Buddy woke me up the next morning with a whimper and a whine.

Buddy? You are awake now? Yes? Buddy? Buddy? Awake?

I grunted in minor annoyance, the sun shining through the blinds right on my eyes. Sitting up, pushing Buddy lightly away, I blink some sleep away and look at him. “What? You okay?”

I need to go.

My heart sank. Go? But… “Go where?”

To the bathroom. The door is closed.

“Jesus Christ Buddy, you scared me,” I breathed out. I then paused, hearing what he said. “You can use a toilet?”

Please open the door, Buddy!

He had already jumped off the bed and ran in a few loops in front of the bathroom door. Not questioning him, I stood up myself and opened it up for him. He bolted in, spun around, and nudged his nose on the inside of the door and pushed it close with a click.

I stood there for a moment in disbelief, hearing the top of the toilet lid bang against the porcelain back of the toilet itself, and then… liquid hitting liquid.

…Well. Okay then. He’s potty trained. Never worried about that in the first place, so just as well. Good job, Buddy.

I walked back to the bed (a whopping five feet away) and grabbed my outfit I was wearing yesterday. Still fairly clean, I threw them back on over the only-underwear outfit I slept in. Thinking about it, I need to get myself a backpack, some extra clothes… I wonder if there are gym trainers Buddy and I might be able to win against first, to get some spending money? Potions for our own training would be good too. I’m looking forward to going on this grand adventure, looking for Taylor, but I’ll need money for that AND for spreading the word about her. But…regretfully, some things come first.

After hearing the sink turn on and Buddy humming some tune I’ve never heard before (how did he even do that??), the door opened up and Buddy let out a contented sigh. I, now fully clothed, watched him step out, and as I saw a glint of the greens of his eyes behind that tuft of head fur of his, he bolted towards me and gently tackled me, jumping right up in my arms. I gave him pets on his back and side as he pushed his head into the crook between my side and elbow.

“Did you wash your paws when you were done, Buddy?”

Yes, Buddy!

“Good boy. So… I realized we need to earn some money today, Buddy.”

Okay! What is money, Buddy?

“Uh, so like.. I can’t just walk around and grab whatever I want,” I explain. “If I want something, like a bag to hold things in while we walk around, I have to go to someone who made the bag, and give them money for it. Or, perhaps, if we want a snack instead of the food the Center gave us yesterday? Gotta give them money for that too. It’s like something you can trade for whatever you need.”

I see! Where can we get money, Buddy?

“Uh, we can do something in exchange for it. Like a job, it would be called. You remember Tabitha? The nice woman we met in the woods yesterday? It’s her job to protect the nearby area from people or Pokemon that mean it harm. In exchange, the person who picked her to do the job gives her money,” I explain. I can see Buddy’s eyes behind his fur wide open with understanding. Huh, he’s given off airhead vibes before, but something about his look tells me he gets it. Good. “We could also try to battle for it, but I think it’s supposed to be a wager against normal trainers, and we don’t have any to actually bet.”

I see, Buddy. So we have to work for it! I can do that! Let’s go work!

Buddy’s neverending fountain of energy leapt off my lap and towards the door, tail wagging so hard it shook his legs off the ground every left and right. I chuckled, stood up, and followed him to the door and opened it up.

We stepped downstairs and greeted a Chansey sitting alone behind the desk, doing some work on a computer (absolutely fascinating!), and went to the cafeteria to grab some (free!) food. There were different folks working back there than last night, none of which I really spoke to at the time. I don’t think I will today either, given the look in their eyes. That is, the half-open look they had, telling me very clearly it was too early to be up. Though I’m certainly curious what is happening here that necessitates a full staff cooking back here when there’s nary a trainer in sight besides me, but… I’ll find that out later. I pick up food for myself (oatmeal and coffee), and request for more food for Buddy. (He killed everything I gave him last night contrary to our instructions, and with how hungry I was myself, I found it hard to stop him). We then took a seat in the corner, downed our meals quickly, and went on our way. Not before I properly split his meal in two, and requesting a literal doggy bag. This would make a good lunch for him, and I was already told half was enough for him.

Stepping back into the lobby of the center, Buddy pointed out that there was another pink human behind the desk next to his good friend, Chansey. Taking his cue, I gave him a pat and walked over to the front desk to see… this is not the same woman I met yesterday. Her hair fell a little further down, and she appeared to be a little older. How much older, I couldn’t tell you. Younger than me though, if I was forced to guess. Her smile came out not quite as vibrant as the Joy I met yesterday, but sincere and bright all the same.

“Hello there, young man. It seems you’re the token trainer here my cousin mentioned,” the woman said to me with a smile. “Is there anything I can do to help you? Your Growlithe appears in good shape, and I heard his checkup went well yesterday and you slept the night away.”

Grinning at her candor, I replied “Thank you for your consideration. We’re doing well, and yes, we did sleep the night away after filling up on the food made available. It’s great, and Buddy here enjoyed it too. I actually had some…questions, about being a trainer, I was hoping you may be able to answer for me?”

I swear I saw a twinkle in her eye as she caught that last bit and replied “Is that so? Well, it’s my duty as a proud Nurse Joy to help trainers, budding and aspiring ones alike, to the best of my ability. What is it I can help you with, young man?”

I could feel my cheeks redden as she called me that again. “Well, first off… I’m in my late 30’s, I am no young man, though I appreciate the compliment. Silas is my name, and that’s perfectly fine to call me,” I said with a nod. She nodded back with a grin as I continued. “Second… well, a budding trainer I am, and I’ve realized all too suddenly that I have no form of income. I’m… not actually sure what the best way to earn it to fund my journey is beyond beating a gym leader.”

Her smile turned to a concerned frown as she pushed some of her hanging hair behind her ear. “Well, a lot of the more aggressive trainers tend to gamble what they have in battles with others. That’s probably the most common method, but the problem with that is… well, if what I was told is correct, you’re new here, and don’t have anything to your name… yes?” I nodded at her, and she continued. “There’s also the fact that most trainers have moved on to Ecruteak City. You’re actually the only trainer staying in a Center room, and the night before was completely empty. We were booked at season start last month!”

“I…see. Yes, I couldn’t really see myself gambling all that frequently either, to be frank,” I said, bringing my hand up to my still-unkempt beard and rubbing my chin. “I get the idea, but even if I were to win everything, and that were my only income… what happens when I beat someone who’s in the same boat? Are they broke now? No, I only see problems with that. It’s not sustainable either. Are there other options common for trainers?”

Joy version two’s smile returned and spoke. “That’s a good call, and yes, there are inherent problems with that. You’re always free to refuse an ante for a battle, and nobody can force you. You may have to give up a few otherwise friendly battles with some trainers you may meet, but what’s important is how you feel about it. Okay, if that isn’t an option, the second would be taking on the gyms. Everybody that faces the gym and succeeds in any capacity will receive a monetary reward, whether it’s from beating one gym trainer, or all of them and the leader himself. It’s the League’s way of promoting successful trainers to continue onward, although, something to keep in mind is that any individual trainer can only receive a reward from a gym once. That means, for example, if you go through Pryce’s gym and all five of his gym trainers, receive the badge and all the rewards, you will not be eligible for any rewards in any subsequent seasons. Well, except for the badge. You can’t make a living out of challenging gyms every year, of course. It’s more of a way to help newer trainers keep on their journeys.”

“Excellent, that’s great to hear. I was concerned about travel materials, like a backpack, food.. You know. The works,” I said, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Yes, of course, I understand. There is a third option, but it’s not exactly available here,” Joy said, causing me to frown slightly at the lack of a practical third choice. “We sometimes have jobs that locals, or the league, have posted up on the walls here in the Center that qualified trainers can take, complete, and then be paid for. We had a few early season, but they were all taken care of barring a few… and the rest were handled by locals, namely Pryce’s gym trainers.”

Nodding, I replied “I understand. That makes sense. It’s something I may be able to do in the future somewhere, but not here and not now. Thank you for that. It looks like our only option would be to get ready and challenge the gym then! Right, Buddy?”

Right, Buddy!

Buddy spun in circles about half a dozen times before putting his front paws on my waist, requesting pats. Upon receiving pats, I look back up to Nurse Joy number 2 and nod my head in gratitude. She tells me it’s not a problem, and asks if I will require my room further. Affirming so, she nods, wishes me luck, and gets back to work. Buddy pushes away from me, lands on the ground, and trots outside with me hot on his tail.

Outside, we wandered in the general direction of where I knew the Gym to be, based off of mine and Tabitha’s chatter yesterday. Truthfully, I’m pretty sure I can see it from the Pokemon Center, being a pretty distinguished building in it’s own right, but we’ll see when we get there. Waving at just a few townsfolk on the way, I decide to actually talk to Buddy, to try and grasp what it is he’s aware of.. I have a lot of extenuating circumstances, and I feel like he’s just kind of along for the ride. Maybe he’s okay with that, but… hell, it can’t be a coincidence I’m here and with a Hisuian Growlithe, not when that’s literally what I picked in that game I was starting. No way, no how.

“So, Buddy.”

Yes, Buddy?

He stopped to look at me, turning his entire body towards me and sitting down.

“Er, uh, let’s… hey, come here. There’s a bench over there. I’d like to chat.”

Okay, Buddy!

There’s a bench a little ahead, gym not quite in view yet. Buddy and I approach, and he jumps up to sit down before I even have a chance. The bench is more than large enough, so I sit down next to him and heave a sigh, thinking of how to best approach this. Precise? Abstract?

So what is it, Buddy? Training talk?

His green eyes are gleaming between strands of his fluff, tail wagging at the idea of training. Adorable.

“No, not training. More like… I was curious. You don’t know what happened before I let you out of your ball yesterday?”

No, Buddy, I do not. I was not here until you let me out!

I pause at that. “You weren’t…here?”

Yes, Buddy! I was in the ball.

“But you weren’t in the ball forever. Any idea about before you were in the ball?”

His head tilts at me in confusion and he yips at me. There was no before the ball, Buddy.

“...No way. So… parents?”

Yes Buddy, you.

“Oh, no no. I’m not…” I hesitate, as his head is tilted almost a full 90 degrees in confusion at the topic. I decide to continue. “I’m not your dad or anything, Buddy. I…Hm.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

You are my companion, Buddy. Yes?

“... How do you know that word? How can you speak? How can I understand you? That’s apparently not normal, from what I see.” I lower my voice. Nobody is around, exactly, but I can’t help but think I’m doing something abnormal. Already absurd to me, yes, but still absurd to what would pass as normal here.

Buddy lowers his voice as well. I..do not know, Buddy. I just…am.?

“..Profound, Buddy. Truly.”

Buddy’s head un-tilts and he starts happily panting. Thank you, Buddy!

I laugh at his behavior. “Sure, sure. So… if I said… someone made you for me… would you believe it? Maybe if I mentioned that it was Arceus hims..”

Buddy interrupts me and with what comes across as a whisper, he says The Creator. Yes, Buddy. I know this.

Stunned almost silent, I mumble “is…that so?”

Yes. I … ruff.

Buddy tilts his head in what I can only call…contemplation. I couldn’t even understand that last part. Ruff meant ruff. Maybe that’s like me when I say uh?

I am for you. So you are not alone, Buddy. You need… help? I think? Ruff.

“And… you know Arceus did that. He sent you. You’re like an angel,” I chuckle at the end.

…ruff. Yes, the Creator is my Creator. But you are good, Buddy. And you are my human, Buddy. Ruff. You are my buddy, Buddy. Ruff. That is enough for me.

“You know… you don’t have to. You can go do whatever you want, there’s no need to..”

Buddy interrupts me again. No. I want to be with you, Buddy. Rrrr…uff. I do not like to…. think…. this much, Buddy. I was…created by the Creator for you, and I…rruff. I want to be with you, Buddy. Is…that… not okay?

I immediately lunge forward with an “awww,” and give him a hug, resting his chin on my shoulder. “It’s enough. I just…didn’t want to make you do anything, you know? You’re a good boy, Buddy.”

Buddy snuggles into my neck and I feel a light lap of his tongue on my ear and the side of my head. I am a good boy, yes, you are a good boy too, Buddy. Can we… we will battle now, yes? Gym?

I chuckle, and let go, continuing to give him pats and looking at his eyes through his muffled hair. “Yeah, gym. I do need to learn what moves you know though. I got lucky in my guesses against that Teddiursa.”

Buddy, I know what I can do! I can tackle, bite, howl, growl, and ember. Rru…fff. Ruff. I… can hit with my head too. Make it hard. Ruff…

“Headbutt?” I guess

Ruff… no.

He looks legitimately puzzled, and bothered that he can’t think of it. Well… let’s see. “Uh, so you make your head hard. Hit the enemy with it. Does it take time to get ready?”

Ruff… No. It’s fast. It can hurt me though.

“Oh! Head smash. Rock type move. That sound right?”

Yes! Buddy, yes! Sorry, I did not know what it was called. That name though, I know it is right, Buddy. I feel it in my mane.

“Your mane huh,” I chuckle. “Okay. So you have a rock type attack. That’s good, that’ll give you STAB. Hurting yourself sucks though. I wonder if I can explain the concept of morning sun well enough to help you learn it… That can offset the damage, and be great for getting you back up to snuff when we’re not near a Center. Control over your head at first makes sense too, getting to understand that type of energy control should help you branch out into things like Rock slide and Stone edge for ranged options. Tackle can lead into Double Edge, maybe even Extremespeed. Ember is the natural starting point for any fire attack, but you’re more physical, so I guess the endgame is Flare Blitz?:Or wait, no, I feel like I remember Taylor mentioning another one when she played…Legends, I think? It reminded me of the early generations version of Rage… Ah, and Bite can lead into Crunch. Can Arcanine learn Swords Dance? Howl is great, but Swords Dance is just superior…”

Buddy fell asleep in my lap while I mused to myself for another 15 minutes.

After Buddy’s little powernap (and me, realizing I got a little caught up), we got back up with a renewed vigor to head towards the gym. It didn’t take but a few minutes before we arrived at a tall, wide, single story building with a Spanish tiled roof. Written clear as day on a mounted sign above the double door that read “Mahogany Town Gym,” with “Gym Leader: Pryce” written underneath in notably smaller letters.

I’m a little hyped. Pryce, of all people, that old coot. I wonder if he’s a grumpy or kind old man? I wonder what he’ll throw against a zero-badge trainer? One my age with a type advantage, no less. I got the vibe that leaders use varying teams against particular challengers, and really, it makes sense not to be forced to go in a particular order, so I’m not that concerned about immediately being outclassed. Facing some Pokemon that are dual-typed with advantages over Buddy will be an issue, and not one I have a counter in mind for, but I have some ideas. Nothing specific with his limited moveset, and as much as I’d like to train first… Getting a move on to earn some starting funds would be best. I hope we’re up to the challenge.

Buddy and I approach the door together and I give it a knock, after reminding myself that I didn’t have to knock at the Ranger outpost. The vibe of this place seems too… I don’t know, to just invite myself in. If they don’t answer after a couple attempts, I’ll just walk in, but it only seems right to…

The door flies open and spittle flies in my face as an elderly gentleman with white hair (a full head of it, no less! Does balding not exist here?) shouts in my face.

“What kind of ass can’t just open a damn door on their own for cryin out loud. Who the fuck are you? Challenger? You’re too old, why are you just starting now? The hell is that dog with the weird hairdo? What do you want?”

Opening my eyes after feeling his spittle-filled tirade end, I can’t help but to wipe my face with the bottom of my shirt. I catch him glancing downwards and his eyes widen, likely noticing the scars from the gunshots, as I let go of the shirt and speak.

“Apologies, sir,” I bow a bit, being unsure of the etiquette. “The gym is well taken care of and comes across as more of a mansion to me, so I couldn’t bring myself to just waltz in upon first reaching it. A knock felt safe, but I’m sorry for bothering you. Yes, I am a challenger, and I apologize for starting this late in life, but circumstances are what they are. Would I be correct in assuming you are Gym Leader Pryce?”

The elderly man squints at me for a moment, and lets out a sigh. “You’d be correct. Sorry for yellin’ at ya, son. I was on the other side of the buildin’, and the little shits that work for me aren’t here so I had to toddle across on my own. It’d been a lot easier if you just let yerself in, but…s’fine. Come in. We’ll gecha situated.”

“Thank you very much sir,” I say with another sincere, but slight, bow. I follow him in to see… not what I was expecting. Perhaps it was silly to expect what I saw in the games, as an indoor pseudo-skating rink isn’t exactly realistic, but it’s nowhere near what’s here. If anything, it reminds me of a large high school gymnasium. A small foyer when we first enter with a sit-down desk right up the middle, and multiple doors set on the wall on the opposite side of the entrance. Three sets of double doors, to be precise, and they’re all wide open, showing me a battlefield and some seats set off to the side. To my left and right are closed doors, and Pryce walks up to the desk and sets himself behind it, hitting a button on the computer monitor and pulling glasses out of his shirt pocket to place on his face. He then extends his hand out over the desk without looking at me, waiting, with another hand on the mouse of the computer.

I approach him, and mumble “Um.. What is it you require from me, Leader Pryce?”

“Stop bein’ so fuckin formal and give me your trainer ID so i can register you, kid.”

“Oh, of course! Sorry again,” I spit out, pulling the only object I own to my name out of my pocket and handing it to him. He doesn’t even spare it a glance before sliding it through some sort of scanner and handing it back, slowly hunting and pecking at the computer keyboard, mumbling curses to himself about kids these days.

After a few moments, he abruptly stands up, and faces me with a squint. “So, how many badges ya got?”

“None, sir. This is my first.”

Pryce maintains the squint, remaining silent for a few seconds, then lets out a sigh that sounds like he’s been holding it in his entire life. “Why… the fuck’re you barely challenging now? Shoulda got this shit outta the way last month with all the other damn kids. Whas wrong, son, you lose your first fight against Morty or Claire? Came cryin’ to me to get your first?”

Maintaining my composure in Pryce’s fit of..frustration.. Is actually relatively easy. I feel like quite an old man at times myself, and having to do anything that feels like it’s a pain in the ass can really grind my gears at times. I don’t typically let it out so flagrantly, but I’d be lying if I said I can’t sympathize with him.

“No sir, it’s actually a long story, one I’d be happy to share with you but I’m not certain you’d be interested in,” maintaining my air of respect and not being entirely dismissive of him. “It just so happens this is my first opportunity to attempt a circuit in my entire life, and I’d be remiss not to start.”

He continues squinting at me and lets out another sigh. “Fine. C’mon. How many ya got?”

He turns around and walks into the gymnasium, and I follow.

“How many…what, sir?”

“Pokemon, shithead. Just the afro dog?”

“Yes sir, just…Buddy. He’s a Growlithe.”

“Bah, that’s no fuckin Growlithe I’ve ever seen.”

And you’re an old Drampa with no friends, ruff.

“Buddy! That was rude.”

“Bahaha! Sure sounded like shit talk. I like him. More than you so far, anyway. S’good you’re in sync, at least. That’ll help. We’re skippin’ yer gym trainer challenges today, son. You’re up against me.”

I stop short, and raise my voice a bit in surprise. “Sir? All due respect, but I’m actually… I’m sorry. I was short on funds. I have none, and I was hoping I’d be able to face some gym trainers first and hope to eke out a win, so I can have a little bit to start training Buddy properly before bothering you with a challenge.”

“S’fine, calm your tits, son,” Pryce says, not even turning around, continuing on to the other side of the battlefield. “If ya win, I’ll give ya the prize money for beatin’ those shitstains too. If ya lose… well. Ha! Good fuckin’ luck, son.”

He reaches the other end of the battlefield at the end of his tirade, and I notice I managed to stop in a clearly marked battlers area on his opposite side. We’re in place for my first gym battle of my life, and I haven’t even had enough time for the nerves to properly hit me yet.

“Y’ready, son?” Pryce yells across the field. “S’normally a two on two battle for your first badge, but you only got one. On the other hand, you ain’t gotta fight the other assholes today. So how about this? Two versus one, your afro dog versus two of mine. Let’s see how it goes, yeah?”

I nodded, and exclaimed “Okay! We’ll do our best. Thank you for this opportunity, sir!”

He nods and grabs a few balls from his pocket, as I turn down to Buddy with as much confidence as I can manage. He looks up to me as well, a determined green glint shining through his mane.

“Ready, Buddy?”

Ready, Buddy!

“All right Buddy. I choose you, let’s do this!”

……

I whited out.