(Hi guys, I’m new to this site and thought it would be fun to do this. Since I’m a little late, my post will be a bit long to try and catch up to the on-going story.)
Marcus had recently returned home to Saffron City in Kanto when he received an email from Professor Oak inviting him to travel to Pallet Town to be a part of this year’s Kanto Pokemon Trainer Intake class. Marcus was thrilled that after years of hard work in school he was finally able to join the Indigo League Challenge and set out on his very own Pokemon adventure.
This truly was a dream come true for Marcus, and Professor Oak’s letter was a little bit of validation for his decision to change his path in life a few years ago. Marcus had left his hometown of Saffron City three years ago to travel to the Kalos region to enroll in the Lumiose City Academy. The academy was famous for its academic studies in science, technology, engineering, and math, and at the time Marcus dreamt of studying engineering at the academy with hopes of working for Silph Corporation one day. However, Marcus began to struggle in his classes and fall behind the other students after just a few months at the academy. He began questioning what he was doing and found himself burnt out by the end of the first semester. Needing a break from STEM classes, Marcus enrolled in an elective class called “Introduction to Pokemon Battling and League Challenges.” That class changed his life. Marcus found himself voraciously reading everything he could about different Pokemon battling strategies and types of Pokemon in the world. He couldn’t get enough of it. Shortly after that class, he withdrew from the engineering program and enrolled in the academy’s special Pokemon trainer school. Marcus excelled at the school and was even a member of the Lumiose City Academy’s competitive battling team and would travel across Kalos for matches.
Graduation was bitter-sweet for Marcus. First, he had to give up all of his Pokemon that he battled with since they were technically owned by the academy and not him. Second, while he enjoyed learning about Pokemon training, he was worried about what he would do now to survive in the world. One of his close childhood friends was an officer in the Saffron City Police Department and doing well for herself. Another close friend got a banking job in Celadon City. Marcus? Well, he was broke and, unfortunately, Pokemon training wasn’t very lucrative financially. Marcus purchased a plane ticket back home to Saffron City shortly after graduation, deciding it was his best option since he didn’t have a job and was running out of money. He could figure out his life once he was back in Kanto.
Marcus checked his email one more time on the night before he was to set off for Pallet Town just to make sure Professor Oak’s invitation was real. He still hadn't gotten a job in Saffron City, and thanks to Professor Oak's invitation, he could now embark on what he hoped would be a life-changing adventure. He had planned to take a two-day train ride from Saffron City to Pallet Town, and he planned it so he would arrive at Professor Oak’s lab about an hour before the ceremony. Marcus grinned and laid back in bed. “Wow, I can’t believe this is real,” he said to himself. “I’m envious of my friends, but I bet they’ll be envious of me when they hear the news, hehe!”
The train encountered a delay near the Mt. Moon area, forcing the trip to be delayed by about two hours. Marcus was a nervous and anxious wreck the whole train ride after that, images forming in his mind about worst-case scenarios. “What if the missed the ceremony? What if he couldn’t get his Pokemon and enter the Indigo League?” Marcus became nauseous just thinking about it.
Finally, the train arrived in Pallet Town, and Marcus bolted upright and rushed out of the train as fast as possible. By the time he arrived at Professor Oak’s laboratory, the ceremony had already begun. Marcus stealthfully walked inside the room and found an empty chair near the back of the room. He sat down and prayed he hadn’t missed his name being called.
The ceremony dragged on and on, and yet Marcus’ name hadn’t been called. He resigned himself to the fact that he may have missed his turn and began thinking of ways to speak with Professor Oak and apologize about his tardiness. Maybe he could still receive his starter Pokemon? Just as Marcus was trying to find a way out of his situation, he looked up and heard Professor Oak say “Congratulations” to a girl named Isabelle. “Cool, she got a Shinx!” Marcus thought. He reminisced about the Shinx he had befriended at the academy. They would always play together and go on runs.
“Next up… Oh another Kanto trainer! Please welcome Marcus Garza to the stage,” Professor Oak announced. Marcus was still deep in thought about Shinx when he heard his name called. He hesitated for a moment, almost in disbelief that his name had been called. Marcus nervously got up out of his chair and walked to the front of the room.
“Congratulations Marcus. Here I will present you with an updated Pokedex, a tempered glass case for your badges that you will earn while competing in the Indigo League, and finally…” Professor Oak reached to his side and pulled out a Poke ball. “Here is the Poke ball for your very own starter Pokemon. Please throw it and see who will be your partner.”
Marcus couldn’t hide a huge smile on his face. He placed his Pokedex in his pocket and slid his backpack off his shoulders to place the gym bade case in the backpack before opening his Pokeball. Finally, Marcus threw the Pokeball in front of him and a burst of white light engulphed the room. He thought he heard a hissing noise, which startled Marcus. Then a long and slim form manifested before his eyes. The Pokemon was purple all over its body, save yellow eyes, a yellow stripe across its neck, and a yellow… rattler?
“Oh no!” Marcus cried in shock. “It’s, It’s….”
The Pokemon finished Marcus’ thought, crying out “Ekans! Ekans!”
“Congratulations once again,” Professor Oak said. “It looks like you have an Ekans. Please treat Ekans well, and it will treat you well.”
“Uh yea, thank you Professor,” Marcus rebutted.
Ekans kept sticking its tongue in and out, and its rattler was making a lot of noise. The Pokemon began slithering toward Marcus, but Marcus quickly jumped back and recalled the Pokemon to its ball. “Great,” Marcus thought as he returned to his seat. “I’m terrified of snakes! Why did my starter have to be an Ekans?”
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Once the ceremony ended, Marcus got up and joined some of the other trainers in line to buy food. He bought a chicken sandwich for himself and some Pokemon food for Ekans. Marcus found an empty bench and ate his sandwich alone, keeping Ekans at a safe distance inside its Pokeball.
“I’ve been wanting to face and overcome my fears, but this is a little crazy. I wasn’t expecting this,” Marcus thought to himself while he ate. He felt more and more guilty about his reaction to seeing Ekans for the first time as he ate. Once Marcus finished his food and threw away his trash, he found a spot on the grass with a tree to sit down and figured he would attempt a second chance at introductions with Ekans.
“Come on out Ekans,” Marcus said as he threw the Pokeball. Ekans appeared and immediately began hissing. His eyes appeared to be glaring at Marcus. Or was it just his imagination?
“Look I’m sorry Ekans, it’s just I’m… I’m scared. I’m sorry,” Marcus felt ashamed of admitting that to his new Pokemon. Ekans began slithering toward Marcus but stopped when he put his hand out to pet Ekans. Ekans hissed again and refused to let Marcus pet him, instead feinting a strike to his hand.
“Hey, what are you doing?!” Marcus shouted at Ekans and quickly returned it to its Pokeball.
Now Marcus felt even worse. All the other new trainers appeared to be getting along just fine with their Pokemon. Marcus continued to sit underneath the tree and ponder what his next move would be.
He must have fallen asleep, because when Marcus next looked around, most of the new trainers had already left. “I guess I should head out too,” he thought. Marcus stopped at a vendor where he purchased three Pokeballs and two potions.
“I remember hearing a lot of trainers talk about heading to Route 1. I guess I should head over there myself. Maybe Ekans will have calmed down by the time I get there and I can actually feed him.”
Marcus headed out of the Pokemon Laboratory and began walking to Route 1. He was a mixture of nervousness and excitement as he headed to the wild grasslands of his destination.
