"You look tired, Syl, as if a Fearow just chased you across the island. What happened?" Mom asked inquisitively as she zoomed past the living room, rummaging through the cupboards, sprawled all across, searching for all sorts of odd trinkets.
"It's nothing, Mom, I am just a little tired. It has been a long day," I said as I slumped into the old wooden chair, lazily slouching against it before carefully placing the packet containing my trainer essentials onto the wooden table.
"You haven't even begun your journey as a trainer, Syl! And you are already tired!" Mom said, exasperated, as she stared at me disapprovingly, her hands on her hips.
"I have nagged you about this countless times, Syl, you can't be a Bellsprout in a world of Machamps!" She said as she started walking towards me, menacingly.
"Especially in The Academy! You can't afford to slack off if you want to be a trainer worth his salt! A trainer's fitness is just as important as their Pokémon's!" Mom said as she continued preaching her sermon.
As I rested my head, sideways, on the table, the frosty wood rubbing against my warm cheek, unconsciously tuning out Mom's ramblings, an essential survival technique for the young of the human species, I couldn't help but hesitate, a dull look flashing across my eyes.
'Should I have told her? About Mr. K? Mrs. Hilbert? The Golden Parchment? The Violet Marbel? The Magic? The strangeness of it all?'
'I couldn't help but hesitate. I would be gone from this island in a few hours, to be away for a few months at the very least. I wouldn't want her to worry about me, incessantly, alone in this lonely abode, without me.'
'Even if something were to happen to me due to these strange objects, if Mrs. Hilbert's warning had some merit, an unlikely event, I wouldn't want to entangle her in this mess. The responsibility of which Mrs. Hilbert spoke of, if real in the first place, was mine to bear, & mine alone.' I resolutely thought as I looked at Mom, who appeared to be on the last leg of her sermon.
"-and this is why Gyrados, essentially a sea dragon, is weaker than Pikachu, a mouse. Did you understand everything I said, Syl?" She asked as she leaned against the table, staring deep into my eyes, before abruptly flicking my nose.
"You are doing that again,*Sigh*, pay attention, Syl." She sighed as she exclaimed.
"Doing what?" I feigned ignorance as I raised my head, rubbing my sore nose while searching for Aqua, who had somehow escaped my embrace sometime during Mom's sermon.
"You have that vacant look on your face, Syl. You are thinking too hard about something inconsequential, as usual."
"The last time you had this look, you were pondering over why a Golduck is called a 'Gold' Duck even though it's blue and has nothing to do with gold," She said sternly, but finished with a sigh, concerned about her son's mental well-being.
"It's a legitimate question, though," I muttered bashfully.
'Who named them anyway? Parrollus Pinnaeus? Parles Parwin?'
"Anyways, we don't have much time, Syl. The ferry is leaving in an hour, and you still haven't packed your personal belongings! I'll take care of your clothes and toiletries, so take this, and fill it up with everything you would want to bring with you to The Academy," She said as she passed me a black backpack, adorned with neon green edges and the insignia of The Academy at the centre, coloured in a vibrant shade of green.
"Woah, what's this?" I exclaimed as I examined the backpack, running my hand over it.
"It's the latest backpack developed by Cosmos Corp, Syl! I had it specially ordered for you through Pelipper Mail." Mom said with a beaming smile as she walked towards me.
"This is my gift to you, Syl. Every trainer needs their own backpack, isn't that right?"
"Look! It has all the features of a standard trainer's backpack and even has a few nifty features unique to it, such as mass compression, to help lighten the load on your back considerably. An emergency flotation mechanism can't be too prepared, right? You never know when you might need it. Kinetic charging, to help charge the backpack's AI on the move, saving you precious moments between assignments & the most revolutionary feature of them all! The new voice-activated AI assistant! I even specifically told them to custom-name it after me, so it will be like I am with you, every step of your journey!" Mom explained to me animatedly as I beamed over the backpack, conveniently choosing to ignore her last lines.
"This is awesome, Mom! Thank you!" I said with undisguised joy, emotional about the only gift which I received today, which didn't promise eternal ruin.
"Now, now, I know you like it, but you can check its features while on the ferry, we don't have much time now, do we? Pack up quickly, Syl." She said with a smirk as she ushered me towards the stairs, sneakily mouthing 'quick'.
"I will, Mom, thanks again!" I said as I leapt off the chair, faster than an Aipom, before giving a quick peck to Mom on her cheek and making my way towards the stairs, clutching the neon green backpack in one hand, while my other hand carried the packet containing the supplies I bought in the market.
As I opened the door to my room, a simple door, made of cheap ply and adorned with stickers of an assortment of Pokémon, I couldn't help but observe my room.
The typical room of a 17-year-old, fashioned to my liking. Simple, neat, cosy and vibrant, just the way I like it.
A single bed, neatly arranged, without a single crease, covered with a quilt featuring Tyranitar, a childhood favourite of mine, lay towards my left. While a simple study table stood towards my east.
The golden-brown walls were covered with posters of legendary trainers and mythical Pokémon alike, alongside posters of young trainers, my peers, much more accomplished than I, whom I admired.
'Come to think of it, I think I heard somewhere that Cynthia got recruited to teach at The Academy.' I thought as I moved around the room, dumping whatever I deemed important on the bed, to be vetted later.
'Heh, must be nice. So young, yet so accomplished, I wonder how she did that,' I mused as I jumbled a few trinkets, before throwing them at the bread with the accuracy of a Weezing, a Pokémon without hands.
"Aqua! Don't run, you idiot, I am going to fall!" I said as I regained my balance, upon nearly toppling over, as an excited Aqua, who had entered the room at some point, began zooming around, imitating me & bringing his precious belongings to the bed.
A few Leftovers, a DragonFang which he dug out himself, a few Pretty Feathers & a Poké Doll, his favourite amongst other things.
As I looked over at the items sprawled over my bed, a reflection on my study table caught my eye.
It was a simple wooden frame, dark gold in colour, enclosing a picture of Mom, baby Aqua, Dad and me. A picture taken moments after Aqua hatched from his egg, a joyous occasion.
I quietly reached out to the picture, clutching it in my hands, before silently placing it inside the bag, activating its Auto-Sort feature, a useful feature, aside from the multitude of other useless features implemented to simply drive up its price.
How did it work? I don't know. When Cosmos Corp's CEO was asked this very question in a recent press conference, he simply replied, and I quote -
"Nanomachines, Son."
As I finally finished placing the last potion into my backpack, zipping it up and securing it, a hologram appeared in front of my eyes, erupting from the bag, keeping track of all the items in my backpack, or as it refers to itself, inventory.
It looked something like this-
MEDICINE
Potion x5
Antidote x 3
Burn Heal x3
Ice Heal x 5
Awakening x2
Paralyze Heal x2
Lemonade x 5
POKEBALLS
Poke ball x10
Premier Ball x1
Cherish Ball x1
ITEMS
Dragon Fang x1
Leftovers x1
Pretty Feathers x3
Poke Doll x1
Key Items
Unidentified Parchment x1
Family Portrait x1
Garchompite x1
Unidentified Cloth x1
Miscellaneous Items
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.
.
Oh yes, the AI equipped in the backpack identified the Violet Marble as a Garchompite, whatever that is.
As I finished packing up my bags, checking them one last time for the 7th time, I noticed myself in the mirror, donning my new outfit, custom-designed by Mom for The Academy, tucked away at the farthest corner of the room.
A young man stared right back at me.
He had VERDANT Green Irises, Golden hair falling freely across his face with a single Green Bang, notably longer than the others, reaching his chin, styled in an elegant braid. He had sharp features, a handsome face and a trace of royal features, characteristic of the imperial family, hinting at his heritage.
He had Sun-kissed skin, not the ghastly pale of winter, but the vibrant golden of summer, a lean build, somewhat lacking in muscles, but not enough to be declared scrawnny.
Dressed in a black T-shirt, black trousers & a sporty neon green vest. Wrists adorned with vibrant green wristbands, inscribed with the insignia of The Academy & a singular purple bracelet. His singular braid, tied with a small piece of green cloth.
He was 180 cm tall (5' 11"), tall enough, but not at the same time. A paradoxical height.
He was me & I was him.
Sylvester Evermore.
"Syl! Hurry up! We need to leave for the dock! We are already late!" A familiar voice, Mom's, came from down below as I rushed towards the door, backpack in hand and Aqua in tow, stopping momentarily to take one parting look at my room, my home of 18 years.
'Farewell, room. I'll meet you again in a few months,' I humorously thought with a smirk on my face, as I rushed down the stairs.
"Coming!"
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.
.
.
Sylvester Eevermore.
The Prince Of Summer & The Herald Of The Cursed Night.