Throughout my entire life, I had dreamed of becoming a pokémon trainer.
It sounds so cliché, to think that there were a billion other kids out there all wishing, wanting the same thing.
But I wanted it more.
I should have become one when I was fourteen.
I remember waking up early, brushing off my morning face and practically sprinting to the Lab to pick a pokémon. I didn't even say goodbye to my parents, a quick glance at them sufficed.
And then of course, I was walking through the Lab doors, straight to the Prof and I asked for a pokémon.
I remember him looking at me, his face scratched with worry lines and his eyes watery.
And he said those words.
(How can words hurt so much?)
"The machine is broken. Chances are you won't be getting one for a while, kid."And that was it…
Of course, where are my manners?
My name is Zen. I am Seventeen and a half years old. My hair is the colour of mud. So are my eyes.
I am basically the most normal kid in this stupid town.
I live in the Johto region of this planet. Except I hardly know any of it.
The only place I've ever travelled to is Azalea Town and that's only become I have cousins there.
You could say I'm a bit of an unprivileged kid…
I live in New Bark Town and I have done ever since I was born. I was literally born two minutes down the road, and I guess I just remained put by fate. By chance.
New Bark is small and inhabited by about fifty residents (I've dubbed them the 'Famous Fifty') and they all know each other like they're related. As with most people, there are certain divides. Arguments that have collected dust are still fresh in the mind, but it's a small town. What else is there to do than to argue? It passes the time.
I'll introduce a few of these fifty.
- Farrow; an old man who only has one eye because, as he puts it "A damn't Spearow swooped down and damn plucked it clean outta it's socket." Every day without fail he wears an eye-patch. His phobia of bird pokémon actually grows every stronger and more ludicrous by the day, so much so that he caught his one and only pokémon, a Magnemite, to protect him from them on a daily basis. He's had it for nearly seven years and has never had any trouble since.
- Jenna; probably one of the nicest and most easy going people in New Bark, she is the town baker and pokémon breeder. She was actually the first person to introduce me to pokémon and so followed the infamous incident involving me and an 'affectionate' Spinarak. I'll tell you about that later…
-Felix; a jerk who lives opposite me. He's my age but he has striking yellow hair and an attitude.
He already has four pokémon but I refuse to count Magikarp as a valid pokémon. Every evening when he takes his team out for training, I see that stupid orange fish flopping hopelessly about on the ground while Felix yells at it to 'change.' I have no idea what he's expecting to happen but I really hope I'm there if something does.
-Likua; the local legend, she has lived in New Bark town for 67 years and has earned the title of the 'Barking Witch.' This is because she owns two Houndours who, every morning without fail, howl at 5.30am, waking most of the town up. Several votes have been cast and rejected at somehow silencing the two pokémon but no one has yet stepped forward to take independent action, probably out of fear of getting their face burnt off. She is disliked by many but I actually quite take to her, she's always smiling and I rarely see her arguing with anyone. Perhaps she's too old for it…
Yeah, I live in a weird town.
But every winter, it snows without fail and we usually hold a giant bonfire in the town square.
I guess it's the one time we can all come together without resentment. It's magical, what a bit of snow and a giant fire can do to people.
I live with my mother and that's it. I'm all she has.
My father joined some 'bad gang' when I was fifteen and that's all I know about it.
It was hard to deal with and to be honest; I'm not truly over it. But I guess life goes on.
The less we speak about him the better.
My best friend is called Zoya and she lives next door to me.
Of course, she's already got her first pokémon, an Eevee, because her parents are rich.
Her father mines nuggets and her mother is regarded of somewhat of a 'fashion queen.'
She works overseas a lot, in the Kanto region dressing pokémon for a living.
Personally, I couldn't think of a more unappealing job but I guess it brings the money in.
And there's the Prof.
No-one knows his full name and quite frankly, I'd be damned if he hasn't forgotten it himself by now.
To put it bluntly, he's a drunk.
Before he arrived, there was another professor who was revered for his skills in the pokémon world.
We as a town felt almost too lucky for having him just around the corner.
His name was Professor Elm and he was one of the greatest men I'd ever met.
We'd usually find him strolling along with an exotic pokémon in tow beside him.
I remember gawping out of my window as he walked by, dressed in his lab whites with some magnificent beast alongside him.
I had no idea what it was called but it looked like a giant orange dragon and it had a beige underbelly. Its wings looked like parchment and its eyes were black as coals.
However, it possessed a delicate air and despite its intimidating appearance I almost felt like if I came face to face to it, I wouldn't be as scared as its appearance threatened.
Every now and then it would shoot a jet of ice and freeze everything in its vicinity.
It was almost like magic.
He would just casually walk on unfazed and wave to passers by before disappearing back into his laboratory.
But of course, all good things must come to an end and he ended up packing his bags and moving overseas to a place called Saffron City. We haven't heard from him since.
Then we got the other Prof.
Please give a round of applause to him. He's the one who messed this entire thing up.
Everything would have been so much easier if he just hadn't been involved.
But he gave me the kickstart I needed.
So I guess this is where my story begins.
Care to come on my adventure?