Hiro opened his eyes, and gave a long sigh as he realized that another day had already begun. Another boring, meaningless, stupid and !@#$ty day, pretty much as all the rest. Getting up from his too small bed, that he had been using for several years, he stretched, and absent mindedly went to have a shower. The cold water made him to awake suddenly, cursing loudly. Fifteen minutes later he was already dressed at the kitchen, having a light breakfast as usual. Or, not that usual. He picked a small candle and placed it on top of his sandwich, lighting it and staring at it until it was completely consumed. He did not seem to notice that the wax had spread all over his sandwich, and with a half smile whispered quietly:
- Happy birthday, Hiro.
He did not felt particularly excited for having just turned 17, as in all his previous birthdays. Why be excited, if there are no friends, family or presents awaiting for you? Especially family...
He stood up and left the kitchen, not cleaning up the remnants of his breakfast. Instead, he entered the lounge, and looked at the picture of his parents. He always felt weird when doing so, not knowing if he liked doing it or not. He picked it up, trying to guess where their parents could be right now. Perhaps in a global meeting of researchers? Investigating a cave or some ruins? Tracking down some rare species of Pokémon?
It did not really matter. The important thing was that (again) they had completely forgotten his birthday. No letters, no little details for him, nothing at all. Not only were they away almost all the time, with only sporadic visits of a few days every several months, but they were also incapable of greeting him in his birthday. With a grunt, he started gripping stronger the picture frame, only stopping when he heard the glass creaking. He looked at it again, this time feeling the rage growing in his chest, and let it fall to the ground, breaking the glass. Only stopping to pick up his cap, he left his house, and picked his bike to start riding towards New Bark Town.
It was not that far away, as he lived at the very same outskirts of the town, but making it by foot could take more than twenty minutes if walking lightly, something he did not felt like doing. He was riding fast, and would soon arrive to the town. What could he do there? Perhaps intimidate some kids, that always made him to feel better. There was not a single child who had not already suffered at least once his aggressivity, and he was not very liked in the town as a result.
He pulled the brakes as he made the last meters to the western entrance, and enjoyed the sight of the town for some time. It was relatively early and few people were in the streets, and those who were dissappeared quickly from the scene when they noticed that he was looking at them. He let out a quick laughter before his eyes focused on the laboratory, and he suddenly remembered hearing somewhere that Professor Elm Jr. was looking for people to "sponsor" in their debut as Pokémon Trainers. Perhaps some kids were discussing it before he assaulted them, he didn't remember very well.
- Pokémon Trainer, uh? It doesn't sound that bad, and anything is better than looking at the same ugly buildings time and time again. And it's not like someone's gonna miss me at home, so why not? Besides, I think that Ethan earned quite the fame and acknowledgement. It can't be that hard if that idiot has been able to succeed...
Studying the building with avid eyes, he began considering the implications of it, dreaming about a tomorrow in which he would achieve the same, if not more, than the legendary boy. A smile grew in his face, and feeling excited for the first time in years he rode the short distance that separated him from the building, leaving the bike leaning in the wall. He was quite sure that nobody would dare to touch it, and entered the laboratory without any sort of previous warning, almost knocking down the door.
- Professor? Professor? I'm here to become a Pokémon Trainer!
