Chapter no.12

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"I haven't come across any Shinx in this area, but the PokéDex hasn't contradicted my observations either. Let's get going. In order to get to Violet City, we will need to finish this path as well as another one."

I used the PokéDex to find our way to the path that lay ahead of us. Under the icon representing the full sun and the half sun, a red dot appeared. I thought the icon of a half sun meant that it was daytime or afternoon.

I mentioned to Rob that the Shinx would stay out later in the next route.

"Oh? Nice. After that, we will make our way through this path, and then continue on to the following one. If we are unable to locate a Shinx for you along Route 30, we will continue our search along Route 31. Once we reach Violet City, we will be able to book a room in one of the city's inns. You have any Poké Balls?"

I nodded.

"Good," said Rob cheerfully. He took my mat and stowed it away in the backpack he was carrying. He did so by slinging the straps over his shoulders. "Well, let's get going. It is anticipated that we will arrive in Violet City before evening."

The month of June came after me. The Charizard that belonged to Rob flew up into the night sky and circled above us. We headed in the direction of the north after getting on the main road. As the clouds began to part, the sun began to peek out, and soon after, the temperature rose to the point where it felt quite pleasant against my skin. On the road, we started to notice that there were other people, some of whom were heading south to Cherrygrove and others of whom were heading towards Violet. The majority of the attendees were people my age who were also by themselves. A few of them, with their demanding and insistent demeanour, brought to mind Alice. I was prepared for one of them to try to compete with me. The majority, on the other hand, brought to mind the pitiful and feeble child I saw Alice defeat who had an Eevee. It was impossible for me to tell whether they were looking at Rob or at me, but every so often they would cast a nervous glance our way before avoiding us. There were even a few of them that started running down the path. I took notice that the vast majority of them were approaching from our rear and moving in a northerly direction.

I was about to tell Rob what I was thinking, but when I saw the expression on his face, I decided to keep my mouth shut instead. Rob gave off the impression that he was worried about something. Every time one of those pitiful children made an appearance, he frowned and watched them with a blank expression on his face.

A young woman with brown hair and a white smock with stains on it approached us from behind while carrying a baby wrapped in a blanket bundle in her arms. She appeared to be roughly the same age as I was. The moment we both looked at each other, her eyes widened in apparent surprise. She fled, exposing her bloody and blistered bare feet as she went. As he watched her flee, he appeared to be in a state of despondency.

Do you believe that some of these people were coerced into taking on the role of trainers as well? I asked without giving it much thought. I spoke the first thing that came into my head.

It appeared as though Rob's train of thought was broken up by my words. He gave me a brief blink before turning his attention to me. He must have forced himself to smile because it was very faint and not very convincing.

"Yes, in my opinion. The scene is very upsetting."

I am sure he mentioned that Kanto was his home region. "Was it the same way when you got back to your house?" While we were walking together, I figured it would be a good opportunity to inquire about him and his life.

Rob let out a subtle chuckle while keeping it to himself. "Yeah. Just like this, "he remarked while displaying a trace of melancholy. He did not say anything else that would suggest he wanted to continue the conversation.

Another recollection popped into my head at that moment. Just before I went to sleep while I was staying at the Cherrygrove Inn, I recalled having a thought that bothered me and writing it down before I went to sleep. I had a feeling that Rob would already know the answer.

Why are people made to become trainers against their will?

Rob snarled in an authoritative voice, "It's the law!" The speed with which he responded shocked me to say the least. His eyes were filled with pity, and his expression was one of sorrow.

It seemed as though I connected with Rob on some level. After considering his response, I reflected on my current circumstance, and I made the connection between the two.

"So...kids who have a poor academic performance in school are compelled to become Pokémon Trainers?" A spooky feeling came over me as the memory of the letter being delivered to our house and my father reading it came flooding back. "I was unsuccessful in both of my math classes... I have no idea how I got to the number two..."

Rob did not respond to my terrible attempt at humour, and as a result, it did not prevent me from falling into a state of depression. He appeared uncomfortable as he looked up at me. Before he said anything, he let out a drawn-out sigh.

"Yeah," began Rob. "To begin, children are coerced into attending school. Then, if they perform poorly, they are given Trainer IDs, starter Pokémon, and are kicked out of their own home to live in a different location." Rob maintained his focus, with a slight squint, on the surface of the road below us. He pressed his lips together nervously. The manner in which he was behaving caused me to question whether or not we were both on the same page with regard to being thrown out into the world.

"Were you compelled to take up the role of Trainer as well?"

He looked at me in a way that suggested I had belittled him in some way. I was prepared for him to lash out at me once more because it appeared that he was capable of doing so. He didn't however. Instead, he offered nothing more than a friendly smile.

"Nah. I decided on, "Rob said quietly.

I nodded. I liked Rob's answer. I was of the opinion that becoming a fitness instructor should be a voluntary decision rather than one that is compelled by circumstances. It was a terrible idea to punish children by releasing them into the world simply because they had performed poorly in a class. When I first heard about the law, I couldn't help but wonder who exactly was responsible for passing it and why they did it.

The line of thought eventually led me to reflect on myself. By concentrating on the law itself, I had been avoiding dealing with my own problems. There I was, making my way along a well-trodden path, but for what, exactly? Do you want a badge? My mental Pikachu had quite literally dismounted its Pikachu wheel and questioned, "What the hell am I doing?" What the devil ought I to be focusing on?' The fact that I had to spend the night outside the night before and that I had made plans to go to Pokémon Gyms in order to get badges brought to my attention the fact that I was no longer in control of my life. That option, where you can earn eight badges without having to become a trainer against your will? You were under the impression that I was thinking consciously, Ed? No matter what you do or how you do it, you're still going to be a trainer. That much is unchangeable.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?"

I found myself staring up at the clear blue sky above me. It made me think of a cartoon I used to watch when I was younger...a cartoon I used to watch on my own TV in the comfort of my own home... The sky in the cartoon looked exactly the same, with the exception that someone had made it shatter like a glass window, which made it rain shards and revealed the pitch-black void that was hidden behind the sky. I wanted the sky to explode like it did in the cartoon, and I wanted the pieces of the sky to splinter off and cut me to pieces.

"Indeed, I believe that people should decide for themselves whether or not they want to be trainers. Being a trainer..." Once more, I reflected on the time when my parents kicked me out of the house and how I perceived their reaction at the time. "It's not exactly a happy situation."

Rob made a groaning sound and then shrugged. "You are solely responsible for the level of misery you experience. It seems as though you were coerced into becoming a trainer; is that the case?"

As a result of my silence, I found myself falling behind June and Rob. When I saw June's orange and feathery head, I felt a strange kind of gnawing pain in my chest. I avoided looking at her by averting my gaze. She was so devoid of guilt, and yet here I was, griping about something; however, I did have the right to gripe, right? I started pondering the question, "Why me?" My thoughts went from wondering why I was stuck with June to pondering whether or not I truly cared for her, and then to pondering whether or not Rob could take better care of June, and whether or not I could somehow get away from this situation.

In the mental maze that I had created for myself, I eventually got to the point where I considered killing June as a form of mercy. I prevented myself from going any further by stopping myself. I was already being hard on myself when it came to this.