This is an author's note, because those are what cool kids do. Hi. ;]

She was going to be in trouble, if she just kept sitting there.

It was sunny and warm and nice and she liked to stay there unmoving, pretending she hadn't begged her mom to let her go off on her own for months, like she could just stay a little girl in her little town forever.

(She didn't know she never really had a choice, but whatever.)

She leaned against her house, admiring her mailbox and her brand new shoes and the sky and the grass and the Marill that just smashed into her leg.

Frowning slightly, she watched as the Marrill bounced up to her knees, perched and looked at her critically. Little frozen cold shudders were making her way down her back, when, just as suddenly as his Pokemon, a teenage boy bounded up to her.

"Ahaha! I'm so sorry, Tama~ Marill just started running away from me!" He plucked the blue mouse from its seat by its ears.

"…No problem, Ethan. And I told you, don't call me that." She curled one of her pigtails around her finger, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Ah? Why not? It's cute!" Ethan protested, Marill now squirming in his grip.

"Exactly. I'm the new, tough, badass Tamaki. No time for girly nicknames, alright?" She glared at him. He stared obediently back, until a smile cracked over her lips and she started giggling.

He grinned back at her, and she took the moment in happily, absorbing the picture perfect view of the two of them happily chatting outside her house, like how it always was before. And she ignored the headache in her head reminding her that she decided that this life wasn't good enough for her, and she was just about to leave her best friend all alone.

Tamaki was having trouble accepting this.

Ethan extended his hand to her, helping her up, and Tamaki was just about to crack a joke about his gentlemanliness today when she suddenly realized she now was really, REALLY late.

"Oh, craaa… darn," (he hated when she cussed) "Ethan, I'm going to be in so much trouble if I don't run now-"

"Elm is what, 30 second away from us right now? Come on…I know you're desperate to get away from me-"

'Ethan, I'm an HOUR LATE."

She had just enough time to see his eyebrows almost shoot off the top of his head before she sprinted ahead, her yellow bag swingy wildly behind her.

Of course, as soon as she managed to get in front of Elm's mailbox, it hit her that it was daylight savings time, and she was early. She glanced around, trying to find Ethan, but he had managed to disappear instantly when she wasn't looking. He had a knack for that.

She sighed through her nose (which she always found was much more satisfying then the more dramatic mouth sigh) and prepared to wait it out until one of his aids showed up to let her in.

She was about to collapse on the grass again until she felt someone's gaze on her.

She whipped her head around (a dangerous motion, if someone was in the radius of her pigtails) and saw a flash of red disappear around the corner of the building.

Tamaki knew her town well, and she knew not a single member was a redhead. She thought it might possibly be a pokemon, but the local pokes around the close routes were generally quite small and short. So, of course, she bounded over to the side of the building (not even attempting stealth, knowing that it already saw her)

She immediately wondered why she didn't notice him before.

His hair was startlingly red. And spikey. He wore a high collared jacket, and- were his pants lavender? A smile started to twist onto her face, before his sharp, angry voice immediately snapped her back out of her thoughts of lavender pants and sharp, intelligent eyes-

"What are you looking at?"

Oh. Yeah. She had been staring.

"Ah! Sorry, my names-"

Tamaki founded herself stumbling. He had both of his hands on her shoulders, gripping them tightly- and he seemed to of let go as soon as she realized what was happening.

She swung back, her right leg snapping down to steady her. She probably looked like a ridiculous amateur surfer, her legs steadily holding on to the ground as her arms wobbled from her sides.

He looked at her like a cat would examine the butterfly it just crushed.

Tamaki regained her footing, and she found her hands forming fists and her heart pounding angrily. Her lips parted to let out an explosion of every cuss world and insult she knew, when he placed his index finger on her lips.

"Don't mess with me."

Tamaki stumbled again, and he turned away from her dismissively.

She was pretty sure her cheeks were burning.

…From anger, of course.

She turned her back away from him, stomping off loudly, swinging her arms side to side, her thoughts buzzing with angry thoughts (she hadn't caught his name, so she had dubbed him "Jackass Ginger" for the time being) when she saw one of Elm's aides had arrived and was quietly unlocking the door. Tamaki's shoulders relaxed a little and she followed the guy obediently inside.

She now was standing outside, glancing at a small fire Pokemon happily burning the grass around it. Prof. Elm said it was a girl, which she thought was kinda sweet. Name? She had no idea, but she didn't want to leave it nameless (she and Ethan would spend hours and hours thinking of nicknames for future pokemon during sleepovers, unable to stop talking about pokemon for even five minutes.)

As she remembered her task, she went to march out to the route, being very, very, very sure not to make even the tiniest glance to the right. If she did, he'd probably be in danger in getting all of his oh so lovely (and girly as hell) hair burned off by her cute little fire monster. And she was pretty sure that was considered arson and didn't really like the idea of her adventure getting cut off 5 minutes into it.

Tamaki was about to leap into the tall grass when Ethan teleported right before her eyes. Alright, not LITERALLY, but the boy was proving for 698362nd time he had the amazing talent to literally appear out of nowhere. He grinned.

"That's your starter?" he spun behind her to get a better look at the Cyndaquil. Tamaki looked over her shoulder as she spoke.

"Yep. She's a girl. Nameless, as of yet."

"Eva." He declared, looking straight at the Pokemon's (unopened) eyes.

"What?"

"She's definitely an Eva."

"Nuh-uh- … actually.. I think you're right. Huh. She is pretty Eva-y." She smiled at Ethan (or at least the back of his head, as he was deep into a whispery conversation with the fire type.)

His head suddenly shot up and he looked over her, from her bright red shoes and poofy blue overalls to the hat she absolutely loved and adored (Ethan had given it to her for her last birthday, and she had saved it just for this day.)

"Hey, you're about to head out, aren't you?" She nodded. "Then you better get over to your Mom's. She's still got your pokegear, right?"

"Oh snap! You're right! Thank you, augh, I almost forgot!" She was about to speed off when she stopped short and skidding on the grass. Eva crashed into her leg, but thankfully turned down her fire in time.

"Ethan! Don't you dare leave before I get back here!" Tamaki fiercely stared into Ethan's bright blue, curious eyes.

"Oh, why~? You don't think I was planning on just letting you go off all by your lonesome, right?"

Her eyes brightened. "You're coming wi-"

"Elm assigned me with a project of my own. He knows how much I love traveling, so he gave me a task he thought would suit me." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "… But what were you going to say?"

"Oh. Um. Nothing." Her pigtail was twirling endlessly again.

"Liar."

"Gotta go." She flashed a quick (very fake) smile and ran off. Tamaki was realizing, with a thudding feeling, that she had never been on her own before. And it wasn't the actual journey or anything like that (she was a tough girl, she could manage) but the loneliness. The idea of barely seeing her best friend anymore was making her feel awful. She hated that feeling, and hated having to constantly remind her self that she was "tough" and she didn't need to feel sad or girly or-

As if she was reading her mind, the prickle of tears was stopped by a soft bump on her leg. Eva was facing her, eyes still shut but attention clearly focused, bumping her leg again. Tamaki kneeled down and took her into her arms.

"Least I have you, you silly fuzball." She smiled, and ignored the road ahead.