Early on I learned that even in the safer parts of the region, wild Pokémon were dangerous. If that wasn’t true, I wouldn’t have half my ear torn off and a scar on the right side of my head that made my blonde locks grow in clumpy patches. I had the hair from the other side of my head combed over and tied it into a braid to hide the ugliness. In any case, that was old history. I tried not to think much about it these days, except when, for example, a bunch of city folk were waving signs outside the Pokémon Centre. Quit Kidnapping, No More Trainers was written on one of them, I also saw Ban the Balls and Pokémon Are People Too. Idiots. They would be glad for strong trainers when a rampaging Gyarados showed up outside their homes.

  I stood some distance away from the protest debating whether to come back some other day. Daddy put his hand on my shoulder.

  “What do you think, LBR? We can reschedule the appointment if you want.”

  I hesitated, but shook my head. I didn’t know when I would have another chance to visit Nocturne city and I wanted my trainer’s licence today. I wasn’t about to let myself be daunted by a crowd making more noise than sense.

  Bringing myself up to my full height of much too short, I strode towards the door of the centre. I liked to pretend the people parted for me and not Daddy following behind. He was a mountain of a man, with a hard face that belied his kindness. With his long, scraggly black hair, he couldn't have been more different than me. I got my looks from Mum. I didn’t glance back, but I could guess he was leaning into his appearance, putting on a mean face that only sometimes worked on me anymore.

  The inside of the Pokémon Centre was brightly lit, and once the automatic door slid shut behind us the noise dwindled to nothing. Orange tones dominated the lobby and the whole place was so clean it was practically shining. Couches and tables were set up around the room where trainers and their Pokémon were resting. On the right, a stairs led up to the first floor. On the opposite end of the lobby, a bored looking Nurse Joy stood behind a counter. Daddy gave me a tap on the back, startling me. I dipped my head to cover my blush as I made my way to the stairs.

  The League office was in room 106 and the directions on the website sounded fairly simple. Up the stairs, first left, then take the first right after the study room. The problem, I thought after finding myself at the top of the steps for the fifth time, was identifying the study room. Daddy was failing to stifle his laughter behind me but I ignored him. I had to prove that I was an independent woman now. Fortunately, I had come an hour before the appointment. I had time to figure this out. Setting off once more, I went down the corridor on the left.

  With five minutes until the appointment and only a little bit anxious, I stood outside room 106. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” said a voice from behind the door. I stepped inside. Father wished me good luck, he would wait outside for me.

  The office was small and cosy. A woman sat behind a desk and gestured me to take a seat opposite her.

  “Good morning, Calla Greyberry I presume?”

  “I am, I mean, yes, miss” I said.

  “Call me Dahlia, please. You’re here for a trainer’s licence, correct?”

  “Yes, correct.”

  “Great, do you have your trainer theory test results?”

  “Yes, miss Dahlia, right here.”

  I reached into my bag, fumbling a little as I took out the document certifying I had passed the online trainer school test. Dahlia gave it a quick glance before scanning them with some form of device.

  “Perfect,” she said. “I’ll just need some form of ID, passport or birth certificate should do fine.”

  “Here,” I said, having already taken out my birth cert.

  Again, she scanned and looked over it before her eyes settled on by date of birth.

  “You’ve just turned fourteen,” she remarked. “I’d been hoping you looked younger than you were.”

  “It’s the minimum age to compete in the circuit,” I said.

  “I am aware, but the rules are somewhat outdated. You realise people wait till they’re at least sixteen, and most wait until eighteen before attempting it?”

  “I know,” I said. The nervousness in my chest began to give way to irritation.

  “You can’t stop me from applying,” I said before I could catch myself. Dahlia looked at me with her massive blue eyes and sighed.

  “Not legally I can’t, no,” she said. “But I would highly recommend travelling in a group. Do you have some people you plan on going with?”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I shook my head, afraid that if I opened my mouth again I’d say something to ruin my chances of walking out with a licence.

  “Luckily, I know of a couple of new trainers about to start their journey here. Why don’t you ask to join them?”

  “I don’t need babysitters,” I mumbled.

  “Miss Greyberry, I advise everyone against journeying alone. For both our sakes, please let me introduce you to them. What happens from there is up to you.”

  Partly because I wasn’t willing to argue, and partly because she might decide to withhold granting me a licence after all, I relented.

  ***

  When I left the room, Daddy hugged me as I showed him my trainer ID.

  “That’s my Little Ball of Rage,” he said and ruffled my hair. I smacked his hand away, pouted, then burst into giggles, letting him pull me in for another hug.

  “Dahlia, the person who interviewed me, said she knew a couple of trainers I could travel with,” I said. “She sent them a message, they should me waiting in the lobby.”

  “That’s great, it should limit the amount of trouble you get yourself into.”

  “I don’t get into trouble,” I said.

  There were far more people in the lobby now than when we’d left it. In one corner, a group of people were arguing about whether to take the road up to Crescent town, or the ferry across to Snowdrop village. A Popplio flapped around the table in the middle trying to calm the situation but was being ignored. Across the room, another trainer had commandeered three tables to feed his entire team of six Pokémon. I recognised Butterfree, Typhlosion, and Roserade, but couldn’t identify the others. Finally, I saw a couple sitting nearby who matched the description Dahlia had given me. They saw me at about the same time and stood up, waving me over.

  “Hello, you’re Calla, I hope. I’m Darren.”

  Darren was a tall man, with short, red hair and a huge smile on his face. He stretched out his hand and I shook it.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said. Daddy shook his hand next and introduced himself. The woman next to Darren was only slightly shorter, with bright green eyes and long, black hair tied into a ponytail. She had her hands covering her mouth and squealed something that sounded suspiciously like cute. She quickly put her hands down when she noticed my scowl but continued smiling brightly.

  “You can call me Sunny, and this,” she said taking out a pokeball, “is Hector.” With a flash of light, a small, blue blob appeared on the table. He had an oversized head covered in slimy skin and purple antenna-like gills branched out of his cheeks. He gave a big yawn before seeming to notice where he was and began bouncing up and down. The Wooper wooped happily.

  “Isn’t he the cutest,” said Sunny. She scooped him up in a hug with her bare hands, much to Hector's visible delight and my worry. I couldn’t stop a small gasp from leaving my mouth which caused her to chuckle.

  “I get that reaction sometimes,” she said. “I know he’s a little poisonous, but it’s really not that bad. A bit numbing is all, well worth the cuddle. Though I do have gloves too if you want to pet him.”

  “I’m okay, thanks,” I replied.

  “You should have seen her when she first got him,” said Darren. “She pressed her face right into him and spent two days unable to talk properly. It was very funny.”

  “It was not! I was seriously worried I’d stay like that forever.”

  “Which explains why immediately after you recovered, you went and did it again.”

  “But I knew it was only temporary then.”

  Daddy cleared his throat, interrupting them.

  “I’ll leave you kids to get to know each other,” he said. “I’ll be in the cafe outside when you’re done.”

  He ruffled my hair again before leaving. We sat, making ourselves comfortable. Sunny put Wooper on her lap and began stretching her fingers.

  “Takes the edge off the worst of it,” she explained. Darren rolled his eyes showed me a pokeball.

  “I’d introduce you to Auri now, but she would attract too many eyes,” he said. “Do you have a starter with you?”

  I shook my head.

  “Not with me, no,” I said. “I’m just after getting my trainer ID, so I couldn’t carry a Pokémon around before, but there is a Mareep I’m friends with back at the farm. I’m pretty sure she would like to come with me. I’ll have to go back there before starting my journey properly.”

  “Whereabouts is the farm?” asked Sunny while Darren pulled out a map of Silín.

  “Early on the road to Crescent town,” I said.

  “That’s easily done then,” said Darren. “Sunny and I were planning to keep primarily around the lakes. First to Rondo City, then take the ferry to Popplio town and participate in all the tournaments around Lake Rin. We’ll likely also need to go north to Bagatelle City or Everrock Town, but that should give us plenty of chances to get the points needed to enter the Nocturne Championship. Anyway, we can stop by the farm on the way. What do you think?”

  I looked over the map. What he suggested was reasonable enough, if a bit optimistic. The Nocturne Championship was the largest event of the year. The best one hundred and twenty-eight Pokémon trainers would face off in a single elimination tournament. The winner got the right to challenge the Champion for the title. There were several ways of qualifying for it, but the main one was by accumulating circuit points. Ten towns and villages across the region held bi-annual tournaments and the four cities other than Nocturne held an annual tournament. They were split into three grades of difficulty, based on how easy it was to get to the town in the first place. Trainers receive one to three points upon entering, depending on the grade, and their points double for every opponent they defeat. At the end of the circuit year, the points from a trainer’s top five tournaments are added and the top scoring 120 trainers got to enter the Nocturne Championship. There were a bunch of other regulations but the result was straight forward enough, compete and get as high a place as possible in as many tournaments as you could. Darren’s proposed route would allow us to enter eight at most, six grade one and two grade two.

  “Sounds good, I guess,” I said after a moment. “We would avoid the most dangerous routes, though, which even though it sounds appealing, it gives us less chance to catch powerful Pokémon.”

  “I was thinking about that,” said Sunny. “We could go to Stormwind Desert before Lake Rin. We’re bound to find something good there.”

  “Or the Greenforest,” said Darren. “Mainly, I’d rather not commit to going through a dangerous route, but nothing stops us from exploring the edges.”

  “But enough talk of business,” said Sunny. “Tell us about yourself.”