Chapter Text
Touko Shirogami was five years old when she was told she could not be a pokemon Master when she grew up.
She had been playing with some kids in her kindergarten class, holding her Quilava plushie and announcing she was going to be like Flannery when she grew up, and-
"Touko, you can't be a gym leader!"
Startled, she looked at the girl who had spoken up. "... yes I can!" She said back, more shocked than angry.
The girl shook her head, rummaging around in the toy chest. "Nuh uh, Touko! Daddy said that Omegas become pokemon doctors like nurse Joy or breeders or stuff!" She grabbed a Chansey out of the chest and marched over, grabbing at the Quilava she was carrying and trying to take it away, shoving the Chansey at her instead.
Touko refused to let go. "Hani is miiine!! You can't take him!!" She wailed, wrapping both arms around the fire pokemon doll.
Another girl, an Alpha, stepped in, pushing the bully away. "You can't steal other people's pokemon, Kara!" She declared. "Then you'd be like Team Rocket!"
The rest of the class finally spoke up, backing the Alpha. "Yeah!" "Hanabi's right!" "She's so cool!!" "Hanabi should be Officer Jenni!!"
Touko was still clinging to her Quilava, and it wasn't much longer until a teacher noticed the commotion and came over. Kara got a mild scolding, about how "Omegas were very sensitive, and you couldn't be rough with them."
But Touko picked up on a couple things. They just told Kara that it was wrong to steal pokemon, and mean to make an Omega cry. They didn't tell her that Omegas could be whatever they wanted to be.
~~~~~~
Later that night, Touko's Mom was a bit worried about her little girl, as they went to their little house in Cherrygrove City. Touko, usually cheerful and outgoing, was a little reticent and gloomy. "What's wrong, Touko-chan?" She asked finally.
"... Mama, why can't Omegas become Trainers?" She asked after a few moments, picking imaginary lint off of her Hani.
Youko frowned. "Who..." ah. "Hmm, someone at school said that? " she asked. The little girl nodded, and her mom sighed. "There are Omegas who become gym leaders, sweet pea, but a journey-" over here in Johto and Kanto, it just wasn't done. Omegas were too vulnerable at that age.
"... I'm not worth any less than an Alpha." The little girl said after a few moments.
"Of course not!"
"I want to be a pokemon Trainer. I want to challenge all the gyms in a region. I want to be the best Master I can be." She looked at her mom. "I want to be an Omega Master, so that other Omegas can tell people; I want to be like her someday. So no one can tell them they can't."
Youko dwelled on this for a few days. She was a Beta herself, but her mother had been an Omega and, well, she was nothing if not a strong woman.
So, after talking to her husband, she took Touko aside and asked her an important question; "Do you want to go live with Daddy and I in Unova?"
And she said:
"Yes."
Touko Shirogami moved to the Unova region at the age of six.