Hello again!
This is the second chapter in the adventures of Trip, and he finally gets to meet his first Pokemon! This chapter is entitled "The Choice". Enjoy!
oOoOo
Step one…check. Now, the hard work starts. But first things first…
A small gleam of sweat dripped off Trip's brow as he rest his hand on the large red door of the local Pokemon lab. Sweating on a day as cold as this? It could only be nerves.
Nerves are for wimps. Come on! Do it!
Wiping the dreaded sweat off his brow, he grinned in anticipation and entered the building. Despite its proximity to his home, he had never entered it before; his mother would never let him, of course; but he also believed himself unworthy of entering until he was ready to begin his journey. Now, it was all about to change. Taking a deep breath, he looked around with a frown; plain and simple…an unglamorous place to begin what was sure to be a long and exciting career. Oh well…it would have to do.
"Hello, Trip. Happy Birthday!"
Spinning around quickly, Trip found himself face to face with Professor Juniper; the resident Pokemon expert in Nuvema Town, and widely respected around the entire Unova region. Her youthful face belied the stresses of her job; Juniper prided herself in maintaining a good level of physical fitness in spite of her tight schedule.
"Thanks, Professor Juniper."
With a knowing smile, Juniper didn't hesitate in getting straight into business. This was something Trip respected about her; if there was anything he hated, it was people wasting his valuable time.
"I am right in guessing you are 14 today, yes?"
"That's right, Professor."
"It's actually not much of a guess, Trip. You've been reminding me this day each year that you were getting one year closer."
Trip blushed at this comment; it was important that he didn't let outsiders see how passionate he was about starting his quest. Passion leads to emotion, and emotion leads to sloppiness. The more detached he seemed, the better he'd be in the long run. His mother was an emotional person; look where that had gotten her.
"Oh, well…"
Juniper laughed at the boy's hesitation. She had known Trip's family for some years, and as such had quietly kept an eye on the skinny boy in the run down shack on the edge of town. She had met the mother, an odd women who kept mainly to herself, on several occasions; but had very little recollection about Trip's father. But looking at the conditions he had left his wife and child in, perhaps that wasn't a bad thing.
"It's fine, Trip. I know you must be dying to meet your new friend."
Juniper nodded her head to one of the lab technicians, who in a second began to wheel a trolley out towards Trip. Peering up onto the shiny surface, he could not help but to grin at the sight. There, in all their glory, laid three red Pokeballs…surely containing the three starter Pokemon of the Unova region. In a small container next to them, five more Pokeballs, probably empty, sat alongside a small metallic object that shone with the lights reflecting off of it.
"Here we are, Trip. Inside these three Pokeballs are the three starter Pokemon…"
"Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott!" Trip blurted out excitedly. So much for seeming detached…
Juniper, however, looked impressed. "Exactly right! I see you've done your homework."
"For 14 years, Professor."
Juniper grabbed the three balls and thrust them into the air. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to be moving in slow motion. Trip looked on as the balls hit the ground slowly, then burst open in a sea of shimmering red. The red lights flashed out onto the floor, and slowly took shape. In a few short seconds, three different Pokemon were looking at Trip with expectant stares.
"There you are, Trip. You may choose one…and only one. Take all the time you need!"
Leaning over the first Pokemon, Trip whispered to himself in amazement. "Wow…an Oshawott."
The Oshawott looked back at Trip with a mischievous look upon its white face. Below its bear-like white face, a small shell of sorts sat like a sore thumb upon its blue body. A worthy Pokemon for some, but was it for him? A water type…a lot of advantages, sure…but did it suit his fiery personality as much as say, a…
…Tepig. The small fire pig stared up at him with curiosity, and he returned the favour in kind. He'd always heard of strong fire type starter Pokemon from different lands…Charmander from the Kanto region, for instance…but for whatever reason, he found Tepig to be somewhat disappointing. Having a Pokemon in the shape of a pig just didn't feel his style. Shaking his head slightly at the Tepig, it lowered its head in sad acknowledgment.
Last, but not least in Trip's mind, was Snivy. Leaning down to get a closer look, he smiled as the small grass type turns its head away in mock vanity. This Pokemon clearly had spunk. A slim green body belied the strength held within, much like Juniper herself, and with impressive moves such as Leaf Tornado and Leaf Blade surely to be in its repertoire, it just made sense. It felt right.
"I'll take the Snivy."
Juniper's smile was only matched by that of Snivy, gloating over its two starter rivals, who looked dejected as they are returned to their Pokeballs. Much like Trip, however, Snivy was quick to ensure this smile went unseen. A fact, however, not unnoticed by the boy. If there was any need for confirmation that he had made the right choice, that was it. This Snivy was meant to be his.
"Excellent! Here you go, Trip."
Handing Trip the Pokeball, he took a moment to savour everything. The first feel of an actual metallic Pokeball in his hand, the look of slight disdain in Snivy's eyes at the thought of being sent back to the ball…if this was what being a trainer would be like, he couldn't wait. Mustering the most powerful voice possible, he uttered the phrase that would be heard around the world in a matter of years. "Snivy, return!"
In a flash of red, the Pokemon returned to the ball. Pocketing the ball, Trip quickly turned to the other treasures now being handed to him by the Professor.
"As you know, you are allowed to carry five other Pokemon with you, so here are your Pokeballs…and this is your Pokedex."
Taking the small metallic object in his hands, a sense of pride came over Trip. In his household growing up, there had been little chance to enjoy small luxuries like this. And while his mother had never liked accepting charity, exceptions could be made here; this would help him become a Pokemon master, and all new trainers received them.
"Thanks, Professor Juniper…for everything."
"You know it's my pleasure. This is the part of my job I enjoy the most; seeing young trainers like you off on the first step of their journey fills me with a pride that can't be matched anywhere else."
Juniper's eyebrows raised slightly as the two began to walk towards the door of the lab. "Your mother feels the same pride, I assume?"
Trip looked away slightly; a move that did not go unnoticed by Professor Juniper. The worries she had about the very family he was leaving coming to fruition, perhaps? She bent over slightly to get to his eye level, and looked at him with a high degree of care. "Trip…are you sure you are OK?"
Mustering up as much defiance as possible, he looked at the Professor dead in the eyes, no emotion written whatsoever on his face. "I'm fine."
"If there is anything you need, you know how to reach the lab. We…I…just want you to know that you don't need to go on this journey alone."
Juniper slid the door open as the two reached it and walked outside. Looking up, Trip grinned to himself as the sun pokes its way through the clouds and onto him. A bright future indeed.
"I appreciate the concern…but I'm not like these other trainers…"
Trip nodded his head towards a group of four children playing with their own Pokemon at the other edge of the clearing.
"…I want to do this alone…my way. And I can't have anybody slowing me down."
"You need to know that asking people for help isn't them slowing you down, Trip. Nobody can ever walk the path to Pokemon mastery alone."
Trip shook his head slightly. Even Professor Juniper didn't understand what he intended to do…who he was underneath. It was just a matter of time before the whole world would know who Trip was. But until then…it was best kept to himself.
"Bye, Professor. Thanks for everything."
Trip walked away with a sudden burst of energy, as if wanting to leave both the shackles of the town and the awkward conversation with the Pokemon expert. Looking down at his holey shoes, he wondered how far his travels would take him. He smiled as he realised he already knows the answer…as many as it takes.
"Make sure you call, Trip! And write to your mother! She'll be worried about…"
The young man didn't even look back as he left the clearing, leaving Juniper shaking her head sadly and re-entering the lab.
From here on in, never look back. Only look forward…one step at a time.
oOoOo
Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of Trip's untold story!
In the next episode, Trip will meet his main rival and have his first ever Pokemon battle!