It had been an entire day of wandering around, searching for information. Our sigma—uhh, I mean main character—Nicholas, had managed to gather a few important details. First, he was in Kanto. Second, he was in Viridian City. As he walked around the city, he could not help but appreciate its beauty: the beautiful buildings, Pidgeys resting on rooftops, trainers walking around with Pokémon, and people with unique hair colors, which seemed very common.
He walked near a PokéCenter and could not resist entering it. The inside of the PokéCenter was filled with Pokémon, more so than the outside. There was a pink-haired woman behind the counter with a Chansey accepting Pokéballs from trainers, most definitely to heal them. He spotted a corner with a few magazines and guides, and he quietly walked there, taking a seat on a couch after picking up a Basic Guide to Be a Trainer book.
'Apparently, there was this alliance that controlled all the trainers and gyms. They handled licenses and issued starter Pokémon. Trainers in the alliance received a lot of benefits, like accommodations and free food at PokéCenters. People outside the alliance? They were basically on their own. No starters, costly accommodation, and even a gym challenge fee.
The problem is, joining the alliance costs 100,000 Yuan—I mean, Pokédollars. Also, kids in this world start their journeys at 13, which just happens to be my current age… how convenient.'
Nicholas then walked out of the PokéCenter. He walked aimlessly until he realized he was getting into the bad part of town. The quality of buildings had started to decrease, and he spotted a few kids begging for food on street corners.
'Never thought the Pokémon world would have begging and stuff, but I guess it makes sense since it is a world run by humans.'
When Nicholas realized he was getting some unneeded gazes from the people, he quickly left the area. As he was walking, he noticed the sun was starting to set. Realizing he had no place to spend the night, he went into a park and sat on a bench.
Nicholas sat on a bench, deep in thought, trying to figure out his next move.
'I need to think of something… think, think. What can I do in this situation? I need a plan. Let's be realistic: I could claim I lost my memories, but then what? I'd still need money for a membership, which obviously won't be easy to get. At least I'd get an identity, though. It's not like I know the anime that well…'
As he was mulling it over, he noticed a group of boys and girls his age gathering near an older gentleman. The gentleman had grayish-black hair neatly combed to one side. He had a sharp face with wrinkles, and a few scars were scattered on his face, but they did not take away from his gentle demeanor.
As Nicholas wondered what a grown man was doing with so many kids this late at night, contemplating whether to call the police, he saw the man showing the kids his balls.
Pokéballs.
Curious, Nicholas decided to move closer to see what was going on. He overheard the man speaking:
"Please, take one of these Pokéballs. Remember what I told you? The winner gets to keep the Pokémon—and there's a special offer! But it seems we have an odd number of participants. There are only 15 of you, hmm…"
The man's gaze fell on Nicholas, who was standing a healthy distance away.
"Hey, you there! Want to join us? We need one more person for a small tournament. If you win, you get to keep the Pokémon!"
Nicholas hesitated but cautiously walked over. 'Why does this smell a bit suspicious? Well, whatever. This is a great chance to get a starter. I've got nothing to lose.'
The man smiled as Nicholas approached and spread out the Pokéballs across a table he pulled out from… somewhere. "What the… Did he have a Gengar in his shadow or something?" Nicholas thought, shaking his head.
He scanned the other participants: 11 boys and 4 girls. None of them stood out except for an orange-haired guy with slicked-back hair and a confident smirk.
'Not a problem. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's Pokémon battles.'
The man clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"Alright, kids, listen up! The Pokémon available are Sandshrew, Ekans, Rattata, Pidgey, Zubat, Koffing, and Meowth. Come up one by one, tell me your choice, and I'll hand you the corresponding Pokéball."
Interesting, Nicholas thought. They're all decent options, but I can narrow it down easily.
'First off, Pidgey and Rattata are out. They're okay overall, but their low defense makes them a liability in battle. Meowth is balanced, with decent speed and STAB Fury Swipes, but its future potential is pretty limited—it's practically a lap cat. Koffing and Ekans are solid choices for winning these fights, but again, their long-term prospects aren't great. I mean, imagine having an Arbok or Weezing… couldn't be me. Sandshrew is strong, but at low levels, it probably doesn't know moves like Dig. Zubat, though—that's the best pick. I can cheese with Supersonic, and its future potential is incredible. Crobat with Acrobatics? A total beast with great utility.'
Nicholas decided to wait until the others had chosen. Unsurprisingly, most of them picked Ekans, Koffing, or Sandshrew, which made sense.
Finally, it was his turn. He confidently chose Zubat.
The battles were about to begin.
'Well, it looks like this is going to be easy… right?'