I never did like my city.

It was filled with crime, both based around pokemon and people, and regardless of how you look at it, it wasn't going to be a pretty sight. The people were annoying, all of them focused on something that to me just didn't seem realistic, but to them, it was as if it would happen tomorrow. Things like this, made people uninteresting, and when people were uninteresting, you were less likely to talk to them, and as a result less likely to be friends with them. So I became a loner, someone who looks towards themselves for help, instead of others. Least that's what it means to me.

I don't have any problems with people, just prefer to befriend those I find interesting. It's what makes life fun. They say those you surround yourself with, and identify as your five best friends, are those who have traits that you yourself possess. I don't know about that, since I never had five friends I could try it with. I only had the one. Nathaniel Bates. Everyone just calls him Nate though.

Nate Bates.

No wonder he was bullied. Yep, you heard right, me - Miles Ryuzaki, a loner with a sarcastic wit and Japanese ancestry - decided that a victim of bullying was interesting enough to be my first, and so far only, friend. I did it for a reason though, I liked his positive attitude. That, and that his knowledge far exceeds mine, and the fact that he can use this wit to make jokes just made it seem like the best idea I could have had.

It was.

Physically, we are two very different people. Me, standing at about 5'9 at my very legal age of 18, stand at least 2 inches above Nate. He has a stockier build, while I have one of an athlete. Despite, as Nate would tell you, my lack of actually having played sports. At least not often, I dabble in them from time to time, but I just mainly use them as a means to alleviate boredom and stress. Nate, whose hair is black and falls to the half way point of his ears, wears glasses over his green eyes. Let the record show, I did suggest for him to get contacts, but he is a very prideful person. Anyway, its a contrast to my own brown hair which falls to my neck in the back but is kept trimmed in the front, and blue eyes.

"If you're going to monologue to my camera, least tell them about what we're getting ready to do," Nate said, swiveling around to face me in his chair, a page opened behind him on the computer telling me he was working on editing the sound on a previous video we did, probably planning to upload it to YouTube like the rest.

"I was getting to that! Anyway, what're you working on?"

"I, my very curious friend, am working on that video I shot last month on my battle against that Totodile." I could recall it, I mean, I had to be the one to hold the camera after all. It wasn't a bad battle either, Nate's only pokemon being a Chatot - a very annoying pokemon that repeats every little swear to your parents even though it had a whole slew of other words it could have chose to repeat instead - was the obvious choice. So, like most battles without a clear advantage, it was all about smarts. Nate had it won before it had even began.

"That fucking Chatot is an asshole," I swore, adding the curse just to test my theory for the billionth time as I glanced at the Chatot that peacefully sat on the perch by Nate's bed.

The multicolored pokemon looked at me before it started chanting, "Asshole, asshole," in a voice so similar to mine that it was downright scary.

"It hates me."

"Like your Treecko is a saint. Bet you it's in my kitchen right now." Nate countered as he turned back to the computer. "Now get back to finishing the informational video. The more you get off topic, the more I'll have to edit out later tonight."

"Fine." I sighed, turning back to the camera I held in my hands. It wasn't a special camera, a cheap one that shot a good enough video to be considered reliable, but with a price tag that said it clearly wasn't the best. Nate really only had it because it had a strap for you to fit your hand through on the side to make holding it easier. Lazy nerd.

"I don't hear you explaining."

"On it, boss." I answered sarcastically, rolling my eyes to the camera. "Anyway, our school has decided to use our senior year, as an - what did they call it - in the field training. Which, basically means, instead of actual schooling, they have decided to take our entire senior class and basically split them up, give them a senior teacher chaperone, and have us field trip the country for the year to get a gist on the trainer experience. I'm told they could only do it this year because they got extremely good funding from all the fund raisers and had money left over from good budgeting and things." I waved it off, unwilling to go further into the long winded list of details that made it possible.

"Don't forget to mention that the chaperones are teachers who were once upstanding trainers to be there for safety!" Nate called from the back.

"That." I nodded. Nate only sighing and shaking his head behind me. "We are all supposed to meet at the school tomorrow, all packed with things on this long ass list," I said holding up the list for the camera. "Had like fifty forms to get signed and turned in for legal reasons. Wad of cash had to be given to the school to help with the financing as well. Basically, an arm and a leg for the journey of a lifetime."

"I did some trading with another group and managed to get us on the same roster too." Nate explained, taking the camera. "We plan to document the entire thing! It will be hard I'm sure, specially since the roster we are on have people we've never even heard of before. Definitely interesting."

"They know that battles are often fought with money on the line, so I'm sure the school has taken that in account." I chimed in. "The whole country though, I haven't even been out of the state before. I know I said I never liked the city, but I really haven't had anything to compare it too before."

"Will we catch awesome pokemon and have countless adventures only before seen on TV? Will Miles finally learn that home really is where the heart lies? Will anyone out there ever stop that menace of a Treecko from eating my junk food? Find out, next time!" Nate closed the camera. "That should be a sufficient video."

"Not to that one chick in Hoenn, she pretty much commented on every video with have out with hate. Specifically at me." I laughed.

"The price of internet fame my friend," Nate replied, "not that we have much fame. Yet. That 100 subscriber count is gonna skyrocket by the end of our journey."

"Hope you're right." I answered. I just couldn't focus on anything but tomorrow to be honest. I had tried to put it from my mind with that video, but it only served as a temporary distraction. The thought of leaving Baltimore, Maryland was actually pretty exhilarating, as well as pretty terrifying. Though, glancing at Nate, back at work on his computer, I couldn't help but smile thinking of the glory we'd get. Not only when we toured through North America, but when we went through the regions that practically founded the league.

Though, from what I've heard, that doesn't stop the American league from being just as tough, though it doesn't matter cause I want to beat them all.

Pot calling the kettle black, I know, but I guess I'm just not as far from those annoying people I would like to think.

New story, I'm terrible I know but the inspiration for this was so powerful I couldn't even ignore it ya know? OC's are open, and are on my profile. Just be warned, I have increased my standards on OC's so please give me well developed characters. I really can't stand characters that are given to me with three words making up the personality, or characters that are made with the specific purpose of being seen as god in mind. So please, just make a well rounded character and don't worry about whether your character can go toe to toe with jesus and I will give you a story to be proud of.

As well, you can see I've included a bit of the real world into this. So far, the blend is minimal and pretty tame, but as we go we'll get into the darker side of things. Everything is coming along nicely