Dairo quickly went down the stairs and arrived at a small living room where a green carpet covered the wooden floor. (He observed the place attentively)
Nothing looked different from the game, except for the existence of two mysterious doors. They could be the bathroom and the woman's bedroom, but opening them now might attract unnecessary attention.
"Better not risk it yet."
A TV in the corner caught his attention. It was bigger than the one in his room, but what really interested him was the movie they were broadcasting:
⌈ Four children were walking happily on the train tracks when they suddenly heard the whistle of an oncoming train speeding towards them.
In their desperate attempt to get out of the way, a Pikachu accompanying them slipped and got its paw stuck between the boards.
The train was almost upon them!
But one of the kids brought out a Bulbasaur and managed to rescue it using Vine Whip. ⌋
That brief glimpse increased his desire to have his own Pokémon.
He was so engrossed in the movie that he didn't notice the person behind him until their cold voice made him jump:
"Are you planning on staying there all day?"
He didn't need to turn around to know the woman was angry.
She was in the dining room petting a small cat.
"A real Pokémon!" (he exclaimed)
"Real Pokémon?" (confused)
"Damn, I spoke without thinking!"
Repressing his fear, Dairo clumsily tried to correct himself:
"I meant... It's the first time I've seen such a cute Meowth! I mean, I see it everyday at home, but today it looks especially adorable."
He forced a smile, but the inquisitive stare from the mother indicated that his performance wasn't convincing. He could see the concern on her face.
"You seem very strange... Are you sure you're okay?"
"Y-yeah, don't worry, I'm perfectly fine." (he hurried to reply)
He tried to downplay it by pretending to be calm, but he was consumed by nerves. In an attempt to calm himself, he extended his hand to pet Meowth. (Grave mistake)
He received a nasty scratch.
The mother let out a muffled scream, but quickly rushed over to assist him.
"Let me see! Oh... don't move, I'll be right back."
She started carefully disinfecting the wound, while Dairo grimaced in pain. Finally, she wrapped his hand and part of his arm in an excessively large bandage.
"There, this should do."
Dairo looked at the huge unnecessary bandage and held back a sigh. At least the incident helped divert suspicions about his strange behavior.
"Much better, thanks." (he murmured, forcing a smile)
"I have to be more careful from now on."
To Dairo's surprise, Meowth clearly had no affection for him whatsoever. This confused him, since he had always gotten along well with cats.
"How strange, it doesn't normally behave like this. Are you sure you didn't do anything to it?" (visibly annoyed)
"As if it's my fault!" (Dairo thought, but quickly calmed down)
After all, he didn't know about the previous relationship between Dairo and Meowth.
As Dairo was about to leave, the woman stopped him:
"Wait, won't you have breakfast before you go?"
"Earlier she was hurrying me, what's going on?"
"No thanks, I'm running late."
He couldn't waste any more time, he was still in the game's introduction and didn't want to risk someone else finding the items he needed.
But before Dairo could go out the door, he felt arms wrap around him in a tight hug. Dairo tensed, uncomfortable. He wasn't used to physical displays of affection.
"You're going to wrinkle my clothes... Can you let me go, mom?"
She ignored him. She squeezed him tighter, gently stroking his hair.
"Promise me you'll take good care of yourself out there. And don't forget to call me every day." (she pleaded in a low voice)
Dairo felt a pang of guilt. Even though he didn't know this woman, her concern for him seemed genuine.
"Alright, mom."
She finally released him, drying her tears but smiling. She also insisted on transferring some money to his bank account through an ingenious system of electronic cards.
Following her instructions, they brought both cards together to make contact with each other. Dairo heard a beep and saw the numbers on the card update instantly:
Dairo's Account
[Transfer complete]
+3000Đ ➜ 12Đ = (3012Đ)
"So this world has advanced technology for payments and transfers."
He put his card away very carefully in his backpack. After saying goodbye for the second time, he was finally ready to leave.
After saying goodbye, Dairo ran at full speed towards the imposing building that stood on the outskirts of town:
Pokémon Lab
When he arrived, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath and observe the construction with bright eyes. "I can't wait to choose my first Pokémon."
He quickly approached and anxiously knocked on the door. He knocked again and again, but no one answered him. Surprised, Dairo kept insisting for a while longer with no result.
Where could Professor Oak be?
As Dairo wondered if he should try to go inside, an extravagant bespectacled man approached: "Hello! Sorry, young trainer. The lab closed an hour ago."
Dairo turned towards the man with an expression of panic.
"It can't be! I was supposed to get my first Pokémon today!"
"Oh dear. I'm afraid you came too late." (he responded without losing his cheerful tone) "You'll have to come back next year to start your journey. Technology is amazing!"
Dairo collapsed to his knees, totally dejected.
"Cheer up! I'm sure you'll make it next time. Just prepare better." (he said before leaving)
Dairo remained kneeling on the ground, processing the frustrating news.
"It's not fair... It's like I failed the challenge before even starting!" (he complained aloud) "The difficulty level of this world is too unfair!"
The sound of a door slamming shut interrupted his lamentations:
"Hey you! What do you think you're doing making a racket on my property?"
Startled, he looked up. In front of him stood an elderly man with messy gray hair, wearing a wrinkled white lab coat.
His bushy eyebrows were knitted in a surly scowl.
"Oh! Are you Professor Oak?" (he asked as he stood up)
"Of course I'm Oak! Do you see another old man in a lab coat around here?" (he huffed impatiently) "Now tell me at once what you're doing at my lab."
Dairo shrank back, intimidated. The professor looked nothing like the friendly researcher he had imagined, he was starting to regret having wished so much to enter that laboratory.
"Sorry for the racket... I'm Dairo, one of the new trainers. I'm really sorry for being late, I was fast asleep and lost track of time..."
Oak let out a snort of annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Ah yes, the brat who never showed up. As you can see, I've already given away the last starter Pokémon. So you won't be able to start your journey."
Dairo quickly shook his head, refusing to accept it.
"There has to be a solution! I'll happily take even a Pikachu!"
The professor's brows furrowed dangerously.
"Calm down, I may be able to recommend a Pokémon for you. Follow me."
(Dairo smiled relieved) "Yes, I'll take it no matter what it is!"
Upon entering the lab, Professor Oak pointed to a pot. It had a bell-shaped head, a thin stalk and two small spiky leaves.
Disappointment flooded him when he saw that feeble Pokémon. He was hoping for at least a Bulbasaur that usually nobody chose. But he didn't even get that!
Bellsprout swayed its body placidly, oblivious to Dairo's disappointment.
Noticing his crestfallen expression, Professor Oak says:
"If you don't like it, you're not obligated to take it. You can come back next year..."
Faced with the possibility of leaving empty handed, Dairo quickly replied:
"No, no, I'll take it!"
"I can catch another one later."
"Very well, that'll be 2000Đ then." (he declared extending his hand)
Dairo's eyes went wide...
"Wait... You're going to charge me?!"
"Of course, the Pokémon is not free." (he explained impatiently)
Dairo felt his blood boiling. It was the last straw to charge him on top of everything!
"How dare you take money from a child?! Damn Professor Tree!"
Oak's bushy eyebrows bristled dangerously.
"What did you call me?! Brat, insolent brat! I'm doing you a favor!"
Dairo took a deep breath to calm himself, losing his temper would not benefit him at all. After all, he was facing a man with decades of experience dealing with powerful creatures like Pokémon.
Surely he even has his own Pokémon, it would be crazy to confront him.
Swallowing his pride, Dairo softened his tone to respond. Appeasing the situation was the least dangerous solution for now. He would find a way to get back at him for that humiliating payment later. For the moment, the main thing was to get a Pokémon.
"Fine, I'll pay the 2000Đ... Do you take card?" (he muttered in frustration)
"That's better, with good manners everything is easier." (he smiled smugly)
Oak knew nothing about the emotional storm Dairo was going through. For him, Dairo's sudden change in attitude was simply interpreted as a young man coming to his senses.
They brought their cards together to make the transaction...
Dairo's Account
[Transfer complete]
-2000Đ ➜ 3012Đ = (1012Đ)
Although it pained him to spend the money, at least now he had a Pokémon, as pathetic as it was.
Professor Oak returned Bellsprout to its Poké Ball and then carelessly threw it to Dairo.
Dairo deftly caught it in the air and heard a faint musical echo in his head, but the sound disappeared so quickly he barely noticed it.
Focusing his attention on the Poké Ball, he spoke decisively:
"Bellsprout, from now on we'll be a team. Let's work hard to earn back the money that old man stole... and someday let's come back to get revenge!"
"I'll remind you I'm still here." (he cleared his throat) "You'll also need this on your journey. It's a Pokédex, it will record Pokémon you see or catch." (he shows a red device)
"Don't think I'll pay a cent for that junk!" (he huffed rudely)
"Mind your tongue, brat!" The Pokédex is free."
Dairo received the Pokédex, upon checking it he saw that no Pokémon were registered.
"Wouldn't you happen to have a completed Pokédex around?"
"Of course not!"
Dairo put the Pokédex in his backpack, and after an unenthusiastic goodbye, he set off towards the next city hoping to fulfill his new goals. He needed to become stronger, catch better Pokémon, fill that damned Pokédex...
And someday, he would look for a way to get revenge on the hateful Professor Oak.
End of chapter.
Note: If you find any grammatical errors or misspellings, I would appreciate you letting me know in the comments.