The Road to our Destiny

Chapter 19

Before long, everyone is happily eating at the cafeteria inside the Pokemon Center. Timothy gave bowls of Pokemon food to Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey while Brock gave bowls of his special Pokemon food to Pikachu, Piplup, Oshawott, and Gible. Absol refused to eat unless it's with Serena, so Brock had its food placed next to Serena's chair while the human all eat at the table. As expected, Ash stuffs himself with plates full of food much to the shock of Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu.

"Uh... is he always like this when he eats?" Coovers asks Serena.

"Pretty much," Serena answers.

"How in the world does he not gain weight from so much food?" Timothy asks, baffled.

"Believe me, we wish we knew," Dawn says. "Maybe he burns all those calories by being so unbelievably active too."

"It's the closest thing that makes sense to me," Brock admits.

After everyone has finished eating, everyone pats their stomachs satisfied, and Serena let's Absol hop onto her chair so that it can sit on her lap. The group silently decides to stay seated at their table and relax until Ash turns to Timothy.

"Oh yeah, Timothy, we never finished our battle," he says. "You were going to explain how you've never had a friendly battle before if I won."

Timothy winces, and Coovers and Electchu frown, having forgotten about the deal.

"We don't need to go into that," Coovers says.

"No, it's fine, Coovers," Timothy says.

Coovers turn to his friend, dumbfounded while everyone looks at him, surprised.

"Are you sure?" Brock asks. "I mean, he didn't win the battle."

"True, but the truth is the battle wasn't about winning or losing so much as seeing what kind of trainer Ash is, and it's clear that he's a very cunning and caring trainer," Timothy answers. "Besides, it's also obvious that everyone here is friendly and very caring about Pokemon, so I see no harm in telling them."

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Dawn, Scott, Piplup, and Serena smile appreciatively at his words. Coovers looks at his friend worriedly while Timothy takes a deep breath and thinks for a moment about where to begin.

"It all started when I was a little boy in Pallet Town," he says. "Like any kid, I was practically dying to turn ten so that I could become a Pokemon trainer. The idea of catching as many Pokemon as possible and defeating the greatest trainers there are was my ultimate dream. Unfortunately, there was a boy who was about a year older than me and lived just a few houses away from me in Pallet Town, named Trent Lane. He had the same desires but was more...aggressive about it. He believed he was already superior to everyone because he was going to be the greatest Pokemon Master there is without a hitch. When we were in preschool, he would verbally bully me, claiming I was never going to be a better trainer than him. The teachers and my parents and his parents kept trying to get him to stop, but it was like he had his mind sent on bullying me as a means to make me give up on my dreams before I ever could try to achieve them. He usually threatened me saying that if I ever became a trainer, he would look for me and defeat me in a battle and take away my Pokemon just like that."

"Really? That sounds like a really pompous child," Dawn says.

"You have no idea," Timothy says. "At that age, I was deeply discouraged because of his claims that I would lose any Pokemon I have if I ever became a trainer. Thankfully, I felt more comfortable about my dreams when he finally turned ten and left Pallet Town after receiving a Charmander from Professor Oak. The next year, my dad got Electchu for me on my tenth birthday after he won a contest when he went to Neon City with my mom. Like any excited boy finally able to become a trainer, I thought I was ready to face the world with my new friend and partner and the determination to capture as many Pokemon as I can."