Dean is on the phone with his fourteen year old brother, Sam. His eyes are on the road but his focus is on the person on the other side of the conversation. "So how does this work again?" He asks.

"There are hundreds of gyms here in the states but you can only go to and challenge twelve of them. But–" Sam gets cut by Dean.

"But? Why are there so many buts?" Dean stops at a red light. "Sammy, another 'but' and I'll think you're coming out to me via phone."

Sam coughs "Dean let me finish first." A girl scout was skipping merrily across the pedestrian lane. "Even though you can challenge twelve gyms, you only need eight gym badges to enter the qualifiers."

"Thanks little bro. Let's talk later, I hate hearing your whiney voice."

"Jerk!"

"Bitch." Dean chuckles as he ends the call.

Dean parks in front of a small cream-colored establishment. It looks like your typical industrial building: it is boxy and bricks cover each wall surface in between rectangular concrete columns. There is a short path way towards the front entrance. There are two large black doors that serve as the main entrance and placed on it are the words "Robert Singer Research Facility". Dean pushes forward to open the doors. The inside walls are milky white in color. Steel benches are placed here and there and potted plants are placed beside them. The lighting is good; fluorescent light bulbs were filed on the ceiling, hanging from metal rods from where you could see the piping and vents. It takes him a few laboratories before he could reach Bobby's office.

The doors to Bobby's office were ash grey with two opaque glass windows on each of the two panels. He pushes them forward and as he enters a voice shouts from across the hallway. "Dean! Please hold the door for me!" It was a familiar voice, Castiel (who was holding a two boxes stacked on top of each other).

Castiel is a boy two years older than Dean. He has dark unkempt hair that tossed to all directions possible. He has deep eyes that showed off blue as bright as a cloudless morning sky. He is wearing his typical attire whenever he volunteered at the research facility: circular framed glasses, a periwinkle dress shirt, black pants, and lab gown. "Thank you, Dean."

"No problem, Cas."

Bobby's office was well taken care of. Not a spec of dust in sight. There are two shelves on the left and right side of the room. On the left shelf are an assortment of books and research papers regarding all things Pokémon. On the right shelf are different apparatus, souvenirs, and trinkets that Bobby has collected throughout the years. One of them is the skull of an Archen he found on one of his trips out of the country. A worn down brown couch that Bobby refuses to throw away even if its ripping at the seams is placed beside the door. The office table is made of oak and painted in jet black and two office chairs of the same color are placed in front of it. Bobby's office chair is the front seat of his old Mustang, repurposed because he was too sentimental about it. Castiel placed the two boxes on top of the office table.

Castiel draws back the curtains, revealing a large window panel staring of into the facility's backyard that housed its Pokémon. Bobby is talking to another research assistant with a Miltank in between them. He sees Castiel and Dean. The latter smiling and waving eagerly.

"So have you made up your mind on what gym you're going to hit first?" Bobby asks Dean from his office chair.

Dean laughs before giving an exasperated sigh, sitting upright from the couch "Woo. You got me thinking there. To be honest, I don't know any gym aside from the one dad used to run in Kansas."

Castiel lets out a little laugh from one of the office chairs. Bobby is irritated and baffled at the same time about Dean's lack of knowledge "You want to compete in the League guns blazing, half assed and dumbed out on what to do?" He crosses his arms "Idjit. How many monsters y'got?"

"I have Mary and that Poochyena you gave me last month." Dean answers.

"You still haven't named the damn thing?"

Dean stands up in protest "I did. His name is Garth." He sits on the vacant chair in front of Castiel. "Listen, Bobby, I can do this. There are a bunch of other Pokémon out there that I can catch and train before the qualifiers."

Castiel speaks his mind "I'm guessing you haven't trained Garth yet."

"Planning on doing that along the way."

"Dean, you do that with newly caught Pokémon." the research assistant says.

Bobby opens one of the boxes and shows its contents to Dean. Six Pokéballs are orderly placed on top of black rubber foam inside the container. Each had different labels on them indicating what kind of Pokémon was inside. "I had these transported here for children whose parents signed them up for the starting program."

Dean reaches for one of them but Bobby hits his hand with a ruler from his desk. "I'm only going to give one of these to you if you trade me one of yours."

"Okay, I'll give you Garth!" Dean answers in excitement.

Castiel looks worried. "Wait, isn't it unfair to give a Poochyena to a kid who's expecting one of the standard starters?" he asks.

Bobby looks at Castiel and smiles "I won't give 'em Garth. I'll give him one of the Bagon I got in the back. Plus, what I have here are not your conventional starters."

Dean's eyes widen at his surrogate father's statement. "Hey, you're giving a kid a friggin dragon and you got me a mutt as an advanced birthday present?"

"Shut up or I won't give you anything." He points his finger at the Pokéballs. "Each of these monsters have different typing. I had Professor Turner transport me a Steel type, a Rock type, and a Ground type. The other three are the standard starters in the state: Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle" He leans back on his chair. "Who you pick is entirely up to you."

"Okay, I'll choose the Rock type." Dean says while reading the label which says "Lar-vi-tar..."

"How about you, Cas?" Bobby asks his research assistant who get shocked.

"Are you asking me to pick one as well?" Castiel asks nervously.

The Professor places the box in front of him. "What are you waiting for? Pick already before I change my mind. You can't stay here in Sioux Falls all your life!"

Castiel picks up the Fire type starter, Charmander.

Bobby opens the second box and takes out two gadgets that look like cellphones. "These are the brand new PokéDex models. They can function as phones as well. So the two of you better call me whenever you hit a milestone or something."

Dean is leaning on the side of the Impala, patiently waiting for Castiel. Mary and John (whom he just named a few hours ago after his father) are roughhousing in Castiel's front yard. The lawn is well kept and not the least dry. Castiel's house is as blue as his eyes with white window panes and roof. The green colored front door quickly opens and out comes the person Dean has been waiting for, carrying a black duffel bag. "Sorry, I had to make sure I have everything I need."

Dean opens the door to the back seat and John and Mary jump inside. He then heads for the drivers seat. Castiel rides shotgun. "So, Dean, what gym are you going to challenge first?"

"Don't you mean we?" Dean asks as he starts up the engine.

Castiel smiles "I don't want to be a trainer."

"Then what do you want to be?"

"I'll be a coordinator."

Dean starts driving on the seemingly infinite black strip, optimistic on the road ahead of him and Castiel. The soft sound of the radio is in tune with every passing street light that flashes dim on their faces. It was 10:00 pm but it wasn't late for the two of them who had just begun their journey. "Me and you, we're going to be best friends." Mary jumps on Castiel's lap and John perches on top of Dean's backrest. "So what did you name your Charmander?"

"Jimmy."