The Path to Tread

Red awoke to the sound of delighted chirping from outside of his window. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, squishing a plush Pikachu in the process. He didn't pay it much mind. This day was a special one, one that Red had been looking forward to since he was small.

As he looked around, his soft gaze fell on a balloon tied to his desk chair. It was an assortment of rainbow colors, with a big number 10 in the middle. Red smiled. He was never one to get too excited about his own birthdays, but he knew that today was different.

He kicked off out of bed and dashed for his dresser. He pre-prepared his clothing of choice the night before, as he'd known that he would be on a strict time limit that morning. He was meeting Green at his grandfather's lab, and since Green waited almost half a year for Red to turn ten as well (which was obviously not something that he volunteered to do), Red didn't want to keep either of them waiting for much longer. Once he was dressed, he slung his backpack over one shoulder and trotted downstairs.

"Oh, Red!" The boy's mother was in the kitchen, folding a jacket and fitting some extra items into a small pack. "I have these for you. It's not much, but it's all good to have."

Red plopped his backpack onto the kitchen table and filled it with the supplies; a couple tubes of medicine, bandages, water bottles, containers… as Red organized his things, he realized that there was a lot more than he initially thought. Luckily, everything fit, and he was sent out the door with a quick hug.

"Don't forget, pumpkin," His mother placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come back to see me sometimes. This is your home, after all!"

"Mom…" Red could hardly look his mother in the eyes. Sure, he was excited, but now there was a giant lump in his throat. Nerves, sadness, fear. There were a lot of things holding him back at that very moment. He shoved all of those swirling emotions down so he could smile and nod, and make a mad dash for Professor Oak's lab across town.

When Red burst through the lab doors, he was greeted by Green's bright hazel eyes drilling holes into his head. His friend bore a scowl.

"Ugh, FINALLY!" The youth ran an exasperated hand through his shock of brown hair. "C'mon Red! I've been waiting for like, ten years!"

Professor Oak tapped his foot at his grandson. He was getting a bit old for the boy's relentless energy and competitive spirit. The Professor cleared his throat. "Happy birthday, Red! Are you ready for your big decision?"

Red gulped. "Y-yes Professor. I'm going to pick Charmander."

As if on cue, one of the poke balls on Professor Oak's research table exploded into light, bouncing around until it struck in front of Red's feet. Out of the red beams materialized a big orange lizard which smiled at its new trainer with razor sharp teeth. The tip of its tail ignited into flame. Red stopped himself from taking a fearful step back, as he knew that this would be his beloved partner. The Charmander blinked and gave a big hug to Red's leg. Watching all of this, Green had to turn his head away so no one would notice his lips quivering into a smile, or his reddening cheeks.

"Y-yeah, alright!" Green snorted out a flagrant laugh. "Enough with the sappy girl stuff. I want my Squirtle!"

In the same fashion that Charmander released itself from its ball, another ball on the table burst open with a flash. Except this beam directed itself at Green's face. With barely any warning, a blue turtle had rocketed into the side of its new trainer's head. Green wailed in surprise and caught the Squirtle around its tummy as it fell. "YOU… are going to be a HUGE problem…"

The Squirtle stuck its big tongue out at Green. He sneered in response.

After handing Red and Green their respective poke balls, Professor Oak waved them off and wished them well on their upcoming journey. Red watched along helplessly as Green stormed out of the lab, yelling something about becoming the best, and taking on the gym challenge to do so. Red found himself unable to take a step.

"What's wrong, my boy?"

Red sighed and turned to the Professor. "I… I'm not sure what to do. Green seems to have this all figured out. This is his whole thing."

To the young trainer's surprise, Professor Oak began to laugh. "That's the point of the adventure, Red! Green has it in his blood, always has. But most youngsters don't know what they want their lives to be like until they set out on their Pokémon journeys!"

"Oh." Red lowered his gaze, and caught eyes with his Charmander. The way this creature returned his stare, how it smiled, and wagged its tail, as if it knew what Red was thinking and wanted to be there for him through whatever he decided. Red pursed his lips and nodded. A memory arose for him in that moment.

Holding Green's hands tight in his own like it happened days ago and dwelling on the promise he made.

"I'm right behind you, Green!"