The transition from being a teenager to a young adult is like a beautiful sunset. A sunset full of promises, telling you to wait because a brighter dawn is on the way. A piece of life closes, one that feels like a prologue to the main act, yet behind all the anticipations and expectations lies, as always in such moments, a more or less significant dose of uncertainty. Watching the sunset from the pier of Vermilion city, Nanami felt that uncertainty acutely. She was in that irreplaceable moment of life: she was nineteen, had recently finished high school, and didn't quite know what to do with her life.                                                                                                                      

Living in Vermilion city, a seaside town, Nanami saw people of all kinds coming from all over the world, engaged in various activities, bringing along the most exotic Pokémon and sharing incredible stories. She heard tales of those adventures from her mother, who, working at the Pokémon market in town, met anyone passing through and would be told everything and more. Thus, seeing all the possibilities life offered her, Nanami found herself caught in indecision, unable to set sail from her small dock of certainties to navigate the sea of the future that lay before her.

How beautiful were the reflections of the evening sun on the water's surface! Nanami's Sandshrew stayed by her side, enchanted as well. Nanami and Sandshrew had been together forever, since she was still crawling, and they had never separated. For her, there was nothing more beautiful, nothing that felt more like home, than running her hand over the smooth scales of her Pokémon. Nothing warmed her heart more than looking into the deep blue eyes of her Sandshrew.

-Come on, Sandy,—that's what Nanami had named Sandshrew many years ago— we need to go home, it's getting late.

As she stood up, Nanami felt the cool evening breeze rising from the sea, caressing her skin. A ship approaching from afar sounded its horn, and looking up, Nanami saw the silhouettes of a flock of Wingull against the bright sunset sky.

-Look, Sandy! It must be a ship coming from Hoenn; the Wingull have followed it this far.-

The yellow-scaled pangolin raised its snout to the sky and followed the flight of the Wingull with its head. With a little effort, Nanami picked up Sandy and placed her on the seat on the back of her bicycle. She secured her with a strap and gave her shiny snout a kiss. She hopped on and rode swiftly towards home. She loved cycling fast, feeling the wind tousle her sleek black hair; it wasn't even tiring to ride through the streets of Aranciopoli, which had no hills. The town's streetlights began to turn on as Nanami passed under the bright sign of the Pokémon market, which had already closed. She zipped past Lieutenant Surge's gym and then headed north. Her house was right at the start of Route 6.

-Hi Mom, I'm back!-

Upon entering, Nanami took off her red sneakers and slipped into her Psyduck-shaped slippers. She went to the kitchen where a pot was boiling on the stove, unattended. She washed her hands in the sink.

-Mom! I'm home!-

Nanami called again. From upstairs, she heard a commotion, the clatter of boxes, hurried footsteps, and in an instant, her mother entered the kitchen with disheveled hair and a nervous expression.

-Hi Nanami! I thought you'd be out a little longer! Dinner isn't ready.-

Nanami looked at her mother with a suspicious glance. -It's seven-thirty; I never come back much later unless I'm with Yua. What were you doing?-

-Nothing, nothing, I was trying to organize some boxes of products that didn't fit in the store's warehouse and had to bring them home...-

Nanami approached her mother, who was smiling nervously, getting right in her face.                         -You bought another Pokédoll for your collection and knocked over the shelf trying to put it away, didn't you?-

Her mother fell silent for a few seconds, then relented with a sigh:                                                               -Yes, you caught me.-

-Oh Mom! You could've asked me for help!-

-But I'm embarrassed; I don't think it's suitable for a woman my age to collect Pokédolls.-

-Mom, what are you talking about?! Do you think I would ever judge you for your passion? I like Pokédolls too.- Nanami sat at the table, which her mother had started to set. -And besides, thinking that there are things you should or shouldn't do at a certain age, I should already be in college or working... instead, it feels like I've wasted the last few months just being here without knowing what to do.-

-Nanami, I've already told you not to worry; I was full of big and small doubts at your age too. I think you should try to do... yes, why not? I think you should throw yourself into some new experience; it might clear your mind.-

Nanami looked up at the ceiling and rested her head against the wall, thoughtful. "Who knows," she thought, "maybe Mom is right, but what to do? What should I throw myself into?"

Nanami kept asking herself that question all night, sleeping very little and having restless dreams. The next morning, she remained pensive, and with her head in the clouds, she hopped on her bike to make some deliveries for her mother's store. She was pedaling with packages in the basket when she spotted a white sheet of paper attached to a lamppost with bright lettering: ATTENTION! YOUNG PERSON WANTED FOR WORK AT 'YOUR NEW ROUTE' TRAVEL AGENCY!

Nanami braked abruptly and approached the announcement posted on the pole. She read it carefully. They were looking for a young photographer to assist the famous journalist Kamome in their new project for a series of travel guides covering all regions of the world, starting with Kanto. The agency was right there in Vermilion city, Nanami knew that. Suddenly, something ignited inside her. She loved taking photographs; she had even taken a course in high school and won some school competitions. Probably someone more qualified had already applied, but perhaps... this could be an opportunity. She hurriedly finished the last deliveries, then rushed home, went to her room, and threw together a makeshift portfolio with her favorite photos, put everything on a flash drive, and then dashed out the door. "Maybe this was exactly the new experience Mom advised me to take on!" Nanami thought, and inside her heart, she began to feel like she was on the brink of a new adventure.