Chapter 1 - Fluffy

There I was, minutes away from fulfilling my dream.

I stood in the line in front of Professor Jaques LeBlanc's lab with about twenty other kinds my age, some a bit older. Everyone were chatting about their first and second choices for starter pokémon and first catches. They had all decided their choices months ago, just like I did. I felt happy, but there was a large black shadow on my field of happiness.

My mom stood in the line, too. And she stuck out like a sore thumb.

All the other moms and dads that stood nearby were looking at her like she was a complete idiot that, frankly, I think she was. She stood there and had a happy chit-chat with the eleven-year-old kid from next door. I had no idea what they were dicussing, because I was the last person in the line and they were the first ones. She had reserved a place for me, too, but I chose to stand far away from her.

Well, not that anyone there would not have known whose mother she was.

Now, I really didn't have any problems with my Mother before. She is a friendly person with a great sense of humour and a young mind, so we understand each other really well. She's strict, but not too strict, and makes me do only a reasonable amount of household duties. I don't think she ever realized how much all this trainer stuff meant to me. That had to be it, because otherwise she would have understood I did not want her with me.

This was my thing, not hers.

And she was ruining it pretty badly.

As I was sulking by myself at the end of the line, Professor LeBlanc came out. He was a tall man with blond hair and pale skin and he was always wearing red clothes under his lab coat. The word was that he had come from some foreign country, and that seemed to be true, as he had a slight accent to his speach. I really admired Professor LeBlanc, and I had done so since I was a little kid.

"All right, everyone," he said and silenced the whole crowd with his mere presence, "Before I start giving out your starter pokémon, I have an announcement to make. As you all probably now, this year we have received a true priviledge here in Parsley Town. Instead of the regular startes given out everywhere else in Voitto, we are giving out starter pokémon from Sinnoh region. This is a true ratity, so everyone be happy!"

A storm of applauds followed his announcement. I did not know that a bunch of kids could make that much noise with their hands, but then again, I myself was clapping for at least eleven people.

"Now, come on inside, but remember to keep in line," Professor said and turned towards my Mother and the kid next to him, "Are you in the line, Mrs. Killigan?"

"Well, actually, I am," answered my mom and blushed, "And I wonder, what might that announcement of yours meant, technically speaking?"

"Ah, nothing much, Mrs. Killigan," LeBlanc laughed, "It just means that instead of the usual bulbasaur, squirtle and charmander, you now get to choose from turtwig, piplup and chimchar."

"Oh my, what if I don't know any of those?" my Mother asked.

I flipped. "Go home if you don't know anything," I yelled at her. How could she embarass me that way in front of the other kids? All those children had played with me at one point in my life, and there were some of my best friends in that line, too. There was Mari, who was practically my sister - although I think she already knew what Mom was like. There was Paul, one of the best friends I had from school. There was also Lilian, this really cute and shy girl... I could keep going forever...

"I see Jack Killigan is here today as well," professor LeBlanc said smiling, "Has everyone made their choice of pokémon already?"

His question was answered by a horrible noise as everyone started to yell what they wanted, why they wanted them and what they definitely did not want. I was grumpy, so I muttered "yes" and remained silent for the rest of the time it took to calm everyone down.

"I'm not sure yet," said my Mother. Of course it had to come. How could she not draw attention to herself by revealing her complete ignorance by every word she said?

"Piplup's the water one, turtwig's the grass one and chimcar's the fire one," helped the kid next to her.

"That's a hard choice to make," she said and sighed, "Which one's the best?"

A freezing silence floated in the air. Every single kid in the line and a couple of older siblings from the audience stared at my mom with big, round, surprised eyes, their mouths wide open from the shock. Even my mom could sense something was out of normal, as she looked rather startled. How little did she know! She should not have looked startled, she should have been absolutely horrendously terrified like I was. She had just thrown gasoline to open flames. And as I suspected, all the kids started shouting at the exact same second.

"Piplup is the best! He's a water type, so he totally rocks!"

"Turtwig, you should take turtwig! Sure he's a bit slow, but the defense is awesome!"

"Piplup as the best moves!"

"Chimchar can't learn Surf!"

"Chimchar is the best there ever was, he has fighting moves, too!"

"He's the fastest!"

"You're wrong! Don't you know anything about pokémon?"

"If you're that stupid, you should just go home. No-one sensible would pick turtwig!"

"I hate you! I have always hated you!"

"Noob!"

"CALM DOWN EVERYONE," professor LeBlanc yelled, his face as read as his shirt, "enough about this nonsense already! The next one to hit someone goes straight home and has to wait another year to get a starter. Understood?"

Nobody said a word. The professor then leaded us inside his lab and ordered us to form a line shaped like an arch. That way we could all see the round table he had put in the middle of the lab. It had three sections in it, each with about seven pokéballs.

"Mrs. Killigan should get to pick first as she seems to know nothing of these pokémon," professor LeBlanc said and pointed at his hand to make my Mother step up from the line, "Which type would you like, April Killigan?"

"A grass type for me," she stated in a clear voice. I was surprised that she actually had come to a conclusion and decided on one of the pokémon. I supposed her decision was based on the colour picture of the three pokémon that was posted on the wall. LeBlanc took a pokéball and gave it to Mom, instructing her to let the pokémon out so they could confirm her trainership to him. She let her turtwig out from the pokéball, and you wouldn't know, the most unexpected thing happened - again.

Everyone stared at her light blue turtwig as he sat on the ground and looked curiously at his new trainer.

"Umm, pardon me for asking stupid questions, but shouldn't he be green?" That, again, was my Mother.

"Mom, he's a shiny," I told her and tried to hide my utter despair. Why did she have to take everything away from me?

"He doesn't shine," my Mother protested, but the surprised professor interrupted her now that he had her ability to speak again.

"Shiny doesn't necessarily mean a shining pokémon," he explained, "Shiny pokémon are found in every species, but they're ultra super mega rare. I think the last shiny starter was seen fifty years ago, and that was in Johto. I don't think there has ever been a shiny starter turtwig. You should concider yourself very lucky, April Killigan."

"Isn't that great, Jack?" She was obviously really excited, so I just smiled at her instead of crying my eyes out. Frankly, that was the thing I wanted to do most at that time. All the kids were still silent and green from envy, but they could not possibly have known how I felt.

"W-would you like to nickname it, Mrs. Killigan..?" asked the professor in trembly voice. He was still very shocked by the shiny starter he had just given out.

"Yes, indeed I would," Mom answeared and patted her turtwig gently on the head, "I think Fluffy will do."

"Fluffy?!" I was so angry, jealous, disapointed and depressed that I didn't even know should I cry or laugh anymore, "You can't name that thing 'Fluffy'! That's insane, Mom! You should treat him with some respect!"

"I'm not the one who called him 'that thing'," Mom said and looked a bit hurt, "If I say he's Fluffy, then Fluffy he is."

That was all I could think about when I waited for my turn to choose. I kept my eyes closed and hoped that I would wake up. I didn't mind seeing my Mom often even when I was on my journey as a trainer. I always thought I'd invite her to see me and my new friends and make long phonecalls to tell her about my new pokémon and how I'd grown. But I couldn't stand the idea of her being there every day, all the time, with her stupid shiny started turtwig she named Fluffy... Of all the names in this world, she had to choose Fluffy! It was a bad name for a skitty, but for crying out loud, Fluffy the Turtwig...

"Jack Killigan, I believe you're the only one left," LeBlanc said smiling and had me open my eyes, "What would be your choice..?"

I had had a hard time deciding between piplup and chimchar, but now that Mom had a grass type, I had to have a chimchar. For that purpose, I had come up with this awesome strategy about a week ago. You know, when you're the last one to choose your starter, you never get the one you request for first. So, I decided to ask piplup first and when told there weren't any, I'd "settle" with my chimchar. The first thing I'd do with my chimchar, who I'd name either Marianne or Raymond after my father, would be beating up my Mother in a fair fight. Maybe that'd make me feel better, too.

"I want a piplup," I said. I think I was blushing out of sheer enthusiasm. My dream was finally coming true. Now it didn't matter if Mom was with me or not, because I was going to be a real pokémon trainer with real pokémon. Nobody could stop me from being happy now!

"Here you go!"

"Ahhh, too bad, I guess I'll have to take chim... Wait, what?"

"Here's your piplup. He's the last one of his kind, too, so you were lucky, young mister Killigan!" LeBlanc smiled with his whole face, beaming of happiness for the sake of my heavenly luck. Grown-ups really are more stupid than you'd think, aren't they?

"But, ah, I would want... I want a chimchar, really..." I mumbled, holding the pokéball of that held the last piplup inside it. I held it like an idiot, I really should have given it back and said I didn't want it.

"Go on, let the piplup out," LeBlanc encouraged me and pointed at the button on the pokéball. I was about to object, but a swift look at the round table silenced me. The section for chimchar balls was empty. I had not fooled the law of the last choice maker after all. I had only fooled myself. Well, a piplup wasn't so bad, was it?

As expected, he wasn't a shiny. The only thing special about him was a dark stripe on his peck. He seemed like a nice fellow, looking at me curiously and all. I knew I'd get along with him, so I started to feel at ease again.

"Would you want your name to be Piyon," I asked him out of an impulse. He looked at me, deep in thought for a while. He had such a dark eyes, and yet he looked so small and stupid. I'm not going to modify the truth to be more beautiful, he really didn't look like he was the brightest bulb in the bunch. Then he nodded.

"Piyon it is," I said and shook hands or paws or fins or whatever with him. Piyon, my piplup. So much for the name Raymond, then.

"You're surprisingly nice, Jack," professor LeBlanc told me when he gave me my blue pokedex and five pokéballs, "I really thought you'd go straight for the fire type, but look at that! You chose a water type after all. Are you planning on letting your mother win on purpose?"

That really shattered my world. I could win Mom's turtwig, whom I refuse to call Fluffy, if I really put some effort to it... But considering my luck, I was never going to beat her. Not with anything. Not even if Piyon was the most awesome piplup on the face of this earth, which I doubt.

My dream. Ah, my sweet dream was finally true, but at what cost?

When I got out of the lab, my Mom stood there with a beaming smile and her turtwig in her lap.

"I think your little pokémon and my Fluffy here are going to be friends, aren't they, Jack honey?"

The abyss I had descended to... The horrifying journey that was ahead of me... How much bad luck does a person need to have a mother that names her shiny turtwig Fluffy?

And to think that wasn't even the worse part...