"Okay, I'm all ready to go now, Mom." The boy couldn't fight the huge grin on his face. Today was the day. It was the day! Today, he was going to get his first pokemon! He could feel excitement coursing through his veins. He was soon to touch the shine and smooth of his very own pokeball, to breathe the heat of battle. It was in his bones, and he was ready! Ready to finally be a pokemon trainer.
"Honey, are you sure you have everything? Let me check again!"
The boy smiled. "Mom... I'm seriously ready to go. You've checked my bag three times now."
The woman sighed, stopping her rummaging through her son's drawers and turned to look at him. "I can't help it, Red. You're all I've got. What am I going to do without you?"
"Take up knitting maybe?"
"Red...!"
Red laughed. "Maybe I can catch you a pokemon, since you know, I'll be a real trainer!"
His mother smiled, walked over to him and ruffled his hair. "I think you'll be a great trainer. But I am going to worry, you know. So you'll have to call me every time you get to a Pokemon Center, okay?"
"Definitely!" the boy affirmed.
Setting his hat on his head, his mother asked, "It's not just your birthday today, right? Isn't that boy Blue turning ten today as well? Maybe you two can travel together!"
Red clenched his fist. "No way. All that guy ever does is make fun of me. He calls me names too! There's no way I could travel with him."
His mother sighed. "I just... wish you weren't going alone. I'd feel much better if you were with someone I could trust."
"Well, I'll have my own pokemon, and I'll make sure I train it to be really strong, so you won't have to worry. I'll be safer than anyone in Kanto with my super strong pokemon by my side!" A fiery look entered his eyes, and his mother could see there was no persuading him away from his dreams.
"Okay, okay. Well I suppose you'd better get going. Professor Oak is going to be waiting for you."
"Right!" the boy shouted. "Here I go!" With that, he ran down the stairs.
"Hey, wait! Don't forget to come back home to say goodbye after you get your pokemon!" his mother called after him.
"I won't forget!" Red was now out the door and running down the road. Every step he took brought him closer to his brand new pokemon.
The day was warm and bright, perfect for an adventure. "Which one should I get..." Red wondered to himself. "Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur... all three are good choices." He kept running. "Um... Let's see... the first gym's type is rock I guess? What's strong against rock again? Fire is the only one that isn't... So I guess I should go with Squirtle or Bulba-" Suddenly, a foot stuck out in his path, and he tripped and fell flat on his face.
"Look who finally decided to show up."
Red gritted his teeth. "Blue!" He pushed himself up, standing and staring hard at the boy in front of him. "What was that for, huh?"
Blue smirked. "For holding me up, that's why. Gramps wouldn't let me have my pokemon until you got here. Now c'mon, he's waiting, and I'm tired of standin' around." Blue led the way, and begrudgingly, Red followed.
"Ah, Red! I've been waiting." The aforementioned boy smiled when he heard that voice. Professor Oak. The lab was a familiar place to him, as he often went there to learn about pokemon. Professor Oak had allowed him to play with the pokemon at the lab, since as long as Red could remember, and so Red had been a regular visitor to the lab. Now, though, he would have his own pokemon. All the anticipation that had been building, for years, was now finally realized. He could barely hold it in.
"So have I!" the boy said, grinning.
"Well, are you ready?" Professor Oak asked, first handing him his trainer card, then gesturing towards a table. Three pokeballs sat upon it.
Red's eyes lit up. "Completely!" Moving over to the table, he stared in awe at the three spheres before him. "So I... I just... can pick whichever one I want?"
The professor smiled. "That's right. Whichever you like."
Blue crossed his arms. "No fair, Gramps! How come he gets to pick first? I've been waiting all day to get my pokemon, and now he gets first pick?"
Professor Oak sighed. "Blue... we talked about this already. Let Red pick first."
"I think... I think I want Squirtle," Red said after much thought.
Blue's eyes narrowed. "No way! That's the one I was gonna pick! Gramps, this isn't fair!"
Red couldn't help but feel a little triumphant over Blue for having chosen the one he wanted. It wasn't like he'd done it on purpose, but it certainly was a perk. "Sorry Blue, but like your grandpa said, I get to pick first."
Blue was not having this. He stomped over to Red and snatched the ball from his hands. "No! This one is mine."
"Hey! Give it back!" Red shouted, reaching for the pokeball. In a moment of anger, Red lost his temper and shoved Blue back hard into the table, releasing the other two pokemon.
Completely ignoring the situation, Red punched Blue, causing the other boy to drop the pokeball. Professor Oak was probably shouting their names and telling them to stop, but neither boy heard. They were too caught up in the moment. "Give it to me!"
"No!" Blue grabbed the ball just before Red could, and kicked him hard from his position on the floor. "Get your own pokemon. This one is mine." With that, he pushed himself up off the floor and ran as hard as he could out of the lab.
"Hey! Hey!" It was too late though. Blue was out of earshot, and there was no way Red could catch up to him now. Besides, even if he did, they would just end up in another fistfight, and although Red loathed to admit it, Blue was stronger than him. 'And he kicks pretty hard,' he thought to himself as he felt the pangs of pain in his stomach. "Well now what?" Blue had just, in a single moment, ruined his entire day.
Professor Oak sighed. "I am so sorry, Red. I tried to stop the two of you, but unfortunately, my grandson is too hotheaded to have any sense when he gets mad. I'll send a Growlithe or two out to find him, and we'll get you your Squirtle."
"Thanks..." Red murmured. This was not how he had envisioned his day.
"Mander...!" Red looked down. The Charmander that had been accidentally released was patting his leg gently. "Char char!"
The boy smiled. "Heh... thanks little guy. I think I needed that."
A few lab aides and some Growlithes prepared to go out and look for Blue. "Charmander char char!" The little lizard pokemon was somewhat of a chatterbox, and Red figured it didn't get out of its pokeball much. As he watched the Charmander, he thought about Blue. He had been too angry to realize it earlier, but the look in Blue's eyes had been one of genuine hurt. Come to think of it, he had heard that Blue had been training with the starters. Maybe... maybe he had really become attached to the Squirtle. And maybe... maybe he was jealous of Red?
Red made up his mind. "Hang on, Professor Oak. I... I want Charmander, instead."
Professor Oak blinked in surprise, picking up Charmander's pokeball from the floor and handing it to the boy. "Are you sure, Red? We can go get Squirtle for you right now, if you wanted."
"Nah, it's okay. Blue was pretty mad that I picked it. He should have it instead. And besides," Red added with a grin, "I think Charmander and I'll get along just fine."
"Well... all right. I'm still going to have to have a talk with that boy, though. He really ought to know better than to behave like that!"
Red laughed. "Yeah... well, if that's it, I guess I'll be going. My mom's waiting for me, so-"
"Oh, wait. May I ask you a favor?"
Red stopped and turned, and Charmander, who had been trailing him closely, ran into his leg. "Sure, what is it?"
"When you get to Viridian, could you pick up a package for me at the PokeMart there? I asked them to deliver it to the lab but they said it was too far out of the way. And I would go myself, but I'm very busy here. Would it be too much to ask for you to do that?"
The boy shook his head. "Nah, it's no big deal. I'll take care of it."
"Thank you very much, Red!"
"Not a problem!" the boy called out behind him. Calling his new Charmander back into its pokeball, he stepped out of the lab and took a deep breath.
He had been pretty mad when Blue had taken the Squirtle right out of his hands. However, he found himself growing rapidly attached to this little Charmander. The way things played out (aside from the kick to the stomach) had probably been for the best. Now, he really had a pokemon, and he was really a trainer.
With a broad grin, he set off. 'First home, then Viridian, then the lab, then... then who knows where!'
a.n. As always, thank you for reading, and also, please review!