I stared at the thin piece of plastic in-between my fingers; it was the finalization of a new life. The fruits of a tree grown out of abandonment, this was it. This was the new me. My identity.
'A trainer card…my trainer card. I am a trainer now.'
I studied it. There was my name in black, Eric Kirk, under it was my picture. It wasn't the best, I was never photogenic, but I suppose a lot of people aren't. I have lengthy black hair, falling past my ears and brushing my shoulders lightly and it normally drapes itself over my eyes. In the picture however it was spread apart. Exposing my thin eyebrows and dull brown eyes, a small white scar was visible on my cheek.
'My only distinct feature.'
Under the picture was a bar code and to the right was my current age. 17. Apparently to keep up the records I will have to check in and update it when ever a year passes. My right hand creeps into my pocket and begins to roll Flint's empty pokeball.
'Was I too rash? Did I leave too soon?'
The nurse stepped forward with a handful of papers.
"Hello Eric, I brought the finalized copy of your training certificate, a copy of the public service contract and a book for beginner trainers. " She said, handing them to me.
I push the previous thoughts out of my head, it is to late now.
"Thanks."
"You are welcome, though that book isn't going to cut out for everything. You'll need to buy pokeballs and potions, as well as food, sleeping and cooking materials, and just about anything else." She listed.
'Sounds like a burnt hole in my wallet.'
"Thank you ma'am."
"No need for thanks, now follow me, we need to assign you a starter…" She says, walking towards a pair of doors. I follow.
"Unfortunately, Pokemon Centers don't have a large selection of starters, unlike research labs and Pokemon Gyms. We only have what ever trainers bring in, injured pokemon, and the occasional pokemon egg." The nurse added.
'What ever trainers bring in huh?'
Ideas of super strong pokemon littered my head.
'A flygon as a starter would be sick. Though rhyhorn are cool…'
"Any pokemon will do." I say coolly.
"Oh well, that is good, we have only three pokemon that we are approved to give out right now."
We entered a stable of sorts, built into the center and located towards the back of the center. It is a nice well lit room, with various food bowls in the corner of the room and toys/play centers here and there. An male attendant was playing with a baby azurill, he put it back into its pokeball when he noticed our presence.
"Oh Nurse Joy! What a pleasure, I was just giving the baby pokemon there daily play hours, what brings you here today?" The man asks.
"Hello Geroge, sorry to bother you, this is Eric Kirk, a new trainer. He is looking for a starter pokemon." Joy answers.
"Cool! Hey Eric, my name is George." He introduces.
"Nice to meet you sir..."
"Oh a well mannered young man we have here! It is refreshing, especially with today's youth. They can be little shits ya' know?"
I nod; there is a ding over the centers intercoms.
"Oh that is for me! I'll leave you boys to it!" Nurse Joy says as she excuses herself from the room.
George walks over to a shelf and pulls three pokeballs down.
"Alright, well it is time for the big choice!" He says before releasing all three pokemon into the room.
The first it a small red worm, with a white under belly and stubby yellow horn protruding from its forehead. I recognized the species as wurmple.
'No.'
The second is a pokemon I am familiar with. A pang of pain ruptured in my chest at the sight of its black fur and small canine figure. The poochyena happily yipped and wagged its tail. Happy to be out of its ball.
'…No…I can't…'
The third and final is a small white and blue bird with a long orange beak. It slept in a peaceful perched position on the ground. The wingull didn't even react to being out of its pokeball, not even opening its eyes.
'I guess it will do…'
"So?" George asks.
"That one." I point towards the sleeping wingull.
"Oh…really? Well what about this poochyena or wurmple? That wingull is a bit…"
"No, I want that one." I cut him off.
"O…Ok." He stammers. Then returns the poochyena and wurmple to their balls. He hands me the bird's pokeball, I shove it into my pocket, then scoop up the wingull in my arms.
"Go to the nurse, she will assign her to you."
"Ok, thanks."
"Good luck." George mutters.
'He was weird.'
I make my way back into the centers main lobby. I stand before the front desk, and wait for Nurse Joy, who isn't there.
The little wingull lets out a small coo in its sleep. I stroke her head feathers softly, receiving another peaceful coo.
'She is pretty cute...'
The nurse enters and immediately notices me.
"Oh you chose that one...well she does seem content in your arms…"
I nod.
"Pokeball and trainer card please."
I fish out her pokeball and hand it over along with my trainer card. Joy quickly scans them, taps away at her computer and hands them back.
"Thank you, where is the nearest item supply store?" I ask.
"You are very welcome! The nearest supply store? Hmmmmmm….." She places her finger on her lower lip and mulls it over. Then she points.
"Follow the street out front all the way to the right, then swing a left, follow that road until you reach the first stop sign. You should be able to see it from there…."
"Thank you." I leave through the centers sliding doors.
"Good luck!"
'I can do this.'
'I can't do this.'
I had made it all the way to the supply store, called Feebas Pro Shop, with little to no problems. Of course trouble arose when we reached the enormous shop. Wingull had woken up and properly freaked out.
She unleashed a long series of squawks and began to flap her wings erratically. Using the small talons on her feet to claw my arms, and occasionally firing a blast of water into my face.
"Calm down, calm down!"
People started to watch, giggling to themselves at my misfortune.
I tried to grab her from out of the air where she was hovering; of course she dodged, then blasted me in the face with more water.
The squawking and spraying continued, utterly driving me crazy. Anger reached its boiling point, and I found myself screaming at the bird.
"What! What do you want? Why the fuck are you freaking out? Shut the fuck up please!"
This little outraged earned more squawks and laughs.
'I am going to explode.'
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I scream, past the point of rage.
There is silence, for all of twelve seconds. Then the bird began to squawk again. The now crowd of people began to point and laugh.
'Fuck you, fuck all of you.'
A guy around my age walks up to me, smiling like a mad man. He is around my height, 5'10", he has light brown hair, well kept, combed to the right and trimmed short. HE looks at me with his childish brown eyes.
"Buddy, my friend, mi amigo, brother, bro, bruh, brah, broham, homie, pal, comrade."
'I don't know you.'
"Why don't you just return the wingull?" He asks.
The pure stupidity of my previous actions hit home. Slowly I take out her ball and press the retrieve button.
The crowd laughs at this. A couple of them yell out insults.
"Greenhorn!"
"Loser!"
"Dumbass, control your pokemon!"
Some of the crowd dispersed, but few remained to sling insults.
'People are just fucked up.'
The teen next to me raises his arms over his head and charges the group of people still accumulated in the area.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" He roars. Completely shocking everyone in the area.
"What a freak!" Someone yells.
"Get lost!" Says another.
"I WANT WAFFLES MOTHERFUCKAS!" He screams. The nonsense scares of the rest of the crowd, leaving me alone with him.
He turns; another mad man smile covers his face.
"You are welcome!"
"Uh…thanks?" He is confusing, this entire situation was confusing. I am confused.
"Don't mention it sugar cakes." He said smiling.
"What?"
He let out a hardy laugh, and then gave me another smile.
'He smiles a lot.'
"My name is Douglas Zanclif, but everyone calls me Doug." He introduced.
I introduced myself.
"Well it is nice to meet ya greenhorn! SO, what brings you to FeebASS Pro Shop?"
"Uh…Well."
"No matter! I came here for a waffle pan! Always need waffles for the road. Ya know?" He began to push me towards the stores entrance.
"Ah…"
"Of course you know! It is common knowledge! Right greenhorn? So how long have you been traveling? I have been traveling for two months now! I feel old. Do you have a goal I have a goal. I want to be….."
A blonde lady walks by.
"Damn I got to get me a piece of that! Hmmmm…Just cookies and biscuits man! All for my milk! Catch what I am throwing down? See the support for the foundation? Of course you do!"
'What is going on?'
Doug successfully pushed me into the store; he grabbed a basket then dragged me down the nearest isle. I tried with all my might to break his iron grip, but to no avail.
'Is this rape? Someone help…'
"Quit squirming! Now, waffle iron…waffle iron…where is it?" He wondered.
"Uh, what are you doing with me?" I ask, slightly afraid.
"I thought I made that obvious!" He says with a smile.
"No, you didn't…"
"Really? I thought we had a long and serious conversation on the subject! Well I guess I was so excited I had the conversation in my head again….Darn. But I'ma do it anyways."
'I knew it…RAPE'
"What would that be…" I ask, voice unsteady.
"Isn't it obvious?" He answered with a question.
'NO…Damnit.'
"I'm going to mentor you greenhorn! So we are going to travel together! Call me sensei from now on!" He declared.
"Wait…Doug was it? I don't agree to this."
"Of course you agree to this, and it is sensei to you! Now let's finish our shopping!"
'There is no winning in this is there?'
"Osu…" I glumly accept.
Doug had dragged me to the outskirts of town, towards the beginning of route 102. We stood in a small clearing, surrounded by trees.
"Ok! So the reason your wingull freaked out was because it just woke up and found itself in a new area entirely! SO this time you let it out for a proper conversation! I'll back you up young disciple!" Doug explained.
'I am older than you, by a year.'
"Ok."
I let out the wingull, unlike when I first met her she was awake. She kept calm, nesting herself on the ground, eying us carefully.
"See, it worked! I'm a genius!" Doug bragged.
I stepped forward warily, and then I swear to god I saw the wingull smile.
The bird took to the air and began to claw and squawk wildly, occasionally launching streams of water.
"This is going well!" Doug said happily after getting blasted by water.
He was smiling wildly, so I have no idea if he was being sarcastic.
"Calm down!" I begged. She blasted me with water.
I charged her and took a wild dive, an attempt to strangle her with my hands. Of course the little devil dodged. I lay face down in the dirt, feeling like a loser
Then I feel the small body of my pokemon land on the small of my back. It let out a small squawk of triumph. She had shown her dominance.
"Dude she is a feisty one!" Doug laughed.
"I can see that." I mutter as I stand up. Wingull falls off and flails around for a bit, then blasts me in the face with more water and perches herself on my head, immediately falling asleep, cooing softly in-between breaths.
"You should name her!" Doug offered, smiling like a mad man.
"Uh…oh…yeah...What should I call her?" I wondered to myself.
"Well she is a spicy little bird! SO why not Pepper?" Doug offered.
The sleeping wingull on my head squawked approvingly, making me wonder if she really was sleeping.
"I didn't ask you." I retort.
'Damnit…I like the name.'
"Fine….from now on her name is Pepper." I declare, as if it was my decision.
And so began my journey with a hyper active nut job and a psychotic bird.
AN: Review! Send in OC's 2! Check out the poll and Champion of Gender while your at it!
Adios mustachios!
-Lax.