Exiting the office, I looked around for Ryan. The pool was filled with splashing and laughter, so my attention was immediately drawn there. Basketball, still standing on my arm, gave a cawing laugh.

Ryan was sitting by the pool, his bare feet trailing in the water. His shoes and shoes were sitting right beside him. The people (trainers?) who were previously lounging in the pool now were gathered around Ryan. Their grins were sharp and quick.

In Ryan's arms was a giant, squirming, blue tadpole. It's long, tadpole tail was dangling in the pool, splashing water everywhere. It had a hypnotic spiral pattern on its stomach and soft, adorable eyes that looked up at Ryan with adoration. Ryan, on the other hand, looked distinctly uncomfortable.

I walked up, trying my best to be casual. "How's it going, kid?" Success.

Ryan jumped up excitedly, dropping the creature into the pool. It gave a weak squeak as it fell. "You're back! How'd it go? Can we leave now?"

A young man in swim trunks chuckled. "You so ready to leave so soon, boy? We have plenty of pokemon that you haven't met yet. It'll be a good training experience for you."

Ryan shook his head vigorously. "No thanks! I'm good."

I turned and walked away, heading for the door. Ryan hopped to my side, trying to pull on his tennis shoes and hurry away at the same time. The swimmers laughed amongst themselves.

"Come back soon, boy!" one of the swimmers called. Ryan, now with two shoes, sprinted ahead of me and pulled the double doors open with all his force.

We exited the gym. Once the doors had swung closed behind us, Ryan slowed down to walk beside me again. He sighed.

"What was that all about?" I asked after a moment.

"I was hanging around those gym trainers and I might have made an offhand comment that water pokemon were slimy and gross, stupid, I know!"

"Why is that stupid?" He huffed a bit, like he had forgotten that he had to explain everything to me.

"Cerulean Gym is a water type gym. Its leader, Misty, the woman in the office? She specializes in water pokemon. So, I kinda talked smack about their pokemon. They decided to 'educate' me on the merits of water types, which turned out to be just having me hold the slimiest of their pokemons. That one I had? That's a poliwag. It lives mostly underwater and it secretes a grease that makes it difficult for predators to get a grip on it. It is literally the slimiest pokemon! And they handed it to me! Right after I said I hated slimy things!"

Ryan huffed and crossed his arms. Now that I could take a closer look at him, I could see that his shirt and shorts were splotched with what I assumed was water from the pool, but seemed too shiny in the sunlight. I tried to hold back a giggle at how dramatic he was being about a little goop.

I was an expert on goop, myself. I've gotten enough ectoplasm (my own and other ghost's) on myself often enough that a little slime seemed a pretty silly thing to be upset about.

"But enough about those jerks. How'd your meeting with Professor Oak go?"

I glanced at Ryan casually. Despite moving on from the subject, his forehead was still creased in frustration.

"Pretty good. He…" I wondered how much I should tell him, and made a snap decision to be vague. "He was pretty helpful. Lots of big words and such." I gave a reassuring smile. He didn't seem to buy it. "I'm actually meeting him at the pokemon center in an hour."

Ryan's eyes went huge. "Really?! Can I come?"

I shrugged. "Probably. Ask your mom."

Ryan was quiet for a moment as we passed by the Pokemon Center and into some thicker crowds. Just like before, he grabbed my hand and tried to lead me through the throngs of people and monsters. Just like before, I proved wholeheartedly that I was not good at maneuvering through crowds without using intangibility.

Thankfully, it seemed that there were less people out and about. Glancing upwards, I saw that the sun was directly overhead. Maybe everyone was at lunch?

Ryan pulled me back to his home, bursting though the door and yelling.

"We're back!"

A muffled acknowledgement was yelled back by Ms. Accipio. Ryan dropped my hand and dashed off into the maze of painted screens. Basketball gave a small tweeting noise and flew off after him.

I followed the two ("stick close to Ryan and this spearow") at a much slower pace. Turning a corner, I arrived back in the area with the table. Basketball was settled in a cushion, looking very comfortable and half asleep. (Again. That bird.) Ryan was hugging his mother and talking rapidly.

"-talked to Oak and he's going to meet him at the PC and he's probably going to send him on an adventure! Isn't that right, Danny?" The two Accipios looked at me, Ryan with excitement and June with a sharp curiosity.

"Is that right, Dan?"

"Danny," I corrected absently. Technically, that was the truth. Ryan was an observant fellow. "Yeah, that's right. I'm meeting the professor in about an hour over at the pokemon center." June's eyes sharpened in an almost scientist way. ("Partial intangibility?" said Mom. "Why that's incredible! Can you show me?")

"He'll probably be assisting you in getting your trainer's license and insurance and whatnot. Can I speak with you in private, Danny?"

I shared a quick, confused look with Basketball. Even Ryan's earlier enthusiasm was dampened by that statement.

"Sure?" I said warily.

"Honey, go outside and play with Missy and Vinnie, will you?" Ryan huffed and disappeared behind some screens. After a moment, we could hear the sound of the door slamming. I could still hear his quiet breathing. Well, if he wanted to eavesdrop, I was in no position to judge him. (Good old girl's locker room. Good old invisibility. Good times.)

June carefully sat down on one of the cushions across the table from the spearow. I took a seat next to the bird. She cleared her throat softly.

"You're going on an adventure? Traveling around, that sort of thing?" I quickly nodded. She sighed. "Traditionally, kids start their pokemon training at age ten. They receive a single pokemon and travel around trying to get all eight badges from the eight major cities in the region. Most kids don't get all eight before they go home, but its a great learning experience and it helps them grow into confident people. I didn't let Ryan go last year when he turned ten." June sighed again.

"Why? He seems pretty excited about doing the whole trainer thing."

"Ryan… has had some trouble finding friends the last few years. He's gone through some tough stuff, and children are mean. You understand?" Did I ever. I knew all about bullying. I gave her a sage nod. "I wanted him to travel with friends. For safety, you know? In case something happens, I wanted people around to help him out. I wanted him to make these amazing connections that traveling with friends would give him.

"He refused to travel with anyone he had met here in Cerulean, and I refused to let him go be a trainer alone. We're both pretty stubborn." She began twisting her hands together in a nervous habit.

"Will you accompany my son on his trainer adventure? Not for forever, but just until he gets his feet under him and get some experience with working with his pokemon. Maybe until he has a badge or two?"

I almost smirked at her. Oh, you want me to escort your son around? The same son that Oak told me to watch over? I wonder what I'm supposed to do now? Sheesh. If all this was being set up by Clockwork, he was laying it on a bit thick.

"Sure, I'll go on an adventure with your son. He's a nice kid. It'll be fun."

"YES!" yelled Ryan triumphantly. I let my blank expression crack into a smile. I chuckled. June, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes dangerously.

In a deceptively quiet voice she said, "Young man, come here right now."

Soft footsteps were heard in the taut silence. Ryan stuck his head around a screen.

"Yes, mom?" he replied innocently.

"What did I tell you about listening in?"

"Not to do it."

"What did you do?"

"Listened in." He lowered his head in shame. "Sorry, mom."

"You and Danny are going to go down to the pokemon center now. I have something I need to do, but I want you both to come back here once you're both finished with your business."

"Aye aye, captain." I held out an arm. "Come on, Basketball. Its time to go."

The bird grumbled in his harsh voice and shook out his feathers. He flew up to my arm and perched firmly. At this point, from having his claws constantly digging into my skin, I was losing layers of skin. It hurt.

"Lead on, MacDuff," I said to Ryan.

"What? Do you mean 'lay on, MacDuff?'"

"Lay on, MacDuff."

"...You're weird."

"That's fair."

We walked out into the throng once more. It was chaos, but it was manageable. We made it to the pokemon center reasonably quickly.

The building had a red top and white wall. It was reasonably large with huge windows. The doors were overly large and automatic. Ryan pulled me through the doors and into the bright building by the hand. Inside was very interesting. To the left and right were lowered sitting areas with low tables and cushions, just like the Accipio's had in their house. People and pokemon were gathered around the tables and leaning against the walls, talking amiably. Most of the people were young, between ten and twenty years old.

Directly in across from the doors was a counter. It was manned by a pink (pink?) haired woman with a gentle smile. She seemed to be guarding or operating a large table like machine. Behind her was a door, leading to deeper into the building. On the right wall was a line of computers.

Professor Oak was standing by the front counter, speaking with the woman. People were doing their best impression of satellites around Oak, seemingly drawn in by awe and repelled by nerves. It was almost hilarious.

Ryan strode right up to Oak. I was dragged along with quiet humor quirking my mouth. That kid was determined.

"Hello, Professor!" interrupted Ryan. The woman Oak had been talking to twitched an eyebrow and walked away. "We're here."

"I can see that," said Oak with utter seriousness. I could almost see Clockwork's dry humor in that expression.

"I'm going to become a trainer, too," continued Ryan. Oak gave a half smile and flicked his eyes at me. Yeah, yeah, I know. Follow the kid. Check.

"Good. I'll be helping you both get your licenses and setting Danny with everything he needs to join you on your journey."

He turned and lifted a section of the counter, leading us through the back door. We followed and entered into what appeared to be a normal veterinarian's office. Oak gestured to some chairs lined up against the wall and we sat.

Ryan started swinging his legs excitedly.

"Gonna be a trainer. Gonna be a trainer. Gonna be a trainer." he chanted. Basketball began to sing along to his rhythm.

"Spear-er-ow spearow. Spear-er-ow spearow. Spear-er-ow spearow."

I ran my fingers through my hair. Really? Wasn't this supposed to be a vacation? I think I was getting a headache.

Oak swept back into the room and gave us both clipboards, which I filled out to the best of my ability. Name? Easy. Hometown? Amity Park. Age? 17. Training experience? ...Better leave that blank.

The other questions were a little more complicated. I left a lot of questions blank. After a minute, we both handed back our clipboards. Ryan's was completely filled in, understandably. Oak took the sheets and left again.

"So, why is Oak doing all this? Does he do all the trainer paperwork?"

"Nah, the nurses normally do this sort of stuff, but they're pretty slow about it and they normally require the whole sheet to be filled out." He gave me a cheeky smile. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at a preteen. "Oak probably has to do some finagling with the computer system to even get it to go through. And trainer cards are connected to a trainer's bank account, so he probably has to set that up, too."

"Bank account?"

"Yeah, whenever you battle someone in an official battle, the loser gives the winner half of their money in their trainer's account. Its separate from a normal account so nobody loses half of their actual money. Its more like… do you know poker? Its like the pot in poker. Its not all of your money, but as you get better and win more battles, the potential value grows. Most people withdraw all but some pocket change from their accounts, so they don't lose too much."

"Why would anyone keep any money there? That just seems like they're asking for trouble."

"Its so kids don't have to carry around money in the wilderness. And its convenient, 'cause you can use it like a debit card." He was quiet for a moment, then started to open his mouth.

"I know what a debit card is." I interrupted. He shrugged.

"Your gaps in knowledge are confusing." I shrugged back.

"Yeah."

Oak returned and handed us both cards. He gave me a quick nod and a significant look and left. I read my card and leaned over to read Ryan's as well.

Danny Fenton

Age: 17

Hometown: -

Restrictions: Novice Trainer B; Non-Competitive Battler

Ryan Accipio

Age: 11

Hometown: Cerulean City

Restrictions: Novice Trainer A; Indigo League Registered

"What's up with the restrictions?" I asked, looking down at the still-warm-from-the-printer card. It was made of a hard plastic and shaped like a credit card. Mine was gray, while Ryan's was a cool blue.

"Mine says Novice Trainer A because I'm a newbie. It only lets me keep lower level and lower stage pokemon until I have a certain amount of badges or contest ribbons or whatever. Most people aren't affected by it, but its mostly to keep dumb rich kids from buying something they can't handle or someone inheriting like, a dragonite or something as a starter and getting overwhelmed. And look!" He stuck the card in my face, waving it proudly. "I'm League registered, so I can go do the gym circuit whenever I want!"

"Is that… good?" I tried not to dampen his enthusiasm, but I was still processing what the cards even meant.

"Yeah! Some kids don't get registered when they get their licenses. If you're really immature, you'll get a battle restriction that says you can't legally battle other trainers."

I glanced down at my own card again. "Umm…"

"What? What does your's say?" He grabbed the card from my hand and began staring at it. "Ha! You're not in the League!" Ryan began laughing uproariously. I snatched my card back. My face started turning red. Honestly, me, a hero of two dimensions, getting embarrassed by a preteen.

Even Basketball gave a hoarse laugh. (Traitor! You're supposed to be on my side.)

"Oak probably didn't want me getting distracted from my quest by winning medals."

"Badges."

"Whatever."

After a few minutes, Ryan wiped the tears from his eyes and his chuckles died down.

"Its weird that your's is gray."

"Why? Is everyone's blue like yours?"

"No, its based on your hometown. Blue is for Cerulean. But people that aren't from Kanto normally get white ones, and it says their hometown on it. Yours just have dashes, see? Weird, huh?"

I looked down at my gray slip of plastic. "Yeah, definitely weird," I agreed.

We left the pokemon center in high spirits. I was in a good mood because I could finally start doing something, and Ryan was elated that he was finally becoming a real trainer. He chattered excitedly as we wove our way through the customary crowds. I think I was finally getting the hang of crowds. Maybe. Or rather, Basketball, on my arm, was getting the hang of squawking loudly whenever someone was close to bumping into me.

Ryan burst through the doors of his house like a whirlwind, still talking excitedly.

"Mom! We're back!"

He grabbed my hand and pulled me along. Predictably, he led me to the low table. His mom enveloped him in a hug immediately. I felt my mouth turn up in a smile. I liked June. She was warm and she cared deeply for her son and his safety. I was very close to my mother at Ryan's age, so this scene reminded me of home.

Basketball cooed softly at me. I turned my grin to him and gave his head a scratch. I had always wanted a pet, but I had always assumed I would get a dog. (...wait, was Cujo my dog?) Birds were nice, though. I liked flying among birds in my ghost form, back home.

June pulled out of the hug and gave her son a smile.

"You ready?" His eyes lit up.

"Yes!" She chuckled warmly. June reached into her back pocket and pulled out a red and white ball. (Did those have a name? Oak had one of those.) She tossed it to Ryan underhanded. He caught it with both hands, almost reverently.

"Your father caught her. He said she's a sweetheart and loves sweets. He sends his love." Ryan smiled as wide as I'd ever seen. (His father?)

He pressed the button on the front of the ball carefully. It swung open, and in a flash of red light, a creature appeared on the ground. She was a soft lavender color and shaped like a pom pom. She was about as big as Basketball. She had big, red compound eyes, a little fanged mouth, and tiny hands. She had long tan feet that it bounced on lightly. She had long, white antennas that waved almost frantically.

"Nat nat nat. Veno!" she chattered excitedly.

Ryan's mouth dropped open and he dropped to his knees. He wrapped his arms around the little thing in a hug. She sniffed him interestedly.

"A venonat! Your name will be… Isdal!"

Hehe, Ryan is starting to get used to giving exposition. I'll make a character out of him yet. Now he just need to think before he speaks.

That venonat could have been named Kathy (Amityville Horror), Isdal (Isdal Woman), or Seine (Woman of the Seine). Why? Because starter pokemon, in my experience, need to have confusing names that require explanations. Trust me. Its important.

Ugh, this chapter took too long. I'm not sure if I should start posting shorter chapters or if I just need more outlines to keep me on track.