Wander (Pokémon)

1

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

***

Something about sudden change never really hit me—even as a child, I adapted to new situations I never found myself in before quickly. It never took much effort on my part. For some reason, change doesn't bother me, no matter how big or small it may be. In most people's eyes, moving across the region from a bustling city to a quaint town should be the hardest on a teen like me, yet I barely blinked an eye when Dad mentioned the move.

Nothing truly connected me to Saffron City, the city I grew up in, other than the fact I was borne there, fifteen years ago. I went to school there, sure, but those years always seemed so mundane and boring, as if something else would come after the struggle of humdrum life. In fact, when Dad mentioned the move, I felt excitement—the hope of a better and more exciting life.

While Pallet Town isn't exactly across the region, it surely felt like it. A total of two major towns are in Kanto, Pallet one of them, yet each town seemed small in comparison to the largest city in Kanto. Saffron City, while void of the largest population, has the largest land area claimed for the city. Saffron City is the center of politics, economy, and business, standing tall in the direct center of Kanto.

Most people move from small towns and even small cities, like Pallet Town and Viridian City, to go Saffron to get a taste of the big city. Most believe they can make it big in Saffron, or even Goldenrod in Johto, if they have the talent or the looks. Yet, here I am, making the move from the largest city in Kanto to a quaint town, far away from any major landmarks.

While I thought about the many reasons we could have moved from the city to this small, quaint town, I never directly asked my dad for his reasons. Cheaper rent, more jobs, and fresher air could all be reasons for the move, but I never truly asked why. I held interest in the topic, but decided to simply let it fly by me. After all, I'm just a kid.

After the tiring thirteen-hour bus ride, the moment we arrived at Pallet Town, I wanted to fall asleep and never wake up. Yet, we needed to find where our small house is located before I could even dream of sleep. As I trekked along with my dad, my feet sluggish, a few townspeople came up and introduced themselves and offered help to the two of us.

However, the biggest lesson I learned while living in the city was simple—don't trust anyone.

Dad and I politely declined help when it was offered, although we did ask for general directions to the location we'd live. It took us an extra twenty minutes of venturing into the crisp air of Pallet Town, but we finally found the small house complex we'd live in for however long. Next to the houses were a small convenience store and a liquor shop.

Hopefully, dad will stay far away from that liquor shop.

I don't need him wasting away what little money we have on useless pastimes, such as drinking worries away.

"Do you know which one is ours?" I asked dad tiredly, rubbing my sleepy eyes with my free hand.

He yawned. "Well, whichever one it is, we'll find it. Eventually."

After another ten minutes of trekking around the houses, we finally found the one we'd occupy. It blended in nicely with the other houses, although one could tell that the size was much smaller than a few of the surrounding houses. Dad fumbled in his pocket for a few seconds for the key and finally unlocked the door to our house.

Well, the house isn't technically ours—we rent it at a much cheaper rate than what our old apartment in the city was. From the outside, the house seemed much bigger than the apartment, so I guess that's something to cheer about. Dad stepped into the house as I struggled to lift my luggage onto the front porch.