Marieka arrived in Estoria City with all the confidence in the world; which slowly diminished as she walked through the city towards the Pokemon Lab.

She had no clue what she was doing. Why was she trying to become a Pokemon trainer? Chasing a childhood dream on a whim? She’d never even left her hometown until now.

Marieka took a deep breath and shifted the strap of her messenger bag so that it was sitting more comfortably on her shoulder. She could do this. She was a 19-year-old young woman who knew how to survive and knew how to be strong. And in order to gain experience in any facet of life, you first had to start at the beginning.

She turned in a circle, trying to figure out if she was still going in the right direction. Her map said to go north of where she was; but what if she was holding it upside down? Marieka struggled with the piece of paper for a moment; trying to figure it out and hoping that she wasn’t making it too terribly obvious that she wasn’t particularly familiar with this city.

Finally, she made it the lab and slipped inside just as things were starting up.