Choosing a Starter Pokémon

"The timing is just right. Once you've had breakfast, you can go to the South City Research Institute to collect your Starter Pokémon. Aren't you excited?" Qiao Yan said with a broad smile as she came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fried eggs.

"Of course! After all these years, I'm finally getting a Pokémon of my own!" Xiao Ran sat down excitedly beside Ye Ling. Her slightly damp hair told him that she, too, had only just returned from her morning workout.

"University hasn't started yet, but getting a Pokémon means you're taking your first step toward becoming Pokémon Trainers. I don't have much else to say, except that I hope you'll remember one thing: the Pokémon world isn't as wonderful as you imagine. Put your own safety first, no matter what. After all, you have people waiting for you at home." Setting down the breakfast, Qiao Yan looked at the two children and spoke earnestly.

Although she wasn't a Pokémon Trainer, Xiao Ran's father was, and she herself was a senior breeder. Even setting aside the darker side of human nature, the wilderness alone was full of danger. For children who had never left the city, becoming Pokémon Trainers was a future to dream of, but for parents like them, their children's safety was their greatest hope.

Still, she hadn't tried to stop her children from becoming Pokémon Trainers the way some ordinary families did. She knew that the more dangerous the world was, the more important it was to have strength. Only then could they hold their right to survive in their own hands. Even dying on the road to becoming stronger was better than living under someone else's protection.

"Don't worry, Mom. We'll be careful." Xiao Ran nodded solemnly. Ye Ling also put down her chopsticks and looked at Qiao Yan with a serious expression. "We'll be fine."

Although they had encountered the darkness of human nature far too early, it had also made them far more mature than their peers. Never mind Ye Ling—even Xiao Ran, with two lifetimes of experience, could easily end up dying somewhere in the wilderness if he continued living the way he had before he turned ten. Reality was different from a game, after all. In reality, there was only bloody combat, not a pair of dark spirals to show that someone had fainted. Defeat often meant paying with one's life.

Once the two children had given their assurances, the conversation soon moved on. After they finished dinner and packed their things, they finally boarded the bus bound for the South City Research Institute.

Since the institute needed to house large numbers of Pokémon, including many enormous ones, it hadn't been built in the city center. Instead, it stood in the southern outskirts. Southern University, a renowned university in China, had also been built beside it. Together with ordinary colleges and dubious universities of every size, they had turned the area into South City's famous university town.

Countless students supported all sorts of businesses in the area. Although it was sprawling and sparsely populated, it was every bit as bustling as the city center. Shops of all sizes lined the streets, and wild Pokémon could often be seen as well. After all, restrictions here weren't as strict as those in the city center.

Since the college entrance exam results weren't out yet, there weren't many people coming this way, and the bus was quite empty. Sneasel's rarity did draw a fair amount of attention, but that was nothing to Xiao Ran, who had spent years dealing with the trouble his looks brought him.

Upon arriving at the South City Research Institute, the two took out their respective Starter Pokémon collection vouchers and were led into a lobby. After a short wait, a female Researcher in a white business suit came out to greet them.

"You're here, ladies?" the Researcher greeted the two adolescents familiarly.

"Yan, that's going too far!" Xiao Ran pursed his lips and replied irritably.

Having grown up at the institute, he naturally knew plenty of people there. The Researcher before him had only joined a little over a year ago, but she had become very close to both of them. Still quite young herself, she often hung out with them.

Her full name was Shen Yan, and she was twenty-three that year. She had graduated from Nanjing University's breeding department with a degree in general breeding and was an intermediate breeder. She currently worked as an assistant breeder at the South City Research Institute, primarily handling the daily care of the Starter Pokémon and compiling data alongside the other staff.

"Hehe, whose fault is it that you're so pretty?" Shen Yan reached out to pinch Xiao Ran's cheek, but he dodged her hand. Entirely unembarrassed, she laughed. "I've been waiting ages for you two. Come with me!"

"By the way, have you decided which Pokémon you want as your starters?" Shen Yan asked Xiao Ran as they walked.

"I remember the institute recently got a batch of Litten and Popplio, right?" Xiao Ran looked up and asked.

Starter Pokémon were generally Fire, Water, or Grass types. Neither Xiao Ran's Fairy type nor Ye Ling's Dark type was easy to obtain directly here. It wasn't just a matter of starters, either—both types had very few species and small populations to begin with. Otherwise, they wouldn't still be kept secret rather than publicly announced. Besides, heading straight for the three hidden types immediately after getting into a Pokémon university was practically asking to die.

If the two wanted Dark-type and Fairy-type starters, they could only choose Starter Pokémon whose secondary types included one of the three new types. Many Pokémon had multiple types. Charmander, for instance, gained the Flying type in its final evolution, Charizard. Most other starters were similar, but even among those with secondary types, very few were Dark or Fairy.

As far as Xiao Ran knew, among all the Starter Pokémon, the only ones with a secondary Dark type were Froakie's final evolution, Greninja, and Litten's final evolution, Incineroar. Fairy types were even rarer. Of all the starters, only Popplio's final evolution, Primarina, could awaken the Fairy type.

These Pokémon weren't common in China, however. The country's native starters were primarily Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Fortunately, China was vast and rich in resources, and Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile had later been discovered as well. In fact, China produced two sets of native starters.

The other starters had been imported from other countries. After decades of breeding, most could now be produced reliably. He couldn't be sure whether Litten and Popplio were available, though. After all, neither Froakie nor Popplio had been added to the Alliance's Pokédex yet.

"You're well informed!" Shen Yan said with a smile, entirely unsurprised that Xiao Ran knew about Litten and Popplio, two starters that had never appeared in China before.

"Unfortunately, while the Popplio have arrived—and there are quite a few of them, so setting one aside for you wouldn't be a problem—the Litten... ran into some trouble on the way and haven't arrived yet. I've also heard that they aren't in a very good mental state. I'm afraid you won't be able to choose one as your starter." Shen Yan shrugged.

"What happened to the Litten?" Xiao Ran's brow furrowed slightly. Popplio and Litten were starters that had only recently been imported from Australia, something he had heard at Nanjing University's research institute. International exchanges of starters like this were perfectly normal, which was why he had made Popplio his first choice. He hadn't expected an accident to keep the Litten from arriving on schedule, though. That undoubtedly left Ye Ling with one fewer option.

"They encountered pirate hunters on the way. Although they drove them off, quite a few Poké Balls fell into the sea. The Popplio were Water-type Pokémon, so they were fine, and the Grass- and Flying-type Rowlet were all right too. But the Fire-type Litten suffered badly. Many became seriously ill or even died. They've already been sent back to Australia to recover."

"It wasn't just the Litten. The Popplio and Rowlet have also had some trouble adjusting to the new environment. Personally, I wouldn't recommend choosing them. There are no records of raising these Pokémon in China, either. As a beginner, I think you'd be better off choosing a Pokémon that's more common here, like Squirtle," Shen Yan added when she saw Xiao Ran sink into thought.

Young people were always easily drawn to the unknown. A completely new, rare Pokémon that no one had seen before could often attract plenty of attention. As a Researcher, however, she knew very well that although each starter was different, their growth potential was roughly the same. Aside from type advantages, none was inherently stronger or weaker than the others. Everything depended on the Pokémon Trainer's care and training. Under those circumstances, a familiar Pokémon would certainly be easier to raise.

"About how long will it take for the next batch of Litten to arrive?" Xiao Ran asked, unwilling to give up. He wanted a main Damage Dealer for Ye Ling's team, and Litten, with its primary Fire typing, was undoubtedly a much better fit than the Water-type Froakie. By comparison, whether he could get a Popplio himself wasn't nearly as important.

"I can't say for sure, but I'd imagine at least a month or two." Seeing that he still hadn't given up, Shen Yan shrugged. "And we don't know how many there'll be when they arrive. Some will have to be reserved for the institute and the gyms first, so there's no telling whether you'll be able to get one."

"Do you have any Froakie?" Xiao Ran was about to say something more, but Ye Ling spoke first.

"Lingling!" Xiao Ran called softly, but she shook her head.

"Actually, Froakie would be a little better, wouldn't it? Sneasel is an Ice-type, after all." Ye Ling stroked the Sneasel beside her and spoke calmly.