Chapter 1: A Pokémon Trainer is me!
"Welcome to Vaniville Town!" Ash said heartily, sticking his hand out for a handshake. "My name is Ash. Like you, I'm not actually from this town, but I came here to start my Pokémon journey in Kalos."
"And I'm Shauna!" James cried out with a huge grin. "We've come to get you to get your first Pokémon!"
"How, how wonderful!" I replied, putting on a smile and trying my best to seem excited and cheerful and to not sweat through my new clothes. What was this brat doing here? I hoped fervently that he wouldn't ruin our plans, but then, he never saw through our disguises before until we revealed ourselves, so maybe I still had a chance after all. "My name is Jessie, but you probably already know that if you're here to get me." I giggled and jumped a little in the air, starting to get into my role. "I'm so excited to get my first Pokémon!"
Ash smiled back at me. "We're all headed to the next town up, the others are already there, so let's go!"
"I'll race you!" James/Shauna yelled and suddenly broke away from the two of us, racing down the pathway and towards the town's entrance gates. With a snort, Ash walked along after him, and I followed behind, looking around the town that was my new "home". I was tempted to look around and explore, but even to myself I had to admit that I actually was excited to get a Pokémon in Kalos and start my journey, so I headed off behind Ash and James, leaving Vaniville to the north and heading down the short path to neighboring Aquacorde Town.
As soon as I entered, I saw James, Ash, and two other boys, all sitting around a table at a nearby café. One was a larger boy with dark hair and a t-shirt with a Vanillite on it, the other a ginger with bright clothes and hands that seemed permanently fixed around his camera. Ash called me over and I came to sit next to him. Ash introduced the large boy as Tierno and the ginger as Trevor. It wasn't long before they were all discussing what nickname to give me. I had to step in before things got to far.
"If you really want to give me a nickname, why don't we keep it simple and just call me something like... 'Jess'?" Thankfully, James quickly agreed and the matter was settled.
Soon after, Tierno brought out a chest with Pokéballs, and I couldn't help it, my heart sunk a little. Weren't new trainers supposed to get their Pokémon from a certified Professor? I'd read up on Professor Sycamore, the head professor for the Kalos region, and he looked so dreamy that I couldn't wait to meet him! And now I'm getting my starter Pokémon from this kid? Oh well, a Pokémon is a Pokémon, I guess. Maybe I'd get to meet Prof. Sycamore later.
One by one the Pokémon were released and introduced, and I couldn't help it, I immediately fell in love with the small fox Pokémon, Fennekin. It was so beautiful; it fit me exactly! I quickly snatched it up before anyone else could claim it. It squeaked playfully and jumped into my arms. It was so happy to see me! I couldn't help but laugh as I hugged it close to my chest. "We're going to make an excellent team, Fennekin!"
James chose Chespin, leaving Ash to take Froakie, and then all of us received Pokédexes. I marveled over the technology, never having owned one myself before. Being able to learn about a Pokémon just by seeing it would be a huge advantage. I made a mental plan to keep my Pokédex even after the journey was over; such a valuable tool would be useful to further the goals of Team Rocket.
Tierno had one final object for me, a letter to my "mom" from Prof. Sycamore. "I mean, I know you're not quite as young as the rest of us, but your parents should probably still be involved in the Pokémon training process."
"In my home region, people don't start training Pokémon until they're older, so I agree it must seem a bit odd," I said, sipping my tea, "but I'm sure my mother would love to be involved. She's such a sweetheart."
Soon after, Tierno and Trevor left off to go do their own thing. I returned Fennekin to her Pokéball and went to head back to Vaniville, but before I could leave town, James was running after me, his pigtails flopping in the wind. "Jess, wait! I want to have my first battle with you!"
We only had the two Pokémon, and I was starting off with a type advantage, so I quickly agreed, eager and ready for my first win. Fennekin and I took down Chespin in only a couple hits. James pouted and bemoaned his loss in an eerie falsetto, but healed my Pokémon after we were done, though it wasn't really needed. When he noticed we were alone, however, he dropped the act for just a moment. "Say hi to your mom for me," he added with a wink, then ran back to the café.
Battle complete, I headed back on my way to Vaniville, though I didn't really see like seeing Cassidy so soon, so I wandered around town for a bit, looking at the sights. After all, it is supposed to be my new home. Unfortunately, it was a small town and there wasn't much to explore, so it wasn't long before I trudged back home. Cassidy was sitting on the couch watching a soap opera and she glared at me when I came in the room. "What are you doing back so soon, did you fail already?"
"I have a note for you from Professor Sycamore, mother," I replied icily, thrusting the letter at her.
"Ooooh, what's this, a love letter?" she asked coyly, winking at me as she tore open the envelope. "What lovely handwriting, and," she stopped to take a sniff, "if this his cologne? Oh, Professor."
I pursed my lips and tapped a foot. "What does it really say?"
Cassidy sighed and crumpled it up, tossing it into the kitchen's wastebin. "Oh, just some crap about how I should let you go on a Pokémon journey, yada yada. Oh, and it came with a Town Map for you. You can dig it out of the trash."
With a final turn of the nose, Cassidy walked away and went back to her TV show, leaving me to rescue the crumpled town map. It showcased most of the towns and cities of Kalos, but was rather sparse in detailed information. The most important thing I gathered was that I would have to head north from Aquacorde to get anywhere else in this region, so that would be my next step. Without even bothering to say goodbye to Cassidy, I folfed the map up nicely and put it in my purse, then headed back on my way.
I thought I would stop an explore the rest of Aquacorde a bit before taking my final leave. I flirted with a clerk for a bit and managed to score a free potion, then spent a bit of my meager funds to buy some more potions and a few Pokéballs. I had argued that I wanted to start off with more money, but they felt it would be more realistic if I only had the equivalent of a teenager's pocket money. It'll make my trip harder, but I guess it is less suspicious than pulling out a wad of big bills.
As soon as I stepped out onto the Route, I felt a vibration coming from my purse. It must be the transmitter! Despite the fact that I got a starter Pokémon of my own, HQ must already be sending me another Pokémon to help with my journey. I quickly pulled the machine out of the bag and set it down in the tall grass, away from any potential prying eyes. Within moments, a Pokéball had materialized. Holding my breath, I released the Pokémon from the ball to see what I'd gotten.
It was a Riolu! It was a bit timid at first, but I introduced myself to it and when she growled happily at me, I returned her to her Pokéball. It was the start of a promising journey.
Chapter 1 end!
