[center][h1][color=OrangeRed]Arthur[/color][/h1]

[@Tenma Tendo][/center]

[hr][hr]

Arthur groaned, nearly falling over from his lack of energy being predated by the massive backpack hefted on his shoulders. He really wondered how hard Atlas had it. His dad had decided it would've been best to "walk" the entire way to Lo Town from Celadon City, with massive backpacks carrying camping gear, despite it being only a six hour walk... Which his dad rebuted with it being a "character-building exercise." At the very least, Rampart, his dad's Machamp, had been forced to participate... Even though the Pokemon was arguably the strongest to date.

By the time they had set foot into town, Arthur finally collapsed onto the ground, groaning at the top of his lungs. To his exhausted state, the ground was equivalent to a king-sized bed. His brief respite was unfortunately interrupted, unfortunately, by the massive hand of Rampart, which pulled him back onto his feet by his heavy green backpack.

[b]"Hang on, Arthur. We're not out of the woods yet. I mean literally, we [i]are[/i] out of the woods, but-- You get what I mean,"[/b] His dad said.

[color=OrangeRed]"But dad, we've been walking all day! Are we atleast going to hit a hotel first?"[/color] Arthur rubbed his eyes.

[b]"Not yet. We still have to get your registrations ready for the event at the Sanctuary. I've heard they're nearly impossible to get into unless you register beforehand."[/b] His dad removed his backpack, and reached through it, pulling out a handful of papers.

They hadn't arrived too late, thankfully. They were only the 15th person in the registration line at the town center. For an event so large, did they really only have one line? Arthur slapped his heavy backpack on the ground as they stood in line, stretching out his back while they stood. It moved at a steady pace, and Arthur was forced to constantly drag his backpack along the ground with them as they were forced to move.

Finally, Arthur and his dad had reached the front of the line.

[color=a0410d]"Welcome to Lo Town home of the Official Pokemon Sanctuary. We’re so glad you’ve chosen us as the place to begin your Pokemon journey. Can you confirm if you’ve preregistered,"[/color] the elderly man at the desk asked.

[b]"Nope, not us,"[/b] his dad said as if it were something to be proud of. 

He handed Arthur his own registration card. He stood there for a few seconds, before taking the hint and handing it to the old man. The old man smiled at Arthur as he took his card and stuck it into a Pokedex. Several lights flashed on the small red device, as a voice buzzed

[i]“Welcome, Arthur. You’ve caught 0 pokemon, you’ve seen 0 pokemon.”[/i]

[color=a0410d]“it’s always a tense moment that,"[/color] The old man nodded, [color=a0410d]"Well thank you Arthur. You'll be the 15th to enter the Sanctuary.”[/color]

[color=a0410d]“Now finally to lock in your spot and claim your goody bag including your very own pokedex--sponsored by Sliph Co- Innovation through Experimentation--and a voucher for some brand new pokegear--sponsored by the Celadon Game Corner--we need you to sign this form.”[/color]

The man presented Arthur's dad with a long form of paper, which he signed his way through. After finishing, the woman standing by the old man's side handed Arthur his pokedex and goodie bag.

[color=a0410d]“Thank you so much. Please note we’re holding a little party up at the Sanctuary tonight with a special talk by former Indigo League Champion and our very own Keeper of the Keys”[/color]

The man pointed over to a larger old man in the town square.

[color=a0410d]“Congratulations, your very own Pokemon adventure is about to begin”[/color]

Arthur might've been more excited upon hearing that, if the old man sounded like he was. Arthur's dad placed a hand on his head, and said [b]"Alright; The festival isn't until later tonight, so go off and have fun."[/b]

Arthur walked off in his own direction, after giving Rampart his heavy backpack. He felt light as a feather now, without such a heavy load on his back. He first held his Pokedex in his hands, fiddling with it. He never saw one of the devices before, so he had no idea how it worked. After it "activated", he noticed it had lenses on the back. Curious, he pointed it at a random pokemon nearby; A ratticate.

	[i][b]"Ratticate. The Mouse Pokemon. It uses it's whiskers to maintain it's balance. It apparently slows down if they are cut off. Buy a Revive Pack today!"[/b][/i]

His "Brand new" Pokedex buzzed out the words, sounding like a muffled mess of static. Arthur checked the back of the machine, and embedded into the casing was a message that read "Silph Co.--". He couldn't read how old it was, but he knew it must've been pretty old, considering that the production date was crusted in some dirt that he couldn't scrape off. On top of that, it'd been reprogrammed to constantly spew advertisements. He sighed. Maybe the rest of his goodies were good?

Nah.

In his bag was just a voucher for Pokegear, which would be useful once he got to a Pokemart. The other item was a regular red and white Pokeball, that had a yellow S engraved in the top. Well [i]that[/i] kind of ruined the aesthetic. Suddenly, his Pokedex clicked to life without being aimed at anything. 

	[b][i]"I'm Donald, a Pokédex gifted to you by Sliph Co--innovation through experimentation."[/i][/b]

Arthur sighed. He'd be able to upgrade it if he got to Saffron City. It'd also be another reason to go, along with seeing the old Fighting Dojo.

But right now, he just wanted to [i]rest[/i] for the event tonight. He saw a small gathering of people, mostly younger kids, around a standing man he realized was Ken Adams. The gathering was bordered by multiple colorful banners. Arthur got on the grass next to two younger kids; One was wearing a blue jacket, the other wearing a bright red one. He laid on his back before he even knew what they were talking about, already starting to drift to sleep, when he heard the man around the herd of practical toddlers. 

[color=#00aeef][b]"Not many people know but I got into the Pokemon league through the Pokemon exam. These I got for fun but I never got the Marsh Badge. Sabrina is a master of the Psychic Pokemon and I never could find the right Pokemon to beat that damned Kadabra of hers. Then I got old and badges just didn't seem that important anymore. I've heard rumours of a cave just a little way north into the mountains. In there is a pack of Pokemon that might just give you the strength that you can leave Saffron with more than just a Pokegear! That's all I'm saying."[/b][/color]

The blue kid next to him started writing a note, and handed it to the speaker, then looked at the ground. Arthur didn't want to appear like some bum with Ken speaking just to him, so he raised his own hand and asked.

[color=OrangeRed]"Wait so, what type of Pokemon is in that cave?"[/color]

Arthur's own father didn't even [i]make it to Sabrina[/i] before he threw in the towel. If Arthur planned on going there first, he'd need any edge he could get.