I'll do it!

"I'll do it!" You call out taking the Pokedex from the professor. He nods and smiles.

"Good! Thank you! With that Lucas here will show you around town. Not having a male trainer with you right now could make things difficult as you could be challenged, and he can show you were some of the more important buildings are. I'm afraid I must get back to work, but good luck on your journey. I genuinely wish you the best of luck!"

With that Lucas gestures towards the door, and after quickly returning Turtwig to his Poke ball you follow him out of the Pokémon Lab. It isn't until you are outside that you feel the sense of dread and foreboding fade. Once the tension from the moment passes you look to Lucas. Something about Professor Rowan really unnerves you, which is strange as he seems so nice. Shaking those thoughts you follow Lucas who has already begun walking.

"And that's the town!" Lucas finishes with a flourished gesture towards the small town of Sandgem. You have been t Sandgem before and knew largely where everything was but Lucas was so intent on making sure her followed the professors orders that he led you around the town regardless. A half hour later you stand over by the Pokémon Center hiding your eyes from meeting the curious looks of passersby, who have taken notice of the Lucas' energy.

"Anyways with that out of the way feel free to head out on your Journey!" Lucas continues loudly before leaning in close to you, and in a much quieter voice he speaks once more. "The men in town will leave you alone, having seen you with me means you have the Professors' backing. " He glances around before once more loudly speaking. "Make sure to bring back the Pokedex from time to time so we can check your progress!" Again he leans in speaking in a near whisper. "If you ever need a place to go that will be safe from challenges this town will be it. But the moment you leave that Pokedex is going to become a kind of target for other Trainers. Good luck Dawn!" Lucas spins away from you with a flourish before making his way out from you and back towards the Lab.

Lucas is a bit of a strange individual but he seems kind enough, and he never once leered at you like many of the male trainers in town are doing now that he has left. You suddenly feel very ****. Thinking quickly you make the decision to stop by the Poke Mart. You're going to want to stock up before you go. As you walk you reminisce on the past few days, your journey has barely started but already so much has happened. Soon you'll follow in Barry's footsteps and make your way towards. Jubilife City. Shaking yourself out of your thoughts you enter the Poke Mart to see a busy store filled with regular people shopping for groceries and trainers for everyday essentials. The clean chemical smell of the store fills your nose shortly before a plethora of food smells mixed with the smells of Pokémon food and the metallic scent of Poke Balls and other items.

You take a look around. You only have 2000 PokeDollars, which is the total you have managed to save from allowance and the occasional babysitting gig over the years. That amounts to very little when it comes to trainer accessories. You already have some Poke Balls so you pick up a couple Potions, and food for both you and your Pokémon before heading to the counter. There is friendly young woman behind the counter, you remember her from your grocery shopping visits with your mom but you've never bothered to learn her name. She looks like she is maybe a couple of years older than you.

A brief exchange of 500 PD later and you are headed for the Pokémon Center, it is about time you heal your Pokémon. A few moments later your Pokémon are restored to full health and you head to the center of town to make a decision.

Do you head for Jubilife now? Or do you head South to the beech for a bit first?