My name is Norielle Carolina and I'm absolutely ecstatic about tomorrow, I can't even begin! I know I'm bouncing up and down at the dinner table, but I can't help it! I get to start my journey two years early! Back at home in Galar you have to be 14 to get your trainer license while here in Kanto it's TEN. I can't believe how big of a head start they get and now I'm getting. The thought of that makes me pout, I miss home but some of their rules are stupid.

Momma and Poppa have been oddly quiet and have been doing the thing where they talk without talking again. I don't think they realize that I know when they do it. Especially when Poppa gets really quiet and doesn't talk about stuff to fill the silence. I didn't notice it back in Galar cause during those times I was probably distracted by Grandpa Chase and Auntie Mimi.

I looked down feeling a tap on my calf. Alistar is there looking up at me. I give him a smile reaching down and petting him. I finish up eating and passing a glance at my still silent conversating parents I turn in my chair so I can use both hands to pet him and scratch behind his ears. His tails wag a lot when I do that.

Alistar is definitely a strange Pokémon. He trains in the backyard, running for a long time, practicing moves, and dodging. I've never heard of a Pokémon doing that accept fighting-type Pokémon. It may have something to do with being a Knight Pokémon. I'm not really sure about that though. Back in Galar we have knight like Pokémon. Sir Fetch'd and Corviknight are the first that come to mind. Although I'm unsure if they do what Alistar does. Momma's Corviknight Galahad likes to go on long flights, but I've never seen it train or battle before. Momma said that Galahad got hurt when I was really little and can't battle anymore but he still takes Momma wherever she wants to go.

I feel my hands end up lacking contact with Alistar's fur and a warm nose touching the back of my hand. He gives me a look I can't describe before moving towards the cushion he claimed for himself in the family room so he can look out the window. He's done this every day after dinner, I don't really know why but he always seems so interested in seeing the other Pokémon passing by the window. I suppose that Pewter City is a lot different from the forest.

"Nora," I turn my head a Poppa's voice and look from him to Momma and back. "We wanted to talk to you about Alistar."

"What about him?" I adjust myself in my chair.

"We just want to know if he's been good and hasn't caused any trouble." Momma just pulled on the 'you can tell me anything' look. It wasn't like Alistar has been misbehaving. He's been a bit growly with certain people, but it wasn't like he actually did anything bad. He hasn't secluded himself to groom himself or breathed fire toward anyone either.

"No, not really. He seems annoyed by Mr. Ben, but I don't think he minds him all that much. I think it's cause Mr. Ben pushes his buttons on purpose." Momma and Poppa keep staring at me when I fall quiet as if they are waiting for something else. "Alistar gave Steven a really nasty look when he came up to me today. I don't want to be anywhere near Steven, he was super mean to me."

"He may have picked up on that. Was he in your arms at the time?" I nodded confirming what Poppa asked. Poppa sighed softly and ran his hand down his face. "Alistar might cause you no small number of headaches when people approach you in the future. Has he acted like that when anyone else has approached you?"

I took a moment to think about it, and I shook my head no. Alistar is pretty calm most of the time accept when he seems to be curious or lost in thought. He doesn't seem to mind others unless they try to touch me without permission or when someone I have told him did me harm approaches me.

"Alistar doesn't act all that mean." I look over to where Alistar was last. He's still there laying down on the cushion his tails wagging as he watches what is happening outside. "He's just protective. He doesn't like it when strangers try to touch me without permission." Momma and Poppa shared another look but stayed quiet as I continued. "I think he only made that face because Steven and his friends are bullies, and he wanted him to go away because I don't like him."

Poppa drums his fingers on the table thinking and Momma is doing the same cause she's staring at the table and chewing her bottom lip. I sit there quietly while they do so.

"Did Steven say why he came to talk to you?" Momma asked. I shook my head no looking at the table. He's a stupid jerk and what he was going to say doesn't matter. I'm actually happy Alistar made that face at him. I don't want to be anywhere near that jerk. I told him to leave me alone and I hate him leaving right after that was said. I might have been a bit mean when I said that, but it's fair. If someone is mean to you then you can be mean back Grandpa said that it is more than fair if those Kanto brats give me trouble. Momma must not have thought so because she'd yelled at Grandpa saying, 'Stop being a bad influence on Nora.'

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"No, he's a jerk."

"Nora just because someone is mean-"

"Doesn't give me a reason to be mean back." I say clenching my hands together under the table.

"Right, so you know why we are talking about it don't you?" I look towards where Alistar is before looking back to Momma. "While it wasn't you Alistar really scared Steven and what you said to him wasn't okay."

"How was it not okay? I told him I hate him and to leave me alone." I grumbled angrily. How am I wrong to tell him that? I think he deserves it. He and his friends threw stones at me and put tacks on my chair. How was it not right of me to hate him and tell him to leave me alone? "He's a bully momma I'm not going to apologize or be nice to him anymore. I tried to do what you said to, and it got me chased into the woods by that jerk and his friends. It didn't do anything but make it worse by doing what you said to by being nice to them and trying to be their friend. Grandpa's way would have been better at least I wouldn't have got picked on."

Momma fell silent for a moment with a look of frustration on her face. She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. Poppa has been quiet for a while now but if anything, he looks sad.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I tried that, and it didn't get any better. They just got better at hiding it, and with no proof they did it then what could I do? It went from them throwing rocks at me to pouring expired milk in my shoes and small tacks placed on my chair. I got glared at after I told Poppa about everything, and Mr. Ben said something to the class about it. I don't know what would have happened if I didn't have Alistar to play with during recess. After he was there it got better, and they left me alone." Now that I am thinking about it, the bullying stopped after I got Alistar. Was it because I didn't have a Pokémon like everyone else did? I shake my head, there isn't any reason to try and figure out reasons for people to be jerks.

Momma looked to Poppa, and she gave him an angry look, clearly Poppa didn't tell Momma about it. Poppa grimaced and looked away from her trying to avoid the rage of Momma.

"I'm sorry Nora, I didn't have the full story when I received a call from Steven's mother. You don't have to apologize to him, and I'll be sure that his mother knows what he has been doing with those friends of his. Go spend some time with Alistar in your room. Your father and I need some alone time okay sweetie?"

I nod and get out of the chair grabbing my plate and placing it in the sink before heading over to Alistar. His ears flicked atop his head, and he shifted a bit looking back at me. He dipped his head a bit before returning his gaze outside. I patted his back which got him to sit up and I lifted him into my arms.

"We can get a better view from my window upstairs." Alistar nods shifting a bit before relaxing in my arms letting himself be carried up the stairs and into my room. I move to the window and sit him down on the windowsill. "How about we play a game?"

Alistar looked up at me and tilted his head with a soft, 'Vul?'

"What kind of game?" I repeated somewhat understanding what he said. Alistar nodded, still looking at me questioningly. "Oh, well we can play Type matchup." Another 'Vul' made me smile as I was pretty sure I understood what he said completely this time. It had been getting easier to understand him day by day. "The rules are pretty easy we need to point out a Pokémon that beats another one type wise." 'Vul.' I nodded at his statement, "Yup, that's right. It is a training game. Knowing what an opponent's weakness will help you beat them in the future. Grandpa and I used to play it a lot back in Hammerlocke. He always says that a knowing the enemy is only half the battle, but it's the part of the battle a trainer is supposed to be good at." Alistar closed his eyes and nodded as if he agreed. "Okay then, let's play."

We played for an hour or so and Alistar was pretty good at the game. Although he got a few wrong, he seemed to think that Poison types beat Water types and that Steel type beats Flying type but after I explained that it wasn't super effective like fire was to grass, he nodded as if he understood for the game that wasn't a correct answer. Although it made me think. If a water Pokémon was hiding in the water poisoning the water would be really effective. As for Steel and Flying, Steel is really heavy. Flying type Pokémon would have a hard time trying to damage one.

It was nearly bedtime when we'd finished playing. I pet Alistar and he kept his eyes focused outside when I changed into my pajamas. Momma said that Pokémon don't really care about when people change clothes and continue doing whatever they were doing at the time, but Alistar looks away like he was told that's what he should do. Mr. Ben said that Pokémon Knights are special Pokémon and are taught how to behave by their parents or by the house they serve proper manners. Maybe that was something he was taught to do when someone changed clothes. He is a boy after all, it would be a little weird if he watched me change.

I headed to my bed and sat down on it. The sound of me doing so got Alistar to move from the window and towards the light switch. With a jump he flipped it making the room go dark, the only light that was coming in the room was passing light from outside. I got myself under the covers and Alistar hopped onto the bed and looked me over checking that I was tucked in and comfortable. He nosed my forehead and moved to his cushion near the foot of my bed curling up on it and closing his eyes.

"Good night Alistar." I say with a yawn closing my eyes and going to sleep.

"Good night, Lady Nora."