The problems began when Jason first stepped off the bus. He looked around and frowned.
This… was not familiar to him.
He had been here once before, on a day where his father took him and his brother to work. Though this wasn't the stop they got off on last time. Or was it? Tried as he might, he couldn't remember. The city was vast, and unfamiliar to him. And as the bus hissed and rolled away behind him, he wondered where he should go.
He turned in a circle, and saw a building with a red roof.
Look, Jason, his mother had once told him, Look for the red rooftops. That's how you know where the hospitals are. They're Pokémon Centers.
"Maybe I can find some directions there," he told himself.
Inside the building was a large lobby and a long desk at the other end. Nurses were tending to people there, returning Pokémon to their owners, or informing them on behaviors.
One nurse made eye contact with Jason, freezing him in place. The young woman looked at him skeptically, perhaps wondering what the story was. Jason managed to tear away his gaze from the lady and scan the room.
There, over in the far corner of the lobby. A map! That's exactly what he needs!
Jason hurry-walked over to the board. The maps showed the whole region on one side, and the town map on the other.
Okay… so the road to the Pokémon League is… there. Okay… What street was he on again? Wait, red building. He's on this street. Oh. Awesome. Okay. It's just that easy.
"Excuse me."
Jason jumped and turned around. The nurse he made eye contact with had stepped out from behind the desk and appeared behind him.
"Are you okay, honey?" she asked sweetly. "You're not lost, are you?"
Jason just stared at her. The creases in her forehead and the growing space between her eyebrows suggested worry. Her eyes were wide and caring. She was young, but Jason couldn't tell how young. Definitely older than he is.
Jason coughed and shook his head.
"Okay…" she seemed unconvinced. "Do you need help with anything? Do you need me to call someone?"
Jason's shoulders seized up and he shook his head even harder.
"Okay, well," the nurse relented reluctantly. "You'll tell one of us if you need help, right?"
She lightly gestured to the desk nearby. Jason nodded and betrayed a little smile to her.
He checked the map again, mentally noting the turns and roads, before turning to leave. He walked around the nurse, who continued to watch him skeptically. Before he reached the door, he turned to the nurse one last time, who nervously waved goodbye, which he reciprocated.
He strode through the city, bag strap in his grip and taking the sights in. He took the memorized route, all the way to the road that lead into a forest. His route wound itself around trees, almost like the forest was trying to hide and fortify Jason's destination even further than it already had.
He took a step forward. This is the route to the Pokémon League!
"I wouldn't, if I were you."
Jason jumped and spun around. What is with people sneaking up him today?!
The other boy walked up to him and wore a permanent scowl on his face. He had his jeans tucked into his hiking boots. He wore a jacket, and a camper's backpack.
"They don't let in tourists," he continued to warn Jason.
Jason blinked, confused. First off, he wasn't a tourist. He's from the next town over.
"You dumb, or something?" the kid looked him up and down.
"Wait-a-minute," he apparently realized. "You're that special-ed freak. Jason, right?"
Jason looked down and cough.
The kid laughed, bitterly.
"I guess they'll give anybody a starting partner, huh?" he chuckled. "Let me guess who it is. Squirtle, right?
Jason didn't answer, didn't budge.
"No… Bulbasaur," he guessed. Jason flinched, trying to tuck his head further away from his words.
"I knew it!" the kid threw his head back and stepped away to laugh. "The retard picks the grass type, what a surprise! Aw man, for a second there, I thought I had an actual rival!"
Jason shifted his weight from foot to foot.
"…Why?"
"Huh?" the kid shaped up quick enough.
"Why don't they let tourists in?" Jason worded slowly. It was a drain on his energy.
The boy rolled his eyes. "They wouldn't let a retard like you in anyway," he answered, "And you need badges to get in. Eight of them."
"…Okay."
Jason walked forward, back the way he came. The kid had to scramble out of his way. He walked as fast as he could back to the Pokémon Center, feeling disheartened. His head hung low, staring at the sidewalk as he went along his way.
His stomach growled. What time was it? He pulled out his phone and realized he never turned it on. He found a bench on the sidewalk and sat down, resting his feet.
The phone blipped to life and immediately started ringing. Jason panicked as he realized it was his mother, he carefully hit the red button and checked the recent updates on its home screen. His face paled as he saw the number of calls he had from both his parents.
He quickly turned the phone back off and pocketed it. So, uh, it's time for lunch, for him and his partner.
He set his bag down in front of him and pulled out a bowl and a canister of pokéfood. The cylinder was half empty; he would need to get some more soon.
He filled the bowl and took out his pokéball. Bulbasaur had been cooped up in there all day.
He let the little guy out in a flash of light, and his little buddy blinked at the light of the town around him.
"Hey, buddy," Jason greeted. "Time to eat."
Bulbasaur happily dug in, not at all complaining. Jason pulled out his own lunch, leisurely eating his sandwich and some snacks. He'd much rather have it on a table, but this was the sort of thing you sign up for when becoming a Pokémon Trainer. You become a hobo who fights for money.
He chewed his food thoroughly before swallowing, though he couldn't enjoy it as much as he usually would. Those words rang loudly in his head. He knew he was different, from other kids, from everyone. Sometimes he felt like the smartest person in the room; and a minute later he would say something that made him feel like the dumbest kid in the world.
Jason shook off the thoughts. No school! Only adventure! It's you and Bulbasaur against the world! Nothing can ruin this for you!
He decidedly shoved whatever was left of his lunch and zipped up his bag.
"Come on, Bulbasaur!" he patted his partner and stood. "I know there's a gym in this town, and we're getting a badge! The first of many!"
The little green monster looked back up at him and licked his chops, satisfied.
They took a few steps away before coming face to face with a police officer. She looked down at him with a friendly air of concern.
"Hey there," she greeted with a friendly wave. "Are you lost, bud?"
Jason couldn't help but notice the secondary officer watching from a few feet away, half standing out of his car. He was watching Jason skeptically.
Jason felt his eye twitch. So many conversations in one day… This was getting tiring. Wait, maybe they can tell him what he needs to know!
"Um…" Jason stuttered, trying to collect the words from his thoughts. "Where's the gym?"
The officer raised an eyebrow.
"Is that where your dad is? Is he working out at the gym?"
Working out? What is she-?
Jason blinked, then furrowed his brow in irritation.
"The Pokémon Gym," he clarified.
"Oh," the officer cleared her throat. "It's actually right around that corner. Are you sure you don't need any-?"
"No."
Jason walked around her, with Bulbasaur trotting behind him on his heels.
They approached and entered the building in question. Jason didn't even have the time to contemplate how intimidating it was. He wanted to get this done. He needed to get this done.
He walked into the lobby and approached the front desk. His mind in a single tracked haze.
"Here to challenge the Gym Leader?"
Jason nodded.
"Okay," the receptionist smiled. For the life of him, Jason couldn't absorb his features. "She should still be here. I'll just let her know and… There! You're good to go. Just go through those doors and wait for her there."
Jason obeyed, and walked into the massive arena. This was it. This is the first step to a grander scheme.
He was meant to be here.