Hmmmm~
Clothes, check. Cooking tools, check. Poké Balls, check.
Sherry paused, staring into her open bag, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"…What else am I forgetting?"
She crouched slightly and began checking everything again, just to be sure. This was her first journey as a Trainer, there was no way she was going to mess it up on day one.
"My Lady, don't forget your potions."
A calm, familiar voice came from behind her.
Sherry turned around to see Sam, the Anderson family's butler, holding a neatly packed box filled with various potions.
"Ops, right!" 😅 She laughed lightly as she took the box from him. "Thanks, Sam."
She carefully placed the potions into her bag, making sure they were secured before zipping it shut.
Sherry adjusted the strap of her bag one last time before stepping into the living room.
The moment she entered, both of her parents looked up.
For a brief second, she froze.
It still felt strange seeing them here together, in the same room, not rushing off to another meeting or answering calls. The house felt fuller because of it.
"You're all packed?" her mother asked, her voice calm but warm.
Sherry nodded quickly. "Yep! Clothes, tools, Poké Balls, potions, everything's in here."
She gave her bag a small pat, as if to reassure herself more than anyone else.
Her father let out a quiet chuckle. "You always were thorough," he said. "Though I remember you forgetting your notebooks back in school more than once."
"Hey! That was totally different," Sherry protested, puffing her cheeks. "This is a journey. I can't mess this up."
Her mother smiled at that, but her eyes lingered on Sherry for a moment longer than usual. "You don't need to pressure yourself," she said softly. "This journey isn't a competition."
Sherry tilted her head, pretending not to notice the underlying concern. "I know~ I just want to do my best."
Her father stood up and walked over to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, firm but reassuring. "You don't have to live up to anyone's expectations," he said. "Not the school's. Not your grandfather's. And not ours."
Sherry's smile wavered for just a heartbeat.
"…Grandpa didn't say anything, did he?" she asked, half-joking.
Her mother shook her head. "No. He trusts you. That's why he's letting you walk your own path."
For a moment, the room fell quiet.
Then Sherry straightened up, her usual brightness returning. "Well, good! Because I plan to have lots of fun out there."
Her parents exchanged a glance and smiled.
"Be careful," her mother said. "Trust your Pokémon," her father added. "And come home whenever you need to," they said together.
Sherry nodded, gripping her bag a little tighter. "I will."
As she turned toward the door, she didn't look back, but the warmth in her chest told her she didn't need to.
***
Standing on the second-floor balcony, Evelyn rested her hands on the railing and gazed down at the mansion's garden.
Fifteen years had passed since she had arrived in this world.
At times, the memory still felt unreal. Waking up as a child in a world where Pokémon existed not as fiction, but as living beings. What had once been confusion and disbelief slowly turned into acceptance, and then into resolve. Fifteen years was more than enough time to understand that this was no dream.
A gentle breeze passed through the balcony, carrying the faint scent of flowers. With it came the memory of that time.
The moment she had spoken with the so-called "God."
Back then, before they parted, that being had said it left something with her. A gift, though it had never been explained, never revealed. Fifteen years had passed, and yet
Evelyn still had no idea what it was supposed to be.
There had been no divine blessing or extraordinary power bestowed upon her. But she did not care about that. She had always believed in her own strength and choices, never placing her faith in unseen miracles or borrowed power and never relying on anyone else, neither in this life nor the previous one.
Evelyn closed her eyes for a moment, letting the breeze brush against her skin.
When she opened them again, the worries lingering in her heart seemed to fade away.
Now , she is ready to go. To the place where she will meet her first pokemon.
***
Professor Sycamore's Lab
Sunlight filtered through the tall glass windows, illuminating rows of neatly arranged research equipment. The quiet hum of machines filled the laboratory, occasionally broken by the soft tapping of fingers against a tablet screen.
Professor Augustine Sycamore stood before a secured display case at the center of the room. Inside rested several Poké Balls, each containing a Pokémon ready to meet its future partner. His gaze lingered on them longer than usual.
Nearby, Sophie reviewed the data displayed on her tablet and gave a small nod."Yes, Professor. Their physical condition and emotional stability are all within optimal ranges. There are no abnormalities."
Beside her, Cosette finished organizing a set of files before looking up at him. She tilted her head slightly, noticing the subtle pause in his movements.
"You seem more thoughtful than usual today, Professor."
Sycamore let out a quiet breath and smiled faintly."I suppose I am."
He turned his eyes toward the window, beyond the lab, as if looking somewhere far away.
The two assistants exchanged a brief glance but said nothing.
"My daughter will be coming here today," Sycamore added. "Not as my daughter, but as a trainer."
Sophie straightened slightly. "Evelyn… right?"
Sycamore nodded. "She has walked her path without leaning on me," he said. "Perhaps more firmly than I ever expected."
The female assistant hesitated before speaking."Are you worried, Professor?"
Sycamore chuckled softly."Worried? No. Concerned, perhaps. A father's heart is difficult to separate from his responsibilities."
He looked back at the Poké Balls in the case.
"But this moment is not about guidance or protection," he continued. "It's about trust. Trust in the choices she has made."
The lab grew quiet once more.
Then, a soft notification sound echoed through the room.
Sycamore straightened his coat and composed his expression, the familiar warmth returning to his eyes.
"…It seems they've arrived," he said.
The laboratory door began to open.
Revealing three girls standing side by side, each carrying a distinct presence.
***
The moment the laboratory doors opened, Maria took a quiet breath and looked at the two people standing beside her.
Evelyn and Sherry.
The first time they got to know each other was during the Intra-School Competition, when the three of them were randomly chosen to form a team. Even though they had been classmates for some time, they had rarely spoken to one another before that day.
Sherry, with her cheerful personality and natural social skills, quickly became friends with most of their classmates. She was the type who could strike up a conversation with anyone and make it feel effortless.
Evelyn, on the other hand, was very different. She was always focused on her studies and spoke only when necessary. Most of the time, she remained quiet. Even when she was part of a group conversation, she tended to listen rather than speak. Over time, that silence led others to keep their distance from her, mistaking her reserved nature for coldness or disinterest.
Back then, Maria had never imagined that the three of them, so different from one another, would one day stand side by side like this, ready to begin the same journey together.