'Beep, beep.' "Mhh, I want to sleep a bit longer," complained April as she glanced at her alarm clock. "WHAT, IT'S ALREADY 11 O'CLOCK? I'M GOING TO BE LATE!" She immediately jumped out of bed and quickly threw on her black top, her purple hoodie jacket, and her black jeans. Then she slipped into her purple shoes and took a quick look at herself in the mirror. "Ah, my hair. I almost forgot," she gasped and quickly grabbed her hairbrush. It didn't take long for her to detangle her long black hair with blue tips. Proudly, she looked at herself in the mirror and calmly said, "Almost perfect. Now I just need my lucky charm." She grabbed the amethyst bracelet lying on her dresser and put it on. "Now I'm ready," she said cheerfully, swung her backpack over her shoulder, and ran down the stairs to the kitchen.

Her mother and her loyal partner Pokémon, a shiny Eevee, were already waiting for her in the kitchen. "Oh, so I do get to see you after all," her mother joked, handing her a lunchbox. "Thanks, Mom, but you didn't have to do that," April said gratefully as she packed the box into her bag. "I just can't believe you're already thirteen and finally starting your journey as a Pokémon trainer," her mother said, trying her best to sound happy for April. "Oh, Mom," April said softly, hugging her mother. "You know it's always been my dream to travel with Eevee, especially so it can evolve into a Sylveon." Eevee nodded in agreement, its head bobbing up and down. "I know, but you've grown up so fast. It feels like just yesterday you tried throwing a Poké Ball, only for it to bounce off the wall and hit you on the head," her mother said, chuckling. "Ugh, Mom, can we please change the subject?" April begged, her face flushing slightly. "Besides, I really need to go if I don't want to be late." "You're right, but please take care of yourself," her mother said gently. "I promise," April said confidently before turning to Eevee. "Are you ready?" Eevee happily leapt into her arms, and April gave her mother a goodbye kiss before rushing to the door.

"Our dream is about to come true," she said with excitement. She opened the door, ran outside, and made her way to the Orange Academy. When she arrived at the academy's grand gates, she paused and took a deep breath. "Finally, the time has come," April thought with joy. "I'm finally going to the academy, I'll take the Terastal Course, and I'll have the chance to become a famous Pokémon trainer. And we'll finally have the opportunity to teach you a Fairy-type move so you can evolve into a Sylveon. We'll achieve our dreams, right?" Eevee gave an enthusiastic nod, and April stepped into the academy.

She looked around the academy's large entrance hall. "Wow," she said, impressed. Suddenly, Director Clavell approached her and greeted her, "Hello, April. It's wonderful to welcome you to our academy. I hope you'll enjoy your time here." "Oh, I'm sure I will," she replied with a smile. "The introduction to the Terastal Course is about to begin. If you'll follow me, please," the director requested. April followed him out to the sports field, where many excited students were already waiting. The director stepped up onto the stage, and April mingled with the others.

She looked around and saw many different trainers and Pokémon. One trainer, in particular, caught her attention. He was a boy with black and silver hair, standing next to a Charcadet. She began wondering who the boy might be when another boy with black hair suddenly spoke to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Hi, are you here to take the Terastal Course too?" "Uh, yeah. But, if you don't mind me asking, who are you?" she asked, confused. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and this is Pikachu. My dream is to become a Pokémon Master. Nice to meet you," said Ash, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you too. I'm April, and this is Eevee," she replied warmly, shaking Ash's hand.

"May I have your attention, please?" the director asked. "It's a pleasure to welcome you all here. I hope you'll enjoy your time with us and achieve your dreams." The students began cheering before he continued, "Here, you won't just learn to bond with your Pokémon better; you'll also have the great honor of participating in the Terastal Course. For this, you'll receive Tera Orbs and will need to battle Paldea's Gym Leaders to pass the course. I wish you all the best of luck and remind you that this journey is about the time spent with your Pokémon." The students erupted into cheers again. "You'll receive your Tera Orbs and the list of Gym Leaders you'll face at the information desk in the entrance hall," the director explained, adding, "However, you must complete this journey in a group of at least three people, which will be verified at the gyms. And under no circumstances are you allowed to enter Area Zero."

Everyone immediately started enthusiastically discussing who to team up with. Ash turned to April and said, "Hey, we can travel together, right? Then we'd just need a third person, but that shouldn't be too hard to find." April nodded happily, and together, they went to pick up their Tera Orbs at the information desk.

"Who do you have to battle?" Ash asked excitedly as April received her list of Gym Leaders. "I have to battle Alan and Grusha. But I don't even know who Alan is," April admitted, confused. "Alan is the new Gym Leader in Paldea," said the woman at the reception desk. "Larry recently retired, and Alan took over for him." "Thank you very much," April said politely. Ash turned to her and said, "Cool! I've got Iono and Ryme. We should get going right away." April agreed, and they left the academy. On their way out, April reminded Ash, "Hey, we still need a third person." "Oh, we'll find someone," Ash said, waving it off.

"What's your dream, anyway?" he asked her. "I want to become a famous Pokémon trainer. But... that's actually secondary," April replied as she petted Eevee. "Huh? Why? What's your real goal, then?" Ash asked, confused. "My - or rather, our - real goal is for Eevee to learn a Fairy-type move so it can evolve into a Sylveon. But so far, it hasn't gone very well," April admitted, embarrassed. "Ah, don't worry about it. You'll get there, I'm sure of it," Ash said with an encouraging smile. April smiled back at him, and together they left the city where the academy was located to pursue their dreams.