Author's Note: The tilde (~) is used grammatically just like a pair of quotation marks, except a pair of tildes around a statement refers to pokémon speech only. Italics are used for Eve's thoughts and telepathic pokémon communications. Series of colons are used to indicate time breaks in the story.

Chapter One: Beginning the Journey

"Why do you guys always pick on me!" Eve shouted desperately as she sprinted, hoping that just this once the beedrill swarm might actually listen.

Predictably, the beedrill continued their chase in spite of her pleading, and so the eighteen-year-old girl forced her body to keep running. She looked into the trees on both sides of the path as she pushed herself onward, searching for some sort of escape while doing her best not to trip. The vibrant red-orange hair of her ponytail streamed behind her as she hurried forward, making her an even more noticeable target on such a gray, overcast day. Even if the beedrill hadn't been so close behind her, Eve knew that her hair alone would have made it difficult for her to hide.

The pichu sitting on her shoulder suddenly tugged on the thin braid that dangled from the side of her face, trying to get her to hurry up. He was small for a pichu; that is, small except for his overly long tail, which stretched longer than he was tall.

"Are they getting closer?" Eve gasped out.

The pichu tugged harder at her hair. ~Yes! Please let me attack already!~

Eve risked a glance back, almost causing her to trip. Her pichu was right; she wasn't running at top speed anymore, and the beedrill were barely ten feet behind her. Her legs were burning with exhaustion, and she knew that the insect pokémon would probably catch up in less than a minute.

Seeing how desperate the situation was getting, Eve was forced to relent. "If you're sure you can do it, then go ahead!" she said. "I can't think of anything else we can do!"

~Finally!~ The pichu said as it jumped off of her shoulder, straight towards the five beedrill. He landed on the head of the leader and immediately sent out a thunderwave into the heart of the swarm. The leader and the two beedrill closest to him fell to the ground immediately, but the other two flew relentlessly onward, unfazed by the attack.

~Two of them are still after you!~ The pichu shouted as he started to give chase.

Eve scowled, unhappy with how events were turning out. Well, I've got to get back to Basil. He's the best chance I have at getting away from the beedrill, she thought to herself, wishing that she hadn't let the pichu separate himself from her. I suppose I don't have a choice, then.

Eve suddenly veered off to the side of the path and grabbed a thin tree, using it as a pivot to turn without losing too much momentum. One of the beedrill following her hit the tree; the other managed to scratch Eve's arm as she ran to meet back up with Basil.

The pichu jumped up to Eve's shoulder and examined her upper arm, obviously concerned about the long line of blood now dripping from the cut. ~Are you okay?~

Eve gritted her teeth in obvious pain, then quickly turned and ran back the way she came. "No time for that – those two are coming back!" She said between breaths. "Basil, can you attack them from my shoulder?"

~Not without hurting you,~ Basil replied, watching the beedrill as they started to gain ground. ~Just let me jump off again! I got three the first time. I'm sure I can finish off those last two easily enough.~

Their argument was cut short as a voice shouted out from among the trees just to their right. "Magby, use ember!"

At the edge of her vision, Eve saw a barrage of fiery cinders fly towards the beedrill. Even so, she didn't dare stop until she was certain that the beedrill were out of action.

~Eve, you can stop running now! The beedrill were hit!~ Basil confirmed in just a moment, tugging excitedly on her braid.

Eve stopped and collapsed to the ground as her legs gave out. "I haven't… Had to run that much… Since freshman P.E. class…" she gasped out as she caught her breath. A flash of light from behind her caught her attention, and it occurred to her to see if she could figure out who had helped her.

Two men were emerging from the woods. One was tall and lean, with a magby by his side and a shirt with a red letter 'R' emblazoned on it; the other was shorter and slightly pudgy, with two pokéballs in his hands and a cap with the same 'R' logo. The beedrill were gone, leading Eve to guess that the shorter man had captured the two of them. That would explain the flash of light, at least.

As she watched them, the taller man caught her eye. He nudged the shorter man and muttered something to him, and then both men approached Eve. The taller one offered his hand to help Eve off the ground. "Are you alright, Miss?"

Eve smiled gratefully and accepted the proffered hand. "Yeah, I'm okay now. Thanks." Then, scowling, she continued, "Those beedrill always bother me whenever I go to New Bark Town! Normally other pokémon come out and help me, but I guess they're all tucked away because of the upcoming storm." As if on cue, a raindrop plopped down in the center of Eve's forehead.

"Are you sure you're alright? What about your arm?" asked the shorter man, quickly taking off his bag and rummaging through it. "That looks like a pretty nasty cut. Just wait a minute; I've got some bandages in here somewhere."

Basil, still examining the cut from his spot on Eve's shoulder, commented, ~It's long, but it seems shallow. And I don't smell any poison from the beedrill's stingers, so you should be fine.~

Though he seemed convinced it would heal on its own, Basil nonetheless moved out of the way as the man bandaged Eve's arm. "Thanks," Eve said as he started. "By the way, can I ask what you two are doing out here? Do you work for someone? The red R's look familiar."

"You mean you don't know Rocket Corporation's logo?" The tall man asked incredulously.

"Oh, you mean like Team Rocket?" Eve said. "I thought they disbanded because the government thought they were evil."

The man laughed. "That's one way to put it, I suppose. But it reformed as the Rocket Corporation, which is now the leading distributor of pokémon and pokémon products in both Kanto and Johto. We're out catching pokémon for them to sell. Actually, those two beedrill will be a nice addition to what we have so far. Guess we were lucky to meet up with each other." Then, seeing Eve's scowl, he said, "What? Is something wrong?"

"Well, I can't really criticize you, since you just saved me and all," Eve said, not attempting to hide her frown. "But I can't say I exactly approve of catching pokémon just to be sold. It just seems sorta wrong to me, you know?"

~I agree,~ Basil said, flicking his ears in agitation. ~I don't think I'd like to be given to whoever paid the most money.~

Eve smiled at the pichu, but didn't respond; while she'd never really hidden the fact that she could understand Pokémon, bringing the subject up with strangers usually elicited more trouble than it was worth.

The man bandaging Eve's arm finished and quickly joined the conversation. "That may be true; perhaps it's not a good thing. On the other hand, there are a lot of benefits for everyone involved, especially the pokémon. Pokémon live longer when domesticated than they do in the wild, for example. And depending on who purchases it, the pokémon will either get a comfortable lifestyle as a pet or get stronger under the guidance of a trainer."

"Speaking of trainers," the other man added, "Are you just starting out on a journey? You look about sixteen, so you're a little old compared to when most kids start – not that age really matters in training pokémon – but I figure that you'd be able to fight off those beedrill with an electric-type like pichu if you'd been training a while."

"You're just changing the subject," Eve pouted. The tall man grinned sheepishly in affirmation. Nonetheless, Eve continued, "And I'm nearly nineteen, just so you know! Just 'cause I'm a little bit on the small side doesn't make me younger!" At about 5'3" in height, Eve got a lot of comments on how young she looked. Part of the problem was that even if she miraculously got taller, her face still would have looked like that of someone a couple years younger. It also didn't help that she never wore makeup, which might've helped her look more her age.

Secretly, Eve enjoyed having this little quirk; it was by far not the most distinctive thing about her (talking to pokémon claimed that prize), yet it made her feel unique nonetheless. Even so, she made a fuss about it whenever someone thought she looked younger than she really was.

"Sorry, sorry!" The man said, realizing he had hit a nerve. "But my question stands: are you just starting out on a journey?"

Eve pouted for a moment longer, contemplating whether or not to answer. Then she yielded. "Yeah, I am just starting out, though I've known my pichu, Basil, for several years now." The pichu in question perked up with pride as Eve continued, "I'm actually heading over to Professor Elm's lab right now; I volunteer there a lot whenever I'm visiting relatives in New Bark Town, so he promised me a pokémon, even though I've already got Basil."

Just as she finished speaking, the wind picked up and the rain started coming down harder. "Well, we don't want to hold you up any longer if a big storm is coming," the tall man said as he withdrew his magby back to its pokéball. "Are you sure you'll be fine walking to New Bark Town? You've probably got another hour or two to go before you reach it."

Eve smiled. Even if these guys were catching pokémon to be sold, she couldn't help but like them. "I'll be fine. Those beedrill were the only ones that have a nest near enough to the road to be a bother. Thank you, though. Oh, and one more thing before you leave," Eve said as the two started turning to walk down the path towards Cherrygrove City.

"And what's that?"

"Basil paralyzed a few more beedrill back there in the road. If they're still there, would you please not capture them? They were just protecting their territory, and if all of them are taken, then no one will be left to protect the weedle and kakuna in the area."

The men looked at each other and smiled. "I think two beedrill is enough for us, little Miss," the tall man said. "We'll gladly leave the others alone, if you're willing to forgive those pesky beedrill so easily."

Eve grinned. "Thanks!" she said, shouting to make herself heard over the peals of thunder.

As the two groups went their separate ways, the tall man chuckled and muttered to his partner, "Interesting girl, huh? I mean, starting out on a journey at age eighteen? Most kids can't wait to start their journey. I had no sooner 'graduated' from junior high than I was on my own journey with my magby."

"Forget the journey part," the shorter man replied as they continued walking. "I don't think I know a single person that would go out of his way to protect wild beedrill from capture. Definitely a unique girl. Imagine a couple of Rockets like us, helping out a girl like that?"

The other man laughed, completely ignoring his now sopping clothes. "This'll definitely be something to tell the guys working in the distribution department."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"All right! I'm finally here!" Eve announced as Professor Elm opened his lab door and let her in.

"I'm glad you made it; I was worried that the storm might have forced you to bunk down in the woods somewhere until it died down," Elm said. Then he looked at Eve with his signature expression of puzzlement. "Your clothes are completely soaked through… Did you really walk all the way here in a thunderstorm like this? And what happened to your arm?"

Eve shook her head, causing water droplets to drip off of her ponytail and onto the ground. "It's nothing, Professor," she insisted. "Just some beedrill trouble on the way over. Again. And a little thunderstorm never hurt anyone, did it? Anyway, you wouldn't happen to have a spare towel I could use, do you? I don't want to get water all over your floor."

As Eve dropped her waterproof traveling bag to the ground, Basil took the opportunity to shake himself, spraying water all over Professor Elm. Elm smiled slightly. "Hello to you, too, Basil."

~Nice to see you again!~ the pichu responded from his vantage point atop Eve's head, though to the regular person Basil hadn't even made the sound or eye-contact that would have signified some sort of acknowledgement.

Eve knew this, and translated. "He says it's nice to see you again, Professor. So, about that towel…" She said, looking down at her clothes. Her tight red t-shirt was completely soaked through, and the bottoms of her jeans were splattered with mud from the walk. At least I was smart enough not to bring any white shirts along for my journey, Eve thought.

"That's right. Towels," Elm said, remembering the request. "I've actually got several; when you work with water pokémon, it's always good to have a few around. And by the way, thunderstorms havebeen known to hurt people before. You should be more careful."

Eve pouted. "Aw, but that's no fun!" she argued as she took the towel from Elm and began to try to pat her clothes dry. "And besides, Basil likes all the electricity in the air."

~Most definitely,~ Basil confirmed.

"Even so…" Elm trailed off, then moved onto another subject as something else caught his eye. "Even if it's kind of damp, I can see that you have your hair up. That's new."

"Yep," Eve confirmed. "I thought I'd want it out of my face when traveling, so I decided to try it like this. And do you like the braid that I have hanging down at the side?" she asked, fingering where it started at the right side of her head.

"Um, I suppose so," Elm said, not sure exactly how to respond. "I'm rather interested in that blue strand of the braid. It doesn't look like you just died your hair…"

Eve ran her hand down the braid, fingering the twisting pattern of red and blue. "Do you remember that turtle pokémon I told you about, that's sort of the boss of the pokémon in my neck of the woods?"

"The wartortle, yes," Elm said. "I'm still surprised you happened to find one; that whole evolution line is supposed to be extinct in the wild… Are you saying that the light blue strand is from the wartortle's tail?"

"That pretty much sums it up!" Eve said as she hung up the towel on a coat rack, finally finished drying off. All of her clothes were still sodden, but at least she wasn't dripping all over the place now. "He said that it contains wisdom, and I definitely need all of that I can get now that I'll be off on my own. Well, not completely on my own." She reached up, picked Basil off of her head, and held the tiny mouse in her arms instead. Basil snuggled up to her contentedly.

Still looking at the braid, Elm said, "Well, I doubt it actually brings wisdom… That's just an old wives' tale. Even so, wartortle are said to be able to live for well over a hundred years… You might be able to tell a lot from the proteins used to construct the hairs over the years…"

Eve rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know that research is your life. However, we have more important things to do, now that I'm all dried off."

Elm hesitated. "Are you sure you want to do it now? It's nearly eight o' clock, and you must've been walking for hours to get here in a single day. Why don't you stay at your grandfather's house tonight, then come back and choose your pokémon in the morning?"

"I've already made you wait this long for me to arrive. We might as well get it out of the way." Seeing the professor's concerned look, she added, "And I'll head straight over to my grandpa's house afterwards, and spend the night there, if that's what you're worried about."

Elm sighed. "If you insist, then follow me."

As Elm led Eve through the corridors of his lab, Eve asked, "So why haven't you ever let me meet these pokémon when I've volunteered here in the past, Professor?"

"Well, most trainers don't have a chance to truly get to know their first pokémon before they choose it," he explained. "It seemed more traditional if I made this your first time seeing them."

~That's a silly tradition,~ Basil said, jumping down from his perch and continuing next to Eve on foot. ~What if you end up choosing a pokémon that doesn't get along with you? Or, more importantly, a pokémon that I don't like?~

Eve laughed. "Don't worry; I'll make sure to consult you before making the final decision," and in answer to Elm's questioning glance back, she explained, "Basil just thinks that it's a silly tradition, since I might accidentally choose a pokémon that neither of us end up liking."

Elm nodded understandingly; by now, he was fairly used Eve's responses to pokémon's silent comments. "And here we are," he said finally, opening a door. "Just let me release them all from their pokéballs, and then you can make your choice."

The room was quite different than the other research areas Eve had seen in the building. Most noticeably, this room was carpeted, and had balls and sticks and other such toys lying around the ground. "I'd normally let you see them in a more suitable pin that I have out back, but this is the room I use when it's too stormy to go outside," Elm explained as he removed a basket of pokéballs from a cabinet. Each had a different color of tape on the outside to represent the collar on its respective pokémon, Eve realized as Elm let the pokémon out one by one.

All told, Elm released four cyndaquil, totodile, and chikorita each. Despite the close similarity between individuals of the same species, it was easy for Eve to tell one apart from the other three it resembled; there were obvious differences in hue, size, and attitude that Eve was immediately able to pick up on. However, despite their differences, there was one thing that they all had in common: they all wanted Eve's attention.

~Oh, hey, are you choosing a pokemon?~ asked one of the larger cyndaquil.

~Wow, you can understand us?~ a chikorita asked, before Eve had even had a chance to respond to any of them; her ability was something that all pokémon were able to sense without Eve needing to say a word.

~That's so cool! I've never met anyone like that!~ a cyndaquil with particularly bright shades of blue said.

~If you're really choosing a pokémon, then choose me!~ a totodile said as it jumped up and down. ~I'm definitely the best!~

~No you're not!~ chorused a group of multiple pokémon, in a way that made Eve guess that the totodile in question was always that boastful.

Eve laughed at the enthusiasm and looked around again. Now that she paid more attention, she saw that some of the pokémon weren't as courageous as these few; some were hanging back at the fringes of the group that was crowding around Eve's ankles, too shy to talk but too interested and hopeful to not pay attention.

For a couple minutes, Eve did her best to introduce herself to all the pokémon around her, including the more timid ones. Then she noticed something odd. While there were four each of the fire and water types, there were only three chikorita around.

"Hmm? Why isn't there another chikorita?" she asked, looking up to Elm. "I could've sworn I saw you release four of them."

Elm looked around. "Oh, she seems to be right over there," he said, pointing towards the far corner of the room. A lone chikorita sat there, with her head in a corner and her leaf drooping off to one side. But this wasn't half of what made her different from the others. Unlike the other chikorita, this one had buds and a leaf that weren't green, but purple. A rich, deep violet hue. Her body, too, had a slightly darker tint of green to it, but that was nowhere near as noticeable as the purple.

Eve walked over and crouched down next to the odd chikorita. The other basic pokémon tried to win back Eve's attention, but to no avail. "May I ask what you're doing over her in this corner?"

The chikorita turned her head so that she could face Eve, though she kept her leaf drooping sadly. ~Whenever people come here to pick one of us, they immediately consider me, just because I stand out. Which would be fine if not for the fact that all of those humans seem like they don't know the first thing about battling.~

~She wants to use her own battle strategies,~ one of the other chikorita taunted. ~She's too good to simply take a human's orders.~ The pokémon around the taunting chikorita mumbled their agreement.

~That's not true!~ the purple-leafed chikorita said defensively, jumping up. ~I mean, it would be cool if a human would pay attention to my strategies, but I know that won't happen. If the human could give me good orders for battle, though, I'd respect him. I just want to be able to battle well.~

Eve sat down and placed Basil in her lap. "Well, I can't say that I'm a good battler. Heck, I'm probably not even a mediocre battler," Eve said. "However… I am talking with you right now. I could listen to your battle suggestion. Who knows? If you're really good at strategy, then you could even help me learn how to battle. Not to mention, I'll be going to a school about pokémon in about a week, in the city north of here. If you really want to learn how to battle well, I could take notes and teach you everything I learn from there." The chikorita's eyes were practically alight with excitement and hope; Eve could tell that this offer was like a dream-come-true for her. "Basil, do you agree? Think you'd like to have her come along with us?"

Basil hopped out of Eve's lap and stood in front of the chikorita. He flicked an ear and, after a few moments, said, ~I don't see why not.~

"So what about it? Would you like to come with me?" Eve asked.

The chikorita's violet leaf was now perked up and trembling with enthusiasm. ~Really? You're sure you want a chikorita like me?~

Eve tilted her head, confused. "Of course. Why wouldn't I want to bring along someone like you?"

~Well…~ the chikorita said, her leaf drooping down slightly, ~everyone says that my leaf is hideous and weird. I didn't think anyone would want a chikorita without a green leaf.~

Eve scowled and looked around at the pokémon around her. "You mean these guys said that? If that's the case, then they're just bullies who don't know what they're talking about."

This was followed by a rousing protest made by many of the pokémon. ~But it's true! It's so weird! Who's ever heard of a purple-leafed chikorita?~ one chikorita defended.

~I'm no bully!~ the boastful totodile said. ~I didn't say any of that stuff!~

~You apparently didn't tell them to stop, either!~ Basil protested, silencing the totodile for a few moments.

Turning her attention back to the purple-leafed chikorita, Eve said, "I assure you that I find your violet-colored leaf much more beautiful than the dull green leaves that these other chikorita have."

~Really?~ asked the chikorita above the squeals of her outraged kin.

"Definitely," Eve confirmed. "In fact… If you don't mind nicknames – you don't, do you? I know it seems silly, since no matter what I call you, you'll always know who I'm talking to; but humans use names 'cause it's not that easy for them. So can I give you a nickname?" The chikorita nodded. "All right, then I'm going to call you Hannah, 'cause it sounds like the ancient unown-script word 'hana', which means 'flower', if I'm remembering it correctly. I'm naming you that because I think you're just as beautiful as even the prettiest of flowers. How about that?"

~I'd love that name,~ Hannah confirmed, tentatively coming up and rubbing against Eve's leg. Eve stroked the violet leaf for a few moments (doing her best to ignore the protests of the other starters upset at not getting a trainer), and then stood up. Basil took up his customary perch on Eve's shoulder, and Eve grabbed Hannah in her arms. The chikorita protested slightly at first, uncomfortable with the odd sensation of being lifted; but as soon as she was securely in Eve's arm, she relaxed once again.

"Professor, I'd like this one."

Elm let out a sigh of relief. "I'm really glad. I was listening in on your conversation; I never would have guessed that a pokémon would want to use it's own strategies. I was afraid that the chikorita was just getting too strong to pay any attention to the trainers that come here to get their pokémon. She already knows razorleaf and vine whip, whereas all the others know little more than the basic tackle attack. And I've seen her defeat most of the pokémon in here in their little mock battles. I was afraid that if she got any stronger, I was going to have to release her into the wild. I can't be giving away strong pokémon to trainers that can't handle them, after all."

Elm carefully took off the red collar that was on Hannah's neck and found the matching pokéball. Eve set Hannah down and took the red and white sphere. "Well, here you go," Elm said. "And, on a side note, you probably could've made that motivational speech a little less sentimental."

Eve stuck out her tongue at him. "Oh, deal with it. If my encouragement is a bit sappy, then so be it. If you're wife's gossip is anything to go by, then maybe you could even learn something from it."

Elm gaped for a few moments, unsure of how to respond.

"Oh, calm down, I'm only teasing," Eve said. "Though you should consider going home early some night and taking her out to dinner, or something. I've managed to pick that much up from the town gossip, and I'm not even around here all the time, like you are."

Elm's face turned ever so slightly red, and he busied himself by returning all the other starter pokémon to their pokéballs. "If you'll just wait a couple minutes while I finish tidying up things in here, I'd be glad to drive you home so you don't have to get all wet again," he said, trying to change the subject.

"That'd be great, thanks," Eve said, deciding not to embarrass the professor anymore.

"And there's one more thing I wanted to say…" Elm started, then trailed off.

"What?"

"Never mind. It's nothing."

"Aw, come on! You can't do this to me, Professor! What were you going to say?" Eve asked.

~Yeah, I want to hear it, too!~ Basil added, though to effect.

Elm let out a breath. "Well, fine then. You probably hear this all the time, but you're a very unique girl. It's not every day that someone who can talk to pokémon comes along. Even aside from that, you've been one of the best assistants I've had around the lab, even if you can't do the really scientific things that my full-time employees and interns do. So when you do head out on your journey… just be careful." And, with a meaningful look down at her arm, added, "There are plenty more beedrill than just the ones you have trouble with, after all."

Eve smirked. "Look who's being all sentimental now," she taunted. Then, more genuinely, she added, "Don't worry about it. I've got Basil and Hannah now, so I figure we ought to be fine. Even so, I appreciate your concern. I'll make sure that I'm careful; I'm certainly not leaving home with the intention of dying, after all. Who knows? Maybe after I've had my fill of traveling, I'll decide to come back here and work with you permanently. But whatever happens, I'll be fine. What really could go wrong?"

"You mean other than a beedrill attack before you even officially get your first pokémon?"

Eve scowled jokingly. "Okay, other than that, what could go wrong?"

Elm lightened up and smiled. "With someone like you, everything will go wrong. I'm certain of that."

"Hey! At least I can walk down the halls without tripping on my shoelaces, unlike some bumbling scientists."

As they argued back and forth, Basil hopped down from Eve's shoulder and stood next to Hannah.

~They do this all the time,~ the pichu explained. ~I heard the professor mention once that Eve is one of only a few people that don't treat him like the smartest guy around. Eve didn't hear him say that, though.~

Hannah waved her leaf back and forth happily. ~Well, it doesn't matter to me whether she's serious or laid back. I'm just glad I got to meet her before Elm tossed me out of the lab.~

~You want to know something?~ Basil asked.

~What?~

~Compared with all those other stuck-up pokémon you were grouped with… I think I'm kinda glad that she met you, too.~

Sorry if the ending was a bit too corny for you; I promise that it usually won't be like that. I just had a heck of a time finding a way to end this chapter.

Anyway, here are a few quick notes about this story:

1. Chapters will come out weekly; I already have a stockpile of nine chapters to ensure that I don't get behind.

2. Chapters will usually be around 5,000 words. If a chapter is over 7,000 words, I'll split it in two; this is the only time you'll have chapters under 4,000 words.

3. Constructive criticism is both welcomed and desired.