Ted sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his wall, his gaze vacant. He had covered it with posters of bands and movies he liked to try and make it a little more "homey" as his mom had said. Ted kept asking himself why he felt so weirdly about getting a pokemon, and he thought he knew the answer, but he didn't want to admit it. To admit it would be to unlock a different part of him, one he had sheltered away since coming to Sinnoh. He told himself he was just nervous his Pokemon wouldn't like him, but he knew that wasn't it, not at all. He was afraid he was going to become like his father, losing his mind over a Pokemon, destroying his life because of a pokemon. But wasn't that the entire reason why he wanted a Pokemon? To put this fear to rest, to wrestle with his demons? Ted honestly did not know, as right now he was a mixed bag of emotions. He hauled himself up, and took a last look in his mirror. He was wearing a tuxedo with a bright red bow-tie, with a pair of straight, pin-striped slacks underneath. Yes it was a little fancy for a 15 year old, but it [i]was[/i] a big day. After combing his slick hair over with his hand one last time, he tromped down stairs.

"Mom! I'm going now! To Professor Rowan's Lab! See you in a bit!" he called out to her, hoping to be able to bolt out the door before she could pull all this sappy stuff on her. Sure he was just as sad too to leave home and a little bit wary of getting a Pokemon, but he was still a kid. "Wait, wait, Bear don't go, I'll be there in just a second!" yelled his mother, using his nickname that nobody called him anymore since he was a kid, but apperantly his mom didn't get the memo. His mom rushed in from the kitchen, and she still had her oven mitts and apron on. She stopped in front of him and planted a kiss on his head. "Mom! I'm too old for this stuff now!" Ted whined.

"Oh c'mon, my little baby is going away from home for a while, I'm allowed [i]some[/i] mom antics," she teased. "Yeah, yeah, I love you too, all that good stuff," he said in response with a hug. The hug between him and his mother is long, maybe a little too long, almost as if they don't want to let go. "Love you too honey. Be careful okay! Don't talk to strangers, and stay with Desmond!" she called out as Ted ran out the door. Well, that was it. Her little kid was gone.

Ted began running towards the lab, but for some reason he kept on slowing himself down, almost as if he was deliberately delaying the moment to get his pokemon. Even after his mom had been so supportive and positive, he still couldn't shake this bad feeling. He arrived at the lab, the sun snaking across the sky and beating down. Desmond was already waiting for him, and that girl... what was her name? April? Ashley? Amy? Yeah, that was it. Man, she was cute. They were both slung against the door, they're eyes staring at the door, almost as if waiting for something to happen. They were intent on getting their pokemon, so why wasn't he? 

"Hey, Des!" he called out to his friend who had been his best friend ever since he had moved here.