A few hours had passed since Jaxon Chevalier had unwrapped his special birthday gift from his father David, which was his first Pokemon egg from his father. The morning excitement had dwindled, but it had only heightened Jaxon's anticipation for the rest of the day. The warm aroma of lunch, lovingly prepared by Clair Chevalier, filled the house.

The scene was lively, with Tyler bouncing around asking endless questions about the Pokemon egg, Ashley teasing Jaxon about his dreamy focus on it, and Jaxon doing his best to avoid smudging the incubator he held carefully.

As Jaxon stared at the egg with wonder, a loud knock sounded on the front door, breaking the lively conversation in the living room.

"I'll get it!" Jaxon announced, carefully placing the incubator on the end table in the living room.

He opened the door to reveal two familiar faces, Austin Martain and Lisa Faye, Jaxon's best friends since childhood. Austin who is a lean-built boy with peach skin tone, short blonde hair stopping above his ears, and brown eyes, grinned at Jaxon. He wears a black and white jacket with a green t-shirt underneath with a large Pokeball design in the center, gray sweatpants, and black and red sneakers. Standing next to him was Lisa, a slender girl with pale skin, shoulder-length brown hair, and emerald green eyes dressed in a light blue dress, and purple leggings, paired with pink sandals. She was also wearing a pink pendant that was gifted to her when she was seven by her late uncle on her mother's side of the family.

"J-Man! Happy birthday!" Austin exclaimed, lunging forward to give Jaxon a strong pat on the shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Axie!" Lisa added warmly, holding out a carefully wrapped gift with a bright orange bow on top.

Jaxon grinned."Thanks, come on in."

The pair entered, immediately taking in the party decorations and the faintly sweet aroma of food from the kitchen. Austin sniffed the air dramatically.

"Man, Mrs. Chevalier always makes the best meals. That smells amazing!" Austin remarked as he dropped onto the couch like he owned the place.

Lisa, far more reserved, giggled softly at Austin's antics as she walked over and carefully placed her birthday gift for Jaxon on the coffee table. 

~~~

The room filled with the familiar hum of friendship, as Tyler and Ashley walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Hi, Lisa! Hi, Austin!" Tyler chirped his youthful enthusiasm overflowing.

"Hey there, little man," Austin replied with a chuckle, giving Tyler's hair a playful ruffle.

Lisa crouched down to Tyler's level and smiled warmly."You're just as full of energy as ever today, aren't you, Tyler?"

"Yup! Especially since Jaxy just opened a gift from our dad, it a Pokemon egg!" Tyler said bouncing on his toes.

"Wait, no way! A pokemon egg? Where is it?" Austin asked his eyes listing up in excitement.

Jaxon gestured to the incubator on the end table. Austin darted over, leaning close to examine it."Whoa, this thing looks awesome! What kind of pokemon do you think is in there?"

"I have no idea," Jaxon replied."My dad said from one of his pokemon, but don't know which one since I don't recognize that color scheme. I'll have to just have to wait for it to hatch."

Lisa joined Austin, her gaze softening as she looked at the egg."It's beautiful. You're lucky, Axie. It'll be the first step on your journey."

"Yeah your lucky wish I got an egg for my tenth birthday last month," Austin commented.

"I guess that's the perk of having a father who is a breeder," Jaxon commented. His heart swelled with pride as he imagined the day he'd introduce this pokemon to the world.

"Anyway Axie have any idea on what region you plan to have your first journey in?" Lisa asked curiously.

"Yeah, I have been thinking about going to the Kanto region," Jaxon replied.

"Oh, really Kanto nice choice I might go there as well always wanted to go to Mt. Moon to hopefully find a Pokemon fossil," Austin said."I have always wanted a Kabutops like my father."

Clair then entered the room from the kitchen, carrying a tray with cups of homemade razzberry punch. Ashley followed behind her, holding a large bowl of rainbow popcorn to snack on.

"Lisa, Austin, welcome!" Clair greeted with a warm smile."Here, have some punch and popcorn while you all chat. Lunch will be ready soon Sneasel-shaped burgers with pickles and french fries."

"Thank you, Mrs. Chevalier!" Lisa said politely, taking a glass and passing one to Austin.

"This is why I love coming over," Austin joked, sipping his punch."Delicious food and free Pokemon advice from a Gym leader."

Clair laughed."I see some things never change, Austin. It's always good to have you two here," she turned to Jaxon and added, "After lunch, we'll cut the cake and you can open my gift afterward."

"Yay!" Tyler cheered, his fists in the air."I bet this cake gonna be cooler than last year's Gyarados cake! I also bet this year's gift from mom is cooler than the Charizard poster Jaxy got last year."

"I worked hard on the cake, and a friend helped me with choosing a gift this year," Clair said with a wink."You'll have to wait and see."

"I got a gift for you as well Jaxon," Ashley said."Enjoy the popcorn I will be helping with lunch," She placed the bowl of popcorn on the table near Jaxon and his friends and Tyler.

~~~~

After some light snacking and conversation, Lisa pointed to the wrapped gift on the coffee table."Why don't you open my gift, Axie? I can't wait to see if you like it."

The room fell quiet as Jaxon reached for the gift. He untied the bow, carefully peeling back the paper. Inside lay a sturdy, navy-blue sketchbook, embossed with a Pokeball emblem.

"A sketchbook!" Jaxon exclaimed, beaming.

"Yeah, but not just any sketchbook," Lisa explained with a shy smile."It's special, it's resistant to water and smudges, so you can use it while traveling even in the rain. I figured you'd want to draw and keep track of the pokemon and people you encounter on your journey, so you always have the memories of the journey.

Jaxon's face lit up."Lisa, this is awesome. Thank you!"

"I knew you'd like it." Lisa blushed lightly proud that her gift hit the mark.

Austin clapped his hands together."Well now, it's my turn!" He pulled out a small pocket from his jacket pocket and handed it to Jaxon with a mischievous grin."Open this, J-Man. You're gonna love it." 

Curiosity danced in Jaxon's blue eyes as he took the box. With a swift tug, he revealed a glimmering Sun Stone inside. 

"A Sun Stone? No way!" Jaxon's amazement shone through his voice."This is so cool!"

"Yeah, thought it'd come in handy someday. You never know what you'll need on your journey, maybe you catch a pokemon that evolves with a Sun Stone," Austin explained with a playful shrug.

"You both are the best. These gifts were well thought out," Jaxon beamed with gratitude.

Tyler chimed in eagerly."This year's gifts are the best! I can't wait for my tenth birthday. Jaxy, will you give me a cool present when I turn ten?"

"Of course, Ty," Jaxon grinned at his little brother's excitement."You'll get something special from me."

Clair called out from the kitchen."Alright, everyone, the Sneasel-shaped burgers are ready. Come and grab a plate before we cut the cake!"

"Finally!" Austin exclaimed, dashing toward the kitchen.

Lisa and Jaxon followed more leisurely, with Jaxon carrying his newly opened gifts in hand and showing them to his mom as Ashley left the kitchen to let their dad who was in the back outside feed the Pokemon that lunch was ready. The rest of the day carried on with laughter, stories, and the mouthwatering meal and Dragonite-shaped cake Clair made. As everyone enjoyed the cake Jaxon opened his gift from his mom which was a durable black and red backpack with a Flareon image on it. The bag was filled with camping supplies, a Kingdra water bottle, and a Dragon scale. From Ashley, he was gifted a brand new red and black hat with a Gyarados design on the brim of the hat.

To be continued...

Here we have chapter 2 of The Pathway to Destiny. In this chapter, Jaxon's birthday celebration continues with the arrival of his two best friends, Lisa and Austin. The three share gifts, and laughter, and anticipation for adventures.  I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Thank you for reading!

Word count: 1,333

Question of the chapter: What gift would you give to a friend for their first Pokemon journey, and why?