright, and that’ll be it.” JC reached in his back pocket where he had kept his money because he didn’t want his bag to be seen during the day and pulled out his money.
“Hey, I see your mother gave you that Starly she’s been training! Mighty sweet of her if you ask me! That Starly is like a guardian angel, when she isn’t training him, he sits on that sign and watches the people who go in and out of the store! I’ve noticed every now and then.” Only half listening JC realized that that wasn’t the only gift she had given him that day and finding the extra money turned around just in time to see his mother’s bedroom light switch off through a window with the shade pulled over it. He smiled, and turning back to Mr. Wright said in a soft voice “Yeah, she is sweet.” He placed the 200P in Mr. Wright’s hand and took the Pokeball off the counter. “If I see Carter, I will tell him that you sent your love.” He pushed the door open and the night air rushed over him again.

"Hi, there!" An overly perky young blonde waved at Lauren from her place at the receptionist desk. "Oh, look at your adorable little Poochyena!" She got up from her chair and clicked over to the two in her heels. "You sure a little fella this cute isn't looking for the Contest Club?" she cooed, stooping down to get close to the Pokémon's face.

After a bit of awkward baby talk, the receptionist stood again, smoothing her skirt, and turned to face Lauren. "Alrighty hon, all you have to do is sign in all the Pokémon you'll be using today. The screen will prompt you through the payment process, and a temporary pass will print out for you to go to an assigned battle room with the other trainers using the same number of Pokémon as you. Each pass is good for the rest of the day and as many battles as you want. Everyone there is looking for a battle, so feel free to challenge anyone!" She pointed Lauren toward a group of machines with large touch screens. "Good luck, Cutie!" she added to Aeolus as she clicked back to her seat.

Having been unable to sleep the night before, Sora was now sleeping away most of the most important day of his life (so far). His father, who had been attempting to wake up the sloth that had replace his son for the past hour was silently cursing the fact that his son had received a fire pokemon as his starter, one that was as reluctant to leave the room without it's master as it's master was to get up at all. If that wasn't the case, he could introduce a hydro pump to the situation and be done with it. All that he could do instead is confiscate his duvet and pillows, and hope he got the message. Next to get taken was the mattress.

"Where's my quilt?!"

The father gave a small chuckle as the son metaphorically exploded, that was accompanied by a panicked cry from the cydnaquil.

Now that he was up, Sora grumbled his way to the dresser and put on the clothes that he had picked out while trying to exhaust his mind the night before. Once dressed, he clomped downstairs. To anyone else, they might assume that someone turned up the gravity on that one boy, or that a fairly large pokemon was making it's way down the stairs. Either way, it was a level of noise that the, rather timid, Cyndaquil still wasn't used to. Making it's way down the stairs behind the stomping youth as quietly as possible. The father down in the kitchen poured a cup of herbal tea, the only thing that would save the table getting flipped. Sitting down at the table where the cup had been put, he downed the steaming hot cup in a matter of seconds.

"Lucky."

He gave a glare across the table as be felt the tea's calming effects take affect.

Bag's by the door. I've packed what you'll need. Beat it.

"Not a 'tear-y farewell' kind of guy?" The nope he got in reply was one he knew to be a joke. The two had an unspoken language. Neither wanted to leave the other alone, while simultaneously knowing that it had to happen. If there was one lesson that his father had hammered into Sora is that regret sucks. Silence echoed through the room as the two saidthe soundless farewells. Upon hearing the second arm tick around kitchen clock, Sora glanced and seen how much time had been lost in the land of make believe today. There was a plate of buttered toast on the table. Realisation dawned on Sora regarding time that the clock read. Exploding to life, Sora ran to the door with a piece of toast in his mouth, scooping Cyndaquil into his arms, and his messenger bag onto his shoulder. He hesitated at the door, before he slipped his shoes on and opened the door to his journey. As he stepped through the doorway, he began to wonder if he was making too big a deal about the starting strech of the adventure. By now, Cyndaquil had settled into place on Sora shoulder.

"What am I gonna call you?" He mused to his pokemon as he moved towards, and received a confused look in return, "My thoughts exactly." Although eager to set off, Sora was rather unsure about leaving alone. Unfortunately for him, his tardiness meant that it was unlikely that there were any trainers that hadn't already set off, so he stood within visual range of Route 4, wasting yet more time, considering what to do...

Riza walked a little behind Jasper but listened as he spoke. She tried to absorb all the information, however she wished she had been able to take notes. Then again, even if she had a notepad and pen, she was never really good a writing and walking. When she had tried it in school, the outcome had never been good.

"Ok, so I think for now I will just try infusion..." She thought to herself before glancing at him. She forced a smile, one that would show she was thankful. As they continued to walk, Riza wondered what would be the first thing she made? From there, she wondered what it takes to make things for healing.

As they made it into town Riza looked to Jasper to see what the plan was, but he was already lowing Memory. "Sure I will watch her." She replied, honestly surprised that he would ask. No one had ever asked her to watch their pokemon, however she was honored that he did. She glanced down at the Ralts and smiled at her, wondering if it was weird for her, or how she felt about being left.

Before she knew it, Jasper was back from the Pokemart. "Wow, that was fast." She thought to herself before giving a small wave. When he mentioned going to his house a sudden surge of anxiety hit her. She had forgot her 'phobia' of other peoples parents. However she took a breath and told herself they wouldn't see his parents, they would be in a garden or something. Her fingers began to twitch a little and the hair on the back of her neck stood up, despite her trying to calm herself.

"Calm down..." She told herself before forcing a smile. "Sure lets go." She replied to him then glanced around, wondering which house was his.

Riza stood there, her heart still racing at the thought of his house and his parents. They would probably think the same thing about her as most other parents did, which wasn't a good thing. They judged her by the amount of money her parents didn't have or simply by the way she dressed.

When Jasper spoke, it caught her attention, making her take a deep breath and look at him. As he spoke, she started to calm down while trying to soak up all the information he gave about herbs. "Ya, that makes sense." She stated, thinking something like that probably would have ended up happening if she had tried to make anything without Jasper's help.

She glanced down at Skitty, who had fallen asleep, and gave a small chuckle. She couldn't help but to wonder how long she had been sleep. Hopefully, she couldn't end up like her mom's house cat and just sleep all day.

Again, Jasper's voice pulled her away from her thoughts. She looked to Jasper when he threw his arm up in the air and noticed Memory slightly moving so she didn't fall. Riza gave a small giggle before her eyes fallowed Jasper's gaze to the person he was calling.
"I'm really sorry. I'm just going to say a quick hi. I've not seen him in a while. You can come and meet him if you want."
Riza thought about it as she watched him run off. She didn't mind meeting new people, so she slowly walked over fallowing him. As they made it over to Sora, Riza made a small smile as she looked at the guy.

Riza slowly walked behind Jasper and watched as Sora approached them as well. She noticed first the pokemon sleeping on his shoulder, which made her give a small giggle. Was she going to be the only one who didn't put her pokemon on her shoulder? Her eyes moved down to her sleeping Skitty. At the moment, she was rather glad the kitten was asleep in her arm and not on her shoulders. Then again, the kitten would use claws when she felt on stable, which would be very bad for Riza.

Riza then moved her attention to the two guys when she heard Jasper."My ass you were just leaving! You're just up!" She couldn't help but to giggle again, seeing as the statement was very true. He looked as if he had just woke up, jumped out of bed, and headed out.

As the two continued to talk, Jasper finally noticed he hadn't introduced the two of them. However he then explained that they were simply traveling buddies. "Hey. Nice to meet you." She muttered when there was a brief pause. She was rather glad that Jasper explained things and she didn't have to.

Riza watched Sora, as he stood there with a tired expression. It made her glad that she had actually got a lot of sleep, even though she did over sleep. Too much sleep was better then no sleep..right?

When Sora talked about Riza being a guinea pig, her right brow raised as she glanced over to Jasper before a smile formed on her face. She couldn't help but to wonder how good he actually was or how much of herbology was actually trial and error. However, her thoughts moved to the next statement. She gave a warm smile to Jasper, who asked if she minded. "I don't mind." She replied with the same smile. "Maybe I can get him to be my guinea pig too." She thought to herself with a small mental laugh before she heard someone yell from a few feet away.

She turned around and gazed at the woman before her eyes went wide. "Thats probably Jasper's mom!" Her mind screamed, only to have Jasper conclude that she was right. She took a deep breath and tried not to fidget too much as she stood there. Her eyes seemed to dart everywhere before settling on her Skitty.

As his mother made her way over to the small group, Riza bit her bottom lip slightly, trying to remain composed. Slowly, her eyes drifted to his mother, whom she forced a smile for when she looked back at the girl.

"You can introduce me to your friend when we get back to the house. Forward march!" His mother demanded before turning around.
As his mother turned to walk towards the house, Riza began to panic. "Jasper, I'm really sorry but I don't think I should.." She stated a little too fast. It would be obvious she was nervous. "I can wait outside." She offered before biting her bottom lip again.