After informing my mother I was heading out on my first journey, she ironically wished me well after bidding me farewell.
Although I caught a tear in her eye, at the end of the day, I can truly never know if she's being sincere or manipulative.
Politics, to most, is essentially an act of swirling muddy water and abusing power that one hasn't necessarily earned. Promoting one group over another, pitting them against each other, and then uniting them in the face of a common enemy—I can go on and on.
One of the things about being an adult is setting boundaries for things that are simply intolerable to you and ensuring that lines never get crossed. For me, it was the involvement of any sort of politics in my life. Ulterior motives, sweetly scented poisons, or silk handkerchiefs hiding knives underneath are all too much for me. That's why perhaps many, including me, long for the simpler days of childhood. Pokémon is likely the top tier of reminders of fun and simple times.
Ironically, that doesn't mean shying away from favors when they come. And when you're asked what you want at 5 years old, shamelessness needs to be buried within your bones. Pride is only an obstacle to be destroyed, so acting like a little kid and requesting Professor Oak to sponsor my journey rolled off my tongue.
When he hesitated over the video call, I even mentioned that he doesn't need to provide me with a starter, which sealed the deal for both sides with ease. Now that things are settled and my space backpack can fit all my camping gear, I carried the very last remnants of my savings (less than 256 pokedollars) in an inside corner so that it's harder to steal than anything and got on board the boat off the volcanic island. Luckily, canon doesn't start for a while.