By the time I reached Pallet Town, it was already late at night. After some hours on a road, the blood stopped, but the pain remained. I was lucky he didn`t use Poison Sting or something like that, I would be definitely finished by this moment.

And finally, I stepped into Pallet Town – a nice small place that I still remember from childhood. I used to come here quite often – to study and play with my friends. Sometimes I met pokemon, but I have never been really close to one, and have never trusted one. Maybe, the time has come to change some things.

The first house to the left - that`s my goal. It didn`t change a bit for almost fifteen years since I have been here last time. The same fence, the same bushes, the same gate with spikes on its top, the same small wooden wall that was meant to be finished someday and become another house. I bet my old friend hasn`t changed a bit too.

I reached the house entrance and rang the doorbell. A few moments of waiting passed, but the door wasn`t opened. Instead of it, I heard a familiar voice coming up from the second floor.

"I`m sleeping!"

That couldn`t stop me as I continued to ring the doorbell until the voice started to swear, very dirty. Loud steps from above approached the door in no time. The source of them wanted to deal with it really fast.

"I told you to leave this place and never return…"

As he opened the door and saw my face, he became speechless for a moment.

"YOU!" He shouted very amazedly.

"Me."

"I… I really didn`t expect YOU to come here at this time. What do you need?"

"You`re such you. No "Come in", no "A cup of tea?", just rough "What do you need?". You haven`t changed at all, Douchebag.

"That`s not my name! My name is…"

"I know your name. But you will always be a Douchebag to me. And you have just proved your worthiness of this name, again. So… Come in? A cup of tea?"

He stayed silent and just pointed his finger at the dining room. That`s enough for me.

I entered the house and walked through the corridor, watching around. Looks like time has stopped in this place – nothing changes the same furniture, the same technic, the same strange statuettes. Since Douchebag`s parents disappeared, he stayed with his grandfather, the greatest pokemon professor I have ever met. Professor had no time for his home and spent most of his time in his lab, while Douchebag was at home, all alone. I even felt a little sorry for him.

And at last, I reached the dining room – one of the few rooms Douchebag still visits. This is why it looked different from the way I remember it.

"Oh, you changed it! I don`t like it." I said and headed straight to the couch. Douchebag just shook his head and sat on the armchair in front of me.

"I don`t want you to like it. By the truth, I want you to leave it, but after you answer some of my questions."

I don`t like questions. People always find some that I can`t answer. Or don`t want to answer. But… In this situation, I didn`t have much choice. I needed a place to stay at least for a few hours, even if I have to be with this douchebag Douchebag.

"Okay, I`ll answer everything that you ask and that I will consider worth answering."

"I just want to know… some things. Why are you here?"

That`s a good question. At the start, I had some business in Viridian City, but now my plans have changed quite a lot.

"Do you know something about... Team Rocket"? I asked him in return.

"Team Rocket?" This question really caught him off guard. "I heard some things about these guys. It`s like an organization or sect of some sort. But they have pretty strong roots here, in Kanto. Newspapers say they steal people`s pokemon for some reason and do different… criminal things. You really don`t want to meet them. That`s all I know."

"Well, looks like they specialize not only in pokemon now. These bandits stole my car. And… also bite me."

"Bite you? What do you mean?"

"All I wanted is to get to Viridian City, peacefully. And also smash some bandits' faces on my way, if it is needed. But they didn`t like a fistfight, and sent out Ekans."

"Oh… That`s why you hold your neck… I thought it was another girl …"

"Shut up. I don`t have time for your miserable jokes. By the way, I`m fine, thank you for asking, I will live. No, I don`t need medical help, thanks. But what I need is to return my car as fast as I can. Or, at least, the case inside it."

"Is it so important?" The look on Douchebag`s face shows his full interest in this subject. But this is the last thing I could ever tell him.

"Yes. My life depends on it. Maybe, yours too."

"Whoa-whoa, dark man." Douchebag leaned back in his armchair with his hands up. "I know that you have seen some serious shit. But if this is SO serious – I wanna stay out of it."

"As you wish, coward" I answered. "Just tell me whether I can get a starter pokemon from your granddad."

"A starter pokemon? What in the world do you need it for?"

"Well, let`s think." I stood up from the coach and started to walk around the room. "As I can understand, these Rocket guys can be very serious. If I want to take my car back, I need to be prepared for them. They use pokemon as a weapon. That means I will need pokemon too as my weapon. Train them, make them stronger… Maybe challenge gyms just to check my strength."

"That sounds awful. You… A pokemon trainer? I don`t believe it. You always ignored pokemon, I still think you're just afraid of them."

"Times change, yeah? Yesterday you were an assassin, today you are a pokemon trainer."

"You were not an assassin yesterday!"

"I know, but you got the point. I need to get a pokemon and take my things back. I have no choice."

"Well, my granddad spends too much time in his laboratory last time, so he may be there even now. But in the morning it will be opened for everybody."

I looked at my watch and noticed the time.

"Looks like the morning has already come." I headed to the door. "It was… an experience to meet you. Farewell."

As I exited the house, Douchebags` call reached me.

"Wait for a second!"

I turned back to look over at him. He dressed up very quickly and ran to me, putting his jacket on.

"What is it?"

"Don`t you know? I`m going with you! I mean… I`m going ahead of you!" This really confused me for a moment.

"Why would you want to come?"

"Well, it`s kinda boring, isn`t it? Every day is like the previous one when you just work, and work, and work… Screw my job, screw my boss and screw all this, I want an adventure! Pokemon, gyms, league, fame, girls… I will become champion even before you catch your first pokemon."

"I`m not interested in all this. If I will challenge gyms, it will be only for testing my skills and nothing more." I waved at him.

"You know I will be stronger, do you?" He started to hop on place impatiently. "The last one to the lab gets weaker pokemon!" And he runs away in the laboratory direction.

"You`re 25, damn it!" I called out to him and looked back at the door that Douchebag forgot to close. "This will not be easy" I sighed, closed the door, and followed Douchebag to the lab.