Lately I've been tempted to write my pokemon alt Alex's backstory, just because I think it's more interesting than most of the others. I'm doing it in this book instead of my short stories collection since this one is pokemon themed and can be whatever. Anyways, lets start. Let me know what you think!

Alex's POV

"Woah!"

I tried to steady myself using the boxes in the back of the moving truck when I realized we probably weren't slowing down. That was a mistake. On this bumpy road, the boxes were sliding around just as much as I was. I fell over, barely avoiding being crushed by another box before the truck came to a halt.

The door of the back of the truck opened, letting in a lot of light. I squinted, trying to force myself to adjust. When I could see, I stood up and stepped out of the truck uncertainly. I tightened my dark brown pigtails, held back by two dark blue scrunchies my mom had insisted on. She said it was because they matched my favourite pokemon type, water, which I suppose was true. I would've gone with green had we stayed in Jhoto. I was planning on my starter being chikorita when I was ready for it, simply because the little grass type was adorable. Also, I wasn't as frightened of it as I was of cyndaquil and totodile. One had strong bite power and the other possessed an open flame right on its back. Chikorita didn't look as hazardous as the other two.

However, I'd never gotten a starter in Jhoto. I was already ten years old and due to pick one up, but I could never look after myself on my own. I barely knew how to cook, and I definitely wouldn't make it past Route 1. There was no way I'd survive out there. I barely knew the first thing about pokemon. I'd seen a little bit and heard a little bit since my dad was a gym leader, but I'd never tried anything to do with pokemon myself before.

I walked into my new home in what Mom had told me would be Vanaville Town. It didn't look like the pictures. I shook that off rather quickly, deciding that maybe I'd been looking at an outdated pamphlet of Kalos. It seemed like a mistake that I would make.

"Alex!" My mom beckoned me over to where she was. "Your dad is on TV!"

I ran over to her but then the screen changed. The interviewer and Dad were both gone.

"Aw, we missed it. What a shame." She sighed. "But no time to dwell on it. The movers have pokemon that put all our stuff away for us. Most of your stuff is already put away in your room, including the clock that Dad gave you. You should go set it, then Professor Birch wants to see you at his lab."

Professor Birch? I thought Kalos had Professor Sycamore. Once again, I shook it off as me mistakenly grabbing an old pamphlet to read. Perhaps there had been a Professor Sycamore at one point, but maybe he was retired now. Either way, I was a bit more concerned at why Professor Birch wanted to see me in the first place.

"Okay Mom." I replied shortly and rushed upstairs to my room. I set the clock and then took a look around. Everything was organized, neat and tidy. I wasn't used to a clean room. It was all so strange for me to not have my bed right against a wall too. Kalos was strange enough outside, but now I was unfamiliar with my own room.

It was warm enough out today, so I took off my blue jacket. I didn't need anything overtop of my gray tshirt and I was already in jean shorts anyways. I walked back downstairs and slipped on my gray sneakers to go outside again.

I was on my way to Professor Birch's lab when I heard screaming coming from Route 1. I was never one to run blindly into danger, but I had to at least see what was happening. I walked towards the route and saw a man being chased in circles by a skiddo. He saw me and started yelling.

"Hey, you over there! Can you help me out? Take a pokeball from my bag," he pointed to the bag lying on the ground nearby, "and scare off this skiddo! Please hurry!"

"O-okay..." I ran over to the bag and grabbed one of the pokeballs inside. I had no idea what was inside, but I threw it anyways to release the pokemon. It was a small blue frog with white bubbles around its neck, and I recognized it from the pamphlet as a froakie. It took one look at the situation and the turned to look at me. I couldn't read its expression.

"What do I do?!" I asked, panicking now. The man didn't look like he could run much longer.

"Tell it to use an attack!"

"Uh, okay... Froakie, use... What does this thing even have?!"

Third Person POV

The froakie rolled its eyes at the human girl before him. She really didn't know much from the looks of it.

"This 'thing' has a name you know." He huffed. "And you chose a level five water type for a fight against a wild grass type with an unknown moveset? Amazing choice genius. Good thing this is Route 1."

But of course, the humans couldn't understand him.

Seeing that the situation wasn't getting any better, and he was the only one not panicking, Froakie took matters into his own hands. Charging up energy, he ran at the skiddo to hit it with tackle, surprising both Professor Birch and Alex.

After just a couple of hits, the skiddo fainted. Froakie hopped back to the bag and climbed inside of it without his pokeball. The professor went over to Alex and took the pokeball and the bag.

"Thank you young lady. Alex, isn't it?" He asked. "I appreciate the help. Come by to my lab later, won't you?"

And with that he walked away. When he arrived at the lab again he released the other two starters, a fennekin and a chespin, and then turned to Froakie to talk.

"Froakie, that girl you saw just now is named Alex. She's a new trainer who just moved to this region from Jhoto. I was going to let her pick a starter, but I think you're just the right one for her."

Froakie tilted his head to the side, giving the professor a confused look and prompting him to continue.

"As you could see back there, she's very panicky, and very dependent from what her mother told me. She barely has any experience with pokemon training. Meanwhile, you're very independent and have no problem acting on your own. The other starters will all wait for their trainers to give them instructions before doing something. When you see something needs to be done, you just do it, whether you were asked to or not."

"No way I can handle that girl. How am I supposed to keep her under control? I could barely figure out how to deal with her back there." Froakie tried to protest, but Professor Birch didn't understand.

"I think you two can make a fantastic team. Please try and find a way to get along with her. I know she's not usually the type of trainer you'd pick, but she's going through a lot of changes right now, so be easy on her."

"How do I know she'll even like me?" Froakie questioned. He spared a glance back at the other starters, who had now gathered in small groups of their own kind. "Hardly anyone else does."

The professor seemed to understand that. He walked over to Froakie and knelt in front of him, putting a gentle hand on the bubble frog's shoulder. "Just be yourself."

Before Froakie had even decided on a response, Alex walked into the lab. "Hello?"

"Hello Alex!" Professor Birch stood up and smiled at her cheerfully. "ONce again, thank you for your help earlier."

"I didn't really do anything..." Alex admitted. "I was panicking too."

"Well Alex, do you know why I wanted to see you?"

"No Sir."

"I'd like to give you your starter pokemon." Professor Birch explained. "And I've decided to give you Froakie since you two have already met. I think you two will make a great team!"

Froakie looked up at Alex, who was currently much taller than him. She was still short compared to the humans at the lab, but she towered over small pokemon like him.

"Okay..." Alex nodded and turned to Froakie next. "Hi Froakie..."

She looked nervous. Froakie decided to try and smile. She smiled back. Professor Birch talked a little while longer and handed Alex a few things, Froakie's pokeball among them. Alex attempted to have Froakie return to his pokeball, but he dodged the beam three times before she gave up.

"Froakie-" Professor Birch started, but Alex cut him off.

"Wait, that's okay! He can stay outside if he wants." She smiled nervously. "Come on Froakie, lets go."

Froakie hesitated a moment before following Alex out of the lab.The walked in silence, with Froakie keeping a bit of a distance away from Alex. They weren't so far apart that nobody could tell they were travelling together, but they were far enough that it would be awkward to try and interact over such a distance. Alex's mom stopped her to give her some new shoes, from what Froakie could tell. Then they were sent on their way to Route 1.

"So, I guess we go this way to get to the next city..." Alex started. "I-"

She was cut off when an inkay flew at the pair as they travelled through the tall grass. Froakie hopped in front of Alex to defend her, seeing as she was panicking again. However, instead of attacking immediately like her had with the skiddo, this time Froakie waited for Alex's instructions.

"Come on, you now what attack I have." The bubble frog muttered. "Just tell me to use it, that'll be a good start."

Alex realized what Froakie was doing and seemed to panic a bit more. She really didn't want to be in charge, but if that's what Froakie was going to make her do...

"Froakie, use tackle!"

He'd already charged the attack by the time the words left her mouth, and his speed caught the wild inkay off guard. Inkay was knocked back, but not completely out. It used wrap, dealing some damage to Froakie that would've sent Alex into another wave of panic had the bubble frog let it show that it hurt.

"Use tackle again!" Alex said. Froakie complied, fainting the inkay and giving Alex a moment to breathe.

"I didn't like that..." She sat down in the tall grass, praying that nothing else would jump out at them. "Why did I leave the house today?"

Froakie sat beside her, hoping she would start talking again. It wasn't because he wanted to hear her voice, rather because he was bored and needed for something to happen. Just not anything that would cause him to deal with Anxious Alex again.

"Why did you even become a trainer anyways? You don't seem to know a thing about us..." Froakie said aloud. Alex couldn't understand his words anyways. But what the water type forgot was that Alex could understand the judgement in his tone just fine, and she reacted to it.

"I know I'm an idiot for this. I should not be dragging you or anyone else into this mess." She admitted. "I only became a trainer because everyone else seems to expect me to. Back in Jhoto, everyone knew I was going to wait a little longer. But I just moved here, and now everyone is asking what starter I'll choose, what kind of team I want, how far I think I'll get in the league, if I'll participate in contests... Stuff like that. Like everyone expects me to become a trainer now because everyone else my age does."

She sighed and hid her face in her arms, pulling her knees a little closer to her chest.

Froakie's POV

I stared at my new trainer for a few moments after that, thinking over what she had just said. I got it. It was so hard being the new kid. I would know.

You see ladies and gentlemen, before I became a starter at Birch's lab, I was a wild pokemon living in Route 1 myself. I got into a lot of fights with the other wild pokemon, completely abandoned by my parents. I had to work hard to keep myself safe, and typically avoided battling to avoid getting hurt. One day I couldn't, and I got injured in a battle trying to get some food. I still won and managed to make it to level five, but I was hurt. It was only a few days later that Professor Birch found me while exploring one day and tried to take me to the lab. I refused to go. Route 1 had been all I'd ever known.

The professor wouldn't quit though. He was worried about my injury, and as determined as ever, he continued to try and catch me for about a week. My wound was not healing well and at one point I had to admit I needed the help. We came to a compromise. He would catch me and take me back to the lab on the condition that I'm not forced to become a starter and he takes me back to Route 1 every day to explore. And of course he planned on fixing me up and getting me healthy again either way.

Things seemed to be going okay, but I soon found that the other starters at the lab didn't like me much. A few of them hung out with me once in a while, but the way I'd grown up I just wasn't a fan of their games. That didn't stop me from trying to play and see what was so amusing about them, but I often got paranoid that I was in real danger. Soon most of the other starters decided I was no fun to play with when I was being myself, and they would exclude me unless I acted more like a normal froakie.

I'd become a good actor over the years, learning how to act like someone else to make people like me or get what I wanted. My instincts always told me I couldn't goof off, because I'd lived so long in a place where that could get me killed. Deep down I just wanted to be like all my peers.

I knew exactly what Alex was talking about. Her instincts were telling her that it was dangerous to do this, but her peers were telling her she should.

For the second time in my life I decided to trust a human. I hopped on her shoulder and smiled at her, eyes bright and encouraging. Whatever we were going to face, we were going to face it together. And it actually made me feel hopeful. We didn't need to be like the others. We didn't need to fit in.

Or maybe we already did, right here together. This was exactly where we belonged.