|Malachi Lee|
The wrong side of the bed
What a beautiful morning it was; the pidgey's were chirping just outside the open window, a gentle breeze swaying into the bedroom, bringing with it the fresh scent of the outside. Malachi turned over in his bed, slowly opening his eyes to look at the alarm clock. Only 9:23…
"NINE TWENTY-THREE?!"
Malachi jolted up in a panic. He was certain he had set the alarm for 8:30 last night! The professor was expecting him at 9:00, and he was already over twenty minutes late. He literally threw his covers off the bed, quickly and frantically getting out of bed to freshen up.
"Okay, two minutes to shower, one minute to get dressed, one minute to grab some food, and three minutes to run to Oak's lab… if I hurry I can make it there before nine thirty!"
Except the clock now read 9:24.
"Damn it!" he swore under his breath. Of course he would forget to set the alarm; remembering to set the alarm would imply that he actually was capable of doing things right for a change. He nearly ran into the doorframe on his mad rush to the shower, narrowly dodging a nasty head injury. Head injuries were usually not regarded as a good start to a pokemon journey. After taking an extra minute to shower on account of not being able to locate the shampoo bottle, Malachi made the hasty decision to skip breakfast. After getting dressed and ready for the morning, he rushed out the front door, waving goodbye to his mother in the kitchen before he left. She waved goodbye back, calling out just before he left.
"Bye, son! I hope you find what you're looking for!"
*****
Malachi had made it to the lab just as the other kids were leaving. He noticed a few of them already on their way down route one. Soon he'd be joining them, off on his own, free to do his own thing. The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying simultaneously. What if he wasn't cut out for the life of a trainer? What if he didn't do well and was forced to go back home? Did he even have the slightest clue as to what he was getting into?
"No!" he chastised himself, pushing those negative thoughts out of his head.
"No more being cynical and pessimistic. I can do this! I just know it… I hope…"
After receiving his pokemon and pokedex, he was finally ready to start his journey. He looked out towards route one. It seemed most of the other kids had already gotten ahead of him. It was his own fault for waking up late. Regardless, it wasn't a big deal anyways. He'd catch up to them sooner or later. For now, he wanted to just take his time and enjoy the scenery.
Stop and smell the roses, as it were. Malachi held out his pokeball - the capsule which contained his new partner - and released the creature, revealing a small, round pokemon that bore the resemblance of an acorn.
"Guess that's what I get for sleeping in… I get stuck with the acorn…" he thought, looking his partner up and down. Definitely not his first choice. He was hoping for something, well,
cooler. Not that he had anything
against seedots, exactly… just that, well, a squirtle would have been more appealing. Or maybe a gastly…
Useless debating aside, Malachi shrugged. He'd have to make due with what he had. He bent down to examine the creature, looking it in the eyes with a critical gaze, the seedot returning with it's own emotionless stare. "Well, the professor told me you were a boy. I suppose I should think of a name for you…" Malachi pondered over it for a moment. He was terrible at coming up with nicknames, but he felt it necessary to add some personality - some
uniqueness - to his new partner. After all, they'd be travelling together for quite some time. Might as well get friendly with the creature.
Try as he might, he couldn't think of one right away. "Eh, it'll come in time. I'll think of something." For the time being, he settled on just calling his new friend seedot. He looked towards route one with uncertainty… but there was also a hint of excitement as well. A certain thrill. He scooped up Seedot in his arms and began to head down route one. A new adventure was about to begin.