“So, you got another one?”, Harold pointed towards Staravia before returning to stirring the pot. A potent scent of curry and a myriad of harmonious spices wafted from the pot which began to make Harrison’s mouth water slightly.

  “Yeah, we’ve been training for a while but she separated from her friends once they evolved”

  “That’s great. 3 Pokemon and one already evolved before you even started your journey. That shows a lot of potential but do you understand the consequences?”, Harold questioned as he tasted the curry a bit and found it slightly wanting.

  “Yup but I wasn’t going to wait anyways”, Harrison admitted as he poured a diluted concentration of Liechi Berry into the curry to add more spice and sweetness to the flavor profile.

  “That’s good then. Even if you already had Shinx and Abra, I could have pulled some strings to get you a Starter but it’s overkill if you have 3 already. They’d definitely laugh me off”

  Everybody here knew the Sinnoh starters of Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig. They were rare Pokemon bred for competition with fantastic evolutions that could easily get a trainer to the Conference if they even dedicated a bit of effort. However, they were almost exclusively provided to those that waited to start their journey without any other Pokemon. It was like a reward for all your patience, no Pokemon for now but you’re guaranteed a rare Pokemon with a bright future. Of course, the downside is that you have an untrained baby that has yet to blossom but it was a fair trade off for most children. It helped keep the magic of the journey alive if their Pokemon could develop alongside them as they grew on their journey.

  Of course, there was a quota as they are Rare Pokemon for a reason and thus, not every single child who waited could have a Starter from the trio. Harrison would have been higher priority due to being trained partially by his Ace Trainer Father but there were higher on the list such as those associated with Professor Rowan or those recommended by the Elite Four or the more prestigious Gyms. Those that didn’t get one of the starters would still be provided with an uncommon Pokemon but it’d probably be a downer not to get one from the famous Starter trio.

  “As cool as they are, I’d rather start early”, Harrison admitted.

  “Good. Now that that’s settled, what are you calling this one?”, Harold asked while he offered a slice of Cheri berry to the Staravia which remained perched on the dinner table.

  “I’ll.. think about it”, Harrison said as no names immediately came to mind and he preferred a bit more understanding before doing so.

  A formidable pillar of light then emerged on the carpet with psychic waves resonating deeply. The light then dissipated and Alakazam walked out with his mother.

  “I’m home! What’s for dinner?”, Harrison’s mother greeted right before rushing over and gripping Harrison in a tight hug.

  Harrison swiftly put down the ingredients he was working on and was about to evade but he had been held in place with a psychic hold. He then sighed and stared at Alakazam disapprovingly while being held in her zealous embrace.

  The Alakazam just looked away, acting as if he was suddenly fascinated by the spoons which have been alongside him since he became a Kadabra.

  “What am I going to do with you?”, she muttered aloud.

  “If you were more irresponsible, I could have postponed your journey for 2 more years but you’re just such a precocious little brat”, she sighed while messing up his hair. If he had dandruff, the room would’ve looked like it had been powdered with flour.

  “None for me?”, Harold asked while plating the food. His grin wide and beaming.

  She rolled her eyes while twirling some locks of her dark blue hair which went past shoulder length.

  “You can go hug Luxray in a cave somewhere past Snowpoint”, she quipped. Her indignation was more playful as she joined them at the dinner table and began gobbling up everything.

  “How’s the current project going?”, Harold asked after finishing another bite.

  “The usual. The League wants to know if the recommendations are real and not just plain old nepotism as usual”

  “And the results?”

  “It’s always hard to tell with the ones that have no Starters yet but Rowan’s little ones seem knowledgeable. As for the ones that already have Pokemon, oh I should be keeping them confidential haha”, she began as if about to divulge information right before withholding as usual.

  Harold, who had been on the edge of his seat, then sat back and sighed. The typical routine. Not that the information would have helped him who was way too old for the Junior League Conference. Only those under 17 or had less than 5 years of experience as a Trainer could qualify for the Junior League. Everybody else went to the Expert League where it was a free for all game and the disparity between challengers was unpredictable because your match could be between a 50 year old that just started battling or a 19 year old with 5 conferences from 5 different regions under their belt.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The undiscerning might assume the Junior League meant the competition was inferior because it was labelled Junior but the pressure was far greater as the expectations towards those participating in the Junior League could upstart their future massively. Very few challenges to the Elite Four and the existing power structure ever came from the Expert League.

  Harrison continued eating as usual.

  “Even if they have advantages, it’s still up to them to make sure it works in their favor”, Harrison muttered.

  “Indeed, Harrison. Potential and talent never realized is just regret actualized”, Harold stated with a grin.

  They then finished up dinner and cleaned up any messes made in the process of dining.

  In the living room, Harrison sat faced towards Staravia who had also finished some food mixed with berries and vitamins.

  He then held out the Pokeball and calmly waited.

  She pecked the button sharply and was promptly consumed by a red light. The ball shook once, twice, and thrice. Capture complete.

  He then went to bed for the night and Maestro shut the light for him before returning to the nightstand and falling asleep immediately.

  The weekend passed and it was now a brand new school day. Usually they’d be at one of the many classrooms in the Trainer’s School building but today was a camping day. Of course, it wasn’t the first as many sessions would be needed to get used to the idea of camping as a way of getting through the night. As Trainers, all of them required survival skills and these camping expeditions were the assigned education method to impart the skills needed to live as a Trainer.

  What if the woods were too vast and you couldn’t find the way to the city before the Sun went down?

  What if your Pokemon got too exhausted to fly or swim and the closest safe haven was a remote island with almost nothing?

  What if your search for rare Pokemon took you to dangerous or exotic places?

  Obviously not all of these could be accounted for and trained for but the basics were important and more importantly, could be taught viably.

  The teacher provided every student a pack of necessary items: a tent with a basic sleeping bag, a few bars of granola so they don’t starve, a flashlight, a repel, and a device with an antenna that had two buttons. One was for the teacher in case issues arose and the other button was for the rangers and was harder to press because it was for proper emergencies. For children with health issues and the like, there were additional items and other safeguards as accommodations but mostly, their assignments were in more controlled environments while the rest of the children were sent into the deeper parts of Route 202’s many wooded areas. As Route 202 was between Jubilife City and Sandgem Town, the danger level was minimal and the native Pokemon were quite peaceful.

  This would be their last time camping as in 2 more months, the Gym Challenge Circuit would begin anew and they would begin their journey. Well most of them at least. It wasn’t a strict requirement but the majority of people in almost all the Regions start their journey.

  Some don’t whether that be due to not liking battling, being burdened by other duties, already having a goal in mind, or many other reasons. There were also those that hated sleeping in the outdoors so much that they never start their Journey.

  You wouldn’t be judged negatively for not starting but you’d probably be encouraged to even at the age of 30. Exploring and getting to know the world was a good way to understand your place in it and what you want to do in the world.

  Good thing the Pokemon world was full of wonders and actual adventure and not just tourist attractions, Harrison thought cynically. He had not travelled before as it was just different flavors of “experiences” that just cost money and cost more money. No authentic experiences, no adventures, just pay, transportation, eat new food, new hotel, some stupid group tour or maybe a store that sold some “unique” crap.

  “Split into groups of 3, children. Set up camp so you’re not right next to each other. The pamphlet in your pack will have a checklist of things you should do. We will be here for the morning portion and help out if needed but the goal is to camp through the night”, one of the teachers chaperoning shouted in a clear but not demanding or authoritative tone.

  “We also have Pokeballs if needed but please don’t chase after wild Pokemon. We will only allow them if they follow willingly. Do not chase after or battle them if you don’t have to”

  Harrison then left after receiving his pack of camping goods. He had two Pokeballs on him currently because the school allowed Pokemon on such occasions. The one not in his party was Maestro because he could technically cheat with Teleport so they restricted Psychic types.

  “So, how was the movie?”, Christine asked.

  “It was neat. It was all about how if you could understand Pokemon perfectly then there’s a good chance that they’d stop being your pets but possibly even your friends”, Harrison mused.

  “That sounds awful”, Gavin retorted. He was the third member of the group and got along well enough with the both of them.

  “I was gonna watch it too. Lucario was my favorite Pokemon”, Gavin said as he followed them while they were searching for a good spot to camp in.

  “Was?”, Christine asked.

  “Lucarios fully understands you. That’s why the film makes sense”, Harrison said, omitting the parts which the film got surprisingly correct like hunting and extermination by humans who feared those they could understand with even the slightest differences. The current peaceful paradigm would be impossible due to so many issues mainly caused by humans.

  Honestly, Harrison was surprised that he had been allowed to watch it but he still hadn’t quite gotten over how 10-12 meant you were somewhat responsible in this world. All the hormonal and carnal stuff was still locked after 18 though so at least, they were really responsible with regulations there.

  The three then found a small clearing which wasn’t too far off from the main group as they could still see 3 different groups of tents in the distance.

  “Let’s set up camp here”, Harrison stated.