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Chapter 2

I heaved another sigh, wishing that this world would make more sense than it does. I stepped forward and opened the door to the building in front of me and walked in to what I expected. The walls were clean and white. A few machines were scattered around and an assistant was working on one of them. Near the back stood professor birch, the Pokemon Professor of the region.

I squinted for a little while at the man. He was mid to upper thirties and had a well trimmed beard with wild hair. His face was very square and was wearing sandals under a lab coat and shorts. I felt a dull throbbing when I tried to remember his name until it clicked. Birch. As soon as I remembered the pain faded.

The only thing that wasn't expected was another person standing next to Birch and talking quickly to him. The boy was a little taller than me, which was to be expected, since I de-aged, and was now, presumably, ten. He wore a long sleeve red and black shirt, black pants with yellow accents a the ends, and black and yellow fingerless gloves.

As I watched, he slid a funny looking white hat on over his black hair and I recognized him. It was Brendan, the male sprite/rival for ruby and sapphire. I quickly glanced at my clothes and realized that they were the emerald version clothes for him. I was glad he wasn't wearing them, and also glad that I looked nothing like him, except the white hair, but his was a hat.

I laughed lightly, thinking back to all those boards on the internet that had argued over whether it was hair or a hat. I guess I had that answer, and even though I had been one of the ones to argue hair, I was glad it wasn't, I really didn't want to look anymore like him except for the clothes that he didn't even wear.

Unfortunately, my laugh attracted their attention, and when I looked up again they were all staring at me. It was a little creepy, cuz all the sounds they were making had cut off.

"Um... Hi." I murmured, my voice breaking the quite, "I'm Ryan, a new trainer?"

"Ah!" Professor Birch almost yelled, "You can get your new Pokemon right away, but first I'll need to see your trainer card."

I grew anxious and slipped my pack off, hoping that it was in there. In the front pocket, which also had a Pokeball, was a small plastic card. I pulled it out and looked at it closely. It literally said 'Trainer Card' in the top left hand corner, the top right having my ID number. There was a picture of me on the right, and my stats on the left. In Name it read Ryan Terrar, and gave me a weird pang behind my eye. It took me a few minutes to snap out of the feeling that something was immensely wrong with my last name.

I handed the bit of plastic over to Birch and looked to Brendan. He had a Mudkip sitting on his shoulder and was talking to it. I watched until the Professor tapped my shoulder, redirecting my attention to three Pokeballs set out on the table. In front of each was a small little picture tag of what was inside.

I looked over each and instantly ruled out Mudkip. I had no want to relate myself to Brendan anymore, and I also always picked water, it was time for a change. I had it down to Torchic and Treecko. Treecko was cool looking, and would be good against the first gym, but Torchic was a fire type and with the new rules in place would provide me with a type I probably wouldn't get my hands on later. When it evolved it would be fire/fighting. It would be useful later against steel types and normal types.

Shaking my head ruefully, I reached for Treecko's ball. It was cooler, less likely to cook me, and the last part of the game was all ocean and cave anyways. There's no way I could go wrong with that.

I picked up the Treecko ball. "I pick-"

"Actually, that ball is empty. Sorry it slipped my mind but I only have a Torchic right now. Ah, Torchic, it's a very good choice for someone who wants to be a powerful trainer." Birch said, cutting me off. "Why don't you let it out and give it a nickname?"

After placing Treecko's ball back on the counter and picking up my second choice I pressed the button on the ball and released the small bird. Professor Birch handed me a Pokedex that was already displaying the information on my little bird. It seemed to be male and level seven, knowing scratch, growl, and focus energy.

"Level seven?" I questioned the professor.

"Well, the other Torchic I had was taken yesterday by a new trainer, and I've had this one at the lab for a little longer."

I nodded, only half listening to his explanation as I thought over a nickname. Blaze and those kind of nicknames are overused, I thought. It would definitely be better to go with something more original, yet still related to fire types. In the back of my head I was still sour over the fact that I wouldn't have a Treecko.

"Hey, little bud." I said, crouched next to the bird. "I'm Ryan, your new trainer. How would you like to be named Volk, short for volcano?"

"Tor-CHIC!" Volk yelled, jumping up and down, then blushing and hiding from the onlookers behind me. I nodded to the three inside and walked out, Volk clinging to me. I sat out side against a tree at the southern part of town. The sun was now coming up and I watched as cloud's shadows skidded by.

As Volk ran around, chirping happily, I opened my pack to see what rested inside. In the main part I had a few changes of clothes, all looking the same as what I currently wore. The side pockets yielded more, the left having the antidote from earlier and the right holding about five potions.

I glanced up, working a crick out of my neck and glimpsed someone wearing red and black walking toward Oldale. That reminded me that there was a Pokemart in the town. I wondered if they sold clothes there, then turned my attention back to my bag.

Underneath the clothing was a very compressed sleeping bag. I was amazed at how small and light it was, and glad that I had it. The last pocket I had already looked through. I replaced my trainer ID and slipped the five extra Pokeballs in. I put the backpack back on and placed Volk's ball in a small Pokeball pocket in the front and stretched.

If there was one thing I knew about this world, it was that I was already in love with it.