"Oh, right, right!" She laughed, a happy bounce in her step, "So when I left Ben's place I chilled with some other people in Celadon and Vermillion, oh! Those are the CVS by the way, that's what we call them because people are moving between the three all the time. I never really went up to Cerulean..." She blushed knowing Bill lived near there. "But I did head to Viridian briefly. But you have friends there now right? Maybe we could hang at there place while we stay in town instead of paying for a little hotel room. "

"Yeah! Lyra's little brother lives in Viridian. Well, I shouldn't say little. He's our age. Haha. He might be surprised to see me, I don't think we ever told him I left the ranch."

She also felt bad that he couldn't really remember his name. He only visited a few times, but they did become friends during his visits.

"Oh that's perfect. Do you have his number? Or shall we stop by unexpected." She had a mischievous twinkle to her eye when she said that. Whistling absently to the song that was playing around her neck she bobbed her head and looked around to see if there were any little pokemon out that morning in the tall grass off the path.

Anyssa shook her head. "I don't have his number, so I think a surprise visit is in order." She smirked. "I hope he recognizes me." She really hadn't changed much, so she didn't see why he wouldn't. "He's near the forest, I remember. So we'll have to go through town anyw-"

She stopped as she noticed a Pidgey. "Look, Lizzie!"

She nodded absently. Listening.

Elizabeth spun her head to look in that direction, and immedietly flipped out her pokedex, in case this pokemon had anything special about it. Sometime the Pokedex would give hints about a pokemon that were actually useful, like, if one was more powerful than the rest in the flock and such.

"Right, go get it, you spotted it first." She teased Anyssa, "You have to try out your Squirtle anyways."

Anyssa grinned. She grabbed the pokeball and released squirtle who immediately face the Pidgey, which had ruffled it's feathers. "Looks like I have a fighter, Liz." The pidgey looked like it was about to charge. "Squirtle, dodge the Pidgey and then scratch it!"

Squirtle barely dodged the wild Pidgey's tackle but didn't get to scratch it after the dodge. "It's okay, buddy, scratch!" Squirtle lunged at the bird pokemon, claws out, and managed to swipe one of its outspread wings. The Pidgey cooed and seemed like it had trouble keeping it's balance now, but still stubbornly charged Anyssa's squirtle. "Scratch!" Anyssa ordered. Squirtle scratched the pidgey as it tackled him, bowling him over. They tumbled a bit, then Squirtle got up. "Alright, here goes!"

Anyssa threw a pokeball at the weakened Pokemon and waited anxiously to see if it was caught. The red light on the pokeball gleamed and she cheered. "Yay!" She glomped Liz.

"Great job!" Lizzy cheered after holding her breath through the battle. She wanted to let her friend catch her first pokemon without any help. She hugged Anyssa back half jumping up and down with the excitement.

After she let go she nodded approval, "Looks like you know exactly how to battle, and You'll do great no matter where you are. I bet your even better than the infamous Ash Ketchum." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully and than released her Charmander. "This is my boy Allegro."

"Char?" The little fire lizard tilted its head looking up at them.

"He was the first pokemon I got. Allegro, this is Anny, my good friend from home. And this is her new pokemon." She waved at Squirtle.

Char looked at Squirtle and than hid its tail quickly behind itself "Chhharrrr" he cried fearfully hugging Elizabeth's leg. He was peeking out around it at Squirtle.

Squirtle seemed to swell at the ego boost of the fire pokemon cowering before him on top of winning his first battle. "Squirtle squirt!" He said, voice full of pride. He strutted around Anyssa's legs until she tripped him.

"Be nice," she chided. She didn't know what had gotten into him, but she didn't want an arrogant jerk for a Pokemon. Squirtle looked up at her and frowned before turning away from her, sitting down and crossing his arms.

"Squirt."

Anyssa giggled. "He's mad at me."

Allegro chittered angrily at Squirtle, "Don't you dare put out my tail water wierdo!" Then he quickly ducked behind Elizabeth's leg again.

"Yeah he's mad, and Allegro is terrified." She laughed, "I suppose he has a right because you tripped him, " She leaned down and looked in Squirtles face, "But you shouldn't be proud of scaring other people either." She grinned, "Now what's say us four crazies get heading on towards the city again!"

Squirtle peeked at Charmander and stuck out his tongue. He got up and stood at Anyssa's feet, pointedly not look at her. She sighed and started walking again. "Are we almost theeeeere?" She whined, as a joke. She tucked Pidgey's ball into her bag.

Allegro growled and than marched onward tail in the air as if nothing had happened. He was singing some made up song at the top of his lungs. To much hanging out with his trainer it seemed.

Liz was finally over her Bill embaressment and grinned brightly at her pokemon. "Oh we'll be there soon enough. Than we can have a true adventure!"

"Yosh!" Anyssa cheered. Squirtle lightened up a little when they finally passed through the edge of town. It had been about here where she first met Ryoma. She wondered what he was doing now? She perked up at the thought of maybe finding him in the PokeCenter, or a PokeCenter along the way.

"Where to first, Lizzie?"

"Let's see.... Viridian City." Elizabeth had flipped open her phone and was scanning through her contacts. I suppose we could go visit Eugene. He's the son of the new gym leader, though I wouldn't try to take on his mother with just Squirtle and Pidgey."

She pressed the number ready to dial it. "Anything you want to do Nyssa?"

She thought about it. They could always check out the PokeCenter later. "Nope, I'm completely free to go meet your friends." She grabbed her own phone, though, and started composing a text to her mom. "I'm just gonna text mom and tell her we're in Viridian, I got a squirtle and pidgey, and that we're safe and sound."

Elizabeth had a momentary guilt trip, thinking back to how she had left her mom wondering how she was for months at a time. "Good idea." she mumured, but it wasn't enough to make her start a text herself.

"Yo, Eugene. What's up!"
...
"Oh I'm just looking around this wierd place called Viridian, knocking out some beats on my headphones..."
....
"hahaha, I though't you'd catch that, be right over!"

She hung up her phone and looked grinning over at Anyssa, "All clear to go bug him. He's in the gym right now but isn't actually doing anything."

Anyssa winked. "Sounds like a plan."

They started off towards the gym. "How old is this kid anyway? Our age?"

"Oh uh, somewhere around are age yeah. " She lead the way to the gym, though hesitated briefly pondering how old Eugene actually was.

She marched into Viridian's Gym like she belonged there and than thrilled excitedly when she saw


a boy leaning against one of the statues at the entrance. "Eugene!" She ran up and tackled him. "This is my best friend Anyssa" She continued turning around and indicating her.
"Anyssa, meet Eugene."

Anyssa grinned. He was cute. "Hey!" she greeted, sticking out her hand. Squirtle looked the boy up and down before deciding on a judgment of 'meh'. He sat down at Anyssa's feet. "Nice to meet you!"

Eugene did a salute like gesture and went "Hey" Before he noticed her extended hand and he shook it. "You too. A friend of Lizzy's a friend of mine. She's too much of a bundle of energy for me, and all the help i can get is welcome when hanging out with her. " He laughed after releasing Anyssa's hand.

"So what brings you two to Viridian?"

Elizabeth was frowning at the comment, "I am NOT that BAD!" She growled, her music was on some country now and was tapping away at her neck with an upbeat country rhythm. She stuck her tongue out at him, "Well its certainly not to visit you with that attitude." Though a glint of humor was in her eyes at the statement.

"I'm just starting out on my 'official' adventure," Anyssa explained. "I've never had my own pokemon before, but I left home to travel alone. Ended up meeting a green haired kid, Ryoma. He 'dropped me off' at his friend, Lyra's, in Goldenrod City where I stayed on her ranch for four years. Then came back home to leave again and go on my own journey." She shrugged afterwards, like it was no big deal. "We," he gestured to Lizzie and herself, "would like to make it to Unova. My dad is researching there. My friend Bill said he might give us a lift."

Eugene listened, nodding every now and than. "Your 'friend' Bill. Doesn't happen to be the Bill does it?" His eyes widened slightly than he laughed slapping her on the back. "Sounds like a bucketful of fun. If I didn't have to stay here I'd tag along with the two of you."

Elizabeth on the otherhand and brightened considerably in the cheeks, her eyes distant as she pictured Bill, the moment Eugene talked again she shook out of her daydream and blushed crimson. "Yup yup, lots of fun. We plan to travel everywhere and fill our pokedex. Right here, in my pocket yup!" Her voice squeaked slightly as she pulled out her pokedex fumbled with it almost dropping it than put it back into her pocket.

Eugene raised an eyebrow but said nothing about it. "Ryoma was a good kid though, " he continued the conversation, "used to work at the Pokecenter, but he's been gone for a couple years now. Of course, assuming its the same Ryoma since I only know one person by that name. "

"A green haired one?" Anyssa offered. "I guess if he's gone he didn't get the gig at the PokeCenter."

At least that meant they didn't have to make a pitstop there later.

"And yeah, my 'friend' Bill is THE Bill." Anyssa giggled, staring at Liz for a second. "Technically, he's my Dad's friend, but we're close, ish, too." She shrugged again. "I wish you could tag along, it would be loads of fun. So your Mom runs the gym here? I don't want to challenge her or anything, just wondering..."

"Yeah she is, I suppose I could ask her if it would be cool if I tagged along with you if you really want me to. Though I can't gurantee she won't find something to keep me here with her." He rolled his eyes at the overprotective aspect of parents. "Bill's a pretty cool one, inventing all that computer technology stuff. You two are lucky to know him so well that he offered you a lift to Unova."

Elizabeth nodded, still biting her tongue and shooting glares at Anyssa to keep silent.

"If you can get out of being here and want to go, feel free," Anyssa said, grinning. The more the merrier, in her opinion. "We wouldn't mind extra company, would we, Lizzie? Especially since I'm a beginner with beginner pokemon. Having someone else with more experience would make us less of a target risk." Logically speaking, that is. Also logically speaking, having a guy tagging along would make two girls less of a target risk.

Elizabeth pondered it briefly, "That would be safer I suppose, though I was fine when I was out on my own." Not pointing out that she had been with friends almost all the time.

Before she could say more Eugene clapped his hands together, "Great, I'll go ask mom." And he was gone, moving further into the gym somewhere.

Elizabeth turned to her, "I haven't seen any of my friends in a long time, what if they all want to tag along. " Her eyes were wide. "We'd end up with an entire party following us!"