When he opened the door, I was expecting a child, not a person my age.
It was a girl with long fiery red hair and lush green eyes. She was shorter than me by a couple inches. She wore a small forest green jacket over a white shirt, jeans, white and green sneakers, and a white backpack. She was pretty, had a lithe but curvy figure, and looked like some sort of supermodel. She also looked about fifteen or sixteen, give or take a little.
That took me aback. Why was a person my age getting a pokemon just now? I know I also just became a trainer, but my circumstances were different.
But for some reason, she seemed familiar, almost as if I knew her. Maybe she went to the same school as me.
She smiled at Professor Oak, "Hey Professor. I heard you have a pokemon for me."
Professor Oak nodded, "Yes, I have one pokemon with me that would love to go with you. Let's hope... let's hope that it works."
I was silent for the entire interaction, but my curiosity got the better of me. "What do you mean 'hope that it works'?"
The two of them looked over to me, Professor Oak remembering that I was there.
The girl studied me with intelligent green eyes, "You're Vali, right?"
"Yeah, I am."
She looked at Eevee and her eyes widened a little bit, "You have a pokemon? But... that's..."
"Surprising?" I answered for her, "Yeah, I've gotten that a lot. Aren't you in my school?"
"You mean you just recognized me?" she glared at me like I'd done something bad.
I then realized why she looked familiar. She looked so similar to Gabriel. "Oh, yeah, you're Gabriel's sister... er, what was your name again?"
The girl glared at me even more, "Do you seriously not even remember my name?"
I looked at her with confusion, "Last time I checked, we've never spoken to each other."
"Yes, we did. Don't you remember that time in Pokemon Battle class when we were randomly selected to be partners?" she asked.
I thought for a second. "I remember now." We were selected to be partners in a tournament that the teacher hosted, saying that participation was mandatory. Of course, we got knocked out first round, probably because I just let the other team win. I'd forgotten about that. "So, what's your name again?"
"Wow, first you make us lose, then you forget my name," she grumbled.
"Don't know why you're so mad. Just tell me your name, goddamnit, this is getting repetitive."
"It's Trinity," she said.
"Oh, yeah, I remember now," I said in an unhelpful manner.
She sighed and shook her head.
"So, you're here to be a pokemon trainer?"
"Of course."
"So, you actually want to become a trainer?"
"What's with you?!" she snapped. "You don't have to be so rude, you know? Besides—" she looked at Eevee "—you're a trainer now. You can't talk like that."
I wanted to come up with another remark, but I looked at Eevee, who was giving me an expectant look, and felt guilty. I turned to Trinity. "Yeah, you're right... sorry."
Her eyes softened by a small degree, "So even the Poke-Hater Vali isn't as insufferable as they say he is."
"You obviously got Gabriel's take," I insisted, "because he's the insufferable one."
She actually chuckled, "Can't argue with that."
Professor Oak cleared his throat. We realized he was watching our tennis match of an argument. "Very well, Trinity, dear, are you ready?"
She nodded with fire in her eyes, "I am." She stepped forward, getting in front of the pokeball-holding machine.
Professor Oak pressed a button, and the two pedestals in the middle rose, revealing two pokeballs. He grabbed one and threw it into the air.
Pikachu came out of the pokeball, "Pika!" it said.
Eevee jumped off my shoulder in excitement, "Eevee!" she said and tackled Pikachu with a hug.
"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu cried with jubilation, hugging Eevee back.
Okay, I had to admit, that was pretty cute.
"Eevee here has seen a lot of Pikachus come and go, but she has never been closer to one than she is with this one," Professor Oak explained.
"Why is that?" Trinity and I asked at once.
Professor Oak chuckled, "I'm not sure. This Eevee is very special. But it seems she saw something in this Pikachu—something that other Pikachus didn't have. Eevees are very sensitive to the things and people around them, you see."
I nodded, "That's true."
"Pikachu, come meet your new trainer," Professor Oak called.
"Pika?" it said in a confused manner and looked between Trinity and I, before his eyes settled on the former. It walked to her slowly, sniffing.
Professor Oak gave her a reassuring look, "Let's see if it works this time."
She nodded and got on her knees, looking at Pikachu, who was also looking at her. "Here goes nothing," she took a deep breath.
I still didn't understand what the problem was. They keep saying something about "it working this time," but I didn't know what they meant.
Trinity slowly held her hand out to Pikachu, who looked at her with confusion. She began to move it toward him, like she was about to pet him.
"Pika, Pi?"
Then, she put her palm on Pikachu's head, who didn't move, but Trinity had a look like she won the lottery. "H-he didn't... he didn't run..." she said with obvious relief.
"What do you mean he didn't run? Are you some pokemon serial killer or something?" I muttered, but she ignored me.
She smiled, giving the brightest smile I'd ever seen. "Will you... be my pokemon?" she asked Pikachu.
He looked at her for a second, before smiling, "Pika, Pikachu!" he exclaimed, agreeing.
Trinity looked like was about to cry. She held out her hand, and Pikachu climbed up her arm to her shoulder, kind of like how Eevee does to me.
Professor Oak had sparkles in his eyes, "It seems like it worked this time. Congratulations, lass, you are now officially a pokemon trainer."
Trinity looked very happy, as if she got an A on her test or something. "Pikachu, let's become the greatest, okay?"
"Pika!" Pikachu said affirmatively.
"Eevee!" Eevee cheered, before jumping on my shoulder again.
Meanwhile, I was standing there, looking at them with annoyance. "Can anyone tell me what's going on?"
Trinity glared at me like I doused her fire, "Nothing you should be concerned with."
"Right, 'cause I didn't just witness that," I sighed.
Professor Oak clapped his hands, "Well, now that you're a pokemon trainer, Trinity, it's time to give you your pokedex." He grabbed the device from the desk and showed it to her.
She took it, "Whoa, this pokedex looks a lot different..."
"It's the newest model," Professor Oak explained.
"Makes sense."
For the next couple of minutes, Professor Oak explained to her how to get the pokedex to record every pokemon she caught or encountered—pretty much the same thing he told me.
Trinity aimed the camera at Pikachu, and her Rotom spoke. "Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu. It can generate electric attacks from the electric pouches located in both of its cheeks."
"Oh! That's cool," Trinity said with a gleam in her eyes.
"Very," Professor Oak said, eagerly. I guess he was glad to give a pokemon lover a pokedex after I showed almost no reaction when he gave me mine.
Trinity looked at Pikachu and her pokedex. "So... I'm finally a trainer?"
Professor Oak smiled, "Yes, but there is still something a trainer needs. Can you guess what it is?"
Trinity thought about it for a second, before she smiled. "Pokeballs."
"Correct," Professor Oak said, throwing Trinity Pikachu's pokeball.
She caught it. She then noticed the other pokeball. "Who's pokeball is that?"
"Oh, that's Eevee's," Professor Oak said, throwing the pokeball at me. I caught it with one hand.
"Why was it there?" Trinity wondered.
"Remember that Ursaring attack back at school?" I asked her.
She nodded, "I heard that one student was injured, but nothing really bad happened. They also said that the abnormal-looking Ursaring was too strong even for my brother. It was eventually defeated, but by who..." her eyes widened.
"You figured it out? Yeah, Gabriel practically left me to die. I would have died if it wasn't for Eevee. She went all the way there from this lab just so that I could be her trainer." I scratched her behind the ear.
She let out a happy "Vee," her ears twitching contently.
Trinity was looking at me strangely, "But... how did you guys win? Not even Gabriel, who is known as the greatest trainer at our school, was able to put a scratch on it."
"Maybe Gabriel's just a bad trainer," I shrugged.
She glared at me.
I put my hands up in surrender, "Fine. It was a difficult battle, but Eevee and I just thought outside the box. That's how we won."
"So you beat that thing when it was your first pokemon battle?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
She sighed, "Right, just checking."
Professor Oak looked at us. "I know! How about you two have a pokemon battle?" he suggested.
Trinity suddenly smirked, "If Vali's up to it, then I don't see why not. Unless he's a coward."
I glared at her, "Yeah, fine."
"There's a small arena for pokemon battles outside the lab, you two can battle there."
"Alright," Trinity and I said at the same time.
We made it outside, standing at opposite sides of the arena.
"I'll serve as the referee," Professor Oak said, "the match ends when one pokemon is unable to battle."
I nodded. So, did Trinity.
"Get ready, Vali! Me and Pikachu are going to show you!" she said, fire burning in her eyes.
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted with determination as he jumped down from Trinity's shoulder, getting ready for the battle.
"Sure you will. Let's do this, Eevee." I said in a calm tone.
"Eevee." Eevee agreed with a steely demeanor, jumping from my shoulder, staring down Pikachu.
"Begin!" Professor Oak exclaimed, signaling the start of the battle.
"Go, Pikachu!"
"Eevee, use Tackle!"
And the two pokemon charged, anxious to meet in the middle.