The Heart of a Trainer: A Pokemon Story [PokemonWattyAwards2017]

One: When I Was Young

Monday, 2:00 pm

Alice

I thought my determination could take me anywhere I wanted to go, if I kept pushing myself to achieve my dreams I would arrive there eventually. But at the sight of Bugsy, the second gym leader, standing in front of me, my pokemon scattered on the floor, my confidence started to fade to black. I had failed. I wouldn't receive the Hive Badge and I wouldn't be able to move on to the next gym. Doubt and regret rushed through my body like waves crashing against the shore. A sparse crowd was gathered around the arena, and now they were all running in a frantic manner towards me like a herd of Tauros. Am I good enough? Do I have what it takes to reach my goals? I thought as I felt myself being pulled into a deep sleep that I could not control or prevent.

Suddenly, I was eight years old again. The memories from that time only a few years ago came flying at me like a flock of Pidgeotto. It was a time when I had yet to be exposed to the harsh reality of the world, I was so used to the kind nature of the New Bark Town citizens.

Alice's blue eyes were dancing with excitement as she ran home in anticipation to tell mother the great news she had just received. The principle of the trainer school she had been attending for that year had called her into his office and delivered the announcement only a moment before. Normally, being a pokemon trainer is limited to people that are ten years old or older, but Alice had received special permission. It's similar to skipping a grade or two in elementary school.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Alice's high-pitched voice echoed down the dark hall.

"Yes dear? What's with the rush?" Alice's mother, Renee Ballentine, said gently, poking her head out of the doorway.

"I'm getting my first pokemon today from Professor Elm!" Alice exclaimed.

"Oh how exciting! I'm so happy for you. Do you know which one you are going to choose yet?"

"Yep! I have it all planned out, I want Totodile. He's so cool!" Alice declared proudly.

"That's great honey, I'm sure you'll have lots of fun together. Why don't you head over to the Professor's lab now?" Renee gestured towards the door and then reached for something on the countertop "Have a snack before you go."

"Thanks! Wish me luck!" Alice yelled as she skipped out the door and down the street singing a nursery rhyme.

My world shifted, I was now eleven. My recollection of the events that took place in that small hospital in Pallet Town gave me my mission in life. It wasn't necessarily pleasant, and that's where my journey began.

Elora Aberson, Alice's best friend, was lying down on a hospital bed, unable to perform even the simplest of tasks, while Alice sat in an oak chair beside her. Inflamed red burns shaped like lightning bolts were etched into her beautiful caramel skin, standing out like neon paint splattered across a white canvas against the overall cleanliness of the private room. Alice was treading lightly on broken glass and couldn't meet Elora's eyes, she was afraid that those green eyes which were once filled with happiness would reveal an emptiness as deep as the ocean with no ending in sight. The room had recently been cleaned, and as a result, the unfamiliar smell of chemicals found its way into Alice's nose and proved to be a choking hazard as she started coughing uncontrollably due to her sensitivity. A few minutes later, after Alice's coughing fit was over and done with, the silence continued. There was a drastic difference between the fresh, clean air from the outdoors and the artificial atmosphere of the PokeCenter. Unable to stand the awkwardness that was apparent as soon as she entered for the short visit, Alice cleared her throat and spoke up.