Hi, my name is Brendan. I just turned 13 a month ago. And, for the sixth time, my family is moving again.
The official reason is that my dad accepted a job as a Gym Leader. And while he did do that, I know the real reason: my mom is paranoid about some dangerous gangs and wanted to get as far away from them as possible.
Now, you might think that it's hard to make friends when you move around as much as I do. Well, you'd be right.
Not that I'm very good at making friends anyway...
The moving truck is coming to a stop, which means we must have made it to Littleroot Town. I know the drill.
I hop out, and the Pokemon movers are already getting to work carrying boxes inside our new home. If you were wondering what kind of Pokemon they are, well, I don't know. I try not to get too involved with those things. They're big and strong. That's about all I can tell you.
My mom is just outside the front door, waving to me.
"Bumpy ride, huh?" she says as I walk over. "At least the hard part is over. These Pokemon will do the rest of the work for us. Aren't they amazing?"
As if on cue, one of the Pokemon awkwardly lugging a chair accidentally smacks me on the back of the head with it.
"Yeah, they're great," I grumble, trying to rub the pain away. Then my mom says those eight words that always make me groan.
"Why don't you introduce yourself to the neighbors?"
"Do I have to?" I say.
"Don't worry," she assures me, "I've been told that there's someone very excited to meet you. Besides, the Pokemon need some time to set things up. You might as well go make friends and explore until they're done."
She gives me a gentle push toward the neighbor's house before disappearing inside. I don't have much else to do, so I start walking.
It's hard to miss the house my mom wanted me to visit. After all, Littleroot is pretty small. There are only a handful of houses in the whole town, along with the Professor's laboratory in the center. It's quiet too—lots of trees surround the town. It might sound strange, but Littleroot is the kind of town that just makes me feel...
Alone.
I'm standing in front of our next-door neighbor's house. My knuckles are ready to tap on the door. Based on what my mom said, there is probably a kid my age living here. But what's the point?
I've had some friends before. But friends don't last. Not for me. My family moves around too much for that. And even if they didn't...well, let's just say it wouldn't matter.
Maybe this time I just won't bother.
What do I need friends for, anyway? I've got my trusty white hat. That's all I really need. No matter how far away I go, I know I'll always have it. That's good enough for me.
I step away without knocking and start walking. Where am I going? I don't know, honestly. There's an open path through all these trees ahead of me. A small wooden sign says Olddale is this way.
Well, I probably won't make it that far, but at least I can kill some time.
Just as I step out of Littleroot, I hear shouting.
"Help! Anyone! Help me, please!"
I run toward the cries for help, and soon I see a man flailing his arms wildly as he runs from a small brown and white creature. His white lab coat flaps behind him, making a sound like a flag whipping in the wind. The creature chasing him nips at his heels and growls as ferociously as it can.
"You there!" the man calls out between gasps for breath. "Get this Zigzagoon off me! Hurry!"
"What do you want me to do?" I ask calmly.
"Grab one of the Pokeballs from my satchel on the ground by you!"
"A satchel?" I look around for a second. There's a brown purse on the ground a few feet away. Three Pokeballs have spilled out of it. "You mean this purse?"
"It's not a purse, it's a...oh, whatever! I can't keep this up much longer. Just use one of the Pokeballs!"
"Which one?"
"ANY OF THEM!"
I pick one up at random and press the little button in the middle. In an instant, some weird blue fish thing pops out and is now staring at me.
"Alright, Weird Blue Fish Thing," I say, "go ahead."
We stare at each other as the man's frightened screams become hoarser.
"Go! Bite it! Punch it! Do anything!"
Weird Blue Fish Thing cocks its head at me in confusion. Now I'm getting angry.
"What are you waiting for?" I yell. "Go tackle that thing or something!"
With that, Weird Blue Fish Thing sprang into action. It ran and the Zigzag-whatever at full speed and rammed into it.
"Yeah! That's it! Tackle it again, Weird Blue Fish Thing!"
The Pokemon tackled its opponent over and over until it fled into the tall grass. It was so proud of itself. I almost wish I had a treat for it.
The man had his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
"Thank you," he said. "Let that be a lesson to both of us: never leave your Pokemon out of arm's reach."
I hand him the Pokeball. With another press of its button, Weird Blue Fish Thing vanishes the same way he arrived.
"You're the new neighbor kid. Brendan, right? I'm Professor Birch. I run the research lab back in town. Come with me, I want to give you something."
I follow him back to Littleroot. Although, for the record, I had to keep my nose plugged the whole way. Professor Birch reeked of sweat and desperation, and no matter how hard I tried, I was somehow always downwind of him. The stench made my eyes water. I might have even cried a little.
When we get to the professor's lab, there's a girl standing outside wearing a tank top and shorts. She's about my age with crystal blue eyes and bunny-ears bow in her brown hair. At least, that's what her bow looks like me. It is green with a white stripe. Look, I don't know girl hair products. I don't know what it's called. It's definitely no trusty hat, but it's okay. I guess.
Anyway, she's bouncing up and down at the sight of us like an excited puppy. Professor Birch waves to her.
"Well, hey there, May. You're just in time," he says. "Wait here for just a second."
Professor Birch disappears into the lab. May bites her lip, but she can't contain her excitement for long. In an instant, it all bubbles over.
"Hi! I'm May!" she says, extending a hand to shake. I'm not quick enough to shake it, though. Soon she's got me grabbed by the shoulders. "What's your name? Tell me later, okay? Today's the day I'm going to get my own Pokemon! Are you here to get one too? Do you want to be friends? Oh, please, let's be friends!"
Professor Birch reemerges from the lab just in time—any longer and this girl might have talked my ears off. May looks like she's about to explode.
"Now, I know you've been waiting, May, but you'll have to wait just a bit longer," says the professor. She clasps her hands over her mouth to keep in what I can only assume is a scream. "First, I'd like to thank you, Brendan, for your help. I talked it over with my team and we decided the best way to do that is to entrust you with the Mudkip you used to fight off that Zigzaggoon."
Professor Birch hands me the Pokeball.
"I'm not sure about this..." I say timidly. I don't know if I want to get too involved with these things. Seems like a lot of work, first of all. And there is no way I'm cleaning up this thing's poop.
"I insist. Don't worry, your father would approve. In fact, he's already been pushing me to get you your first Pokemon."
"Wow," May says with a hint of jealousy. "A Mudkip, huh? What are you going to name it?"
"I have to name it?"
"Well, of course! It deserves a name, doesn't it?"
"Sure, umm..." I think for a second. "I'll call it Kip, then."
Look, it's not easy to come up with names on the spot, okay?
"I like it," May says. I can't tell if she's lying, but I feel quite ridiculous.
"Alright, May, which one would you-"
"Torchic," she said before he could finish.
"What are you going to name-"
"Fluffernugget, obviously!" she cut me off too.
Well, she knows what she wants.
"So, you've battled a wild Zigzaggoon, huh?" May says to me. "Come on, let's have a battle. Right here. Right now. Your Kip against my Fluffernugget."
"A battle?" I say. "That doesn't sound like a good idea."
"What a marvelous idea!" Professor Birch says. "But first, I should probably give you both...oh, why didn't I bring them out here with me?"
The professor wanders back into the lab. May calls out her Torchic.
"Show me what you got, Brendan!"
I let out a sigh. I have a feeling she's not going to stop until she gets her way. I bring out Kip. He looks kind of ferocious next to her oversized mango-colored chick. At the same time, there's a terrifying gleam in May's eye.
"Don't hold back!" she says. "Go, Fluffernugget! Scratch that Mudkip up!"
Kip cries out in pain as May's Torchic attacks.
"Hey! Cut that out! Kip, tackle it!"
Kip doesn't respond. It keeps trying to escape Fluffernugget, but won't fight back.
"Kip!" I call out. "Do something!"
"That's it, Fluffernugget! Keep it up!" May cheers.
"Fight back, you Weird Blue Fish Thing! I know you can tackle. So tackle!"
Suddenly, Kip hears my command and tackles May's Torchic. Her Pokemon isn't quick to get up, but Kip isn't doing so hot either. Though, maybe I shouldn't call it Kip. It really only responds to Weird Blue Fish Thing.
"Tackle it again, Weird Blue Fish Thing!"
"I don't think so. Dodge it, Fluffernugget. Then finish it off with a peck!"
"Finish it off?" I say, puzzled.
What came next, I have no words to describe. May's ugly little chicken jumped right over Kip's head as it went for the tackle. Then it just started drilling its beak into Kip until Kip collapsed. I run over to pick it up off the ground.
"That was a pretty good battle," May says as she calls back her Pokemon.
"What have you done?" I say. I know my voice is cracking. I know the tears are welling up. But I can't help it. Kip didn't deserve that. How could she be happy about that?
"Hey, it'll be alright," May says gently. She pulls out a spray bottle from her bag. "Here, let me see him."
"So that you can hurt him more? I don't think so." I pull away from her.
"So that I can help him. Don't be so dramatic. Your Kip has only fainted. These things happen. Now give him here."
I reluctantly hand Kip over. May gets to work spraying it here and there. I don't know exactly what she's doing, but she knows more than I do. Soon, Kip wakes up, although not quite as lively as before.
"See? Kip's fine," May says. "Oh, this is great. I've been looking forward to having a friend since forever. And now that you're here, we can go on so many adventures!"
"Friends? Hah. Don't count on it," I mutter under my breath. I regret it as soon as it comes out. May lets out a deep sigh. Her big smile turns to a frown, and her shoulders slump too. But before I can say I didn't mean it that way, Professor Birch comes out of the lab.
"Here they are," he says, "the newest Pokedexes. Or is it Pokidexi? I've never thought about the plural form of Pokedex before...Anyway, these will tell you all you need to know about every Pokemon you encounter—what they're called, what type they are, what moves they know, and so much more. I want you each to have one."
It's a small, red box sort of like a rectangle. I point it at Kip, and a bunch of information fill the bright screen. According to the Pokedex, Kip knows how to tackle, growl, and mud-slap—whatever that means.
"Thanks, Dad," May says with a fake smile. "I think I'm going to go home for a bit."
"Oh...alright, then," Professor Birch says, puzzled. "Are you still going to help me with my research on Route—well, maybe later."
"Thanks for the Mudkip, Professor," I mumble before slipping back to my house too. Surely, by now the Pokemon movers are all finished. Kip could probably use some lazing around for a while. I know I could.
Just before I walk inside, I stop myself.
May sure was bummed out. I mean, I stand by what I said about making friends—there's no reason for me to make any. But she definitely took it the wrong way. I didn't think anything could burst her bubble, but somehow I found a way.
I guess I should go apologize. She did heal Kip up, after all.
"Alright, Kip, back into the ball you go," I say to the sleeping Weird Blue Fish Thing in my arms. In a flash, he's back inside the Pokeball. "We just have to make one quick stop before we go home and take a nice big nap."