"Hey, mom."
"Morning, Dani," she replied without looking up. "Breakfast?"
As if on cue, Dani's stomach growled.
Her mother chuckled. "Sorry, sweetie. All we've got is MooMoo Milk."
Before Dani could retort, the doorbell rang, and her mother motioned for her to answer it. Grumbling to herself, she shuffled to the door and pulled it open.
A boy around her age stood on the other side, his silver hair peeking out under a black and red headband. He held a tin can in his hands.
"Can I help you?"
"The name's Brandon," the boy introduced. "I live next door."
"Dani. Nice to meet you."
Brandon held out the tin can. "Muffins," he explained. "My mom wanted you guys to have it. Welcome to the neighborhood and all."
At the mention of food, embarrassingly, Dani's stomach growled again.
Brandon grinned. "Good timing, I think."
"Thanks," Dani replied sheepishly, taking the container from him.
Brandon peered around. "Love to stick around and chat, but I gotta go help my dad with research." He paused, studying her. "Hey, Dani, why don't you come with me? I'm sure he wants to meet you, too."
"Yeah, sure. Give me a sec to put these away. I'll meet you there?"
He smiled. "Route 101's where I'll be. See you, Dani!"
Dani watched the boy jog away, then returned to the kitchen, where her mother was still stationed. She dropped the tin can onto the table.
"Next door neighbors wanted us to have these," she explained, tugging off the top to reveal a dozen Belue Berry muffins. She grabbed a few, wrapped them up and stuffed them into her knapsack. "Later, mom."
Her mother finally looked up from her paper and toward the door. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Meeting the neighbor's dad!" she called out over her shoulder.
Outside, a light breeze had picked up, and Dani headed toward route 101, unsure what to expect. She'd heard of Brandon's father, Professor Birch. A renowned Pokemon researcher, he'd been friends with Dani's father, and frankly, that alone was enough to unsettle her.
As she approached their meeting spot, she heard a little boy's cries. "Help! Somebody, help!" a youngster squealed.
Dani picked up her pace, rushing the rest of the way. When she neared, she found a tiny, blue-haired boy frantic.
"The professor!" he cried. "Someone help the professor!"
Without a second thought, Dani dashed toward the scene of commotion, where she found a panicked man attempting in vain to fend off a snarling Poochyena with a small branch.
Noticing Dani, the man pointed toward a small knapsack at her feet. "There are Pokemon in there! Take one and toss it, hurry!"
Dani leaned down, digging her hands into the knapsack and fumbling around for any indication of a Pokeball. The Poochyena was beginning to take notice of the presence of fresh blood, and he immediately lost interest in the man and turned to face Dani. Come on, come on, she thought as adrenaline pumped through her body. Finally, just as the Poochyena bared his sharp teeth and growled angrily, Dani's palm wrapped around a round object. She plucked it out of the bag and tossed it toward the approaching Pokemon, hoping something would happen.
The Pokeball snapped open, and a small blue Pokemon appeared. It balanced itself on four, fragile-looking legs. A large fin jutted out of its head, another on its behind. The two star-shaped gills on its cheeks twitched as it opened its mouth.
"Muuud!"
Dani pointed unsurely at the Poochyena, who only grew more furious. "A-attack! Go!"
The Mudkip tipped its head, his curious eyes locking into Dani's fearful ones. "Kip?"
"Tackle it!"
Immediately, Mudkip sprung into action. He hopped toward the Poochyena, lowered his head slightly, bracing himself for impact. Mudkip's forehead crashed into Poochyena's side, and a brush of dark fur slid against the damp grass.
Undeterred, Poochyena leapt toward Mudkip in a Tackle of his own, and the two Pokemon exchanged blows until Poochyena collapsed in a lifeless heap, his blood seeping into the soil.
For a whole minute, there was silence, until finally, Mudkip skittered over and sat at Dani's feet, carefully licking his legs.
The professor dropped the branch he'd been holding and walked somberly to the Poochyena. He checked its pulse, lowering his head as the realization hit him. He cleared his throat and looked up at Dani.
"Dani, is it? Could you bring me the bag? There should be a, uh, blanket in there."
Dani obliged, picking up the bag and digging out a dark sheet. She handed it to the professor, who wrapped it meticulously around the dead Poochyena. He shook his head.
"It shouldn't be like this," he said quietly to nobody in particular. He turned to Dani again. "Would you mind helping me carry my equipment back to the lab?" He looked down at the Poochyena, and the meaning behind his next words did not go unnoticed. "I've got my hands full."
"Sure," Dani agreed. "No problem." She slung the bag over her shoulder and adjusted it against her own backpack. "Come on, Mudkip."
Mudkip eagerly jumped along at Dani's ankles, and the three made their way back to Littleroot. The blue-haired boy who had alerted Dani to the professor's predicament stood wide-eyed at the end of the route, having witnessed everything. In passing him, the professor patted the top of the boy's head.
"Sorry you had to see that, Jay."
Without being prompted, Jay blurted out, "I promise to stay out of tall grass, Professor!"
Dani and the professor moved on, and soon, the lab came into view. The professor led Dani through the front doors and placed the wrapped Poochyena down on what appeared to be a tiny autopsy table. He left briefly and returned with a small wooden box.
Gently, he lowered the Poochyena and lowered it into the box. The lid closed with heartwrenching finality.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't mean to kill it…"
Professor Birch shook his head. "No, Dani, you did the right thing. Self-preservation is always a priority." Having finally given some closure to the Poochyena, he sobered. "I apologize, I still haven't formally introduced myself. Professor Birch. I believe you've met my son Brandon?"
Dani nodded. "Thank you for the muffins, too."
"Oh, entirely my wife's doing."
"Kip. Kip!"
Mudkip was tugging at Dani's ankles with a large grin across its face.
"Looks like he likes you," Professor Birch observed. "Tell you what. You keep him."
Dani looked up, surprised and equally pleased. "Oh, I—Are you sure, Professor?"
"Looks like you don't have much of a choice," he replied with a grin. "He's quite fond of you, and it's a small gift for saving my life."
Mudkip seemed to sense his new trainer, and he let out a joyous cry.
Professor Birch leaned down to stroke the top of Mudkip's head. "How'd you like to give him a nickname? He's yours now, after all."
"Shift," Dani replied without hesitation. He looked down at Mudkip. "You like that?"
She was rewarded with an enthusiastic "Mudkip!"
"All settled then," the professor said with a smile. He moved to a shelf and took down a small red gadget that Dani recognized as a Pokedex. The professor handed it to her. "Take this, too. It'll provide you invaluable information, all the while helping me with my research. Brandon has one too. He left for Route 110 a little earlier and asked me to relay the message to you, but of course, we got caught up." He glanced at the box that still weighed heavily against both of them.
"We'll go find him." Dani flashed a smile at Shift. "And we'll challenge him to a battle, won't we?"
"Mudkip!"
"That's the spirit! Just remember, be careful. Take good care of your Pokemon. As we've seen, things can go horribly wrong in a matter of seconds and some effects are irreversible. Tread on the side of caution."
Dani nodded. "Understood."
After exchanging goodbyes, Dani and Mudkip left the lab and headed back toward route 101. As she passed her house, however, she noticed her mother in the yard.
"Mom."
Her mother looked up. "Oh, hi, Dani. Saw you rushing by earlier with Professor Birch."
Dani nodded. "He gave me a Pokemon."
"Kip!" Shift piped up.
Dani's mother took one look at the cheerful blue creature, and her face fell. "You're leaving." Just like your father, but she didn't verbalize that part.
Dani sighed, frustration building within her. "Mom, don't do that."
Her mother's eyes softened, and she grew apologetic. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm happy for you. Really. But it's a dangerous world out there."
"We'll be okay."
"We?"
Dani tilted her head toward Shift.
"Ah."
"Come on, Mom. There comes a time when you have to let go. We can fend for ourselves."
Dani's mother approached her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Don't go doing rash things, you hear?"
Dani rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "Yes, mother."
"Good girl. Now go out there and conquer that world."
"That's the plan, mom," Dani replied with a grin. "That's the plan."
"Kip!"