As I walked out of the lab with Professor Cherry, my eyes were drawn to a section of the lab fenced off with glass walls. Inside, chaos unfolded—a red Rattata lunged at everything it could reach, its sharp teeth gnashing against the reinforced glass. Nearby, a man in a white coat wrestled with a green Spearow outfitted in strange, metallic gear, desperately trying to calm it down. Beyond them, more Pokémon moved erratically, each looking distorted and unnatural.
A shiver ran down my spine. These Pokémon weren't just different—they were intimidating, almost terrifying. Their wild, unpredictable movements made my stomach churn with unease. I couldn't help but point at the scene.
"Professor, what's going on over there?" I asked, my voice tinged with both curiosity and apprehension.
She followed my gaze, her expression darkening slightly as she sighed.
"You know how I study the unnatural changes in Pokémon, right? Well, that's what you're looking at. These are Pokémon that underwent unnatural changes but couldn't adapt to them properly." Her voice grew softer, almost pained. "This whole section of the lab is dedicated to helping them... or at least trying to."
I stared at the struggling Pokémon, feeling both sympathy and fear. The red Rattata slammed into the glass again, its eyes glowing faintly with an unsettling energy.
"Sadly," she continued, her voice heavy with concern, "more Pokémon like this have started appearing across Kanto."
She sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping slightly. "At first, we thought Team Rocket had returned," she began, her tone carrying a mixture of frustration and sadness. "But after extensive police investigations, we couldn't find a single trace of their involvement."
Her hands gently cradled a Bulbasaur, who looked up at her with a comforting smile. She returned the gesture briefly, but the worry in her eyes remained. "Normally, Team Rocket would leave some kind of evidence. They'd make it obvious they were behind something like this. But this time, nothing. No clues, no trails. So, we had to rule them out as the culprits."
She paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. "With the help of the Pokémon Association, we've been working tirelessly to address this crisis. We've either repurposed existing labs or built new ones all across Kanto and Johto. Every two cities now share a dedicated lab to help Pokémon like these."
Her gaze shifted back to the chaotic scene in the lab, her grip on Bulbasaur tightening ever so slightly. "If you ever come across Pokémon like them—those who've undergone unnatural changes—please, either catch them or guide them to one of our labs. We're doing everything we can to help them adapt, to ease their suffering."a silence came between us as she smiled and spoke again
"Now, I guess you'll be heading toward Pewter City, am I right? Since you'll need 16 Gym Badges to participate in the League," Professor Cherry said, her tone shifting to something lighter, almost casual.
Her words made me stop in my tracks. "Wait... 16 badges? Wasn't it just 8?" I asked, my brows furrowed in confusion. This felt like a sudden curveball.
She nodded, her expression becoming more serious. "It used to be 8, but that changed after the Former Champion got defeated by the Current Champion. And in order to strengthen the bond between Johto and Kanto, he established this new rule. Now, trainers have to defeat all 16 Gym Leaders from both regions to qualify for the League."
I let out a small sigh, running a hand through my hair. Of course, it couldn't just be the usual 8 badges—things had to be more complicated. "That's… a lot of battles," I muttered, though part of me couldn't deny the thrill at the new challenge. If I was going to survive in this world, I'd need every bit of experience I could get even ıf ı was still a World Champion.
Professor Cherry smiled faintly, as if sensing my thoughts. "It might seem overwhelming, but it's an incredible journey. Each Gym Leader has their own unique approach, and the experience will shape you and your team in ways you can't imagine. Besides," she added, her smile turning sly, "it's not like you will give up, right?"
I couldn't help but get annoyed at her words. "Yeah, I guess I don't."
With that, I turned toward the exit, my mind already racing with plans for the road ahead. Viridian City was just the first step then Pewter City and more.
As I bid farewell to Professor Cherry, I took out the RotomDex from my bag, feeling its unfamiliar weight in my hand. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long shadows across the quiet streets. It felt like a good idea to rest for the night and set out in the morning.
I carefully opened the RotomDex, and almost immediately, its screen lit up with bright eyes, and a small jolt of electricity zapped my hand.
"Ow!" I muttered, startled, just as the RotomDex came to life.
"[Hello, Trainer! Are you my new owner? Are you cool? I'm cool, so that means you're cool too, right? Ahh, I'm so happy to have a cool trainer with me!]"
it exclaimed, its voice buzzing with an energy that matched its sparks.
I blinked, taken aback by its overwhelming enthusiasm. Before I could respond, the RotomDex zipped out of my hand and started floating around me, scanning me from every angle.
"Can you calm down, RotomDex? I'm not used to... energetic people,"
I said, trying to keep my voice steady,while my mind reminded me of Sakura,RotomDex kinda reminded me of Sakura. This made me smile a bit before hearing RotomDex again.
"[Oh, I can be calm! But you need to be calm too, you know! Hehehe, being calm is good! Being calm is cool, and cool is good!]" it chirped, zipping back to hover in front of my face.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "This is going to be a long journey..."
RotomDex's screen flickered as if it were smiling at me. [Long journeys are fun! And with me around, it'll be even better! Let's do our best, cool Trainer!]
I couldn't help but smirk a little at its boundless energy. It was annoying, sure, but maybe... just maybe, having this little guy around wouldn't be so bad.
"[By the way, what's your name, cool Trainer? It must be a cool name, right! My name is RotomDex, but I guess you already know that, huh! Do you have a Pokémon? How many do you have What's its their name?]"
I adjusted the bag on my shoulder, trying to keep up with RotomDex's rapid-fire questions. "I'm Alex Carter," I replied evenly, stepping into my room. "I'm a newbie, so I only have one Pokémon, and that's my partner, Ralts. Her name is..." I paused for a moment, glancing at Ralts' Pokéball. "Aria."
"[Wow, that's a cool name, Alex Carter! What does it mean? You know what, never mind! Oh, is that a Ralts? But why is it purple? Is she shiny? But wait, her shiny form is blue! And why is she a Ghost type instead of Psychic? What's going on here?]"
RotomDex zipped around me, firing off questions so fast that I could barely keep up.
"Calm down," I said, sighing as I placed my bag on the desk. "Honestly, It would be better for you to not know why she's purple or why her typing is different. I guess you can say its part of the unnatural changes Professor Cherry mentioned earlier."
RotomDex hovered closer, its screen displaying a curious expression. "[Oh, I see, I see! So she's unique! That's so cool! You've got a special partner right from the start, Alex Carter! Hehehe, that's gonna make our journey even more interesting!]"
I glanced at the Pokéball in my hand, my fingers tightening around it. Unique, huh? I thought back to the sad, determined eyes of Ralts when I first chose her. If she was unique, it wasn't just because of her appearance—it was about her story which deepered our bonds.
"Yeah," I said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Interesting, for sure."
RotomDex didn't seem to notice my more subdued tone and kept buzzing around, clearly excited to start the journey. [Alright, Alex Carter, let's plan our next steps! We've got to head to Viridian City tomorrow, right? Gym Badges, battles, adventures—it's all waiting for us!]
I leaned back, letting out a tired breath. "Yeah. Tomorrow now please shush"
I asked to RotomDex while laying down on the bed ı wake up this morning.