POKEMON REMEMBRANCE CHAPTER TWO - TRAINER, I CHOOSE YOU!

The overwhelming emotions and exhaustion I had felt from the preceding days travels, had left me confused as I slowly awoke from my slumber. Being so tired and mentally drained, I had actually forgotten we had moved to Littleroot Town. I didn’t understand where I was for a good five minutes, until I suddenly remembered that this was my new room. It was a strange sensation, one I hoped would pass as my time here went on. The sadness from leaving Johto was still there, I didn’t know how long it was going to last, but I told myself that I would have to get used to it.

I wanted to spend the day unpacking my stuff and getting my room how I wanted it, I might not know much about Hoenn or this town, but I needed a safe space with all my comforts from my old home surrounding me. I didn’t do much, I just set up my games console, my TV and I set out a few of my Pokemon Plushes. I thought to myself ‘maybe this region had them too, and I could start a brand new collection’ but I digress, this isn’t the main focal point of my tale.

Have you ever travelled for a long period of time, where you have not able to shower or even freshen up? Because that was me at that point, every fibre of my being was dirty and grimy. I had to go clean up before finishing off my room. I got up and showered and cleaned, washing all the dirt off of me, that had built up from travelling from Goldenrod to Littleroot. Getting dressed out of my shower, I pulled out a set of clothes. A pair of dark grey trousers, they were made of a thin material, that allowed them to breathe easy. A pair of Black and grey shorts, that went over the top of the thin trousers. I grabbed a white tshirt, and then put my short sleeve green and grey jacket over it, raising the collar around my neck. I slipped my trainers on, ones that I had worn for a while, they were pretty faded from the city life.

With that, I left my room and began my decent down the stairs where I heard my mum shout ‘oh! Quick! Come quickly, look! It’s Petalburg Gym! Maybe your dad will be on!’, I headed over to the TV and the news reporter stated ‘we brought you this report from in front of the Petalburg Gym.’, part of me was disappointed I didn’t see my dad, but I also still had some resentment towards him for making us move all this way. My mum could see the look on my face, the look of sadness that I was here. Then out of the blue she told me that a Professor Birch lived in town, he was a childhood friend of my dad’s.

My father had never mentioned a Professor Birch to me, but mum made sure to definitely mention him. She told me his lab was somewhere in town and that his family lived next door. She asked me to go invite them over, so that we could introduce ourselves properly. I didn’t really want to go out today, I just wanted to stay home and relax, but the news that there was a Pokemon Professor in town, peaked my interested. I kept thinking to myself, maybe I could get some firsthand experience and become one of his aides, in his research. I kept wondering what his area of study was, but for the first time in a long time, I felt kind of excited.

My mum pointed me in the right direction, she needed to stay and unpack some more, she said it was about a 10 minute walk away, and off I went. The walk was pleasant, the forest was off in the distance, surrounding our little town. The roads weren’t very wide and there didn’t appear to be that many houses in Littleroot. However within all the emptiness, it was filled with fields of grass and flowers. The breeze what flowed through the air was refreshing, and you could small a myriad of different floral aromas coming from the fields. I was however, disappointed that I didn’t see any Pokemon, as I meandered over to our neighbour’s house. As I arrived I came to the sudden realisation, that Professor Birch’s house was identical to ours but in reverse, in every regard. I could just about see our house in the distance, and it really felt like a mirror image.

The door was open when I arrived, so I knocked and waited, a lady came over from somewhere in the house, she was very nicely dressed and very polite. She asked me who I was and I explained the whole situation to her. That I was the son of the new Petalburg Gym leader, that we moved from Goldenrod in Johto to here, and that my mum and I would be living in Littleroot, she seemed delighted to finally meet me, and had heard all about me from my dad.

I was shy, but I plucked up the courage to ask if Professor Birch was home. Mrs Birch, told me that he was at his lab doing some research, and that he would be back later. She also mentioned that she and Professor Birch had a daughter, who was the same age as me. She invited me to go and introduce myself to her. I was reluctant at first, but part of me was excited at the prospect of meeting someone my own age. I remember walking up and following the reverse corridor, into the room at the end, the room was pretty identical to mine with everything on the opposite side. There were a few more decorations and furnishings laying around the room, giving it a more lived in feeling. At the centre of the room, there was a Pokeball. I don’t know what got into me but I was curious as to whether there was a Pokemon inside, I walked over and tried to pick it up. That was until a girl walked in, she wore a green bandana with her hair cascading down the sides of her head, and her fringe just began to cover her blue eyes. She wore an off green dress and a pair of dark grey shorts, with a deep green bag clipped at her waist. She had a pair of white gloves on with grey and green wrist cuffs and grey fingers, and a pair of green, white and grey shoes that matched the rest of her attire. She asked me ‘huh? Who...who are you?’, I’m sure she was very confused at the time, I explained the situation to her as I did to her mum, and she introduced herself as May. She said she’d heard about me from her father Professor Birch, and that she hoped we could be friends.

May seemed really nervous about our first encounter, and honestly so was I. I learnt a lot from her, in our first meeting. That she wanted to befriend Pokemon all over the world, and she was her father’s assistant. I was glad to have someone to talk to. That was until she realised she had to go out and help her dad catch some wild Pokemon, she bolted out of the house before I got a chance to say goodbye. That was when she suddenly came back, and said ‘I shouldn’t forget this!’ grabbing the Pokeball, and placed it in her bag. Then she was gone like a flash again.

I was left in her room sort of confused, so I just left and began my journey home. I was happy to meet the Birch family, and I may have just made my first friend in Hoenn. I really wanted to meet professor Birch, but I knew he must be doing some important research. I know I’d get my chance to meet him eventually. I was just all alone now with nothing to do. I could see his lab atop a hill in the southern part of town, and wondered what it was like in there. I knew for today, I wouldn’t get to find out what it was like, so I began my journey home.

I took a lot longer walking back home, than I did going over to the Birch residence. This loneliness was depressing, and I didn’t really want to go back home. Or whatever I could call it, it wasn’t really a home for me, not yet. As I lumbered back, kicking small stones as I went, I saw a little girl to my right in the distance. She was stood looking into the forest. Not wanting to leave such a young child out here alone, I walked over to her and asked what she was doing, she said ‘There are scary Pokemon outside! I can hear their cries. I want to see what’s going on, but I don’t have any Pokemon...can you see what’s happening for me’, I was reluctant myself, I didn’t have any Pokemon either but this girl said she could hear Pokemon crying, maybe it was injured and needed help?

That’s when I heard a scream! It definitely wasn’t a Pokemon, it was a person! I couldn’t make out if it was male or female, it was too faint to hear, but in my head I thought, ‘what if it’s May?’ and I ran straight into the forest, with no concern for my own safety.

As I weaved in and out of the trees, I saw shadows of Pokemon fleeing from the noise I was making. I didn’t know which way I needed to go, or how far I had gone. I was just running as fast as I could. I stopped for a second, to catch my breath and to see if I could hear any more screams. There was nothing but the rustling of the trees, from the wind for about five minutes. Then the silence was broken by yet another scream, this time it was clear as day that it was not May. It was a male voice. I ran in the direction of the scream, and in front of me I saw a man stuck in a tree. The tree was on lower ground than I was, but it was too far for the man to jump this way. At the base of the tree, clambering at the trunk, were a group of small puppy like Pokemon with dark grey faces and paws, with light grey fur. The man must have entered their territory, and they chased him up the tree.

The man stopped his screaming for a moment, and realised I was stood there watching. He said, ‘you there, boy! I need your assistance!’ I looked shocked at him, what was I supposed to do? He then said ‘my bag is over there, inside it there are three Pokeballs, each containing a Pokemon. Grab one and help me out’, I was apprehensive at first, but taking up some inner courage. I jumped down the muddy hill, and opened the bag up. Luckily for me, the little Pokemon were too busy trying to attack the man in the tree.

I found the three Pokeballs, and pulled the left most one out. I’d learnt how to send out a Pokemon from its Pokeball at school. With a quick toss the Pokeball flew into the air, and a Pokemon came out with a dazzling white flash! I’d never seen such a Pokemon before, it was a small green lizard like Pokemon, with a red stomach and a doubled tail. The man shouted, ‘that Pokemon can use Pound, leer or absorb!’, I asked the Lizard to use Pound on one of the Pokemon, but it just looked at me, yawned and went up a tree to sleep, so that was a bust.

I pulled out the next Pokeball and threw it, to reveal the second Pokemon that might be able to help. Out came a small chick like Pokemon, it had a crest on its head, tiny wings and it was a mix of orange and yellow in colour. The man shouted again, ‘this Pokemon is able to use Scrach, growl and ember!’ Knowing its current moves, I asked the little bird Pokemon to use ember. This time the Pokemon charged forward, ready to use ember when the group of Pokemon turned around. The chick Pokemon stopped and let out a cry, it then ran behind the tree that the lizard was sleeping in, it poked its head out but it was too frightened to battle.

Unfortunately the group of Pokemon had turned their attention to me now, with the two previous Pokemon failing at their task and with one Pokeball left, I began to panic as they began growling. Grabbing the last Pokeball from the bag, I launched it fast to send out the Pokemon. This time, a strange little amphibian came out. It was a quadruped unlike the other two Pokemon I had sent out, it was mostly blue with a light blue stomach and tail. Its tail and protrusion on its head were shaped differently, but they were very reminiscent of fins. On its cheeks it had these orange star shaped gills. The man shouted for a third time, ‘this Pokemon knows Tackle, growl and water gun!’, I looked at the little Pokemon and asked it to use Water Gun, it turned towards me and tilted its head to the side and said ‘Mud?’ As it was confused as to what I was asking, I crouched down to it and I pleaded with it, I said ‘please, the man up in that tree asked me to help him, and now I’m in trouble too. These Pokemon are going to attack me next’, and before the little Pokemon had chance to respond, the puppy Pokemon were charging towards me, and in an instant the blue amphibian, jumped around and blasted them with a continuous water gun, one after the other! Each of them flew back with such force from the torrent, and they ran away into the forest.  

I was so relieved after what had just happened, that I was breathing heavily. That’s when the man began to let out a bellowing laugh. He jumped down from the tree, and landed in front of me. Which is when I got a good look at him, the man was very large, he had broad shoulders and he was very stocky in appearance. His face was wide, with a beard that followed the outline of his jaw. He wore a navy blue t-shirt, a pair of shorts and sandals. Over the top of it all, he wore a white lab coat, that draped across him. ‘Sorry about that lad’ the man began to say, as he picked up his bag and the three Pokeballs. ‘You seem to have handled yourself quite well. Tell me, what is your name? And what are you doing out here in the wilds’, I explained to the man everything that happened, that I moved here and I was out on an errand for my mum. The man let out another hearty laugh, ‘Well that certainly is quite a tale, much like my own here honestly. I came out here to study the Poochyena. The Pokemon that attacked you, when I startled them and they chased me up the tree’, I laughed myself, at such a strange story. The man, put up all three Pokeballs and called back the Pokemon. The little blue one that had helped me, began to run towards me before it was pulled back into the ball. ‘Now then, shall we return to town? Perhaps we can stop off at the Pokemon Lab and get these Pokemon back.

I couldn’t believe my luck, this man must have been one of the Professor’s aides. I was finally going to get to meet Professor Birch! We headed back to town, and the man asked me all sorts about Johto and how the journey here was. I answered as best I could, he seemed genuinely interested about what I had to say. Although it took about half an hour, the time seemed to fly by as I talked to the man about my experiences in Johto, and with Pokemon. That I was going to choose Totodile as my starter, but I didn’t get a chance to.

 We arrived at the lab, and entered. It was a huge room with desks, bookshelves papers and equipment all over. It’s just how I had pictured it in my head. I saw a man in another lab coat come running out, ‘Professor Birch, you’re back!’ The man in the lab coat said, that is when the realisation suddenly hit, the man I had rescued and talked to was Professor Birch!

Professor Birch let out another of his hearty laughs, ‘I’m sorry boy, I should have introduced myself earlier. I guess I don’t really give off the impression of a Professor, like Oak or Elm’, Professor Birch said, as he shook my hand. ‘Now come with me’ I follow him to the end of his lab, and he began to talk, ‘So, I’ve heard so much about you from your father. We caught up the other day when he first came back to Hoenn, he told me about you not being able to get your first Pokemon back in Johto. With everything you told me, and the way you battle earlier, you pulled it off with aplomb! I guess you have your father’s blood in your veins after all! As thanks for rescuing me earlier, I’d like you to choose one of the Pokemon, you used earlier.’ I was still in shock that this man was Professor Birch, and now he was giving me my first Pokemon!  

Professor Birch, pulled the three Pokeballs out of his bag and one at a time, he began to reveal each of the Pokemon. ‘First up is Treecko’ Professor Birch said, and out came the lizard looking Pokemon, that once again yawned and fell asleep, ‘this one is a grass type. Next up is Torchic’, once again a Pokemon came out of its Pokemon, revealing the small chick Pokemon that had run away in fear earlier, this time it just stood there a little more relaxed. ‘Torchic is a fire type, and finally we have Mudkip’ Professor Birch threw the Pokeball for the final Pokemon, revealing the little amphibian that had helped me out, ‘this one is a water type’, the little Mudkip jumped with joy when it saw me again, sending the Torchic next to it in a panic, it ran around and hid behind the sleeping Treecko.

Mudkip jumped off the table, and ran and leaped into my arms. ‘Well, it looks as though, the choice has already been made in my opinion. This Mudkip does seem to be quite fond of you, and out of all three of the Pokemon here. It is the only one who went through with its commands in the battle against the Poochyena. While I think the two of you would make great partners. The choice is ultimately up to you’ Professor Birch said, I looked down at the Mudkip that was smiling back up at me. I had always wanted a Totodile, that the choice of another Pokemon as my first didn’t really cross my mind, but with how well this Mudkip responded to my commands, and how happy it was to see me, it had already chosen me as it’s trainer, and without a shadow of a doubt, I told the Professor. ‘I’ve made my decision, I want this Mudkip to be my first partner’.