I could barely remember when I first set foot in elementary school in a small town in Maryland. In fourth grade, I was really good at the math assignments that the teacher in Maryland assigned. I had already learned the math concepts back in California. At the very least, fourth grade seemed like a nice transition. Everyone seemed to be really friendly to me. It was new to me to experience, since no one in California seemed as kind as the people in Maryland.
I liked Maryland at first. I met my childhood best friend there. It was a relative who was born and raised in Maryland. Considering how our friendship was…. Let's call him Ryan...I did want to choose a name meaning "childhood friend," but I'm not sure that's the true origin of the name "Ryan."
[Character Profile:
Player #1
Name: Ryan
Age: 10
Astrology Sun Sign: Scorpio
Gaming Interest: Pokémon]
Ryan was a guy that I would often talk to on the phone when I was a child back in California. When moving to Maryland, I would always play with him. There were no other kids in the family around my age after all. We shared a love of Pokémon. He was the one who introduced me to Pokémon, and in this game, I discovered the pen name I would use for the rest of my life, perhaps. I vaguely remember choosing Fennekin among the three Kalos starters: Fennekin, Froakie, and Chespin. For some reason, a fire-type monster just appealed to me back then.
From then on, the name "Fennekin" would be shortened to "Fen," and it would become my go-to name. I had fun sharing my gameplay and experiences with Ryan. I loved Pokémon in fourth and fifth grade. I also loved playing with Ryan when I was a child. I would share my childhood memories of playing snowball fights and building snowmen with him. Considering I was born in California, a place that didn't have snow at all.
Back in California, students didn't have a school bus to take them to school. Yet in Maryland, I would take the school bus to a particular stop to get to school. I would also take the school bus back home. The elementary school system would have a pickup point where kids could be picked up by their parents or guardians by car if they chose not to ride the school bus home. I remember one time I got home, but no one was there at all. I cried, trying to find a way to open the doors so I could get inside without any keys. The neighbors heard me crying and decided to take me in.