1x1 A new journey begins (TalaxChoco)

"I'm Emily, and this is my starter, Torchic! Funny, I was thinking of participating in Contests as well..." she mused.
The smaller, chick Pokémon hopped up to the Espeon, cheeping happily.
"Yes, thank you very much for that!" she replied to Professor Birch with a quick nod.

 

"How about the nearby Center?" she suggested. "They're relatively safe, and it's where most Trainers go, too."
Torchic simply hopped about, but after a quick gesture from Emily, he returned back to her.

 

"That's a problem..." she groaned. "No Center around here? Well then... I wonder if Professor Birch would allow us to stay? Or... unless you have any camping equipment, we'll have to turn back or rush to a nearby city."

 

"True... Maybe we could check at the Professor's? Or we could head back to Petalburg - I know my way home, even at night - especially with Torchic," Emily suggested.

 

"Thanks! I guess let's head back to Petalburg for now. Torchic, light up the way!" With a small spark, the area was dimly lit with the glow from Torchic's flame. Slowly walking ahead, Emily and her chicken Pokémon pointed out the route back to Petalburg. "It's not too far - just over there. Let's go!"

 

"Oh, yes," Emily replied. "Well, I've been meaning to start my journey for a while, but never got around to it. My brother first told me about Co-ordinating, and I've always been enthralled by how they always manage to make any combination work. I considered become a Trainer, too, but he's already taken that position, and sibling rivalries don't work very well in this family."

 

"Well, I've tried one or two. However, with just my Torchic here, I can't really pull of combinations that well, so I'm hoping to get my second Pokémon soon and begin planning my routines!" she replied, Torchic bouncing up and down with her.
Just then, a small, white-and-red house began to come into view. "The center's dead ahead."

 

"Oh, you used to have a Squirtle? They're really awesome Pokémon! Torchic here is still at a very low level - only four levels up from when I first got him, at 9 - but he already knows Growl, Scratch, and Ember. I'm planning to train up until he knows Sand-Attack before participating in my first Contest," she replied, rubbing the back of her neck.

 

"That's amazing!" Emily smiled. "I thought of doing that once, but shook it off as being a bit weak. Now I see what he can do!" Leaning down, she petted Torchic on his head.
"So you've been all the way to Kanto, huh? What's it like there? And is it where your Espeon there came from?"

 

"Aww, that's sweet!" she laughed as they headed into the Center. "So you came from Kanto to try your hand at co-ordinating once again? With only one Pokémon? That's a good plan - your Pokémon is probably quite experienced. Well, good luck to you - and Espeon, too - but I won't back down!"
Torchic waddled up to Espeon, chirping once again. (Hey! Nice to meet you!)