Rose was sitting comfortably on a wooden bench outside of the pokemon centre of Pewter City, enjoying strawberry ice cream with Budew at her side.

"I'm glad we got through the forest in one piece" Rose said to the tiny bud pokemon sitting next to her, Budew nodded in agreement and closed her eyes to enjoy the sunshine. Budew didn't need any food and got all her nutrients the same way plants did, by feeding of water and sunlight. They had a really close bond and Rose talked to Budew often, even before she left to become a pokemon trainer. Her mother had a couple of pokemon around the house most of which were grass type pokemon. They lived in the garden and helped to care for the flowers and plants. Grass pokemon had a special connection to nature and that's why Rose loved them. She felt that same connection and while they might not be the strongest or the toughest looking pokemon they were her favorite. The Budew she owned was a gift of her brother. He had caught it especially for her and luckily Budew liked her instantly. So when she left she knew Budew was the pokemon she wanted at her side. 

"Do you think we did the right thing, leaving Caterpie behind in the forest?" She asked looking down at Budew. When Rose mentioned Caterpie her pokemon moved closer to her until it touched her side. It stayed like that wanting to be near to its trainer. Budew had fun playing with Caterpie earlier in the forest and liked him right away. Maybe she was sad Rose had to leave Caterpie behind? 
"We'll find you a friend soon, don't worry Budew" "You can't beat the gym leaders all by yourself" She said in a reassuring voice patting Budew's head. 

Rose had seen the Gym when she arrived in Pewter City but didn't go near it yet. She didn't know what kind of pokemon the gym leader even used. She was hesitant because she didn't know if Budew could beat them all on her own, she would hate to put her though too much. She wanted to prove she could actually accomplish something that had nothing to do with the way she looked. Rose didn't want her success to depend on that. The problem being she wasn't very confident in her battling skills. 

It was a nice day and for some reason Rose had enough of doubting herself with every step she took. So she rose from the bench and scooped Budew up in her arms. [i]I'm going to see what this gym is all about.[/i] She thought striding towards the Pewter Gym with purposeful steps. When she reached the gym she was greeted by an employee of the Gym.

"Good morning my name is Brandon and welcome to...." He began his standard speech but then he looked up to face her and lost his cool for a few seconds, he nervously checked his watch and suddenly realized it was already noon.
"Oh right good afternoon, excuse me" He offered her his apology and rubbed the back of his head somewhat nervously. He sucked in his breath before continuing, but couldn't seem to look away.  
"Welcome to the Pewter City Gym, where you will face Brock who specialized in rock type pokemon. 

Rose felt her cheeks flush at the reaction of the Brandon. Sometimes people behaved like that around her but it made her more nervous than anything. It was really embarrassing for her as well. Brandon noticed the Budew the girl was holding in her arms.
"Are you planning to face Brock with that cutie?" He said pointing to her Budew. 

"I um not really sure yet, do you think we could do it?" Rose asked sounding a bit unsure of herself. 

Brandon hesitated not wanting to bring her down but the tiny bud in her arms would be crushed underneath Brock's rock types. She did have the type advantage but he doubted that would be enough.

"Well...." He began trying to find the right words so he wouldn't discourage her too much.
"Grass pokemon like the one you're holding are strong against rock pokemon but it's too small" "I'd say you better let it evolve first."

Brandon kind of confirmed what she'd already been thinking of. Budew was really close to evolving but she needed another pokemon battle with a strong pokemon. Rose was sure that would be enough to let her evolve. She smiled at Brandon and looked down for a minute locking a piece of hair behind her ear. She squinted to read the name tag attached to his shirt. 
"Thanks for the tips....Brandon" 
"Do you know if there are any trainers around town?"
She decided to put his tips to use right away, if Budew evolved she would be able to challenge Brock. Winning her first badge would show everyone and herself she could really become the pokemon trainer she wanted to be.