Mom's slamming of the door behind her as she left for work was what woke me. It was probably the most reliable form of alarm clock, always slamming at 7:14 a.m. as she left for work. It was just before daybreak and I were able to make out the general shape of my room already. The small room had only a bed, dresser, and desk atop which sat Bulbasaur's Pokeball.
I peeked out the window to see my mom's figure already 20 meters down the path that ran from our home along the beach and into town, seemingly in a hurry.
Once I was certain she wasn't turning around to grab something she forgot I hopped out of bed and grabbed the Pokeball off the desk in excitement. I threw it up into the air screaming, "Bulbasaur I choose you!"
The ball hit the ceiling and crashed to the floor, opening only on the second bounce and letting out a bright red glow of energy from which the grass Pokemon materialized.
"Whoops…" I said momentarily stunned as I stared up at the mark on the ceiling. Bulbasaur just sat there staring at me waiting for instruction.
"Let's go get food!" I was excited to have a companion for my morning routine. I ran down the stairs and Bulbasaur followed, struggling a bit as his legs were too small for the steps and he had to hop down each step individually.
By the time Bulbasaur had made it to the bottom of the stairs I was opening up our new Pokemon food bag that was nearly half my size. "Oran Bites!" Was printed in bold letters across the middle of the bag smaller font below it reading, "For strong and healthy grass Pokemon."
After arriving back on Cinnabar yesterday my mom had taken me to the local Pokemon store to get all the amenities needed to raise a Pokemon. Food, bowl, leash, collar, potions, Pokeball holding belt, and almost a bright orange scoop that was meant to throw your pokeballs farther.
After feeding Bulbasaur, I pushed a chair over to the fridge and grabbed my favorite cereal box of Ditt-o's. I pushed the chair back to the table and sat the box down as I went to grab a bowl, a spoon, milk, and a tablet.
I pulled up Pokemon training tutorials. One of the most watched videos was one by Professor Oak. Before I clicked on the video I grabbed Bulbasaur since he was done eating and sat him on my lap to watch the video with me. His head just barely making it past the top of the table allowing him to see the video.
" Hello there! Welcome to the world of pokémon! My name is Oak! People call me the pokémon Prof! This world is inhabited by creatures called pokémon! For some people, pokémon are pets. Others use them for fights. Myself...I study pokémon as a profession."
"Today we will be covering the basics of Pokemon training and battling, two subjects that are very extensive but closely intertwined." The Professor took a Pokeball out and tossed it in the air releasing the blue Nidoran trapped inside.
"Each Pokemon is filled with infinite potential and the trainer is meant to bring out the potential of their friend and partner. Through love, care, training, and experience; these Pokemon can achieve evolution, a metamorphosis where they become a stronger form. The reason for Pokemon evolution is currently unknown but the cause can vary, attributed commonly to experience, stones, and-" An ear-shattering screech emanated from outside, scaring me out of my seat and drowning out what the Professor said. Having lost interest in the video and now interested in the live battle going on outside, I ran out the sliding back door with Bulbasaur at my side.
Not far from our backyard overlooking the beach and trail were three Ekans standing surrounding an injured Seel.
"Let's go Bulbasaur!" I yelled charging through the back gate and down to the battle. "Bulbasaur I choose you!" I screamed as I ran. Even though the situation wasn't optimal, the chance to say the phrase made me feel giddy.
My yelling had drawn the attention of the Ekans' away from the Seel. "Bulbasaur use Growl!" The cry that Bulbasaur let out momentarily stunned two of the Ekans, but the third was too far off to the side that it was unaffected by the stat reducing move. It was now slithering towards Bulbasaur too fast for Bulbasaur to dodge.
"Use Rasor Leaf!" I ordered, but Bulbasaur just stared at the rapidly approaching snake Pokemon. Clearly, the reason that it was being kept in the back of the Professor's lab was that it was defective and didn't listen to my orders. "You idiot use Solar Beam then!" By this point, the Ekans was close enough to attack and it lunged in and wrapped itself around Bulbasaur. From far away, the other two Ekans started shooting tiny pins at the two. I had grown up on the island and knew that it wasn't good to be stung by a poison sting attack.
"Break free!" I ordered to no avail, the Ekans maintained it's grip and the two sustained a barrage of stings.
I ran up to the two and grabbed the Ekans by the neck and tried to pull the two apart. The other two continued to attack the three of us and I shrieked in pain as I got repeatedly stung.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of bright blue light and the stinging attacks stopped. Where the two Ekans we're was now a solid block of ice which encased the two. Twenty meters to my right along the water's edge was a Dewgong behind which hid the injured Dewgong.
The Ekans unraveled itself from Bulbasaur and its scaly skin slipped through my hands. The Pokemon rushed to a wooded area next to the trail and disappeared into the leaves and branches.
My Bulbasaur lay unconscious and poisoned at my feet. I picked him up and caressed him. I carried him to his bed and gave him an Antidote and potion from the medicine kit we'd bought the day before. On the kitchen table the video that I was watching finished.
"Your very own POKEMON legend is about to unfold! A world of dreams and adventures with Pokemon awaits! " Clearly my adventure was not off to a great start.
