Chapter two: The Comforts of Home

The air was hot and sticky as Yellow made his way out of Viridian City. The previous day's storm seemed to be lingering in the air and light grey clouds blotted out the sun. With no threat of a storm on the horizon, there were many more pokémon on the streets than there had been the day before, and Yellow was able to take in the sight of the bustling city in a way he hadn't had time to do yesterday. He did need to hurry back to Pallet Town without delay, but as he set a brisk pace towards Route One, he gazed around in wonder at the sheer variety of pokémon out and about. Pallet town was a fairly homogeneous town; most pokémon were at least distantly related to the locals and there were very few of the more exotic species residing in the small town. Many of the pokémon he passed he had only ever seen in pictures or on the television. He wondered this kind if diversity was common in all cities, or if Viridian was the exception because of its proximity to the League.

He quickly reached the outer limits of the city and left the noise of it behind him. In contrast, Route One was quiet and tranquil. It was still early in the morning and it was uncomfortably humid, so he wasn't expecting much company on the long walk home. He did nod to a family of exhausted looking rattata who were making their way into the city with large packs on their backs, likely berry merchants if the smell of them were anything to go by, but then he was alone, left with only the slight rustling of leaves as a cooling breeze wound its way up the path.

Yellow headed straight to Oak's lab when he finally reached Pallet Town a few hours later. It was hard to miss- a large white building on the only real hill in town. It was powered by a windmill that stood just behind it on the apex of the hill. The large arms of the windmill were turning lazily in the breeze as Yellow made his way slowly to the main entrance, his short legs aching by the time he reached the top. The massive door of the lab slid open to reveal an even larger room beyond it. Some of the professor's assistants were milling about, tinkering with machines whose purpose Yellow couldn't even guess at. Yellow suddenly understood why the lab needed its own source of power. Pallet Town's rustic power grid wouldn't be able to handle this many computers and machines running at the same time. At the sound of the door closing one of the assistants- a poliwhirl- looked up from his workspace and walked over to Yellow.

"You're Yellow, right? The pikachu who picked up Oak's package for us? Come right this way, I'll bring you to the Professor."

Yellow followed the poliwhirl as directed, trying not to feel more anxious than he already was. He had hoped he could just drop off the package and go home, but it seemed that Professor Oak wanted to thank him and give him this mysterious reward in person. The poliwhirl brought Yellow to a closed door and knocked. There was the sound of a large pokémon walking across the room and the door opened to reveal Professor Oak.

Yellow had lived in Pallet Town all his life, but he never got used to seeing Professor Oak, once the champion of Kanto, now the famous pokémon researcher, in person. He looked much as he did in one of the posters on Yellow's bedroom wall, only fifty years older now. His golden scales didn't sparkle as vibrantly as they once did, but they hadn't quite dulled, either. His eyes still shone with pride and intelligence, and he was still one of the largest pokémon that Yellow had ever encountered in person. Yellow had to crane his neck to look at his face. He pushed down the instinctual fear that comes of looking into the face of a dragonite as Oak peered down to look at him.

"Ah! Yellow! Just in time! You have the package?"

Yellow nodded and pulled the box in question out of his bag. Oak smiled.

"I'm betting that you're curious as to what's inside, right?"

Yellow had been curious, but he wasn't planning to say anything about it for fear of seeming nosy. He nodded again (his voice hadn't seemed to find itself yet). Oak laughed kindly and opened the box. He pulled out a small red device and handed it to Yellow.

"I'm calling it a Pokédex. It's the new prototype I've been working on. It allows the user to record and analyze battles and information about pokémon species on a convenient to carry device. I've been trying to figure out what makes pokémon work. What makes all of us unique from each other. It's meant to be used in the field, and that's where you come in, Yellow."

Yellow turned the Pokédex over in his hands wondering what Oak could possibly mean. The professor continued, "I need someone to be my field researcher. I need my assistants here at the lab, so none of them can go, and I need this project to be completed by someone I can trust. There are quite a few rivals of mine who would love to get their hands on this device and I can't hire outside of pokés that I already know, for fear of hiring a plant from one of my rivals. You're perfect. I've known your family for years and I know you are a hard worker and intelligent. So, what do you say? An all-expenses paid trip across Kanto, researching what makes pokémon, pokémon?"

"No."

Yellow had blurted out the answer before Oak could continue. He hadn't even given it much thought, his answer came out without thinking, but he knew immediately he had said the right thing. He couldn't leave his home for who knows how long, can't rough it in the wilderness, can't leave his mother, can't fend for himself…He'd be dead before he got to Pewter City.

Professor Oak didn't look too surprised, or too disappointed, and while Yellow wasn't sure how to feel about that, he was relieved that Oak didn't look too let down by his answer. Realizing that he was still holding the red Pokédex, he hastily handed it up to the professor and tried to put the uncomfortable feeling in his gut into words.

"Sorry, Professor, but I'm not sure I'm the right pokémon for the job. I hope you find someone suitable and thank you for the offer! It means a lot that you would even consider me." Yellow wasn't lying. Professor Oak, one of, if not the most, famous pokémon in Kanto considered him trustworthy and intelligent. That thought alone was enough for him to ignore the strange feeling in his stomach as he said his goodbyes and left the lab.

Yellow took the long way home, taking in the sights of the familiar town. He had grown up here. He knew his neighbors, knew all the shopkeepers, knew all their children. Yellow had never seriously considered leaving Pallet Town. Growing up of course he always imagined of going on a journey of his very own, every kid did, but as he got older that dream faded when the realities of what leaving Pallet Town would mean kicked in. It would mean being all alone. Even more alone than he was already. At least here he had his mom, had a familiar routine. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happened in Pallet Town unless you worked at the professor's laboratory. Yellow thought about Viridian City, about all the pokémon he had seen there. He thought about Judy, a stranger turned friend. He would probably never see her again.

Yellow pushed that train of thought aside as he came up to his house. As he opened the door he shouted, "Mom? I'm home!"

"Yellow!"

There was a blur and then Yellow found himself in the arms of his mother, being squeezed so hard that he couldn't breathe. She was wearing an apron and Yellow could smell the comforting scent of a freshly baked apple pie wafting from the kitchen. If he'd left he wouldn't get to eat her pie anymore. And why would she bake a pie with nobody to eat it? Judy's mom makes apple pie too… said the voice in his head, but he shook it away as his mom squeezed him again.

"I was so worried about you last night!" Yellow's mom let go of him and took a step back, examining him from head to toe as if to see if any pieces of him were missing. "When the storm blew through I was worried you'd be caught out in it! Did you make it to the city ok? Did you run into any trouble? Oh, I knew I should have gone with you! What if you had been attacked by some thugs! Cities are dangerous places you know, especially for someone like you! Have you already gone to see the professor? What was the reward he was talking about?"

Yellow smiled. He had expected this kind of reaction from his mother. Just another reason he couldn't leave Pallet Town. She would kill herself with worry over him if this was what one night away did to her. He followed her to the kitchen as he updated her on his trip.

"I got to the city just before the storm, and there was no one on the road the whole way there. I made sure to be aware of my surroundings, just like you told me, but there was no trouble. I stayed the night at the pokémon center with a nice mankey from Cerulean City, and I dropped off the professor's package as soon as I got into town."

Yellow's mother seemed mostly satisfied as she handed him a slice of pie. He hoped that the combination of his answer and the pie would make her forget her last question.

"So what was the reward from Oak for running his errand for you? I swear that man has gotten lazy in his old age, he could have flown to the city and back in a few hours, but he makes you go fetch his package and waste a whole day and a half."

Yellow smiled. His mom was so predictable. It was comforting, it really was.

"Mom, really, it was okay! The Professor is a busy pokémon, he probably was in the middle of something and couldn't step away, and I actually enjoyed getting to see the city!"

"And what was the reward?"

Yellow groaned internally. So much for the hope that she'd forget. He should have known better.

"Well, it actually has to do with the package he had me pick up. It was a new prototype for a device and he needs someone to do some field research with it. The reward was that he wanted me to do it. He said that I'm trustworthy and intelligent."

Yellow swelled with pride recalling the professor's words, and saw his mother perk up in excitement.

"Yellow! That's fantastic! I always knew you'd probably end up working for him! What kind of field research is it? Is it a permanent position?"

Yellow's good mood slipped away. His mom was so proud of him, and now he had to crush that happiness.

"I actually turned him down, Mom."

His mom startled. "What? Why? I told you already, I don't need much help in the shop this summer, that nice rattata from down the street has offered to help, you don't have to worry about me! You can get a real job!"

"The field research he wants me to do, it involves travelling. Across the country. For an indefinite period of time."

"Oh." His mom slumped a little. Yellow could see the realization sink in. Taking this job would mean leaving her, going out into the world, and probably dying out there, because he doesn't know the first thing about life outside this town.

"Yeah. I can't leave for that long, Mom. And you do need help this summer! That rattata doesn't know the first thing about selling anything! She'll run us out of business if you let her!"

Yellow's mom shook her head. He could tell that she was gearing herself up to say something that went against her nature. She always twisted her apron when she told a lie, and her apron was currently bunched up in a ball in her fist.

"Don't worry about me, Yellow! This is a fantastic opportunity! Of course I'm worried about you, I'm your mother, but you're all grown up now, you can go on this journey, like you always wanted to when you were a kid!"

"Mom, I can't, I already told him no, and anyway, I don't even want to! I'm not a kid anymore, I haven't wanted to go on a journey in years!"

His mom didn't seem convinced. How could he convince her that this wasn't what he wanted? She was just saying those things because she wanted to support him, even if it meant him leaving her behind.

"Promise me you'll consider it, okay Yellow? I don't want you to regret anything."

Yellow nodded. Whatever he could do to convince her that he was right in turning down the Professor.

"Alright! You go do that thinking while I make dinner, okay? The flowers along the beach are looking awfully pretty right now. I know how they always make you feel happy. Go take a walk and think, but come back home once the sun sets!"

Yellow knew his mom wouldn't take no for an answer, so he ate his last bite of pie and headed down to the beach. Besides, she was right. The flowers by the beach would look really nice in the sunset.

NOTES:

Another short chapter, and mostly dialogue, sorry! Once the plot actually starts, chapters should get a bit longer.

Next time, on WALiaPW, we meet Yellow's childhood friend turned bully, there's a fight, and Yellow makes his decision.