A/N: Some of you can't read "thirtieth" (30th), and I already said he lived through university and job, etc... smh. Next episode has some fights!

Episode 7: Viridian City Pokemon Center

Allow me to dedicate this entire chapter of my narrative in describing the first Pokemon Center I've ever been in my life. Both in-game and in real (second) life!

Let's get this straight. Pokemon Centers are not like they are in the games. It's not a small building where you're the only one looking to get his Pokemon healed up. They're usually the biggest building in each city, because they provide services to not only Pokemon trainers, but also treats rescued wild Pokemon that were injured, has in-patient Pokemon rooms, basic triage areas for people with Pokemon-inflicted wounds/injuries, etc.

This one in Viridian City is actually four stories tall. It has a cafeteria in the basement (typical), and the treatment center is actually on the second floor, not the first. Have you been to a "Pokemon Center" store in Japan or somewhere else? They usually have Pokemon dolls, toys, etc. Well imagine an entire floor of that on the first floor here. They also do have shops that sell Pokeballs and potions, etc., but just the standard merchandise.

When I walked in the first floor, I was immediately welcomed by receptionists by the entrance. They asked how they could help me and I said I needed my Pokemon to be looked at by a doctor. They sent me to the second floor.

Sorry guys… no nurse Joy. Let's be serious. The notion that all the Nurses Joy were physically identical to each other is just comically ridiculous. It was just a way for the animated series to save time and money on the show. I'm glad it didn't translate to this world.

I took a number and waited for my turn, and a regular Pokemon nurse took my Pokeballs on a tray and processed the treatment. They were released to me within a matter of minutes on account that they weren't injured at all. Treatment was free!

Afterwards, I decided to explore the other services offered at the Pokemon Center. Item storage and Pokemon storage are totally interesting. I didn't have anything to deposit myself, but I looked over the shoulders of some people using this machine to do so. There's a giant metal box that opens and closes, and I think it somehow "digitizes" physical objects to store and withdraw them. It kinda looks like a bigger version of those personnel screening machines at the airport.

It was a long day, but it was still only my first day in this world. It was going to take some time for me to get used to how things worked here. There were fascinating technology and socio-cultural norms that I needed to become accustomed to.

And suddenly I was tired. And hungry.

Even though mentally I was still me from the previous life, I realized that I was in the body of this ten year-old boy. The physical exertion of the day had taken a toll.

The receptionist told me that in a separate wing of the Pokemon Center, there was a place where Pokemon trainers could rent a small room for a fee. I grabbed some takeout food from the cafeteria downstairs and headed over to the check-in counter.

"Pokerooms," they were called. A staff member asked me how many days I was staying, and I said just one. He also asked me what kind of Pokemon I had with me, and when I asked him why he asked, he said it was because if I had bigger Pokemon (an Onix, for example), I would have to rent a bigger room if I wanted to rest with him. When I asked him why I would take my Pokemon out of the Pokeballs, he looked at me like a monster.

Turns out that hunger and fatigue levels of the Pokemon aren't "frozen" when they go in the Pokeball. Pokeballs are just a convenient way to carry the Pokemon, but you still need to take them out of the Pokeballs and feed them, etc. Have you ever smelled Pokemon poo? Be glad you never had to.

I got the standard size room for one night, and was panicking when the guy asked me for 2000 Pokedollars. That was a sizeable chunk from what my funds. But then I realized water from the vending machine costed like 200 Pokedollars, and decided… not bad. I was just gonna have to figure out how to make money.

I'm a ten year-old. On a road. Alone. With limited funds. And that was normal.

This was a weird world.

I just wanted to paint a picture of the everyday life of people in this world, since none of this is an element featured in the original games. In future parts of my narrative, I will not dwell on these things, unless I am introducing something new or particularly interesting.

I spent the rest of the evening with all three of my Pokemon, feeding them Pokemon feed (kinda like dog food) that all of them seemed to enjoy. Later I would find that Bulbasaur also enjoys eating plants and flowers, Squirtle fish and plankton, and Charmander small insects and such. Yes, there are regular animals in this world too.

The next morning, I was going to ask for directions to the local Pokemon goods store, when something interesting happened. The staff at the front desk said I had a delivery from someone named Professor Oak from Pallet Town.

I opened a small box and found a small red electronic device about the size of a smartphone.

My very own Pokedex.