What World?

by Chesire Cat

In the world of Pokemon, there’s a parallel which cannot be unnoticed. Compared to our world, where white-collared professions and college education are valued over trade and vocational jobs, the Pokemon world represents finding one’s self on a fulfilling adventure. In layman’s terms, that means leaving home before puberty with nothing more than a backpack and good wishes. However, like our world, the Pokemon world has those who defy convention. This is the story of one of them.

PT.1
The Discussion

“You know, that little Ketchum boy down the street left when he was ten, and look where he is now. He’s one of the most well-known trainers out there. You’re seventeen now. Everyone else has left home to start their journey.”

Mom was always on my back about this. It’s not that I didn’t want to be a trainer or didn’t like Pokemon; I’d just much rather be like my dad. He was one of the few who went to college. He majored in architecture at Cinnabar University and was employed by Silph Co. Yeah… that Silph Co. In fact, he was one of the major architects for their headquarters in Saffron. I don’t personally want to be an architect, but the allure of a profession entices me. Imagine if I became an engineer. I could design stuff like the Pokeflute, the Pokedex, or even the coveted Pokeball. I could get a job with Silph Co., just like dad, and make a killing. But, mom doesn’t want that. She wants a trainer.

“Mom, you don’t understand. This isn’t what I want. I probably wouldn’t even be good at it. You know I have the smarts for schooling. Do you think Ash understands the intricacies of the PC system? Do you think he even knows what ‘intricacies’ means? No, and that’s because he left home when he was still a kid. I’ll be an adult soon. I think I can make this decision on my own.”

“No. I’m putting my foot down. You visit Oak tomorrow and start your journey.”

“But dad didn’t-”

“He grew up in a different time… you leave tomorrow.”

PT.2
The Beginning

I wake up to the morning light and check my clock. It’s 10:49. The alarm has been turned off long ago. I head downstairs for food and see my mom and dad sitting at the table. Breakfast is quiet. I eat with mom and dad, but no one says a word. How mature of my mother to turn off my alarm so I miss school. The Viridian Pokemon School isn’t anything special, but I can’t complain. It is the only public school in all of Kanto. I finish my Pidgey eggs and promptly head upstairs to pack. I don’t want to talk to them at all. The backpack still has textbooks and papers in it from school. What a shame they have to leave. I collect my belongings and put them in neatly: a few t-shirts, plenty of socks and underwear, toiletries, and the other usual stuff. I also slip in a couple issues of Pokeboy, featuring pinups of a few of Erika’s gym trainers... I read it for the articles of course. Bill’s published works find their way into the bag, just to keep the dream alive. I head downstairs to see mom and dad sitting there smiling. I hate how happy they are about this.

“We wish you only the best of luck. I know you and your mother disagree a lot, but trust me; it’s for the best that you take this route in your life.”

I take my bike and head down the street to Professor Oak’s lab. My dad picked it up for me on a trip to some place called Mauville City. It’s a nice bike and much faster than the ones you can get from Cerulean City. I’m able to make it to the lab within minutes. It’s a quaint little place, perched up on a hill on the other side of the road from the ocean. Professor Oak is already waiting for me.

“You mother said you’d be coming to visit me. Come on in.” I follow him inside. The lab is much bigger than it looks from the outside. As I walk around I notice the skeletons of ancient Pokemon, people working busily with various breeds. I think I even saw someone trying to have a Sandshrew and Pikachu procreate. I guess it makes sense since they’re both mice, but still… weird. “All right, since you showed up later in the month, I only have two Pokemon left. There’s-“

“With all due respect professor, I don’t care. Just surprise me I guess.” With a slightly irritated face, he hands over the Pokeball.

“It’s a Tangela. Now get out of here.”

PT.3
The Journey

Outside of the lab, I look at the Pokeball. “Might as well get this started,” I say to myself. I push the circular button in the middle and the red flash comes out. Then I see it, a jumbled mess of blue vines with red shoes. The two eyes stare at me from an abyss. “What the hell are you?” It looks up at me with a worried face and starts to cry… dammit. “Oh calm down dude, I didn’t mean it. I’m just not used to this yet.” It calms down after a few minutes and we walk along. I don’t bother to keep it in a Pokeball, because to be honest, that seems like a pretty crappy situation. “So, what do you want me to call you?” It looks with a confused face and mumbles. I can’t distinguish that mess from English; maybe the vines are covering its face. I squat down to its level and begin to move the vines. Bad idea. Almost as soon as I move a vine it freaks out and starts running around in circles faster than I thought it was capable of. It finally stopped after losing its breath. “That’s it. You’re Tweak.” Tweak looks ecstatic at its new name and we keep going.

We approach Viridian City around noon and I’m starving. I assume the same of Tweak. “Yo, Tweak. What do you even eat? Do you eat meat? Would a salad be cannibalism?” It has a confused look on its face yet again, which comes as no surprise. We enter the Pokemon Center where I see Nurse Joy. I approach her, fairly embarrassed and ask, “So me and my Tangela just came from Pallet Town. We’re really hungry and I don’t know what this thing eats. Could you help me out?”

She giggles. “He eats dirt. He is a plant after all,” she says as she gives me a friendly wink.

“Wait. You said he. How do you know he’s a he?”

“Easily, of course!” I don’t even bother to understand. I just leave and head to the nearest Pokemart. I get myself a grilled cheese sandwich made from Tauros cheese. It’s amazing. I make dirtballs for Tweak before I realize the damn thing doesn’t have a mouth.

“So uh… how do you eat?” Tweak just looks at me, takes the dirtball from my hand with a vine, and shoves it through more vines. I’m dumbfounded. “So why did you freak out so much when I tried doing that?” He shrills happily.

We later head into Viridian Forest. I decide it’s about time for us to take a break, with all the work we’ve done today. I scale a tree and relax in a convenient nook made by the branches. The forest is relaxing. I look around and see nothing but trees and more trees; nothing like the hustle and bustle of big cities like Celadon or Saffron. Even Pallet Town has more happening than here. Regardless, Tweak and I nap in the shade, which later turns into a great night’s sleep.

PT.4
The Battle

The sunrise wakes me up again. I don’t know the time, the day of the week, or even the month… just kidding. I look around and Tweak is nowhere to be found. I climb down the tree and almost reach the bottom before I hear Tweak scream in terror. I immediately reach panic mode and start running. All I can think is, ‘Shit. This is my first Pokemon and I already lost it. Shit, shit, shit.’ A clearing appears with a few Beedrill hovering above Tweak. I panic. I don’t know what to expect. My second day on the job and I already messed up. But then, something inside of me is set off.

“Tweak! Use vine whip!” Tweak looks over to me, heeds my instruction, and springs into action. The vines that engrossed his face suddenly reached out to seemingly impossible lengths, attacking the poisonous creatures. I was curious as to where that much vine fits when not in action… I had more important things to worry about though. “Uhh… now use wrap and slam a couple Beedrill together?” Then, to my surprise, Tweak went crazy. The elongated blue vines wrapped around the drills and torso of four Beedrill, rendering them useless. Then, in a majestic movement putting me in awe, the bugs flew together, not of their own flight capacity, but of the driving force of Tweak’s extremities. The Beedrill fell to the ground in a dizzy haze. Did I kill them? Wait, can these things even die? Oh, they’re getting up and flying away… guess not then. Tweak runs over to me in excitement. I don’t know what came over me, but I found a new kind of excitement, something never found through any schooling. Knowing that we did something successful that the world and my parents would be proud of was ironically fulfilling. I thought to myself, ‘Why not chase this feeling?’

PT.5
The Montage

Trainer after trainer, Pokemon after Pokemon, Tweak and I ventured through the world. Brock, Misty, no gym leader was a match for us. Sure, I caught other Pokemon along the way, a Growlithe and Vulpix here, a Pidgey and Spearow there, but the bond I felt with Tweak couldn’t be mirrored; others just stayed in their Pokeball. Sure enough we made our way through eight gyms, with countless battles, Pokemon Center visits, and numerous encounters with strangers willing to give me their prized possessions just for talking to them, weird. I’ve matured a bit in this time too, being on my own for almost a year. Finally, my journey brought me to build the “Kanto Dream,” the Elite Four. Many trainers only dream of making it this far; for me it seemed to be no trouble. I guess I have a natural talent for this. Maybe I could make a living?

As I went through, the Elite Four trainers posed no threat. Lorelei, Bruno, and Agatha all fell victim to my wrath, and I moved on. But the battle with Lance was one I would never forget. Without hesitation, he wiped the floor with all of my Pokemon. Tweak couldn’t even put up a fight. After when I questioned him, he shared some advice.

“Lance, I’m astounded. How were you able to defeat me with such ease? I’ve never had this problem before. Literally never.”

“Well, when I was six, I knew then I was going to be a dragon Pokemon trainer. That specifically, I don’t know why, but it was something I always dreamed of doing. I chased the dream and didn’t let anyone stop me. I’m sure you’re doing the same, it just takes time.”

“Yeah… that’s right.” As I walked out of Victory Road, I knew exactly what needed to be done, before returning home, before another battle, and before even healing my Pokemon. The building was small like I remembered it, but I ventured in anyway to see the cute woman sitting at the desk. She greeted me with a smile.

“Welcome to the Viridian Pokemon School, can I interest you in enrollment?”

"Yes... yes you can."