The spray of water ceased as I stepped out of the small shower. Grabbing a towel, I quickly dried myself off and went out to the room I had called my own for the 3 days since I found myself in Pallet Town and left the Police Station.
By the time we left, it had been close to evening and a few businesses were already closed in the small town. The Professor led me to the Pokemon Center to the east of the square, a short walk really from the station. We walked to the counter and the Professor helped me book a room. Both himself and the Nurse Joy offered to waive the room fee, which was usually the case for any registered Pokemon trainer. But, as I wasn’t a trainer yet, I opted to pay.
I had felt within myself, at that moment, that I didn’t want to accept any actual charity; kindness sure, some help, I obviously needed it. But charity? A hard no on that from my inner-self; and I outwardly agreed as well. The Professor had already done a lot for me that day and I didn’t want to make him feel as if I was someone to be pitied. If I was going to become a Pokemon trainer, I needed to start being self-sufficient.
That night, I wrote out my inner thoughts. What I wanted, what my goals were, who I wanted to be. It was enlightening, especially due to my sealed memories. If you’ve ever seen anyone with amnesia, you would know that their biggest fear is not knowing who they are. Our circumstances made us, shaped our personalities, colored our worldview. After that night, I knew that my knowledge on Pokemon was broad, very broad, but not personal. As if I had spent years and years buried deep in different text books but never stepped out to experience it all myself. Now, with the situation as it was, I was forced to be ready. To be a Pokemon trainer, I had to know the ins-and-outs of taking care of Pokemon, battling with them, and understanding their own motivations and goals.
It was a long journey to the top; most people gave up after catching one or two Pokemon, getting a badge or three. They would go on to secondary school or get an apprentice. Eventually moving on to become productive members of society. But those that kept going, those who went to a League sponsored Conference hosted annually in the various regions, those who won or placed high, their careers and futures would have a massive jump-start. They would be asked to join colleges, teams, research groups, private corporations, and many many many more markets. They would be the first on-call for any emergencies, known experts in the community, trusted simply due to their sheer perseverance in making it to a single Conference.
Some, and I hope to count myself among them, would continue to other regions, other Conferences, honing their skills and their Pokemon. Traveling around the world in the various circuits and gathering points and credits, until they were invited to the Global Conference; taking place once every 5 years and filled with the world’s best trainers. You were only allowed to participate in it once and of those who attend, each and every one has historically gone on to be movers and shakers all over the world. And those who won? They would be forever engraved in the annals of history, their names known across all regions and cities. That was my destination, and the journey for that would start today.
I spent the second day in Pallet Town fixing up my attire and preparing a trainer kit. I had a Pokeball already but bought 5 more; Potions and Antidotes, a pair of good running shoes, and a nice set of comfortable jeans, t-shirts, and a jacket. A tent, a canteen, MREs and Pokemon food rations, some mixed supplements. I had 30,000Ꝑ to start off with and I had to make it all count; I had no one to return to for any extra funding. The largest expense though? A solid 15,000Ꝑ spent on a PokePhone T-53, allowing me to access the local PokeNet, PokeNav, and a bunch of other apps, as well as a Bag, a silver-black backpack with shrink-tech and lots of pockets, more than enough for any medicine, Pokeballs, items, berries, TMs, clothes, food, and even the tent!
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Shopping Receipt
With only 8000 Pokedollars left to my name, I spent the last 2 days with Professor Oak and Nurse Joy brushing up on everything I’d need to get my Trainer’s License as well as my first Pokemon. As I didn’t have a sponsor and no local education record, I would have to take the League Basic Trainer’s License test. Big words, but the test is meant for 14-year-olds. I was confident and the Professor, after our reviews, was also confident in my knowledge. I registered for the test, and was able to have it scheduled for today. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get the results by tonight. Tomorrow, Professor Oak asked me to go over to his lab to discuss a starter Pokemon, if I pass.
As I finished wearing my new black jacket (with a Pokeball logo on the back, of course), I cleaned up the rest of my gear, stored them in a closet, and headed out. The test was taking place here at the Center, in one of the back rooms. There wasn’t really any moderator for it, as it was all digitized, and I wouldn’t be allowed to take my bag or any devices inside.
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Pokemon Center Room
Walking down the stairs leading into the lobby, I saw a small number of Trainers, likely heading out to the Cinnabar Islands to the South of Pallet. This year’s Indigo circuit was almost at an end, with only a week left of November, and the Indigo Conference was set to start in mid-December. Usually, most Trainers would have all 8 gym badges by now but some, usually those that either started late or had a series of unfortunate events, would be rushing to Cinnabar now. A stop in Pallet Town to resupply, a quick 2-day boat ride from the docks to the Cinnabar Islands; although that could be shortened to 8 hours if you had a flying Pokemon, which most trainers typically do at this stage. This late in the season, most should be able to get early slots at the Cinnabar Gym, and they would be fine as long as they returned to Pallet Town a week before the start of the Conference; Route 1 to Viridian City can be traveled in less than 2 days, shorter for experienced trainers, and then they’d be on time to make it to the Indigo Conference beside Victory Road, a brutal gauntlet of trials and tribulations that have toughened up and shaped almost all of Kanto’s best trainers, accessible only by the top 16 of the Conference, to prepare them to potentially face the Elite Four. From what I could recall, Victory Road had actually been a lot harsher in the past, mandatory for everyone who completed 8 badges, and a lot more informal. Now, it was akin to a weathering of everything a trainer would have learned during their first-year journey and the process had been on-going for over 50 years since it was formalized by Trainer Red after becoming Champion in Kanto. Speaking of Red, I’m pretty sure Professor Oak is actually the famous Samuel Oak’s grandson and prior Viridian City Gym Leader Blue Oak’s nephew, now that I think about it.
Regardless, I passed by the trainers, waved hi to Nurse Joy and Chansey, and headed towards the back. The room number was already given to me, and as I stepped inside the small booth, I could see a terminal connected to the League Test Takers page. Entering my name and location, I was asked to wait for my test to begin.
As the clock ticked away, I couldn’t help but imagine myself in the shoes of those trainers outside a year from now. Truthfully, I would imagine myself to already be waiting at the Indigo Plateau or the Pokemon League Village for the Conference to begin.
A sudden beep took my attention away and the next 3 hours flew away from me. The test, although basic, was comprehensive. All of the questions were in a multiple choice format and covered all the typings, their strengths and weaknesses, Pokemon abilities, items, medicine, how to interact with Pokemon, basic Pokemon care, and quite a lot of philosophical and psychological questions. After completing it, I could understand why most 14/15 year olds opted to attempt to get a sponsorship or pass from their schools instead.
Soon enough, I was out of the test room and resting on the massive circular couches in the Pokemon Center lobby, exhausted mentally but ready to go physically. Judging the early afternoon sky, I headed to the cafeteria to save on my limited funds, and then found myself in the small fitness room every Pokemon Center needs. Trainers were expected to walk between most cities through all the named Routes and Caves, although a robust transportation system did exist. Driving licenses, fortunately or unfortunately, were still age-restricted to anyone below 18 and a bicycle was way too expensive for most. So, walking, and that meant building your stamina and fitness.
Jogging at a decent clip on the treadmill also helped me clear my mind. Even with how busy I’d been over the last few days, I still felt that burning rage throb deep in my chest whenever anything about family or home was raised; the Nurse Joy had been walking on egg-shells around me for a good part of the morning prior after I shutdown on her asking me for my hometown for my license application. As I mentioned though, Professor Oak had been around to soothe things over and seeing as I had nowhere to call home, he asked that I set down Pallet Town as my entry. This would also, conveniently, allow the Professor to help me with my starter Pokemon, although he did make it clear that he would not be able to sponsor me or help keep any Pokemon for me as his ranch was already reserved for the upcoming year’s sponsorees from Pallet.
Thankfully, due to Bill’s advancement in virtual Pokemon storage technology, stables were not as necessary anymore and most Trainer’s who subscribed to the service were able to store their Pokemon in a Bill’s Box after being digitized with Infinite Energy, a station for which is available in every Pokemon Center. Initially, the use of the box had been frowned upon due to concerns over the Pokemon’s health and mental state; but the present virtual fields of the Bill’s Boxes could be customized to an almost ridiculous amount to the point where whole ranches of Tauros could be stored in field-type boxes and not feel any discomfort; basic food was already provided and premium supplements could also be digitized to help trainers assist in maintaining their roster’s health on their region-spanning journeys. That was my only option with my current funds for any Pokemon I caught above 6. I could carry more on me, but as a soon-to-be licensed Pokemon Trainer on his journey, it was very much expected that you would only carry 6 and deposit the rest (or have your sponsor store them for you).
A sudden ding woke me from my musings on the treadmill and I looked at my PokePhone to see that my test results were ready. I stepped off, washed up, and, quite excitedly, went downstairs. Nurse Joy had just returned from handing over a case of Pokeballs to a waiting trainer before turning to me.
“I just got the notification Avery, hold on a minute while I print out the results.” she said, giving me a small smile and turning to a sleek printer beside her desk. Soon enough, it churned out a piece of paper, which Nurse Joy took, looked over, before handing it to me with a suppressed smile.
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