A/N: For the Legend of Chocolate as a little birthday present. So Happy Birthday Choc, and hope you enjoy!

(also for the 100_tales challenge on livejournal, for Pokemon B2/W2: Rosa, prompt #033 – birthday. Another one of those cases of matching fics to prompts and it working perfectly. And for the 5,10,20,50,70,100 fandoms challenge, fandom 42: Pokemon B2/W2)

Becoming a Trainer

Hugh is so enthusiastic about being a trainer. He knows it's what he wants to be, and he takes to them like bees take to honey.

Me? I don't mind them; I like them, really. Especially the friendly sort. Hugh's grandfather gave him a few to raise: a shy Tynamo whose always scurrying about in back garden, a Purlloin who's so frisky and never listens to a word he says – though he likes us girls well enough – and a Pidove who likes tapping at the windows. They're all great – except when Hugh starts battling with them inside his house and makes a mess of things.

But I don't think I'm quite as passionate about battling as him. I try, every now and then, mostly because Hugh gives me that look that says he won't accept a "no"…although he won't scream at me like he does with most people. But I don't know. It's not as though I don't enjoy it, or don't enjoy being with or around Pokemon and meeting new people, but…

I guess I'm just not sure if it's what I want to do with my life. If it's the most important thing, or something I'll give up on when it costs too much. I don't know what I'm dreaming of, late at night – it's gone when I wake up.

That's probably why I'm not a trainer yet. Why I don't have a Pokemon. But a friend of Mum's said she'll give me one when I turn ten, whether I've decided or not. Her theory is that it's always best to be out searching for that important thing – or stumbling across it unexpectedly searching for something else. But I guess I'm just scared I'll find I've wasted all my time – but Pokemon are friends and companions too, so it won't be a waste, will it?

I don't really know, and it won't be long now until I'm ten. Sometimes I envy Hugh for being so sure of his path. I want to be that sure too, but if I was, I wonder what I would be searching for on that journey of mine. Is that why Hugh's still at home?

Sometimes I think I ask too many questions I don't know the answer too.