CHAPTER 1

The dusty ceiling fan hums and circles above our heads. The brief thought of it falling and slicing veins and bone darts through my mind. Normally I would let the gruesome images flourish, but not today.

I take a breath and look up. The flickering florescent lights above make the three of us seem pale and sick, perhaps we are. Greyish light creeps though the dirty slat window, dimly illuminating the small waiting room. Across from me sits a fifteen year old girl and boy. The girl is kind of bug-eyed with dirty blond pigtails and frizzy hair. I don't know her.

The boy is kicking his heels into his faded blue chair, refusing to look up. He is bigger than me, baby-faced with short shaven hair. His name is Gerald and I hate him.

The plastic chairs are uncomfortable, especially after the length of time we've been waiting. I look at my watch then remember it doesn't work anymore, not since I took it for a swim in Green Lake.

Water o' clock… ha ha ha… I think dryly.

I pick at a healing scab on my hand, the rest of my small scars appear purple under the artificial light. I glance up at the two kids. The stories of my scars are fascinating and I always have more than everyone else.

Gerald has starting making an annoying grunt in the back of his throat. He wouldn't appreciate my scars; he'd probably just punch me in the gut again.

I watch the buggy girl. She's picking up a dead fly from the window sill behind her, just staring at it. I wonder if she is going to eat it, the way she's glaring.

No, my scars would be too scary for her.

I keep watching the creepy girl out of the corner of my eye when the loud speaker crackles and speaks.

"Attention new trainers, the Professor will see you now." The cold female voice ends in an electronic ding-dong.

I take to my feet so fast I nearly fall over; my legs feel numb from sitting too long. The other two seem likewise startled. The office door at the end of the room seems to open of its own accord as we approach. More fluorescent lights illuminate the vacant, circular office. In the centre of the room lies a metal bench. Three copper circles mark the surface, half-hidden by deep, claw-like scratches-

"Ah, children, we meet at last."

I jump and quickly check to see if the others got a fright too.

Both are staring at the old man, who only grins in response. His smile is far too wide for his face and his eyes are much too small. His mouth hardly moves as he speaks. "I trust you had a pleasant journey. Who do we have today?…" Still grinning, he reaches into his grey overcoat and removes a dog-eared note. "Ah, Gerald Mahoe, Elisa Van Dyk and Josh Colburn. Welcome. I trust you had a pleasant journey?" The man asks again, still grinning.

Gerald shifts uncomfortably, his words a loud grunt. "Who are you?"

The man stops grinning a moment, but then his smile returns larger than ever. "Forgive me children, I am The Professor."

The bug-eyed girl Elisa speaks for the first time. "If I may Professor, I have a question-"

"Ah, but that will have to wait, child." He cuts her off quickly. "You have of course, come here to receive your starter pokemon."

I couldn't tell if it was a question or not but I answer anyway. "Yep, do we get one now?"
The Professor's eyes never leave me as he claps his hands once. Gears whirl as the circles within the bench open and three steel pokeballs rise from within. "Three pokemon, three trainers, three roads," said The Professor. "But first the matter of who shall... go first."

"Me," says Gerald, glaring at me as if daring a challenge.

The toad-like Professor shows yet more of his teeth. "You have your letters?"

"Of course," says Elisa.

Gerald just grunts, slapping his pocket.

I reach into my jacket and snatch a crumbled piece of paper. I win, I got mine out first.

"Good." The Professor continues his relentless creepy smile. "Come forward, that's right. Line up in front of the bench. Now, see the carved circle in front of you."

I nod and reach for the copper circle. A stinging slap makes me pull back.

The Professor's smile wavers slightly and his tone is cold. "Please, do not do that." His sick smile widens again. "You will have filled in the appropriate forms with your original application, of course. But there is still the matter of your contract. Please insert your acceptance letter into the feed; you won't be needing it anymore."

As my letter disappears into the slot, three holographic forms appear in front of us. One each. I glance at the other two, but their faces betray neither emotion nor surprise. I try to act cool.

"Just your standard trainers contract, that the pokemon in question remains property of the Laboratory, any insubordination of league rules is punishable under the United Leagues Act 1989, the trainer bears no responsibility for death of said pokemon provided all reasonable measures are taken and a little bitty bit about absolving the Laboratory of any responsibly for trainer injury, death and so on." The Professor takes a breath. "Well, all clear? Good, sign your life away."

My stomach feels sickeningly tight.

Come on, this is what you wanted Josh…

A digital touchscreen beeps beside my hand. I pick up the attached stylus and sign. My signature appears instantly upon the wavering contract above.

With the tap of a button, the contracts vanish.

"Very good children. You may now meet your leased pokemon." At the Professor's words, the steel pokeballs split open. Like pixeled rain, the capsule contents scatter then solidify.

"Ch-char." The quiet purr came from the newly formed pokemon. My pokemon.

Smooth orange skin blends into the pale yellow of the lizard's belly. Soft eyes watch me while a slim tail flicks up and down, touched on the tip with a red flame.

"Charmander." I breathe, but then a pang of disappointment settles in my stomach. Charmander were not the easiest pokemon to start with. They were naturally weaker, especially in cold climates like this. It is well known that a Charmander dies if its flame ever goes out. Just another thing to worry about.

I had hoped for Bulbasaur.

I glance up to see what the other two received. Elisa observes her pokemon with an indifferent stare. A blue dinosaur-like creature backed by a large fleshy bulb seems equally disinterested.

Bulbasaur. I hope she's happy.

Gerald is a bit more interested. The turtle-like Squirtle is somewhat more wary. Every time Gerald's fingers venture near its mouth it tries to bite him.

I hope it succeeds.

The pokemon are recalled into their capsules as The Professor beams his sick grin, holding three black gloves in hand. "Now that you are acquainted I have your PokeGear. Please activate your device and set the time. It is very important to set the time."

I receive one glove and slip it on, taking care to adjust the four rings onto the corresponding fingers. I've always wanted one of these; the wires and chips are unnoticeable but very sensitive. By twitching different fingers, I can activate a holographic map, a Pokedex, a phone, radar…

I stop playing with my new toy as the Professor speaks. "We are finished here. This is where we will part ways. Remember, your performance will be up for review in one month. We will contact you then. In the mean time I suggest you aim for gym qualifications, or 'badges' as you kids call them" His grin widens but his eyes are cold. "The exit is to your left. From this point onward you are... rivals. Good luck in the field."

I take a breath and pick up the steel pokemon containing my pokemon, my future.

The nearing battles and badges are the last thing on my mind right now. No one knew I had applied for this, no one knew I was here.

I grimace as dread pools in my stomach.

Father is not going to take this well…

Authors Note: Wow that was longer than I expected. Anyway it'll be interesting to see what you guys think.

What did you think of the tense? I'm not a fan of present tense and I think I may have used past tense a few times there. I may change it to past tense later.

Viewpoint? I normally prefer third-person so this was a challenge.

Be honest, you can't hurt my feelings, I'm a rock.

I'm not going anywhere in the meantime so I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for reading.