Setting:
•Gold Family Home, New Bark Town•
•Gold aged 15•
•Late February•
•Gold POV•
Chapter Five
A Job, a Choice, and a Runway Totodile
"GOLD!! You better wake up now! You're already late for your first day on the job with Professor Elm! Don't you want to keep your job?!" The fifteen-year old's mother pounded loudly on his door.
He stirred, groaned, cracked open an eye slightly, and hazily tried to comprehend his mother's racket. He got little sleep the night before from being anxious, but in his exhaustion, he didn't quite remember what he was supposed to be anxious about. Suddenly, he jumped out of bed as he remembered the importance of the day.
"Oh crap! My new job! Aaaah!!" He yelled back as his mother ceased pounding on the door. "I'm late! Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!!"
He hurriedly dressed from his blue striped pajamas to his brand new trainer uniform, which was crisp and never before worn. It would be his first day at his new job at Professor Elm's place down the road from his house. He always dreamed of being the professor's assistant, and he finally was granted his wish. His long-term goal was to be a pokemon professor, himself, some day.
Gold grew up in the small town of New Bark; his father, a field researcher, introduced him to research at an early age. Young Gold wanted to be just like his idols: Professors Elm, Birch, Rowan, and especially the famous Professor Oak from Pallet Town in the Kanto region. Gold often visited Professor Elm's lab as he grew up, and as he got older, he'd watch the pokemon for the always-busy professor from time to time. He'd feed them, make certain they got along, and just watched them as they went about their daily lives at the professor's ranch.
Finally, at age fifteen, Professor Elm agreed to let him become his very own personal assistant. Gold's earnings would be meager, but he wasn't in it for the money. He wanted the experience, and working under THE Professor Elm was definitely a great start to his career. He also knew that he'd get his very first pokemon once he started his job. It'd be part of his job as an assistant to train, observe, and bond with the pokemon he chose.
Gold grinned ear to ear as he left his messy room and headed down the narrow hallway that led to the family's living area. His mother was waiting for him, aghast at how unkempt her son looked. She blocked the door leading to outside and placed her hands firmly on her hips. "Now son, I know you won't be going to work looking like a ragamuffin! Your hair is splayed everywhere, that brand-new shirt is wrinkled, and you didn't even brush your teeth! To the bathroom to straighten out your hair and teeth at least. Then you may leave. You're already late anyway. Might as well look proper," she added distastefully.
Gold sulked into his bathroom and combed his medium-length jet-black hair back. Of course, his bangs naturally jutted right back out, covering his right eye. They always seemed to have a mind of their own. Then he proceeded to brush his teeth hastily. Once finished, he left the bathroom and waited for his mother to either allow him to leave or criticize further.
Once more she gave him a dreary look. "Those bangs of yours simply won't do. Wear a hat, or I'll cut them myself," she said sternly.
Gold sighed, picked up his cap off the sofa, and placed it on his head. It held his bangs back some, so at least he was able to see out of both eyes again. He then looked at his mother and waited.
"Much better. Now you may leave. Tell Professor Elm hello for me, will you? Good luck with your job; you better not cause any trouble, understand me? Oh, and I already packed you a lunch."
"Gotcha Mom. I'll be on my best behavior; thanks for the lunch. I'll be home later tonight!" He closed the door after putting his backpack on his back and mounted his bike.
The ride to the lab was short since he only lived a block away. He parked his bike in the back and walked around to the front of the building, where he entered. "Hello? Professor Elm? Sorry I'm late!" He called to the empty room.
"Ah, I was wondering where you were. I thought maybe you had forgotten." Professor Elm appeared, his nose engrossed in a book about water pokemon and their habitats.
"Sorry I'm late! I kind of slept in by accident, and then my mom… Well…you know how she is." He placed a hand nervously behind his neck and rubbed his shoulder blade.
Professor Elm replied unenthusiastically. "It's okay. I know how Lily can be. Anyway, since you're here, why don't you start by rotating the field pokemon? Put the ones already out back into their pokeballs and let the ones inside of that bin over there out."
"Yessir! I'll get right on it!" Gold replied dutifully.
Although, he secretly wondered when he'd get his own pokemon. Gold trudged over to the outside field where other trainers' pokemon roamed freely in the nearby ranch. He looked at the list of which ones to recall as well as the list of which ones to let out and set to work.
Once he finished, Gold contentedly watched the pokemon roam around the field for about an hour. He realized he might have been shirking his work, so he hurried back inside of the lab and located Professor Elm. "Okay sir, I did as you asked. Anything else you need me to do?" Gold asked as the professor turned a page of the book he was reading.
"No, that's all for now."
Gold shifted his weight uneasily from one foot to the other. Finally he mustered up his courage and asked, "Professor, I do get a pokemon of my own, right?"
"Of course. You are my aide," the professor replied in a monotone, acting as though he didn't hear.
"So…can I maybe have it now? I'd love to meet my new pokemon," Gold replied uneasily.
The professor looked up from his book as though he had been in a trance and stared at Gold. "Oh, Gold, hello. How long have you been here?"
It took all of his self-control for Gold not to get angry as he watched the professor do his usual thing: ignore all around him while continuing his work. It really was like Gold had never even shown up to the professor.
"Err, Professor, I've been here for about two hours now…"
"Oh, well can you please rotate the field pokemon then, if you don't mind?"
"You already asked me to do that, sir. And I did it. I was wondering if I could have my pokemon."
"Sure, just follow me." Professor Elm doggy-eared a page of his book, set it down, and led Gold into the room where new trainers usually went to get their first pokemon.
He then led Gold to a machine that held three pokeballs, all with semi-transparent red tops, as most pokeballs were. "Here are the three you can choose from. Here," he indicated to the pokeball at the top since the three balls were arranged in a triangle, "is the Grass-Type, Chikorita. This Chikorita is already a somewhat high level, and it's a female. She's somewhat stubborn, so she'd be a good challenge for a new trainer."
Gold nodded as he and the leaf pokemon gazed at each other. The pokemon inside of the ball then turned her nose up at Gold, which made Gold take a mental note not to pick that one, since she seemed mean.
"Here," the professor continued as he indicated a ball on the right, "is the Water-Type, Totodile. This Totodile is male, moderately easy to raise, and he has a very hyperactive and jolly nature. But, he does like to pull pranks, and he has a bit of a mean streak if you get him upset. He'd be a pretty interesting pokemon to raise."
The small bite pokemon inside of the ball winked at Gold as he opened his mouth to show off his impressive fangs. Gold felt uncertain whether he wanted that one or not.
"And, finally, here," the professor indicated the ball on the left, "Is the Fire-Type, Cyndaquil. This Cyndaquil is male and is the lowest level of the bunch since he's very shy and doesn't like to battle often. But, he's really friendly if you treat him nicely. The only real problem with him is that he is a bit on the clingy side, so you'd have to keep him out of his pokeball most of the time."
Cyndaquil eyed Gold warily and shrunk away as he covered his face with his little forepaws. Gold then thought carefully about which starter he'd pick since it'd be his partner from then on out. He already ruled out the Chikorita. Only a crazy new trainer would choose that one.
He thought about the Totodile with some consideration since he knew it would be a handful. But that Cyndaquil, he felt some sort of connection to the little guy that he didn't quite understand. True, it was shy, but when Gold looked at the cute little form in the ball, he sensed great potential.
Cyndaquil or Totodile… He pondered.
He knew Totodile had the type advantage, but he was still undecided. So, an idea struck him. "Professor, may I meet Cyndaquil and Totodile out of their pokeballs?"
"Certainly, though Totodile does pick on Cyndaquil, so I'd do it one at a time."
"Thanks," Gold reached for Totodile's ball first. "Okay, Totodile, come on out." He pressed the center button of the ball, and the toothy pokemon appeared at his feet and stared up at him, dancing a jig as he did so. Gold crouched and met Totodile face-to-face. "Hello, Totodile. I'm Gold; nice to meet you," he said with a smile.
The Totodile winked and replied, "Toto," in a raspy voice. The little blue reptile winked again, jumped up suddenly, and clamped onto Gold's cap with his powerful jaws. He snatched the hat off Gold's head and made a beeline for the nearest exit.
It took Gold a moment to recover from the temporary shock of having his hat stolen by the pokemon. "AH! My hat!! I need that!"
Totodile took the opportunity to open the lab's automatic side door and bounded down the streets of New Bark town after dropping the hat at the entrance.
"Gah! He escaped. This is all my fault!" Gold frantically yelled. He then turned to the professor. "I'll get Totodile back, I promise! I'll take Cyndaquil with me, if you don't mind. He'll help me get Totodile back!"
"You sure you don't want to take Chikorita instead? Totodile has the type advantage over Cyndaquil," the professor pointed out.
"No. I've decided. My starter will be Cyndaquil. Since this is our first adventure together, I know we can't fail!" Gold mustered up his determination.
"Please tell my mom I'm off getting Totodile," he said as he grabbed Cyndaquil's pokeball and headed for the door. He took a moment to place his hat back on his head.
"Wait!" The professor caught up and plopped another pokeball into Gold's hands as well as a potion. "Here is Totodile's pokeball, and here's a potion if Cyndaquil gets hurt. Thanks Gold! Good luck!" Professor Elm waved goodbye as Gold hurried from the lab and set off on foot after Totodile.