Sorry for the late update! My job has been pretty hectic for the past week and I'm completely worn out. :P But thanks for the reviews everybody! Here's the next chapter!

Kurtispj5 – I honestly appreciate the constructive criticism! It really helps!

"Speech" – Human Speech (Also Pokemon speech when humans other than Kurtis are not around.)

"Thoughts" - Telepathy

'Thoughts' – Inner Thoughts

Chapter 3 – Forward Motion

Milo and I landed in the smooth shadows of the mountains that surrounded Fallarbor Town. I faltered a little upon our descent, then we touched ground.

"Still a little skaky, huh?", Milo said with mild humor.

"No. Not at all. It's not like your whole reality just got flipped in the past 24 hours", I sarcastically remarked.

He sweatdropped, "In that case, let's walk from here." I agreed

We noticed a narrow, worn-down trail that appeared as though little to no hikers passed through, so we decided to follow it. After about 30 minutes of enjoying the passing scenery, I decided I should hide my wings. We reached the slow-moving streets next to the PokeMart.

"Hey, Milo. I think it might be a good idea for you to be put in a Poke Ball. That way, any trainer that passes by when I'm not with you won't be able to capture you."

Milo hesitated for a moment, "Is… Is it safe?"

"It's fine! If you don't like it in there just let me know."

"And you'll let me out right after the capture?

"I guarantee it", I replied with a calm demeanor.

We entered the generic blue building and were greeted by the smell of fresh merchandise and the sound of a small bell signaling our arrival in the store. I hate those things, because the next thing that happens is…

"AH! Kurtis! How can I help you today?"

That…

Never really liked those damn things. I regained my composure and walked up to the man behind the counter. He had the generic apron of a simple cashier, but behind it he wore black dress pants and a white, button-up shirt that had a slim, electric blue tie attached.

"Hey, Steve. Just need a few things", I replied with a yawn. Was I not getting enough sleep? Weird.

"Need an energy drink so you can stay awake or something?", he said with a smile.

I smirked, "Not quite. As you can see, I found a little friend that wanted to come along with me."

He took a slight glance to my left and noticed the small bird perching on my shoulder. "Now there's something new!"

I laughed at his surprise. "Bet'cha didn't see that one coming, did ya."

Milo then decided to fly over to Steve's shoulder, startling the store attendant, but at the same time giving of a slight thrill. Steve decided to lightly stroke Milo under the chin.

"So I'm guessing you need supplies then?", he asked while Milo decided to fly back to my shoulder.

"You got it. Probably 10 Poke Balls, a couple potions, and Pokemon food will do for now."

"Alrighty then. I'll let you get your things and I'll call Nurse Joy", he stated.

Puzzled, I replied, "Why do you need to call her?"

"Think about it. In order to catch any Pokemon, you need a Trainer's License, which I am 100% positive that you don't have. So to make sure that your little friend here doesn't get captured, which I'm sure you haven't done yet, you need to head to the Pokemon Center right after this so you can get the formalities out of the way", he said seriously.

Startled by the seriousness that Steve rarely shows, I simply nodded.

After paying a solid amount of money for the supplies, I made way for the Pokemon Center, understanding that capturing and training Pokemon is not taken lightly. When I arrived at the front doors, Nurse Joy was there to greet me.

"So I'm assuming you're Kurtis?"

"The one and only!", I grinned.

She chuckled and smiled, "Ok. Please follow me so we can fill out your paperwork." Then we walked in.

Why have I never been in this beautiful building?

The rosy, red carpets accented the navy blue couches perfectly while the flowing, symmetrical countertops of the dining area and front desk matched amazingly. The white tile floors were okay, but my attention was drawn to the open ceiling where there were glass skylights wanting to penetrate every living being that stepped foot into that lobby. The plasma screen television in the corner attracted many young trainers passing through Fallarbor Town to a nice afternoon of entertainment before retiring to their rooms for the night.

Pure awesomeness.

I was startled from my reverie by Nurse Joy. "Please come with me."

When I reached the front desk, she placed a short stack of papers in my hands. "Please fill these out and come back so we can finalize it."

So I sat down in the lobby for about 15 minutes filling in simple answers:

Name: Kurtis Jett

Age: 18

Date of Birth: 06/11/94

Sex: Male

And then it basically turned into a questionnaire-type homework assignment that wanted my likes and dislikes, what kind of Pokemon I wanted to train, etc. Then, I returned to the front desk where Nurse Joy directed me towards a blank, white wall. She then brought out a camera from behind the counter.

"3", I licked my lips.

"2", I blinked a few times.

"1", I gave the simplest grin possible. One that wasn't 'out there' by any standard, but not one that was forced.

"Cheese!"

I saw a bright flash and after about 5 seconds I regained my vision so I could glimpse Joy pulling out a small plastic card that had 'future aspirations and dreams' written all over it. Metaphorically speaking, of course. She then handed me my ticket to happiness. I stared at my twin that decided to take his place inside a small 2x2 frame for a moment, taking in the fresh scent of newly printed ink.

"Now you must keep that on your person at all times when you are carrying any Pokemon wherever you go. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am"

She smiled, "Okay then, is that all you need for today?"

"Nope. Not today, but thank you for the help. I really appreciate it", I generously smiled.

"Not a problem young man. If you need anything, feel free to stop by."

"I will.", I said while nodding. That seems to be a common response for me right now. I guess that everything was happening at such a rapid pace that I assume my brain is unable to form complete thoughts.

"Well until next time, we hope to see you again!"

I gently waved to her as I was turning around to walk towards the exit, but I couldn't help but wonder if they actually want trainers to hurt their Pokemon so they would need to heal Pokemon more often. Oh well. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has thought that their slogan was odd.

To end my thought process, I grabbed a Poke Ball out of the bag.

"Ready, Milo?"

He nodded shakily, "R..r..ready…"

So I tapped him with the sphere.

Milo was absorbed into the open Poke Ball by a bright white light, as if he was turned into pure energy. When the ball closed, it started shaking. After about ten seconds, I heard a distinct 'ding', signifying the capture. I smiled at it for a moment, then, true to my word, I let Milo out of the red and white sphere.

He instantly dove into my shirt out of apparent fear and started shaking like he was being hunted down by serial killer or something.

"I'm guessing it wasn't your best experience?", I cautiously asked.

"YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN! IT WAS COMPLETELY DARK AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE SENSE OF DIRECTION THAT I NATURALLY HAVE! IT WAS TERRIFYING! NEVER PUT ME IN THAT ARCEUS-FORSAKEN THING UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! ARE WE CLEAR?", he shrieked, ensuring that I would be awake for the next hour.

"Um…. You got it…. And next time you get mad, don't scream directly into my ear, please? I'd prefer to keep my hearing."

He sweatdropped. "Oh. Uh… Sorry." I scratched his neck in forgiveness.

I decided to start turning towards my house, but I was still looking at Milo as we were engaged in idle conversation. I wasn't worried about anybody giving me odd looks if they saw me talking with a Pokemon because almost everybody was inside with their families eating dinner, as the time was slowly approaching dusk. Then Milo ended our conversation abruptly.

"Hey watch where you're going you might hit that man right there."

As I was turning my head, I said, "What m…". THUD

Next thing I knew, I was sitting on the gravel road with a slight pain in my thighs. I looked up and I noticed an aging man wearing a white lab coat. He had khaki pants, a red shirt underneath the coat, and had visible age lines on his face. The short, spiked, grey hair completed the ensemble. Then his hearty voice broke the silence.

"Oh, silly me! I'm terribly sorry young man! I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking.", he said as he was slowly getting up.

I decided to assist him up, "It's no problem sir. I wasn't looking as well. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes. I'm quite alright. Old age is going to catch up to me one of these days. It's been a while since I've been able to move well."

"I understand. Is there anything I can help you with Mr…?", I trailed off since I didn't know his name.

"Oh! Professor Oak at your service, but please, call me Sam.", he said with a smile. "And may I ask for your name?"

"It's…. wait a minute. As in THE Professor Oak? From Kanto?", I blurted.

He smiled, "The one and only."

"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Kurtis Jett", I grinned.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kurtis. Now, I don't want to be a bother, but I seem to be horribly lost. I'm trying to find an acquaintance of mine's house. He goes by the name of Cosmo. Could you please guide me there?", he asked.

"I would be honored." I screamed like a fangirl within my thoughts.

We began to walk in somewhat of an awkward silence. As we passed the Pokemon Center, he spoke up. "Do you happen to be a trainer, by any chance?"

"Well, sort of. I literally just got my trainer's license 30 minutes ago." I sulked slightly.

"Well that's actually pretty surprising, considering you already have a healthy-looking Swablu on your shoulder that seems to have already taken an extreme liking to you", he said with a surprised look.

"Actually, I met Milo here a few days ago. He was kinda the outcast of the flock just like I am here in Fallarbor."

"Well that's sad to hear. Oh! It appears we've arrived at Cosmo's."

Sure enough, we were situated in front of a building that had multiple scientific gadgets of the roof and within the yard, no doubt to read weather patterns. There was also a distinctly large telescope poking through the roof of the house.

"Now I'd hate to end a wonderful conversation, but I must take my leave. Oh! Kurtis, is there any chance that you might be in Littleroot Town within the next few days? Professor Birch and I are doing a little research in the field. I'd like for you to come and meet him."

"Um… I'd have to talk things over with my mom first. She doesn't know I'm going to be leaving the house yet and I need to let her know, otherwise, she'd freak out", I nervously said.

"Don't worry about it. If you don't make it to Littleroot, I understand", he said with an accepting smile.

"Alright Professor, until next time then.", and I turned to make my leave.

"I'll see you soon Kurtis."

I travelled down the dirt road for about a minute before I realized something. I had to tell Mom and Flannery that I was leaving on a journey. Flannery would be absolutely thrilled! My mother, on the other hand, is a different story.

I started debating on how I would bring up a very sensitive topic to my mother. When I told her I wanted to leave on a journey when I was 10 years old, she locked me in my room for a week. She kept saying something about how society had these ridiculous ideas that 10-year-olds can handle life on the road, by themselves, with nothing but their Pokemon to protect them. After that whole fiasco, it was never spoken of again in our household.

I arrived at my house's doorstep fiddling with my keys when I heard to door open. My mother stepped into the afternoon sunlight, causing her golden brown, curly hair to glisten in the wind while it was accenting her light blue eyes with a slight sparkle. But, what I noticed more were the tears slowly streaming down her cheeks.

"Kurtis…", she said with the hint of a sob.

"Mom, I…", I was interrupted.

"It's okay. I want to talk to you", she said as she was gaining control of her breathing.

We walked inside the front hallway as I heard the faint shutting of the front door behind me. As we entered the dining room, I noticed my jet-black backpack on the tabletop, appearing to be stuffed to the brim.

"Why is my backpack…" , I said before I was shushed by my mother.

"It was only a matter of time….", she said while looking down.

"W…wait. You mean?", I stammered.

She nodded. "Yes", she said with determination. "I've been holding you within this 'prison' for far too long. You deserve to see the world and explore what it has to offer you in the future. I wasn't angry with you when I locked you in your room for a week when you were 10. I was scared. I was scared that you would go out into the world with no knowledge of the possible dangers that might lurk ahead.", she sighed, "I suppose this was inevitable."

Before she said anything else, I gave her the biggest Beartic-hug I could possibly muster through the fresh flowing tears that were streaming down my face. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Kurtis"

'I wish I could tell her everything that has happened in the last few days', I thought, 'I could talk to somebody about my problems, then'

A voice droned into my thoughts, "Do not worry, young one. Now is not the time to tell her about your ties to me. But there will be a time where you will need to tell her the truth. I guarantee it."

I smiled, grateful for his input. "Thanks, Ray"

"Not a problem. Now, go. Spend some time with your mother before you leave tomorrow."

I smiled. Tomorrow would be a new day. Little did I know that it would be the start of not only a new beginning and a journey, but it would be the start of the hardest test of my life.

So there ya have it! A little bit of character development for Kurtis with the introduction to Prof. Oak., Steve the Poke Mart guy, and the talk between Kurt and his mother.

OOOOOOOOO…. The Prof. wants to see him? I wonder where this is going?

I might have Steve make a return somewhere. He seemed like a good idea and I think he could be developed more throughout the story.

Don't forget to review! See you soon!