In the great and mysterious world of pokemon, there are many creatures with amazing powers and there are almost just as many trainers doing their best to use their beloved companion’s abilities in the futile attempt to become something great. Something that will be remembered through all of the ages, legends, and myths.

Steph Fire opened her eyes, looked around slowly; and blinked at the darkness. It took only a second for her memory to come back. She was presently riding in a moving truck with pokemon logos on everything that her family had decided to bring with them from America. Sighing, she brushed a few strands of her long brown hair behind her ear. She had been riding in the back of that truck for about five hours.

Finally, the truck stopped, and after a moment light flooded in with the Pokemon movers. She regarded them for a brief second and jumped out of the truck so they could get the boxes out. Upon looking around she saw a peaceful small town in the middle of a forest. It had a small population, no pokemon center (that she could see), a building that looked like a lab, and a few dozen houses. Olivia, Steph's mother, stood next to the house looking around with a bright smile on her face.

“Steph, we’re here!” Olivia glanced at the truck and continued, “It must be tiring riding with our things in the moving truck…” When no reply came from her daughter, “Well, this is Littleroot Town.”

The teenage girl quickly glanced around again and then at the house in front of her, still not meeting her mother's eyes. It would be a bit better if Olivia didn’t see her disappointment.

“How do you like it? This is our new home!” Olivia pressed, trying to get some remark so that she could determine whether she liked it or not.

Steph simply gave her mother a stern look. She wasn't in the mood for anyone to pick at her, hoping to examine her words and by that route learn of her opinion. It should have been very obvious that she did not want to move to Hoenn.

Olivia pressed on, not noticing the acidic look thrown her way, “It has a quaint feel, but it should be an easy place to live. Don’t you think so?”

“Yeah.” Her daughter finally answered quietly.

“Let’s go inside!”

Steph followed her mother inside and looked around. It was a simple two-story house with four bedrooms, a decent kitchen, and a nice living room. A Machoke and a Vigoroth were quickly unpacking in the living room and kitchen.

Machoke are large, muscular, fighting types. They have blue gray skin, and red striped cheeks. The only thing they wear is something that always reminded Steph of a loincloth.

Vigoroth are white furred creatures with a shoot of red fur on the top of their heads. Their claws are extremely sharp and they are very fast and aggressive in battle. A major improvement from what they were before they evolved.

“See, Steph? Isn’t it nice in here?” her mother turned around, examining everything with her seemingly always-cheerful expression. “See? Moving isn't so bad. The mover’s pokemon do all the work. It's very convenient.”

Steph nodded, but she hadn't been paying attention to her mother. She had started to watch the Vigoroth with a lingering interest as it unpacked, watching its motions, examining how sharp its claws might be, wondering how reflexive it was. Trying to determine how it would hold up in a battle. Once she tired of the Vigoroth she looked at the Machoke to see how smooth its movements were, how well toned its muscular body was, and to see how well it could control its own strength.

Her one dream was to at least try to get a decent team, then, perhaps find someone along the long road and settle down once her goal was accomplished.

“Your room is upstairs and all of your things should be unpacked by now. You should go check it out and make sure everything‘s there. Your father bought you a new clock and computer to mark our move here.” Her mother’s voice knocked her out of her trance.

With a feeling of being out of her element, Steph quickly made her way across the room and then up the stairs. After a moment of looking, she located her room to find that it was, like everything else in the town, quaint. It had a new computer on a desk, a relatively small bed, red carpet, white walls, a Nintendo, a TV, and a map of Hoenn. With no hesitation, she walked around the room, and then sat down on her bed.

So I left my life behind in America for this, she thought dryly.

. After a moment, she stood up, walked over to a clock hanging on the wall, and set it to 2:13pm. Once done with the trivial task, her eyes wandered around the room and then fell on the computer sitting on a desk.

Disregarding the thought from her mind she walked out of her room, down the gloomy hallway, and then down the stairs into the living room. The thirteen year old girl blinked when she saw her mother with her face pressed up against the TV like a young child getting the front seat for her favorite cartoon.

What did I miss…?

“Oh! Steph! Get over here!”

Not wanting her mother to yell anymore, Steph ran over and stood beside her to see what the commotion was about. Olivia moved out of the way and pointed at the TV, “Look! It’s Petalburg Gym! Maybe Dad will be on!”

“…We brought you this report from Petalburg Gym.” a lady with black hair, wearing glasses, announced.

Steph frowned and looked over at her mother.

“Oh…It’s over.” Olivia whispered, looking at the TV with evident disappointment in her eyes. “I think Zack was on, but we missed him.”

Steph’s dad owned a gym in Hoenn, but it wasn’t the Petalburg Gym. He was looking after it while the official gym leader was away on business. Steph personally thought that the gym leader should’ve found someone else to watch his gym, because Zack’s family had just moved to Hoenn, and they wanted to see Zack, but she relented, knowing that they had been friends for quite some time.

“Oh, yeah. One of your Dad’s acquaintances lives in town. Prof. Birch. Actually, he lives right next door. Your dad wanted you to introduce yourself.” Olivia walked away from the TV, toward the kitchen to check if everything was in place. “I think that’s who Zack wants you to get your first pokemon from.”

-+-

It didn’t take much thought to figure out which house belonged to Prof. Birch. They only had one next door neighbor.

Standing in front of the door she wondered if it was really worth it, never being very social and knowing that it was going to be one of those hated awkward situations.

I’ll eventually have to meet him any way.

She lifted her fist and knocked four times in rapid succession before pulling her hand back again, waiting for someone to answer the door. After a moment, a woman with brunette hair opened the door.

“Oh, hello. And you are?”

“My name is Steph. I just moved here and I was wondering if you could tell me where Prof. Birch is.” She replied, looking at her feet and twisting her fingers.

“Oh! I’m Prof. Birchs’ wife. I don’t really know where my husband is. He tends to either be in his lab or out in the forest somewhere,” the woman replied, and her eyes lit up with curiosity. “But, wait, how old are you?”

“Thirteen.”

“Oh really?” She smiled. “We have a son about the same age as you and he should know where Prof. Birch is. He’s upstairs in his room, I think.”

Steph nodded her head and smiled nervously while walking away from her and up the stairs. She let out a relieved sigh and waited a moment once she came into the hallway. The house was designed pretty much the same way her own was. Light spilled out from a single cracked door. With a shrug she walked over and completely opened the door to see a boy with white hair standing in front of his computer.

Seeing that he didn’t notice her, she quietly walked up behind him and stood there for a second before poking him.

“Hey! You…” he wheeled about, “Who are you?” a confused expression laced with surprise was across his face. “Oh, you’re Steph, aren’t you? Moved in next door, right? I didn’t know that you’d be a girl.”

Her mouth almost fell open. “Couldn’t you tell by the fact my name is Stephanie?”

“Uh, Dad, Professor Birch, said that our new next-door neighbor is a gym leader’s kid, so I assumed you’d be a guy. I sort of thought your name was supposed to be Stephen or something.” He explained nervously, readjusting the red and black headband he wore. “But, uh, my name’s Brendan. So, hi, neighbor!”

“So you assume that because I’m a gym leader’s kid I’d have to be a guy?” she asked bluntly. “And I guess you’d think that I’d have to have a team of rare pokemon in my arsenal as well.”

“Huh?” he stared at the girl in front of him and noticed that she wasn’t carrying anything with her. “Don’t you have a pokemon?”

“No…” Steph answered, looking at him with a blank expression; hoping that he didn’t notice that she had bitten her lip.

“Do you want me to catch one for you?”

Steph’s heart leapt. She didn’t care if it was just a simple Zigzagoon. All she wanted was to be able to set out and start forming her dreams.

“Wait. I forgot. I’m supposed to help my dad catch some wild pokemon.” Brendan sighs, disappointment replacing the excitement. “Some other time, okay?”

Steph’s heart dropped, but she nodded; keeping the true disappointment well hidden. Brendan quickly turned and walked out of the room, waving as he passed through the door.

It’s probably best.

She walked out after him, then down the hallway, and then down the stairs into the living room.

“See you guy later.” Steph whispered.

I forgot to ask Brendan where his dad was. Crap!

An aggravated sigh slipped through her lips and she turned to walk back to Mrs. Birch’s house to ask where the lab was, but she noticed that, about thirty yards away from her house, a little boy was standing in front of a path with a distressed expression.

“Hey! What’s wrong?”

“I can hear someone shouting down the road here. What should I do? What should we do? Somebody has to go help!” he called back anxiously, looking around with wide eyes.

Steph started to reply, “I-”

“H-Help me!” a male voice interrupted her and without hesitation she ran by the boy and into the woods; following the path.

What she saw made her stop in her tracks. It was a guy in a lab coat, who was being chased down by a Poochyena. A very small Poochyena. Steph stood there for a moment, and stifled a laugh.

Poochyena are small dark type creatures. They resemble dogs, except they have larger fangs and are more prone to run away.

“Hello! You over there! Please! Help! In my bag! There’s pokemon!” he yelled, sitting in a tree, shooting scared looks at the small dark type.

Steph walked over to the bag and picked out a poke ball with a fire symbol on it. She pressed the button on the ball, making it expand, and then threw it in the air. With a bright flash a small orange and yellow bird appeared. The Poochyena stopped barking at the man in the tree when it noticed the Torchic.

“Torchic, use ember!” The Torchic looked back at Steph with tears running down its face…

You’ve gotta be kidding me…

“Well, use scratch if you don‘t know how to use ember!”

It nodded and charged the small dark type, raking it with its sharp talons. The Poochyena growled and tackled it, knocking the fire type back about a foot.

“Torchic, use scratch again!” The Torchic quickly did what it had been told and the Poochyena fled into the forest.

Steph watched it for a moment and then picked the Torchic up, stared directly into its eyes and then whispered to it; “That was easy.”

They looked over just in time to notice the guy fall out of the tree, land on his butt, and then struggle to his feet as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. She could’ve sworn she heard the Fire type in her arms let out a sigh of shame.

“Whew…”

“So what happened?”

“I was studying wild pokemon when I was jumped.” He replied, walking over to stand in front of her.

It was just a Poochyena that a pebble, when thrown hard enough, could’ve knocked out…

“You saved me. Thanks a lot!”

“It was no problem, really.” She shrugged. “By any chance, would you be Professor Birch? I’m Steph Fire.”

“Oh? You’re Steph? You’re right, I am Professor Birch. I‘ve been expecting you. Your Dad wanted me to give your first pokemon.”

She nodded, already knowing that bit of knowledge, and continued hugging the Torchic. The feathery little creature seemed to be getting warmer.

“This is not the place to chat, so come by my lab later, okay?” He picked up the poke ball with the fire symbol on it and returned the Torchic.

Steph looked down at her arms and then up at Professor Birch as he walked away; the bag slung over his shoulder with her future in it. With a smile she followed him, her mind already made up.

-+-

“So, Steph. I’ve heard many things about you from your father. And I’ve heard that you don‘t have your own pokemon yet--but the way you battled earlier! You pulled it off with aplomb!”

Steph remembered the Torchic having not a clue in the world about how to use ember. Is he void of perception?

“I guess you have your father’s blood running through your veins after all.” He laughed. “Oh, yes. As thanks for rescuing me, I’d like you to have the pokemon you used earlier.”

Steph watched him as he pulled the bag off the table and dug through it for a moment until he found the poke ball with the fire symbol on it.

“Why don’t you give it a nickname?” he suggested, placing it in her open hands. “It’s a male Torchic.”

+-+-+

+-+-+

“I’ll name it…hm…Torchyana.” Steph decided, staring at the ball in her hands.

He gave her a quizzical look. That was an odd name to give anything…

“My kid, Brendan, is out on route 103 studying pokemon. It might not be a bad idea for you to go see him and have a pokemon battle.” Professor Birch sat down on the table, beside the remaining two poke balls.

“Sure.” Steph ran a hand over Torchyana‘s ball. “I guess I could use a bit of a challenge.”

Professor Birch smiled at her as she turned to leave the lab. She stopped at the door, and held out Torchyana’s poke ball.

“Come out. I want to talk to you a bit.”

She walked out of the lab with Torchyana at her heels. The fire type chirped happily at his mistress and Steph found herself unable to stop smiling at the fire chick as they walked through LittleRoot.

-+-

They stood in front of her home with large eyes, wondering how they were going to sneak in, get the supplies needed, and then disappear without Olivia throwing her ‘good bye’ fit like she did when Seth first began his journey.

Luckily enough Olivia was busy doing something in her own room, so Torchyana and Steph were able to get everything they needed together. They looked at each other as she slipped the backpack on, but a threatening growl nearly make them both squeal.

The fire chick wheeled about and stared at a black and grey wolf like creature with dark red eyes. She had her teeth bared menacingly, and she stood between them and the door, denying to let them leave.

“Envy, I know Mom probably told you not to let me leave if I came back, but…” Steph inched towards the wall, closer to the door with Torchyana following her. “You have to understand, and let me pass by.”

Envy, the Mightyena, replied with a snarl, the fur on her back standing in defiance.

“I promise I’ll be right back after I’m done with what I have to do near Oldale!”

Torchyana cooed nervously, hiding behind her legs. She looked down at him and he stared back, sending silent messages to one another, and then… they bolted, one for one side of the dark creature and the other for the other side. With a howl Envy chased them through the living room, but did not go outside.

Snorting, she sat down and watched the rookie trainer run with her little pokemon following her, deciding against alarming her mistress. Besides, all trainers make their ways back home at some point, or die, but she knew it would be best not to let her mistress consider that part.

-+-

“Whew.”

Their destination was Oldale and then beyond to find Brendan and have that battle.

After about an hour of walking, they made it to the road leading from LittleRoot to Oldale. Steph glanced at the map of Hoenn in her hands and then looked down at her pokemon.

“Well, Torchyana, should we go on?”

“Tor!” he replied, walking ahead.