Having decided to travel together, Nora and Gregory returned to Gregory's house. It was a small two-story home in the northeastern part of town; the walls were made of light brown brick, and the roof had a darker blue shingling. A small fence enclosed their home's front yard, where his mother's vegetable garden took up most of its space. All of the plant life inside the fence was vibrant and absolutely massive compared to the average for their type. The berry bushes that lined one side of the yard had Oran berries that could fill the palms of both his hands.

When they drew closer to his house, an overwhelming sweet scent hit their senses, instantly causing them to relax. As they entered through the front gate, a grumbling noise drew their attention to one of the only bare corners of the yard. Laying down sunning herself in the mid-morning light was his mother's Meganium, the gate's creaking noise having woken her up. It was a quadruped with a long neck, a large flower with pink and white petals wreathed its base, a stubby tail, and two thin antennae atop its head. If she was standing up, Gregory knew she would be a couple of inches taller than his height of 5'8''. She opened a singular eyelid, its yellow iris giving them an aggrieved look.

"Sorry, Meganium didn't mean to disturb you," Gregory called out as they made their way to the front door; another good-natured grumble was her only reply. From the corner of his eye, he saw Nora had pulled out her Pokedex and scanned the sleeping grass type. The same computerized voice spoke a second later, "Meganium, The Herb Pokemon, there is seldom fighting near Meganium, as their fragrance can calm even the most aggressive of foes. They hate conflict and prefer to placate enemies with their aroma. Their breaths can revive dead flora; the grasslands, in which these Pokémon are rarely found in the wild, are beautifully vibrant as a result. They communicate by releasing various scents and waving the stamens on their heads."

Unlocking the door, he let Nora enter first. "Mom! Dad! I'm back!" he called out as he shut the door behind him.

"In the kitchen, son!" his mom called back.

The two teens made their way to the kitchen. Both of Gregory's parents were sitting at the kitchen table. His father had his nose buried in the paper, the bold black lettering on the front page catching Gregory's eye; Elite 4 Will defeats the Silver Conference winner 6-1. Sasha watched them enter the kitchen, a cup of coffee being nursed between her hands.

"Oh, and who is this?" she asked as her eyes landed on Nora. Her question caused Myles to fold his paper and place it on the table.

"This is Nora. She was at the Lab trying to get her starter at the same time as me, and we decided to head to Cherrygrove together."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you!" Nora chimed in with. Her Mudkip, still with her arms around his belly, raised a foreleg and gave a croaking "Kip Mudkip!" in greeting.

"It's nice to meet you too, dear, and my, what a cute little Pokemon you have there," She replied, giving them a gentle smile. She looked as if she was going to say something else, but Myles said, "Well, Son, don't keep us in suspense; introduce us to your new partner."

Nora and Gregory sat at the kitchen table, their chairs making a soft scraping noise as the teens dragged them across the dark, hardwood kitchen floor. The mid-morning sun softly illuminated the space with its gentle light. Fennekin, who up until now had been perched upon Gregory's backpack, hidden behind his head, jumped down to the kitchen tabletop with a back-arching stretch and a jaw-popping yawn, taking a seat.

"Mom, Dad, this is my new partner Fennekin." He said, bringing his hand down softly upon the fox Pokemon's head, gently caressing the fur down along her back. "Fennekin, these are my parents," he continued. With a tilt of her head, the little vixen locked eyes with both adults.

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"Fen fenne kin," she said a moment later, with as close to a smile as a snout can manage. The atmosphere in the kitchen was relaxed as Sasha and Myles continued to exchange greetings and pleasantries with Nora and the two Pokemon. The latter were spoiled for choice in who to receive affectionate pets and scratches from. Afterward, Gregory told his parents about Professor Elm's Request and sponsorship offer.

"Wow, Greg, This is some fancy technology," Myles said after Gregory recounted their time at the lab. Myles held Gregory's Pokedex, inspecting it and fiddling with the various features. "So all you do is point it at a Pokemon, and it tells you all about them?" he said, impressed by the new technology. "Sure beats having to hit a library and memorize entries from a paper encyclopedia like I had to do." he chuckled as he handed the device over to Sasha. His mother nodded in agreement as she took a turn, looking it over.

"Here, let me show you guys," Gregory said when she returned the device to him. He then pointed the device at Nora's Mudkip, hitting the scan button.

After a moment, a computerized voice said, "Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokemon, it is known to inhabit the Marshes, estuaries, and beaches of the Hoenn Region. Deceptively strong for their size, they are able to lift large boulders out of the water and crush them by planting themselves into the ground and heaving. The orange growths on the sides of their heads are actually gills, allowing Mudkip to breathe underwater. They spend roughly equal time on land and in the water but must keep their skin moist to not dry out and become lethargic."

From the corner of his eye, Gregory thought he noticed the little blue amphibian nodding in agreement, which brought a slight smile to his lips.

"Well, Honey, it certainly seems that the professor has put a lot of trust into you two," Sasha said after a few moments of silence.

They fielded a few more curious questions from his parents, but he was eager to go. He also noticed that Nora occasionally glanced at the clock on the wall, her leg bouncing under the table.

"Well, Mom, Dad, I think it's time for us to be off. We have a lot of walking to do today. I'd like to get as far as possible before we have to make camp," Gregory said, standing up from his chair, scooping Fennekin up from the table where she was a puddle of fur, belly up with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth, due to the belly scratches she received from his dad. Nora seemed to jump out of her chair with how fast she got up, her Mudkip jumping to the floor to stand beside her.

"Oh! I nearly forgot!" his mom exclaimed as she jumped up and left the room. A minute later, she re-entered the room carrying what looked like a leather-bound book and a small wrapped box. "I was going to give this to you so you could make a journal of your adventures, but maybe you could use this to help out with the professor's research," she said as she handed both items to him.

Opening the box first, he carefully unwrapped the colored paper. He removed the lid, revealing five empty Pokeballs, shrunken to their travel size, resting atop a velvet cushion. Taking them out of the container, he put each one on a magnetic slot in his belt designed just for that purpose. He then took the journal, running his hand across the smooth leather cover, off the table where he had placed it while he had opened the box. He could tell it was brand new by the slight creaking from the spine as he opened it up, revealing the blank white pages inside. He dragged his thumb across the paper, the fwip, fwip, fwip of the pages as they smacked back into each other, filling the air.

"Thanks, this is such a nice gift. I'll be sure to put them to good use," Gregory said as he put his new prize into a side pocket of his bag and turned back to his mom.

"I know you will, dear," The unwavering confidence in his mom's eyes made him squirm a bit.

"Alright, son, we won't hold you here any longer." his dad says, getting up and walking over to him.

Gregory was nearly suffocated as both his parents wrapped their arms around him, their grip like Iron bands, in a hug. After a minute or two, they let him go, his mom leaning in to say, "We will miss you, dear. Be safe out there." His face began to heat up in embarrassment as he raised a hand to rub the back of his head. "I-I'll miss you guys too." He mumbled in reply.

Their farewells having been said, Nora and Gregory made their way to route 29 to officially start their journey.