"Cooh."
A sound came from outside the window.
Kai, who was deep asleep, slowly opened his eyes, instantly noticing the figure of a half-meter-tall gray bird perched on the balcony railing, its wings spread wide.
It was a Pidgey with a leaf-green mailbox hanging around its neck.
"A mail?" Kai wasn't too surprised. This wasn't the first time he had received mail through a bird-type Pokémon.
"Cooh!"
Taking it as a yes, Kai sat up and reached inside the mailbox, pulling out a palm-sized envelope with his address written on it.
Amused, he carefully opened it, finding a delicate postcard inside, featuring a famous foreign landmark. On the back, it read:
[Happy Birthday, dear! Congratulations on becoming an Apprentice Pokémon trainer!]
"Seems like they didn't forget my 16th birthday after all," Kai murmured softly. The postcard was naturally sent by his mom. Only she had such bad handwriting.
His parents were busy folks, mostly out of town throughout the year for work. Without this postcard, Kai would have concluded that his parents had forgotten about him.
Just as he was skimming through the letter, the Pidgey outside the window cooed again, this time with a pristine white paper in its beak.
"An evaluation form?" Kai raised an eyebrow but, meeting the Pidgey's expectant gaze, he reached out to retrieve a pen from the nearby desk and marked "5 stars" on the form.
Seeing the rating, the Pidgey chirped with joy.
Then, bowing politely, it flapped its wings and flew off to the next delivery.
"Pokémon have it tough, working so early in the morning." Kai shook his head as he watched the bird-type Pokémon vanish into the horizon.
"Time to get up."
Getting out of bed, Kai headed to the bathroom to freshen up. Looking in the mirror, he saw his reflection: black hair, light brown eyes, and a height of about 1.78 meters.
He had received more than a few compliments on his looks since childhood. So he knew he didn't look half bad. At least average, which he thought was great for a trait he had no control over.
While it was a pity he couldn't reap the benefits of being good-looking, he at least didn't have to face the hardships of being ugly.
Just as Kai finished freshening up and got into some decent clothes, he heard the sound of a door opening downstairs, followed by a cheerful voice: "Good morning, Kai! You're up already?"
Walking down the staircase into a small living area, Kai met eyes with a petite girl carrying a bag of groceries as she came inside, closing the door behind her.
She had long black hair with bangs, large sky-blue eyes, and fair skin with a hint of pink. She wore a T-shirt and denim shorts, her long, slender legs adding to her energetic appearance.
"Oh? You're already up." Noticing that Kai was already dressed, the corners of the girl's mouth curled up into a cute grin. "Did you stay up all night because today's the day you get your first Pokémon?"
Today was Kai's 16th birthday, which meant that he could go to a Pokémon Center to receive his first Pokémon and register as an Apprentice Pokémon trainer, which was a training phase for soon-to-be Pokémon trainers.
It was the first and very big step for anyone aspiring to be a Pokémon trainer. At such an important juncture in their life, even adults would feel nervous, let alone kids his age.
Kai walked over to the kitchen counter, retrieved a glass of water, and handed it to the girl. "Looks like you're the one who couldn't sleep," he said, eyeing the faint dark circles under her eyes.
"Hehe," the girl giggled in embarrassment before she brought the glass to her mouth and emptied it in a single sip.
She didn't deny it, but more than nervousness, she felt excited.
Mira was not only Kai's neighbor but had also been born on the same day in the same hospital. Their families were pretty close, so naturally, they were as well. Today, they planned to go to the Pokémon Center in Silverwing City to get their first Pokémon together.
"I'll make breakfast today. You should go take a shower," Kai suggested. He had been relying on her for breakfast ever since his parents had left for abroad. It was only right to give the girl a break. Today was a special day not only for him but for her as well.
"It's okay." Mira shook her head. "You don't need to feel sorry. Cooking is pretty easy for me, and more than that, I enjoy it."
"It's not just that." Kai leaned forward and sniffed her hair. "The smell of sweat on you..."
Before Kai could finish speaking, Mira's cheeks turned red like a tomato.
"You..." She shot him a glare and ran upstairs so quickly that Kai almost mistook her for an agility-oriented Pokémon!
By the time Kai finished making breakfast, Mira had showered and come downstairs. She was wearing a blue T-shirt, but because it was too large, her denim shorts were hidden, revealing only her fair legs. It gave the impression that she was wearing a dress, but strangely, it suited her.
"Isn't that my shirt?" Kai asked, raising an eyebrow as he noticed the Raichu design on the T-shirt.
"I'm out of clothes." She just shrugged as if it was nothing important.
Kai could only sigh before gesturing for her to sit as he served food for both of them. He had spent all his life in Mira's company. At this point, he had gotten quite familiar with her habits.
After finishing breakfast, the two left for the Pokémon Center.
The Pokémon Center they had reserved their first Pokemon in was quite far, so they had to take a tram. After boarding, Kai swiftly took the window seat and admired the view outside.
Silverwing City was as bustling and lively as ever, with streets filled to the brim with people going on about their business.
The gym leader of Silverwing City was said to be one of the most powerful in their region, and there was a long queue of Pokémon trainers all year round looking to challenge him.
Pokémon trainers? Even the dumbest of merchant knew what that entailed.
Business! Pokémon trainers were known to be the biggest group of buyers, and since there was no shortage of them in Silverwing City, merchants from all the nearby towns traveled to the city every day to sell their wares and goods. The economic boom made Silverwing City a metropolis of its own.
After about ten minutes on the tram, Kai and Mira arrived at their destination—the largest Pokémon Center in their city.
It was a gigantic red-and-white building that served as an official facility for not only Pokémon healthcare but various items, information registration, and more. The place was bustling with people going in and out.
"Kai, look at those Pokémon! They are so cute!" Mira exclaimed, pointing at a pair of Nidorina.
"Wow, what kind of Pokémon is that?"
Mira couldn't contain her excitement, ceaselessly tugging on Kai's sleeve as they made their way inside. Kai could do nothing but sigh helplessly.
"By the way, Kai, which Pokémon did you reserve?" Mira asked.
"A Fire-type Pokémon," Kai replied.
"Fire-type, huh." Mira thought for a moment, but there were too many starter Fire-type Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, so she gave up trying to guess.
She'd find out soon enough.
After entering the Pokémon Center and receiving their reservation numbers, they waited for about ten minutes before a staff member came over and led them to a big hall with a completely white interior. Inside, there was a round table with two Poké Balls placed on it.
The first step to becoming an apprentice Pokémon trainer was to get a starter Pokémon. While it was possible to simply buy a Poké Ball and catch a wild Pokémon themselves, it came with certain risks. Additionally, if a Pokémon wasn't captured personally, it might not obey its trainer's commands.
So, if one's finances allow, reserving a newly hatched, docile starter Pokémon from the Pokémon Center was considered the best choice.
"Come out, Rowlet!" Mira picked up her Poké Ball and softly pressed the button on it.
Whoosh!
With a flash of light, a round owl Pokémon appeared on the table, spreading its short wings. "Hoot!"
Kai glanced at the little bird. "So it's a Rowlet."
Rowlet, also known as the Grass Quill Pokémon, was a round, bird-like Pokémon with a white face and brown feathers. It had a dual Grass and Flying type.
Rowlet had a unique ability to fly without making a sound, and as an owl, it had excellent night vision, making it adept at nighttime battles.
Mira was overjoyed as she quickly crouched down and pulled the fluffy Pokémon into a tight hug. "Let's get along well, Rowlet."
"Hoot." Rowlet hooted happily, presumably liking his new companion.
Watching this, Kai walked over and picked up his own Poké Ball from the table.