Day 30

[from Pokemon xTreme]

As Taylor Evans walked through the main street of Viridian City, a gentle breeze rustled through the verdant treetops around her, creating a pleasing melody. The sound of a chirping Pidgey flapping its wings could also be heard occasionally as one flew by overhead, on its way to or from its roost. Other than this the only sounds were those of Taylor's own leisurely footsteps as she walked, hands nestled in the pockets of her jeans.

Taylor's destination was a conference hall just off Main Street, where a new initiative was underway: the Pokémon Trainer Mentoring Scheme. Under this scheme, aspiring trainers such as herself could receive assistance from a seasoned pro, perhaps even a certified Pokémon Master, who would show them the ropes and nurture their skills until they were ready to battle on their own. This had been set up after an increasing number of incidents where trainers had attempted to capture or battle Pokémon without any prior training, resulting in injuries to themselves, others, or in the worst cases, the Pokémon themselves.

Taylor had applied for the scheme a few weeks ago, and had been accepted. Now, she and the other tutees would be paired up with their mentors. She didn't feel especially nervous about becoming a Pokémon trainer, as she'd been thinking about it for a while, but the thought of not knowing what her mentor would be like until they were paired up was a little nerve-wracking. What if they turned out to be a total drill sergeant? Or completely incompetent? Or some lecherous old man? The last two were unlikely, perhaps, as no doubt the mentors would have been chosen carefully, but there was still the chance.

As she reached the conference hall, Taylor could see a handful of others heading towards it as well. There wasn't too long before it was due to start, so no doubt there would be plenty of people already inside. Pushing open the double doors, Taylor made her way inside.

Inside were maybe a hundred chairs laid out neatly in two separate groups, with a central aisle between them. As expected, there were already quite a few people sat down, perhaps two dozen or so. In addition to those in the seats, there were dozens of people standing around the edge of the hall, and after a moment Taylor realized that these must be the prospective mentors. Taking a seat near the back of the left bank of chairs, Taylor occupied herself with looking around at her potential teachers and deciding whom she liked the look of.

A bored-looking man in a yellow beanie. Nope. A red-haired girl playing busily on a handheld gaming console, oblivious to everything around her. Definitely not. An old man- nope. A man with spiky blond hair, casually tossing an Ultra Ball up and down while chatting to another trainer, an enthusiastic-looking brown-haired man. They both look cool, I guess. A pretty, rather impatient-looking girl with long slivery-blonde hair, filing her nails as she waited for proceedings to being. Maybe.

Before long, Taylor was startled by a sudden burst of feedback from the stage at the far side of the hall. The man in charge of the scheme had stepped onto the stage and begun tapping the mic without her realizing. Taylor, and the rest of the assembled tutees, quickly turned their attentions to the stage.

"Good afternoon," said the man. "Now, as you're all hopefully aware, you've been called here today because you have all been accepted into the Pokémon Trainer Mentoring Scheme." There was a few random cheers from amongst the crowd. "Today, you will each be assigned your mentor. It will be their job to help you transform yourself into the best trainer you can possibly become. However, they will not be able - or willing - to do everything for you. Only by applying yourselves, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and taking in the advice of your mentors, will you be able to fulfil your full potential.

"With that in mind," he continued, "I will now read out each of your names, and tell you the mentor you have been assigned. We have tried to give you all the mentor that we feel you will work best with, and most importantly, get along best with. I will then give you your official trainer card, and you may either proceed down the hallway to my right to receive an official Pokémon League starter Pokémon, or leave with your mentor if they have made alternative arrangements. Either way, by the time you leave this room, your Pokémon journey will have officially begun."

The man paused for a moment, taking out a stack of cards: the tutees' training cards. "Going alphabetically by surname… Anderson, Kieran?" A tall, aggressive-looking boy stood up to Taylor's left. "Your mentor will be Seth Voltaire."

The spiky-haired blond man stepped forward, waving a hand, and Kieran made his way through the chairs to the central aisle and walked up to greet him, before retrieving his trainer card as instructed. Instead of going down the hallway as suggested, Seth ushered Kieran back down the aisle towards the doors he had entered through - evidently he had something better in mind.

Taylor almost tuned out again, before remembering that if it was going alphabetically by surname, she wouldn't have long to wait herself. Sure enough, after only a few names had been read out:

"Evans, Taylor?" Taylor quickly stood up, suddenly very anxious. The man on the stage seemed to pause interminably, before stating, "Your mentor will be Brandon Wells."

At once there was an outbreak of muttering, and a few gasps of surprise, as the brown-haired man that Seth had been talking to stepped forward and waved. Taylor was not well-versed in the world of professional Pokémon battling, but even she had heard of Brandon Wells, though she had not recognized him at first. Ex-Elite Four member, former Johto Masters champion, and now, apparently, her mentor. It was quite a shock, not only to her, apparently, but to the various assembled tutees who'd been hoping for such a prestigious mentor.

As Taylor made her way up the aisle, she could feel dozens of pairs of eyes staring at her. Finally, she reached the end of it, and Brandon was standing there waiting for her. He extended a hand towards her. "Hey," he said. "Nice to meet you, Taylor."

Taylor shook his hand, feeling a little nervous. "Nice to meet you too."

Taylor then shook the hand of the man standing at the front, taking her official Pokémon trainer card from him with the other hand. "Good luck," he said, as she did so.

Taylor instictvely headed for the hallway to the man's right, and her left, but Brandon called after her. "Hey, where you going?" he asked.

"Aren't I supposed to collect a starter now?" asked Taylor, forgetting about the "other arrangements" clause.

"I got a better idea," said Brandon. "Come on, let's get outta here." Gesturing for her to follow him, he set off down the centre of the hall towards the front entrance, and Taylor quickly followed after him.