Becoming a Pokémon Trainer was Kai's greatest ambition and the nature of a starter Pokémon played a significant role in a trainer's journey.
Kai, who understood this well, dared not take the matter lightly. He had spent countless hours mulling over what kind of Pokémon he wanted. In the end, he had chosen the one he believed to be most compatible with him.
As for whether it was the right choice, only time would tell.
Feeling the metallic structure of the Poké Ball in his grasp, he gently pressed the button on it.
With a buzzing sound, a figure appeared on the table. It looked like a small, orange dinosaur with sharp teeth and claws. A small flame flickered at the tip of its tail.
Charmander.
"Oh, so you chose Charmander," Mira mused as she looked at the Pokémon while cradling Rowlet in her arms.
"Grrr..." Charmander suddenly let out a threatening growl toward Mira, the flame on its tail blazing more fiercely.
Charmander's violent reaction caught the staff off guard, and they could only widen their eyes in shock when the Pokémon suddenly opened its mouth and shot out a blazing wisp of flames toward Mira.
"Ember!"
"Watch out!"
Kai pulled Mira back out of the way just in time, into his arms. The ember whizzed past them, colliding with the pristine wall on the other side of the hall, scorching it brown.
Kai looked back at the aftermath of the attack before turning his gaze back to the agitated Pokémon with a trace of surprise in his eyes.
"Restrain Charmander!" One of the staff members came to his senses and immediately shouted, pulling out a Poké Ball.
"Wait a moment," Kai said suddenly, gesturing for the staff member to halt.
Under everyone's confused gazes, Kai took a step forward and walked towards the red-eyed Charmander.
"Stop, don't go over there!" the staff members quickly shouted in unison, their voices laced with urgency.
Seeing Kai approach, Charmander let out a frenzied roar and once again spat out embers at him, but this time with even greater power.
"Look out!"
Kai merely tilted his head slightly, dodging the wisp of flame with ease, and continued walking.
"Scared?"
Halting in front of the fierce Pokémon, Kai extended his hand and gently placed it on top of Charmander's head.
The Pokémon, which had been tense a moment ago, suddenly relaxed, giving Kai a strange look. "Grr?"
"It actually calmed down?" The staff and Mira were stunned at the sight.
"You don't look like the Charmander I originally reserved, but I think I'll take you," Kai said, noticing a small mole beneath Charmander's eye.
Mira walked over with a bit of concern. "Kai, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
At that moment, two more staff members walked inside "What happened here?"
After explaining the situation, the Pokémon Center staff immediately began investigating the cause. Within
5 minutes, a staff member came to resolve the situation.
"We sincerely apologize. This was undoubtedly a mistake on our part. We gave you the wrong Charmander. We'll offer you compensation for the mental distress."
"No need, no harm was done," Kai shook his head and then picked up the Poké Ball. "This Charmander... isn't from the breeding facility, is it?"
"That's right. The breeding facility reported that this Charmander was actually born from a Charizard and a wild Salamence. Somehow, it got mixed up during distribution, which is why this incident occurred," the staff explained.
Kai shrunk the Poké Ball and put it in his pocket. "Then I'll keep this one."
"But..." The staff member stared at him, unsure. "We can replace it with another one. Don't worry about the cost, we won't charge you since it was our mistake in the first place."
Kai understood their concern. After all, if something went wrong with a Pokémon that wasn't officially bred by the facility, the Pokémon Center could be held responsible.
After assuring them that he would take full responsibility and that the Pokémon Center would not be liable for any issues, the staff finally relaxed and went to register the information.
Mira, who had witnessed the whole ordeal, decided to raise her doubts. "Kai, wouldn't it be better to switch to another one? This Charmander seems to have violent tendencies."
"Maybe," Kai replied, turning to Mira. "By the way, weren't you scared by what happened just now?"
"Because you protected me well, Kai, so I wasn't scared at all." Mira suddenly recalled being held by Kai just moments earlier. She looked down, her fingers twiddling, trying to say something, but when she looked up, she saw that Kai had already walked away.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Kai then went to another counter to register his information. After getting his number, he waited for a short while until it was finally his turn to register.
"Name: Kai. Apprentice Trainer. Starter Pokémon: Charmander. Everything has been registered for you," the staff said, handing over a rectangular card with Kai's photo on it. On the back was the symbol of a Poké Ball—this was his Trainer Card.
All official Pokémon Trainers were required to register their information at a Pokémon Center or with the Trainer Association. This card served as an identification card. Additionally, based on the trainer's level, they could receive discounts and benefits at various Pokémon-related facilities.
After both received their starter Pokémon and completed their apprentice trainer registration, Kai and Mira headed back home.
On the way back, Mira looked at her Trainer Card and grumbled, "If only the photo was cuter."
"Don't you agree?" she asked, looking at Kai sitting beside her.
"Mira, you're always cute, so it doesn't matter," Kai casually said, glancing at her Trainer Card.
Mira's face turned bright red. "If you're expecting anything from me for this compliment, then prepare to be disappointed."
"I don't want anything," Kai shook his head, then looked at Mira with an amused expression. "But why is your face so red?"
Mira turned away, muttering, "It's your fault for saying such embarrassing things."
"Really..." Kai's lips curled up into a mischievous smile. "But I'm just telling the truth."
Mira's face grew even redder, and she started playfully hitting Kai's arm with her fists. "Stop it already!"
"Alright."
After reaching their district, they parted ways and Kai returned home.
Sitting on the sofa, he took out the Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, Charmander reappeared—
"Grr."
Seeing the unfamiliar environment, Charmander immediately became wary, but when it saw Kai, it visibly calmed down and didn't attack.
"This is your new home, Charmander," Kai said with a smile.
Charmander merely glanced at him, then turned and ran off to the first floor.
Watching it run away, Kai shook his head. "Seems like you're still not completely relaxed. I wonder what you've been through."
He then closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a faint blue light flashed in his pupils. His entire perception changed, and his surroundings took on a semi-transparent blue shade. He glanced around, quickly locating the deep blue silhouette of Charmander.
Aura Power.
This was a special ability that Kai had possessed since childhood. Besides telepathy and the ability to see through objects, which he named Spatial Perception, he guessed that there were likely other uses he hadn't discovered yet.
In the Pokémon world, the concept of special abilities wasn't unheard of, and several people throughout history have possessed such powers. However, at any point in history, the number of these people has always been very scarce.
Since he didn't know the consequences of exposing his powers to the world, Kai decided to keep them a secret—at least until he was strong enough to defend himself. Not even his parents knew about it.
With his Spatial Perception in effect, Kai swiftly arrived on the first floor and easily found Charmander.
The small dinosaur was hiding inside a trash bin.