~Chapter 1~
"Do I have to?"
Oakley sighed irritably after finishing her sixth helping of scrambled eggs with cheese. Looking around the kitchen, her father and mother were sitting with their coffee, sipping and chatting as if today was any other day. But it wasn't any ordinary day, and the strawberry blonde knew that. As she got up to get another helping of breakfast, the voice of her father catches her attention.
"So, kiddo, you excited about today?" He asked, Oakley could see a smile under the man's blonde and shaggy beard.
"You are more than me." The girl responded before shoving a slice of toast in her mouth and taking back her seat at the table. The man shook his head.
"Come on, Oak we did discuss this-"
"Dad, do I really have to go? I mean... Won't you and mum need help with the ranch since papa still isn't well?" The girl whined, though she was worried about her grandfather. He hadn't been able to get up for days! And there was a lot to do around the place.
"We discussed this as well!" Selix answered back in such a tone that Oakley felt that she had no other option but to stay quiet, "Oakley, this is a great opportunity for you, you really should have been leaving for your journey five years ago but-"
"I didn't want to go then, either."
"All I'm saying is that you should really get out there and see the world! You can't spend your whole life here, you know!"
Oakley's yellow eyes lowered. He had a point. She did wonder what else was out there beyond their ranch. All she knew was that it was just a little bit off of Route 210. It was one of several and the girl did see a number of people venture down the route in the last few days. It had sparked her interest and it seemed to pass onto Selix, who almost instantly prepared to have her leave, ignoring his daughter's protests the whole time. There wasn't any point in arguing anymore, it was happening no matter what.
Oakley sighed as she pushed her plate away, "I'm going to get my bag then go and saddle up Blue Flash." She yawned as she walked out of the kitchen.
"Oh, Oak I just remembered! I bought you shampoo and shower gel for you to take, remember to use them!" She vaguely heard mother, Juniper, shout after her as she went up the stairs. The girl rolled her eyes, seeing how she was not much of a fan of baths, she knew that she would just forget about them and not bother with them. Living on a ranch barely gave her time for it anyway, and surely that would be the same while travelling. Besides, there wasn't any point. What was the likelihood of meeting up with people on Route 210?
An hour later, Oakley had saddled up her shiny Ponyta with her saddle and bridle. Blue Flash shook her head and snorted impatiently, unlike the fifteen year old, she was ready and willing to go. Oakley was attaching her bag to the saddle as she saw Juniper walk up. She reached into her pocket and showed off her phone.
"I'll keep you posted on papa, ok?" she asked, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Oakley sighed and nodded slowly.
"And you can call me when you want to." Again, the girl nodded, "give me a call when you get to a Pokemon Center."
After another twenty minutes of goodbyes, Oakley mounted the blue flamed equine and, with one last look behind her, nudged the Ponyta into a brisk walk. As she reached the bottom of the ranch's long drive she looked at the path that was before her. There was a low fog, which was something that Oakley was used to. While the fog was not as bad in the ranch, she wasn't a stranger to it and besides, Flash's blue flames could probably light a way. The girl sighed as she clicked the Ponyta into a trot. As she ventured down the road, she sighed and looked around. She could hear the cries of various wild Pokemon that were area. But she couldn't see any. But just in case, Oakley reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a Pokeball to put in her jeans pocket. She didn't know when she'd need to use it. And she wasn't really thinking about catching Pokemon at this time anyway. She really just wanted to get to the nearest town, mainly to guarantee that she could get something to eat.
~Four Hours Later~
Blue Flash trotted happily down the overgrown road with her head held high, the Ponyta had just enjoyed a lunch of the lush green grass that surrounded the pair. Though her rider wasn't as well off. Oakley leaned onto the Ponyta's neck and sighed. She was starting to feel extremely hungry but, judging by the little map she had in her hand, she was nearing the end of the route and was going to enter the next town. Letting out a sigh, she pulled Blue Flash to a stop and dismounted the horse like Pokemon. As the girl was loosening the strap on her girth, she heard a commotion further up. Pokemon cries alongside the yells of a young trainer. It must have been someone going after a wild Pokemon. The girl blinked and listened for a second.
"Hmm… maybe this person would know where there's a good restaurant." Oakley said to nobody in particular. As she was thinking this, her stomach let out a loud rumble as if agreeing with her. Blue Flash nickered as Oakley gently pulled the reins as she started to walk towards the noise with the horse following.
The girl blinks as she comes across another trainer. He looked a little older than her and was a little taller with ear length brunette hair and emerald eyes. Oakley keeps quiet as she observes his battle with a wild Seedot. The strawberry blonde kept quiet as the male attempted to catch the Seedot. After a few seconds, she heard the distinctive "Ding!" of a successful capture. The girl smiled slightly as she took a few steps towards him.
"Difficult battle?" she asked the brunette guy, quite interested.