Alex's father hadn't come home again last night. It wasn't unusual for him to spend weeks without making an appearance, but Alex felt that now of all times he should have been here. Tomorrow would be Alex's 10th birthday, but any hope he had felt that his father would honour the tradition of giving his son his first Pokémon was fading fast.
Alex was a tall boy for his age, and had lost his puppy fat early on, leaving him somewhat resembling the Bellsprout found in such abundance in the local Gym. He lived in Celadon City, home of Erika and her Gym specialising in everything Grass-type, and where she produced her world-famous perfumes which ensured that she had just as many visitors as challengers, and made Celadon into a haven for shoppers. The gigantic department store also attracted its fair share of visitors, all searching for the best bargains on the rarest of items.
However, there was another building that the city was famous for, and it was this that Alex despised above all else for taking his father from him. It was the Celadon Gaming Corner, and his father was completely addicted to gambling. He would spend days at a time without leaving the slots, returning home only when he had run out of crisps and soda. At first, it had simply been a small distraction to kill an hour or so after work, but he began spending more and more time at the place, flushing his money down the drain. He lost his job at the Dept. Store after missing work for the third time in a week, but rather than sobering him up, it had simply removed the only reason he had had to leave the Game Corner. He now did nothing but gamble, and whatever he won, it was almost guaranteed to be lost again by the end of the day.
Dawn broke on the morning of Alex's birthday to find his father groggily staggering in the general direction of home, clutching his treasured coin case tight to his chest. Although they lived no more than 20 minutes away from the Game Corner, his sleep-deprived state, and the occasional delirious hallucination that a terrace of three houses in a row had started pouring money out of the gutter, it would take him several hours to meander his way back.
Alex awoke to the sound of his Pidgey alarm clock cooing at him. Quickly slapping it off, he got up and dressed, trying to find a shirt to go with the five pairs of trousers he had tripped over on his way to the wardrobe. Continuing his morning routine, engraved into his body's memory, he was halfway through his cereal before waking up enough to realise what day it was. He was now ten years old, and technically old enough to own his first Pokémon and start on his dream of becoming a Pokémon master. The silence from the rest of the house, however, told him that his father still hadn't returned from the slots. He finished his breakfast alone, silently singing himself a happy birthday, and began clearing up the bowl, when a click, followed by a dull thud, announced his father's return. He went to the door to help his dad off the floor and onto the sofa, and started watching TV to pass the time until his father regained consciousness.
It was well past noon before Alex's father showed any signs of life, slowly getting himself upright, although still very clearly suffering from his latest gambling trip. Standing up, he made an unsteady search of the house for some food, then when he had eaten, went back to wake up Alex, who had dozed off in front of the TV. Alex opened his eyes and found himself looking directly up into his father's face. He was fairly young, and still kept traces of his youthful handsomeness, but years of spending days at a time cooped up in front of a slot machine had taken its toll. His once healthy skin was now pale and lined, his mouth drooped at the edges, and his eyes, which had been so bright, were now sunken and bloodshot. However, right now Alex could see genuine love in those eyes, and without a word, his father produced a small package from behind his back and handed it to him. Alex slowly began to open it, savouring the waves of anticipation rolling over him. He made a rip in the wrapping, and saw a patch of red shining out at him. Trying again further down, he saw a gleam of white. Hardly daring to believe what it appeared to be, he unwrapped the whole thing, and found himself holding a brand new, polished Pokéball. He looked up at his father with tears in his eyes, unable to speak the thanks he felt, but he could see that his father knew what it meant to him.
Alex knew his father would never have been able to capture a Pokémon himself, which meant he must have bought it, but it would have to be something cheap after all his gambling losses… Alex began to think that perhaps it was a Ratatta, like his mother used to have. He remembered playing with it when he was young. It was a good friend, before his mother left. Or maybe a Pidgey? They're very useful for transport when they've evolved a few times. Alex sat staring at the Pokéball, wondering what could be inside it, for several minutes, until his father finally interrupted his daydreams.
"Well, aren't you going to meet your new Pokémon?" he asked mischievously.
Surfacing from his reveries, Alex grasped the Pokéball, and slowly opened it.
A red glow escaped from the ball, and began to shape itself tantalisingly slowly. It quickly became much too big for a Ratatta. It formed what looked like wings, but the shape began to elongate, becoming too long for a Pidgey. Alex watched eagerly as it became more and more recognisable, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing. In all his wildest imaginings, he had never expected this. The shape stopped changing, and as the glow died away, the true colours showed through. He stared at the Pokémon sitting before him, completely dumbstruck. He looked up at his father again, and saw his eyes filled with proud tears, enjoying his son's joy almost as much as Alex himself. How he had managed to afford this, Alex could not begin to guess, but he could tell that it had cost his father everything he had. He stood and embraced his father.
"I love you Dad"