Chapter 004

Both Clan and Barry stopped walking down the stairs which they were on, they were blankly staring ahead of the staircase. Then they reacted when they fully comprehended what she meant, rather loudly...

"WHAT!?"

After scaring the whole bird pokemons around the building and being chased out by an angry receptionist, both the boys quickly gathered around Dawn, eagerly glaring at her which made her uncomfortable. Even Clan failed to compose himself, this was just too outrageous.

"...What?" Dawn asked slowly after a second of silence.

"Tell us more!/Tell us more or I'm gonna fine you!"

"Why didn't you told us about this?" Clan asked incredulously. "You know this is important info including to us you know, Dawn."

"Yeah!" Barry added. "Do you really want me to fine you, Dawn!?"

"Well." Dawn began, scraching her head in embarassment. "I was nervous this entire morning with the thought of not having my chocolate milk in my breakfast, besides I did plan informing you both, it just slipped my mind. You can't blame me you guys!"

Clan and Barry forgave her. But, she really need to start talking, the suspence is killing them. Dawn also noticed it so she started. "From what my mother heard, the exhibition match yesterday and the exchange program were some ways related. Apparently, both the Sinnoh and Hoenn region's regional professor have mutually decided this with a third and fourth party. The Kanto and Kalos's regional professors are also responsible for this arrangement to occur, apparently they were doing this for numerous reasons."

"My mother shared her speculations to me including her friend's who shared the news to her. That it was so both regions could be in good terms more, it was a friendly exchange program that would benefit both regions. Additionally, there was a research study going on with all those famous regional professors gathering - not made public of course, but mom said it was a massive research study according to what she heard."

"Also there was a rumor spreading around the whole league speculating that it could also be related to some kind of pokemon evolution. But, I'm not too sure about this rumor though since it was just spread from words by mouth through gossips. What's a fact however, this exchange program plan really will happen! Which means..."

Which means the selection of pokemon starters this year in Sinnoh will be natives from Hoenn and vice versa.

Dawn didn't have to say more. Both boys immediately got into thinking.

Clan was in deep thought after hearing that. This changes everything he planned over the list of preferable pokemons he would pick. Also, he wasn't that familiar with the Hoenn region's pokemon starter distributions.

"How did aunt Johanna got this shocking news anyway, Dawn?" Barry asked, a little bit of doubt leaking from his tone.

Dawn got annoyed when she noticed him doubting her. She calmed herself down though, since even when she heard this she also was doubious. "My mother was a top pokemon coordinator remember? She got some friends high in the league that shared the info to her."

This made Barry believe it, for the time being. But, he still have to ask his father later who was also a succesful pokemon trainer who was in the battle frontier. The frontier brain of the battle tower in Sinnoh region's battle frontier to be exact, known as the, Tower Tycoon Palmer.

With their thoughts fully occupied by the news they learned, they swiftly got on their respective bikes and left to Clan's house.

...

The rest of the day was spent together with his friends. After they ate, his friends stayed for a while before bidding his parents farewell since they have somethings they have to personally take care of. He accompanied them to their neighborhood since he had to get the tray back home from Barry's home. After that, Clan helped his parents around the house, delivering chocolate milk to anyone who ordered with his bicycle, helped clean the house and bonded with his family.

He savored every moment of the day with his parents as he knew that soon he wouldn't see them more often when he will begin his pokemon journey, and his parents also knew this sadly. Although with a heavy heart, the family still did what they could to support Clan.

Currently, they were sitting together at the sofa watching a drama on their old television. However, despite how emotional the movie gets, Clan wasn't paying it his full attention. He was mainly focusing on his plans. The news he learned from Dawn today was a huge turn over in his plans regarding the pokemon he prefered, he made sure to check the net later in his room regarding a list of the Hoenn region's yearly distribution of starter pokemons so that he could prepare.

However, he wasn't the only one who was not paying attention to the movie, both his parents were also not and was looking at him. Clan caught sight of thier gazes, he looked back at his parents and smiled. "What's the matter mom, dad?"

Suddenly, he was caught off-guard when he was engulfed with a hug from his mother. Clan could feel something wet dripping from his shoulder where his mother was resting her head. He was shocked and scared when he noticed her crying. "W-what happened, mom?" When he couldn't take it anymore, he send his father a pleading look. He was clueless on what really was going on. Morever, he hated something like this, he didn't want to see his mom cry.

Clint was silent from where he sat. But, he still gently pulled his wife from their son. He looked at his growing son, when who was still a baby boy always wanted to get their attention. Now time has passed which made him complain on how fast it flies. "Your mother and I talked a lot when you were out with your friends earlier this day."

Clint sighed heavily. "We knew we didn't helped much in your preparation of your dream to become a pokemon trainer. We regreted it so much that your mother got all emotional."

"Son, we apologise for being such incompetent parents." Clan got distressed when he heard that, he opened his mouth to interrup and deny it but his mother spoke first.

"Ever since you were young, we already noticed your obsession with becoming a pokemon trainer who wanted to start his own pokemon journey. At the beginning we thought it was just a thing you spewed out off your cute little mouth when you shared it to us. But, as the years goes by we ultimately realized you're serious in achieving your goal. We notice you working and studying so hard staying up late at night. I was appalled at my incapability to provide help to you, my Clanny. I wanted to be the one that would answer every questions that got you confused. But I can't, you have to ask the pokemon trainers around town to get some answers, everytime I saw you like that makes me and your father guilty. Forgive your mother for being so pathetic, Clan."

"Mom! Stop saying such things. That's not true!" Clan was agitated. He didn't know how to react, but he did what he do best and followed what his heart geniunely felt. "You don't have to say sorry. You guys are wonderful parents to me. Dad, you did helped me in preparing, you may not have noticed it but you did, remember the day when you first taught me how to ride the bicycle? That was useful which I gladly and was happy to learn as I used the bike mom bought me for my last birthday as a present every single day."

"And mom, you had teached me some valuable things, you taught me cooking, even though I have no talent in it, you were still willing to teach me after how much materials I wasted since I failed and burnt everything I cooked. Even until now I still have some difficulty cooking but thanks to your help at least I can live with what I cook. Which is very important in the forest for survival as a trainer when one would go adventuring. You never gave up on teaching and was determined to teach your untalented son. I finally was able to after so much time, I couldn't have done it without you, mom. I couldn't have asked for someone better. You guys are awesome parents, believe it, you guys. It is truthfully what I feel."

Clan hugged his mother and father in a big hug. "I love you guys, don't say things like this again, okay?"

"We know that of course, that's just how good of a child you are." Clint and Noraima smiled emotionally at their son.

"Of course I'm good, I was raised by wonderful people." Clan said with a endearing grin while still in embrace.

"You're just like your father, always being such a sweet talker!" Clan and Clint chuckled at that. Noraima wiped the tears from her face and released her son's hug. "Although, we may not have done much. We bought some things for you that would help in your journey..."

She left her words as she entered a room, after a minute, she came out holding some stuffs, consisting assorted objects that when Clan saw it made him really delighted.

Noraima and Clint didn't know if they bought the right stuff, but when they saw Clan's expression they were pleased.

"We asked the employees that works at the Poké Mart what new trainers usually bought in their shop when they begin adventuring since your mother and I were caught unaware of what things were necessary and useful." Clint mention dryly. "We bought a variety of stuffs, as you can see."

Noraime placed the items on the table. The largest noticable item was a backpack commonly known as a trainer bag. It was a backpack that were popularly prefered to carry with for newly starting trainers, there were different styles of bags made: The standard backpack, sling bags, drawstring bags, duffel bags, etc. You got the gist of it.

His parents bought him the warp sling back, although was small in size compared to the other styles, it was not an issue since this backpacks are built different. The reason they were popular around trainers was not just because they were comfy and easy to carry around with. These backpacks, were in fact, built using the same folded-space technology that allowed the tiny pokeballs to hold within them, the much larger pokémon in suspended animation. The sling bag, which was barely a feet in length, had enough space to sustain several travel-bags worth of substance, which for young trainers, meant more than enough space to contain several sets of clothes, ropes, first-aid and medicines, a knife or two for self-defence, food, sleeping bags, tents and importantly large repositories of pokémon food, poitions and reserves. The other necessities are five canisters of repellent sprays, a pair of super potions which can be used anytime to the desired pokemon to help them recover and heal faster. Also, five canisters of antidote, a spray-type medicine for the purpose for treating poisoning. A neatly folded maroon sleeping bag was the next thing that caught his eyes. He love that color.

His head was down, his hair overshadowing above the part of his nose and above. This stuff were very expensive, he knew it, because he recognize the bag particularly since by chance he saw the really high-priced tag when he was browsing the net in some website that were selling it.

"Thanks mom and dad... I love you guys the most..." Clan murmured between his sobs, greatly touched.

"We love you too, our precious baby boy." Both his parents, Clint and Noraima smiled and hugged their son tightly. The family shared this embrace rellishly.

The drama in the television was ignored, as the family have their own moment occuring.