Inside a small house in Littleroot Town, there sat a girl with pale red hair, her eyes staring determinedly at the pokeball on her desk. 

[b]"Come on... It's not going to be hard. Just... suck it up and GO!"[/b] Julie whispered to herself, still seated on the edge of her chair. Her legs were fidgeting, her nerves going wild. Her room wasn't neat, but it wasn't dirty either. She had piles of clothes scattered everywhere. The clock on her desk read 7:30 AM. She'd been up for about an hour or two now, preparing herself, making sure she had on nice clothes, that she was packed, that she'd taken a shower. She wanted it to be perfect, though she felt herself slowly going crazy because of it. She sighed and placed her head on her desk, prepared to give up. 

[i]Maybe I'm just not... ready.[/i]

BAM! Her eyes shot open and she straightened up faster than a bullet, her eyes darting to her door. There, in her door frame, stood her father, his read hair tied back into a sloppy ponytail. His blue eyes were lit with excitement, a wide smile on his face.

[b]"Jule!"[/b] He yelled, Julie's Eevee running inside from between his feet. [b]"I just got a call from Birch! He told me that a friend of his is in fact going to accompany you on your journey. You don't have to go it alone, dear."[/b] He explained, walking in and sitting down on her bed near her. He placed his hand on her shoulder lovingly and smiled warmly at her. Her eevee, Piko, jumped up onto the bed and sat next to him, staring over at her expectantly. Julie let out a long sigh, smiling over at the two. 

[b]"Thanks, you two."[/b] She said as she smiled and poked at Piko's nose. [b]"Your enthusiasm is uplifting."[/b] She told them, pulling away.

[b]"You'll be fine."[/b] Her father told her, his smile warm. Piko called out to her, almost as if it were smiling. 

[b]"Yeah... Alright. Well, how do I look, Dad?"[/b] She asked, standing up and spinning for him. She heard Piko call to her, it's voice small and cute. Julie giggled. [b]"Thanks Piko!"[/b] She replied, giggling. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail much like her fathers but tied up with a small ribbon. She had on a matching blue and white shirt with matching caprices and shoes. Her bag sat by her desk, small yet big enough to hold what it needed to. 

[b]"I think you look fine, Jule."[/b] Her father told her, shaking his head. [b]"You'd better get going. Birch is expecting you soon. It's almost nine!"[/b] He continued, motioning toward the clock that now read 8:43 AM. She sighed and smiled at him.

 [b]"I guess so."[/b] She replied, a heavy feeling in her chest. She picked up her bag, placing Piko's pokeball inside and walk to the front door with her father. [b]"I'll call you when I can..."[/b] She told him, looking down at her hands, she had them in front of her, holding her bag. She felt her father's lips brush against her forehead as he leaned down.

[b]"Good. You do just that. I'll be here when you need me."[/b] He told her before walking back inside. Julie took in a deep breath and looked down to Piko. 

[b]"Ready to go, little guy?"[/b] She asked and the small pokemon responded by jumping and running circles around her. She giggled and began to walk down their drive way, headed towards the Lab. It wasn't long before the Lab came into view, all of the pokemon playing together gleefully behind the fenced in area. Piko ran over and called out to a few of them. Julie chuckled as she watched them interact, amused by her pokemon's nature. 

[i]I wish I could be that confident.[/i]

Her attention was next struck by the man leaning against the fence, watching her. She blinked, looking around to make sure he was, in fact, looking at her. 

[b]"E-Excuse me. W-Who are you?"[/b] She asked, her brows furrowed and her hands already together in front of her, rubbing together nervously. The scar on the side of her stomach itched, for what reason, she didn't know. [b]"I... I'm l-looking for Professor B-Birch."[/b] She told him, looking over at the pokemon in the fenced in area. Piko was still calling out to them, her tail wagging excitedly.