October 11th ~
I dreamed of new lands and foreign creatures of all shapes and sizes, of taking in beautiful sites before me and making new friends.Â
The next morning, I was woken with a start, not from an alarm going off, but our Fletchling tackling me; she knew Iâd appreciate being up earlier than I set my alarm for, at least on this morning. Speaking of time, the time aligned and it was finally the big day, I would finally meet my Pokemon! In all my sixteen years, I hadnât been so excited for anything in my entire life; my knees quivered with anticipation.
When I got outside, my new neighbors were already waiting for me; even though they didnât know me, they knew what a big deal for me this was. Callum gave me a firm handshake, and Shauna proceeded to hug me right away and rush me along to where the neighboring town was. It was clear she was excited as I was to meet our first Pokemon.
I practically ran to Aquacorde town, nearly tripping over a rock as I did so. What came into view nearly caused me to drop my bag. The town was beautiful, with little cafes set by a lakeside. I was called over to a table and one by one, friendly faces introduced themselves. Tierno and Trevor greeted me, and Tierno suggested I get a nickname to be a more official person of their group. I declined taking a nickname, and straight away we got down to business.Â
Teirno called out three creatures that adjusted to the sunlight. âOh theyâre all such cuties!â I couldnât help but squeal. The grass type called Chespin smiled back at my noise of glee, but the fire fox Fennekin was more interested in what was going on out on the hillside. Sitting away from the two others was the water type, Froakie, who looked as nervous as I felt on the inside earlier this morning, and instantly, I felt a connection. I got out of my chair and kneeled down to the Pokemonâs height.Â
"Hey there." I said softly. The blue frogâs eyes looked away from me. "Itâs okay. Iâm nervous too. I just want you guys to like me." I whispered. This time, Froakie looked up and made a peeping noise. "Would you want to travel with me? I think itâd be better than being stuck in that pokeball all the time." Froakie seemed to consider my offer for a moment, and went and stood by me. I stood up, a huge smile on my face.
"Iâm going with Froakie here."Â
"Ok! My partner is Fennekin! Actually, I was hoping you didnât choose her Claire, because Iâve wanted her from the start."
"Nice to meet you Chespin, Iâm Callum." Callum shook the little guyâs paw softer than he had shook mine.Â
I thought about what I could name Froakie for him to warm up to me a bit more. Had taken a Latin course, I chose Caeruleus, which is Latin for blue. âHow about Caeruleus, Froakie? Could I call you that from now on?â The llittle guy put a bubbly hand on my knee and croaked. âAlrighty then, Caeruleus it is!â
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After we had called our Pokemon back into their balls, Trevor said he had something for me from the Professor, and a moment later, I was handed a shiny new Pokedex. My hands trembled; this amazing encyclopedia and piece of technology was all mine to fill and record my journey. I was also given a note from the Professor for my mother- Thats right, I needed to say goodbye to her before stepping out on my journey.Â
As I was heading out of town, Shauna called for me to wait, and suggested we battle. I felt I didnât have much choice in the matter, and so I nervously called out Caeruleus. âHey, itâs our first battle buddyâŚâ He stood anxiously by my feet, staring at Shaunaâs unafraid Fennekin. I kneeled down to him and spoke softly. âIf it makes you feel any better, Iâm knew at this too. But look, sheâs a fire type and youâre a water type, so you have a leg up over her. You donât have to win for me, just try your best, and I will too.â
Caeruleus hopped forward and faced his foe than more bravery I felt I would ever be able to muster, and still Fennekin looked unmoved. âOkay, who starts off?â I asked Shauna.
"Well, how about you go?"
"Alright Caeruleus, ummâŚ:" What attacks do you even know? Oh boy Iâm going to be terrible at thisâŚÂ
"Whatâs wrong Claire? Why arenât you attacking?"
I blushed. âI donât know what moves my Pokemon knows!â
"Oh! Try looking in your Pokedex!"Â Quickly I pulled out my Pokedex and went to Froakieâs page. "At Level 5, Froakie can learn Pound, Growl and Bubble."
"Alright Caeruleus, how about we try a bubble?" The frog jumped forward and bubbles shot from its just closed mouth at a fast rate. My eyes opened in awe. Fennekin, bored from waiting, had put her guard down and was caught off guard. The bubbles slammed into her and she was shot back a few feet. She brushed off the attack, now taking her opponent seriously.Â
"Fennekin, use Ember!" A thin stream of fire erupted from the foxâs mouth toward Caeruleus, hitting his stomach. He cried out from the burn and shot another bubble toward his foe. The battle went back and forth like this a little awhile until with the upper hand, Caeruleus and I had won our first match. I went over to him and picked him up, elated. "You did such a good job! Gosh youâre so awesomeâŚ" I hugged him and he croaked a sound of glee, clearly proud of himself.
After Shauna and I shook hands and went out separate ways, I ran home to my mother, bursting open the door and screaming âMom, I got a Pokemon! I got a Pokemon and won my first match!â She hugged me and congratulated me. I gave her the letter and she packed me a bag for my trip afterward, also handing me a large folded-up Town Map. Kalos was huge. After some teary goodbyes and promising I would call her, I stepped back out into the sunlight, to nearly get mauled by our family Rhyhorn. âWoah! Easy big guy!â He nuzzled me and smiled to him.Â
I headed out for Route Two, stopping in Aquacorde town to pick up some pokeballs, to have my first official catch.Â
~ Claire   Â