#pokereading.

“Let's go. Caterpie.” Satoshi brandished the Monster Ball and threw it with all his strength. The moment the ball hit the Caterpie... A bright light erupted from the ball and encapsulated Caterpie's body. The next moment, while Caterpie's body was still bathed in light, it was sucked inside the Monster Ball. And so, in the spot where Caterpie once stood, only a Monster Ball was rolling on the ground, rattling as it shook. If the capture were to fail, a flash of light would re-emerge from the ball, with Caterpie leaping out. Satoshi kept a close eye on the status of the Monster Ball. How long did it last for... In reality it was only a matter of seconds, but to Satoshi it felt like hours... The Monster Ball stopped moving. “Gotcha... I did get it, right?” He asked Kasumi. “It's obvious just looking at it.” “So I really got it.” He asked Pikachu. Pikachu nodded. Satoshi's body began to tremble. He couldn't stop himself. His first capture... The grand first step of Trainer Satoshi. “Caterpie! Gotcha!” Satoshi picked up the Monster Ball and posed holding it high above his head. “Gotcha!” “Gotcha!” “Gotcha!” The words came from his mouth naturally. The pose also suited him perfectly. It was a feeling of pure achievement, his true emotions showed themselves in their own style. The style that suits me best... It's just as mom said. “Gotcha! I did it!” While he could have just left it at that, he continued with a dance of joy. “You did it! Satoshi-kun. You're so cool! Satoshi-kun. Caterpie may be small, but for Satoshi-kun of Masara Elementary, this is the first step on the path to greatness!” He continued by standing to attention and singing the school anthem. Even though at school he always ended up humming and had never actually sung the whole song properly.

Having reached a point where she was done preparing the lunch special, Hanako pressed the button on the answering machine. “Mom... It’s kinda a long story, but I got the badge from Nibi Gym. I’ll talk later, bye.” Satoshi’s embarrassed voice on the other end of the phone hung up. It was the same tone he had when caught causing mischief. “It’s a long story, he says…” Hanako smiled. Once at school he had come first in a race, he apparently ran 50 meters in something between 10 and 20 seconds, he’d been so excited that he spoke about it well into the night. If getting the badge had gone smoothly, then he would have been saying “I did it, I did it!” and causing a big fuss. It was obvious from Satoshi’s voice on the phone that he had a difficult time. “Well, either way it’s great that he’s got a badge. As long as he didn’t steal it... I hope this isn’t the last I hear from him...” There were records of both Satoshi’s father and grandfather having stayed at Nibi City Pokémon Center. However after that the trail went cold. It was unknown as to whether they had even obtained the badge from Nibi Gym. “You’re already well ahead of your dad and grandpa. Hang in there, Satoshi.”

god he’s so fucking valid,,

Satoshi's mother Hanako knew nothing of the huge incident in Tokiwa City. However, she was still awake when morning came. Ever since she received Satoshi's phone call from Tokiwa City, she found herself unable to sleep. Hanako took a photo album from the bookcase and looked through the pages. There were photos of Satoshi as a newborn. And ones of when Satoshi first began crawling. Each photo brought back at least thirty memories of Hanako and Satoshi's time together. Which meant once she started going through all twenty albums of their memories together she couldn't stop herself. By the time she'd even realised it was already morning. ... Oh no... I need to prepare for today's lunchtime special... But, no matter what, Hanako was unable to avert her eyes until she reached the final page, leading to her opening the shop half an hour late. Hanako had a reputation for being a highly dependable woman. Yesterday's lunch and today's late opening were the first slips she had ever made in running the shop. ... Work is work... I can't let myself slip just because my son left on a journey! Despite her reprimanding herself, nobody in Masara Town would say a word against Hanako. She was a single mother under thirty who had just had her only child she spent years raising leave home. The day after and the following days, Hanako never lost a single customer, she only gained more.

“Even a poor marksman will hit a target with enough shots.” Kojirou said with a serious expression. That was their motto... The words they lived by. Simply put, a phrase that briefly summarizes their approach to life. “I've heard that somewhere before...” Satoshi recalled Professor Ookido saying the same thing on the phone earlier. “A poor marksman... What does that mean?” Satoshi asked Team Rocket. “You know they'll miss, but with enough bullets, one may hit eventually. There's the occasional fluke in the world. You can't win the lottery unless you buy a ticket. If there's nothing to lose, you might as well give it a shot.” Kojirou politely explained, reading from a dictionary. “It's really the best approach for anything. Whether you're stealing Pokémon, or searching for a boyfriend or getting married.” Musashi said earnestly, while nodding to herself for some reason. “So, I'm a poor marksman... I've got nothing to lose.” Satoshi's shoulders slumped. It had been thirty minutes since his phone call with Professor Ookido, and its meaning finally stabbed him. “That kinda pisses me off.” He clenched his fist.

[..], there are also instances where vicious Pokémon have injured or even killed their owners. Though they are often unwilling to admit it due to embarrassment, according to unpublished records, 86% of Pokémon Trainers have sustained injuries caused by their own Pokémon. Many of these incidents occur due to the human arrogance of thinking “It's my Pokémon, so it should do whatever I tell it.”

Pikachu had collapsed beside him. Satoshi picked Pikachu up in his arms. “Pikachu!” Pikachu opened his eyes slightly. “I... yeah?” ... I'll be myself, I'll be Satoshi, Pikachu'll be Pikachu, from here on it's me and Pikachu... yeah? There was a lot he wanted to say, but the only two words he managed to say were “I... yeah.” Pikachu simply gave a single small nod.