Of the Persian Persuasion
Chapter one of my continuous story about a maturing young man and his marvelous Persian! Artwork by
Of the Persian Persuasion "William! Come open your present!" The faint shouting of an older woman's voice could be heard through the closed door of one young man's bedroom, and soon after he is seen powering down his computer and motioning to leave the sanctity of his room in. Little did he know what was to come... Indeed he was a 'young man' now, and at that age where he should be "accomplishing" things... And accomplishing "real" world things... He was at that age now where he should be perusing his life's ambitions and goals, or at least getting towards them some measurable sort of "physical" way... Yes, he was definitely at that age now where he should be "making something of himself"; or at least this was the mentality and feelings in the hearts and minds of his parents who told him these things time and time again. They were the two people who had given him everything in this life and all of the comforts that this material world had to offer, and they never let him forget that, however, today... Today they had finally decided to give him a swift kick of the metaphorical boot.
Oh I hate it when they use my full name like that... Why can't they just call me Will, like everyone else? But no matter... Today is my sixteenth birthday! Which means! I will be receiving the latest expansion pack for Pokémon Online! Which is only the world's very first and very greatest Pokémon based mmorpg! Where you can catch, train and battle all of the Pokémon you could ever want to! For a small monthly subscription fee of course..! But my parents pay for that, so I don't have to worry about getting a job just yet; as we have always been quite well off and 'in the money', so to speak, after my father established a chain of successful pokémarts in the area here quite some long time ago... But enough about that! Today is my birthday!!! Making my way out of my room and towards the living room where I had heard my mother calling for me, I see a humungous sized present-box in the center of the floor upon entering; complete with all of the wrappings and fancy bows that a family such as mine could afford, it was all a bit weird... Because... It was much too large to be Pokémon Online expansion pack sized... Did they get me another gift besides my expansion pack? They knew it was the only thing I wanted... Just like how the past two birthdays I have had it was the only thing I wanted and asked for... The expansions always seem to come out yearly around my birthday! Like the game was made and built around me and I was destined to play it! So what gives... My parents said nothing to me as I slowly advanced towards my perfectly presented gift, and with eerie, stern looks of silent conviction upon their faces, I began to gently pull on the top most prominent ribbon that was holding the secret structure together in an attempt to reveal whatever was to come of it all. "We think it's about time that you got out there in the real world and made something of yourself, son..." My father started up as I continued to dismantle the luxurious anomaly before me; and if there was any doubt of something big and ominous was going down here before, it had definitely become all too clear now... Just hearing that phrase he used: 'real world', always sent a fit of tensed emotions into me, as my parents and I would constantly get into a debate over my Pokémon Online obsession, and by debate, I mean, they would hassle me about it and tell me how they weren't pleased as I kept my mouth shut. "You have been playing that game of yours for exactly two years now, non-stop, ever since it was released..." He continued. "Locked away in your room most every day... It isn't a healthy habit, nor a productive one." I knew then that my fate was sealed; whatever they had planned for me, it was a done deal... Indeed I knew this day was coming and it was just a matter of time, but still my heart sunk as it was finally here, as surely my beloved Pokémon Online would be taken away from me... And on my birthday of all days! "We think you could both benefit from one another." My mother finally chimed in. "And at the very least, at least you will be able to have said you tried." 'Tried... Tried at what?! One... Another... She said... Who......' I think to myself as I continue to open the mystery box before me; and with the ribbons holding everything in place removed, I steadily began to open the very top of the box and peer inside to see the glistening of some sort of red gem as its contents were gently exposed to the light. "Ral~ rawl!" The loud cry of some sort of Pokémon sounded in the air as the top of the box was forcefully flung open and a tan furry blur flew out from inside and directly above me; knocking me to my rear end in the process, I then slowly turn around to find a Persian casually grooming itself on the floor before then quickly stopping to intently stare at me out of the corners of its eyes, motionless and in mid-lick of its fur. "A Persian?!" I shout in response to all of it. "It would have been my last choice!" "A Persian is fine..." My father ignorantly tells me. "It's normal type... NORMAL! How am I supposed to gain any sort of advantage with a normal type Pokémon? How can I do anything but just throw it into battle and hope for the best? There is no strategy there... No skill... No--" "The Persian was Aunt Katy's, and she couldn't handle her anymore. So now she's here for you to handle." My mother abruptly interrupts. "You're always playing that silly game of yours, and so now this is your opportunity to go out there and do the real thing with a Pokémon. "Yes, that's fine, but..." 'But what can I tell them? That I'm terribly shy and anti-social... That I don't know where to begin with any of this, and I'm afraid...' "But how couldn't she handle the Persian exactly?" "Well, Katy kept the Persian as a pet Pokémon, but that didn't fare too well... It seems she would rather be out of the house, or doing something else, but definitely not cooped up inside all day; and those were her words exactly. The curtains, the furniture, they were all torn to shreds! A bloody mess of a state her home was in when I went to pick this Persian up from her!" My mother exclaimed. "So it was just a pet Pokémon, too?!" I bark in response. "Yes, it was, now, on your way." My father replied while both he and my mother stood up and proceeded to swiftly escort me to the front door of our house and then outside to the entrance as Persian followed behind the entire commotion. "Now, your pokédex, your pokéballs, some potions, and all of your Pokémon oriented and essential needs can be found in here." My mother tells me as she motioned to a green backpack with black straps already conveniently placed against the side of the house. "And your sleeping bag and tent can be found there on top of it." "Yes, I see, but..." "No buts... You are off on your epic journey of insight and intrigue. Good luck, you!" My father tells me as he gives me a cutesy little punch on the chin. "We love you!" My mother follows up as she gives me a quick little hug and then scurries back into the house; and I just stand there a bit awe-struck in response as everything finally increasingly still, in a way... 'I guess this is really happening...?!' "There is enough money in here to last you for three months..." My father explains as he hands me a generic kind of themed wallet with a pokéball pattern on it. "Now go catch some bucks!" He goes on to chuckle to himself. "But..." I stumble in vain. "Look. If you can't handle it after three months, you can come home, and we'll talk. But until then, enjoy your adventure!" "But!" "I have faith in you!" Are the final last words he tells me before leaving to join my mother and closing the door behind him. "Persian per...?" I hear the inquiring sounds of my brand new Pokémon I never knew I even wanted as the gravity and realness of everything seems to sink in even further. It felt like she was asking me if I were ready to go. Somehow, I knew that... And for some reason, I felt oddly reassured as she walked a bit forward and looked back over her shoulder at me; as if asking me if I were coming or not. "Per--sian per?" She went on to say as I attempted to further gather my thoughts, feelings... Anything and everything I could gather... But it seemed that all I had right now to my name was my backpack and this gear now, so I decide to just gather that instead and follow Persian wherever she seemed so determined to get to. Sure she was just a normal type, and a former pet Pokémon as well...! But she had a kind of presence and confidence about her that I felt oddly compelling... Comforting even... "I'm coming!" I told her as I ran a bit to catch up with her, and then followed closely behind her she led the way and headed towards the forest nearby where I used to play with the wild Rattata when I was younger; that is, until one of the Raticate there decided to attack me out of the blue one day and send me to the emergency room... Ever since that encounter so very long ago I've been a bit afraid of venturing into the unknown, and I suppose that's truly what held me back from becoming a real Pokémon trainer in the first place. Until now that is... Because now it seemed there was no other option... But with this Persian, I did somehow feel a bit safe and secure... And I think... I think that everything just might be alright... "Ral rawl~!!!" Sounded the battle cry of Persian, my very first Pokémon, as swiftly sped up and then pounced into the dense and tall grass that laid all along the outskirts of the forest, no doubt hiding one or more Rattata inside within their hidden leafy realm. "I'm coming too! Persian!"