[X] My Assistant

[Lightascetic]

New beginnings were frightening.

This was the first thought to cross Erin's mind as she looked back at the welcoming gates of Barley. The ferry ride from Kanto had been enjoyable enough, with nothing but the excitement of discovery brewing in the young trainer's head. Now that it was actually time to depart and begin her journey, Erin felt like she had been pushed out onto a stage without a rehearsal. What exactly did she do now?

The brown haired girl glanced at the horizon; a clear sky underlined by clustered trees. It was just like being at home, she found herself thinking. Nature was the same wherever you travelled in the world, right? The ordeal didn't seem as daunting when she considered it this way. Filling her lungs with slightly salty air, Erin strode off down the dusty path that led through the first few lines of trees. She ran her hand over her pouch for comfort; the weight of the pokeballs and various medicinal sprays giving her the confidence of being prepared.

What did pokemon trainers actually do, she wondered? Was it protocol to just wander around in the wilderness until something happened? For the first time, Erin wished her father was here. That thought reminded her of the weight around her neck; a gleaming charm her mother had given her for good fortune. Undoing the cord, she held the deep red necklace against the sunlight, admiring the way the rays danced along its surface.

Her hand spasmed when a gust of wind swept suddenly across her. Taking a few seconds to realise the absence of the necklace in her grasp, Erin turned her head to see fluttering brown wings carrying her treasure away.

"H-hey!" She cried, breaking into a feeble run as her mind tried to catch up to this fast-paced turn of events. As Erin started racing through the trees, she noticed the defined head of the bird; a Spearow with an eye for shiny trinkets. It was beginning to gain distance, so the young trained fiddled with her belt, pulling a pokeball from it before tossing it towards the fleeing bird.

"Ledyba!" Erin called as the white light faded in front of her, leaving it its wake her trusted ladybird pokemon. "Don't let that Spearow get away... please!"