Chapter 4: Duty

But I can't give him pleasure, not after what I've experienced, not after all those years of frustration for not being able to achieve my dreams, I don't know what strength it brought me, but I owe it to this poor child who was left without a future because Give myself a second chance, I must reach the top, I must reach the impossible, I have many opportunities to achieve it, with my knowledge and my determination I can become Champion and prove to myself that I am not here for nothing.

Swallowing and gathering the courage to speak, I took Mother Clarisse's hand and told her: -One year, if I don't manage to be crowned Champion in one year, I will return to the orphanage and dedicate my life to becoming the director of this place.

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Mother Clarisse opened her eyes wide and said to me: Max, didn't you listen to me? New Trainers who become Elite Trainers in a year are already considered prodigies, and you are telling me that you will be Champion in a year? -She said, giving little faith to my statement.

-I know it sounds impossible, but only if I commit to that degree with you will I be able to give you peace of mind and be satisfied with myself, I must try, if I feel that it is a dead end and I do not have what it takes to become a Champion, I will fulfill my goal. word to return to this place.-I said while I thought that returning to this place would not be so bad if Mother Clarisse were here to keep me company, maybe I don't really know her, but the way she treats me and how her eyes worry for me it makes me feel loved and by being objective with some good management and with my level of education I could easily make some money and be a decent director for this orphanage.

After staring at me for a few minutes without saying anything, Mother Clarisse let out a sigh and told me: - Okay, you win, I will stop trying to make you not leave and I will support you in whatever way I can so that you can achieve your goal, who You know, maybe you'll realize how horrible Pokemon can be and decide to come back sooner, I just hope that you take good care of yourself and call me constantly to make sure you're okay. - He said adding the last thing with a refreshing smile, almost as if he longed for me. call even if I have not left yet.

Only the loud sound of my stomach could bring her out of her reverie, to which she responded with a light laugh and told me: - There is still a week until you leave, I think the best thing would be for you to try to familiarize yourself with the surroundings of Pewter City to See if you remember anything, we've been talking in this room for a couple of hours and unfortunately you already missed breakfast, let me prepare something for you and then go for a walk around the city.

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After a delicious meal prepared by Mother Clarisse and a strong warning not to leave the city, I was finally able to leave the orphanage and see with my own eyes the first obligatory stop for any Trainer who wants to enter the Indigo Plateu: Pewter City.

First of all, there are several points to clarify: it is really considered a small city in this world, you can see quite a few houses, some tall buildings in which the Pewter City Museum, Brock's Gym and the red roof of the Pokemon Center stand out. , which is a small full-fledged hospital, some establishments such as the Pokemart, restaurants and quite a few stores with general items, a small stream that borders the north of the city and to the south you can see in the distance a thick forest that encompasses a great area.

As a fan of the Pokemon franchise I could not help but feel excited, it wasn't exactly like the games or the anime, but I was in Pewter City! There were thousands of things in my head that I thought about doing to pass the time this week waiting before I get my Trainer license, so the first stop I decided to take was at the Pokemart, if I will be a Trainer soon I think it is convenient to know the prices of the items that I will use the most and I will not deny that I am very excited the idea of ​​seeing a Pokeball in person.

As I walked towards the building with a blue roof that could be seen in the distance I saw many people walking through the streets with all kinds of Pokemon, it was very easy to identify the Trainers, it seemed that they all agreed to wear fingerless gloves and a cap. distinctive color, which made me wonder if there was something like clans or associations of Trainers in this world.

I was very impressed by the variety of Pokemon that was seen with their Trainers, there were the classic Pidgeys, Geodudes, Nidorans, among others, I even saw a girl running with her Ralts while laughing at the joke she made to another trainer who was accompanied of a Houndour, which made me think that even in Kanto the diversity of Pokemon is quite high, perhaps I should study a little about the Pokemon in the area since apparently they will not be the same ones that could be easily found in video games.

With my mind lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice that I was already at the door of the Pokemart until I literally collided with it, causing a few Trainers who were walking down the street to laugh.

Feeling like a fool and with red cheeks I entered the Pokemart as quickly as I could, immediately forgetting my embarrassment when I saw everything that was offered there, there were several shelves with different Pokeballs for $200 Pokedolars, there were GreatBalls for $600 Pokedolars and Ultra Balls for $2,000 Pokedolars, it seemed strange to me that only the Ultraball had a price difference with its video game counterpart but I imagined that it is due to lack of availability or due to the demand that the town has, even if one looked closely one could see that Heavy balls and Lure balls were offered in one corner.

I thought that maybe the Heavy balls would sell well here for people who want to capture stone-type Pokemon to imitate Brock and the Lure balls would be for Trainers who want to capture water-type Pokemon to get their first badge, anyway, don't let them. my thoughts distract me from the other products in the store, apparently because of Champion Lance Wataru the cultural union between Kanto and Johto is more visible, the stores offer several Johto products such as the Rage Candy Bar that basically killed the market of Full Heal in Kanto since they are worth just a modest $300 Pokedolars compared to the $400 Pokedolars that a Full Heal costs.

Taking a look at the catalog on the counter I could see that the stores in other cities offer different types of Poke balls and the prices may vary, this is a town for basically novice Trainers give priority to basic objects of common use with affordable prices for easy acquisition, thinking about it thoroughly I think I was very lucky to have my second chance here as everything seems to be set for a soft start for the trainers.

After taking a look at the Potions and Antidotes that the Pokemart offered, I left the store so I could see the museum or the Pokemon Center while it was still daylight, but before going through the door I decided to go a little closer to the window to see a last time the Pokeballs, it all felt like a dream and frankly the Pokeballs were fascinating, they basically had the power to contain the gods of this world in your own hand.

I think that in the eyes of strangers I looked like a child choosing his first Pokeball because it wasn't long before a Trainer approached me, he looked a little older, about 16 years old, he had black hair and was at least a feet taller than me, he leaned over a little and laughed before telling me: "Let me guess, you're a newbie and you still don't know which Pokeball to buy, right?" He said while putting on a smug smile like someone who wants to screen a rookie.

Seeing that he didn't really seem to have bad intentions, I stood up and greeted him: - Nice to meet you, my name is Maxwell, I'm not actually a coach yet, in a week I will complete the minimum 10 years and process my license, but since I come from an orphanage I wanted to see First the prices of the Pokeballs so I can make a small budget for my trip.-

When he heard that I came from an orphanage, he took a second look at my clothes. Apparently the other orphans used to wear clothes that were somewhat worn out, but since it seemed that Mother Clarisse had a certain favoritism with me, she had the habit of buying me clothes with her own salary. , which I appreciate but it reinforces my theory that the previous user of this body had no friends because he was Clarisse's favorites and because of the constant pranks on his companions.

The older Trainer seemed not to believe because of my way of dressing that I was an orphan but he decided to humor me and told me: - Hahahaha it's not a bad idea to pretend to be an orphan, maybe that way you'll get a sponsor or something hahahahaha- he said while struggling to hold his breath. laugh .- My name is Patrick Coleman, I'm a trainer with 5 badges who came here to take a break before trying to get my sixth badge, it's quite exhausting to be constantly traveling you know? If you have any questions about Pokeballs or about being a Trainer in general, do not hesitate to tell me, I will be here for about 3 more days before continuing my trip.-

I thought about it a little and saw that Patrick seemed to be a good boy, you could tell he was trying to show off but not everyone stops to offer their help to a stranger, I smiled at him and said: - Thank you very much Pat, I must admit that getting 5 badges It is quite an achievement, you are impressive, I will be happy to receive your guidance. - I commented trying to appeal to his ego, it is easy to deal with teenagers when you are mentally an adult.

Patrick smiled widely and said in a funny tone: - So Pat, huh? It's okay Max, I like you! As a gesture from an experienced coach to a rookie, I'll give you this. - He said while he searched in his backpack and took out a blue Pokeball that I immediately recognized as a Great ball, my eyes lit up and I said excitedly: - Are you really going to give me a Pokemon?! - Before Patrick grabbed his stomach and laughed heartily: - Don't be an idiot Max hahaha, it's an empty Great Ball, you can tell when you take it because it feels cold and light, what kind of Trainer would go around giving Pokemons to children without a license? - Patrick said to my embarrassment. a tone as if that fact were the most logical thing in the world.

-I'm not giving you a Pokemon, Max, I'm increasing your chances of capturing the Pokemon you want.- Patrick said with a smile and a thumbs up to which I could only respond with an equally big smile before a girl Trainer with a blue cap and waist-length blonde hair came out of the store, took Patrick by the arm and said with a pout: - Come on Patrick! You left me alone inside and today is supposed to be our special day! - Patrick just smiled apologetically and turned to look at me to say in a very playful tone: - Sorry Max, sometimes duty calls! - Just before the beautiful Trainer pulled him and walked him somewhere else out of my sight.

It was a pretty fun exchange I must say and the girl looked pretty so I was happy for my new friend, I looked at my hand and saw the Great ball while I thought about all the Pokemon classes I could use it in, I told myself to myself:- This Great Ball has to be special, I will use it on my first capture, so I will wait until a Pokemon that I consider special appears.-

And as if it were the signal for it to make its debut, I heard a loud -"Pid!."- only to turn around and see on the roof of the business in front of the Pokemart a small Pidgey with a brown spot on its beak.