As I began the trip home, I began sorting through the events of the day in my head.
"Ok, so I had that strange dream about making a choice, and chose the Pokémon one. Woke up in a world with people and a body I don't recognize. The people that are apparently my parents believe I have amnesia. It turns out I am in the Pokemon World, specifically the Hoenn region. There seems to be nothing physically wrong with me, and even Professor Birch seems to believe I could be a trainer. This...this is a chance to make my dream come true. But..."
As I walked past a small park, I could see many people running around playing with Pokémon, parents, children, grandparents, couples, and friends just running around hanging out.
"What about my family...my friends...my fiancé?" I began to feel tears welling up. I made my way to a tree on the edge on the park so as not to draw attention to myself. As I felt the emotions overtake me, I collapsed to the ground, slumping up against the same tree.
"Is this really worth it though? I care about my parents and I know they care about me, even though they haven't always been supportive of my decisions. All my friends, my gaming buddies. Some of the best times I've had in my life have been with them. Work, days out, picnics, gaming grind sessions, parties...how can I just be ok with leaving that? But...most of them have moved away or are always working, and I barely get to see them anymore. The online guys as well, busy schedules and inconveniences all the time."
Just as I started to feel better, the biggest emotion hit me. "Vanessa...we've been together for years. We've been through so much, we were each other's first, we got engaged and were planning a life together...lately though, it's felt like we've drifted apart and sometimes I wonder if we are really up for all the responsibilities that this entails. I'm really not sure if I can even handle it, especially children. The thought of finding someone else has crossed my mind, but we've been together for so long...I don't...I don't want to just throw that all away for a whim, for a chance. And she would be so devastated, I just can't do that to her..."
I was blatantly bawling my eyes out at that point. I was glad no one was around to see, I'd hate to have whatever reputation Alex had to be tarnished. It turned out though, there was something observing me. I felt something brush up against me and I jumped. When I looked, it was a Zigzagoon. He must have been watching me, and decided to come up and rub up against my side. He looked up at me, his eyes looked confused. I reached down to pet him, and he looked so happy.
"Hey little guy. Sorry if I'm bothering you. I have a lot on my mind and just don't know what I should do. This land...it's so foreign to me. And yet, I feel comfortable...". My train of thought was thrown off when the Zigzagoon jumped up into my lap and curled up. I just sat there in awe, petting what must have been a wild Pokémon.
"If a wild Pokémon could be so comforting to a complete stranger, just imagining what comfort a team of my own could bring." I thought to myself. "A team that I could raise and take care of, that would always be there for me. True friends, that I could always rely on. Traveling the region, and maybe even beyond one day."
I wiped my eyes with my free hand and motioned to the Zigzagoon that I was about to get up. He looked up at me, kinda disappointed as he had to jump down. I kneeled down to play with him one last time, and the smile that came across his face nearly brought me to tears again.
"Thanks little guy, I really needed that. You take care of yourself, I can't wait to see the beautiful Linoone you grow up to be." He yipped happily, then took off back towards the woods.
I finished my hike home, taking a few minutes longer than originally planned due to the rest. I walked into the house to a heavenly smell. "Hey, I'm home" I said as I headed towards the kitchen.
"Oh honey, welcome home". My mom said with a smile. "How was your walk?"
My expression turned sad for a moment, but a smile soon surfaced. "It was nice. I was able to…take some time to reflect on things."
"That's good. How was your meeting with Professor Birch?"
"It went well. It was...very informative."
"Well, perhaps we can discuss it...and other things over dinner. It should be ready in a few minutes. Why don't you head upstairs and get washed up?" I nodded hesitantly and headed upstairs. I changed into some more relaxed clothes and cleaned up a bit from the wall home. I could see bits of Zigzagoon hair on my clothes, which made me smile. Mom yelled up the stairs that dinner was ready, breaking my concentration. I was a bit nervous for dinner, since I wasn't sure how to talk about everything. I decided to just go with the flow and see what happens, I was always good at thinking on my feet.
Dinner looked amazing; burgers and fries with all the toppings. My parents motioned for me to dig in, and I did. The food was so good, juicy and flavorful. I did have a thought in the back of my head as to where this meat came from, but I decided not to think much about it right now. About half way through the meal, my father turned to me.
"So, how did you know who Professor Birch was and why did you wanna meet with him" He and my mother both seemed to be eyeing me curiously.
"Well, I remembered he was the Professor of this region. I thought he may be a good person to speak to about the situation and see what he had to say. Kind of look at it from another angle."
"You mean a Pokémon angle?" My dad said with a bit of a scowl.
"Well, yeah. Since the only things I seemed to remember revolved around Pokémon, I thought he would be good to talk to. Maybe he had heard about something similar, or if a Pokémon could have had a role in this." I was really stretching the truth, but it wasn't a complete lie.
"So what did he have to say honey?" My mom said smiling, signaling to my dad to relax.
"Well, he never saw anything like it either. He asked me a few questions about what I could remember and was really surprised with how much I could recall. Apparently some of the knowledge I had I shouldn't even know."
"Well, you stayed at the academy for the full length of time and spent a lot of time on your computer as well, maybe you came across it without realizing it". Said my dad, seeming like he was trying to downplay the conversation.
"John, please." My mom scolded. "So, what else did you two discuss? You can be honest with us honey." She looked at my dad as she said this, causing him to shift a little. I knew this next part wasn't going to be easy, but I had to power through.
"I told him that I found out my dream had been to become a Pokémon trainer. I asked him if he thought I still could. He took a minute to think, but decided he thinks I can be. He did say though, that he wants me to take the next 2 weeks to relearn a bunch of things about the world so that I would be well prepared to head out. He is getting a game plan ready and if I still want to try, I should report to him in the morning. He said he will test my knowledge in two weeks and will grant me my trainers license if I meet his expectations. I know you guys have your reservations, but I still feel like this is the best fit for me." I felt nearly out of breath after saying all of that. Both of my parents closed their eyes and took deep breaths, worrying me as to how they would respond.
The silence hung in the air for a moment, as I awaited the cascade of remarks that they were inevitably going to start letting loose. However, they were calm. My father put down his burger and looked at me.
"You probably don't remember why we were so hesitant to let you go on this journey." He got up from the table and walked towards the living room as he spoke. "The reason is...I tried to do the same. I left home when I was eighteen to become a trainer as well...". He arrived at a cabinet and opened the drawer. He retrieved a picture in a frame and brought it over to me. "I had only been traveling for about 3 months, but felt I had been doing well. I had 3 Pokémon in my party and we were ready to challenge the gym in Rustboro. We were battling in the woods to do some last minute training and my Wingull was fighting a rather strong Breloom. On the final hit, the Breloom was able to poison my Wingull. I didn't even notice at the time and we kept on going. By the time I realized he was poisoned, he was in really bad shape. I opened my pack to get an antidote, but I didn't have any. I tried to rush back to Petalburg to the Pokemon center, but got lost because I panicked. I managed to get out of the woods and on to Route 104, but...". I saw a tear form in his eye. "He succumbed to the poison before I made it to the city limits. I broke down on the side of the route, just sitting there for hours. I was exhausted, and nearly didn't make it myself. A young woman found me and helped me back to the city. That woman...was your mother." He smiled softly as he looked at her as she returned the gesture. "I realized that I was not cut out to be a Pokémon trainer. I wasn't in tune with my Pokémon, I wasn't prepared, I panicked in a dire situation, and could have lost my own life too. I released my Zigzagoon and Mudkip into the wild after explaining what happened and saying my goodbyes. I used the last little bit of money I have to get someone to take me to Mt. Pyre to lay Wingull to rest. I returned home broke and unsure what to do. A local company was hiring for construction and brought me on board. It isn't glamorous or the best paying, but it's honest work and along with your mom's secretary job, we've been able to have a nice life. The last thing we want is to see you go through something like that."
My mom walked over and hugged my dad, them both turning to me. "We know how important this dream was...is to you. We just want you to realize what kinds of risks are involved. You aren't just watching out for yourself, you'll have a team you need to take care of. You may not always have food, money, or shelter. It may also be difficult if you decide you want to settle down one day and start a family if you don't have a steady place to stay. If you still want to do this, we will support you. We just want to make sure you know the risks". My mom had a tear rolling down her cheek during the last part.
I took a moment to take in all of what my father said as I looked at the photo. I could see my father, a bit younger and dressed similarly to how I was earlier today. He was sitting cross legged underneath a tree with his Pokémon. He had a Zigzagoon curled up on his lap, Mudkip balanced on his right shoulder, and Wingull sitting on his outstretched left arm. That all looked so happy together, it was a feeling of friendship that I always wanted. I stood up, walking over to my parents giving them both a big hug.
"Thank you. I know that must have been hard for you and hearing me want to follow the same footsteps doesn't make it any easier. Despite all that, I still want to try. The fact that the only thing I can remember with this amnesia is all Pokemon related and even Professor Birch having faith in me just seems too coincidental. I still think I can make this my future, I at least want to give it a shot. If things don't work out or it gets to be more than I bargained for, I'll know when to call it. As you guys said, I have a lot of potential. If this doesn't work out, I'm sure I can still find a normal job that I can do well in. Worst case is I lose a few years, I imagine many college students have lost just as much time deciding a major. So, I plan to take up Professor Birch on his offer tomorrow and become a Pokémon trainer.
My parents looked at each other and nodded. "Ok" my dad said as I handed him back the photo. "You obviously have given this a lot of thought, and so quickly given recent events. We will support you no matter what, and be here when you need us. Now, let's finish eating before the food gets cold."
Mom and I both laughed at this and sat back down to eat. We finished dinner, cleaned up, and I headed up to my room. I changed and got into bed while messing with my phone. I ended up falling asleep rather early, most likely due to the events of the day. That night, I had the same dream as the night before. I was again asked to make a choice. This time, though hesitant, I chose the Pokédex again.