Merlin was woken up by the sound of singing birds, well, singing bird Pokémon to be more precise. Having stayed up late talking about his world, and learning a little bit more about the Pokémon world, all he wanted to do right now was sleep for at least one more hour. However, sleep would not come, no matter how much Merlin tried. In the end, Merlin decides to get up, figuring that he might as well start the day.
Merlin looks around the camp, not seeing either Alakazam or Kangaskhan, so he figured that they had went out to do whatever it was that Pokémon did when they got up. Normally, at this time, Merlin would be eating breakfast and working on any assigned homework that he may have gotten in school. Speaking of school, was there even such a thing as school in this world? He figured there would be, after all, children had to learn somehow, unless they were homeschooled.
Merlin stands up, stretching again, before he walks outside of the cave. Outside of the cave, Merlin is greeted by the scenery of a lush, green forest. There is a light breeze, and Merlin could smell the earthy scents that forests usually come with. As he looks up, he could see various bird Pokémon singing in the trees or flying in the sky, though he didn't know what they were called. Deciding to explore a bit, while of course still being near the cave, Merlin sets off in no specific direction.
While walking, Merlin takes in everything he is seeing and hearing. He couldn't exactly see much, most Pokémon hiding out of sight, but he did see a few. At one point, he saw what looked like a purple rat or mouse, with a cream-colored face, paws, and underbelly. He also saw several Pokémon that resembled quadruple butterflies, and once he saw a large nest with large Pokémon that looked like wasps flying in and out of it. Merlin decided it would have been best to avoid going that way, not wanting to figure out what would happen if he angered them on accident.
Merlin also takes this time to reflect on his first day in this new world, and to reflect on the events that brought him here. Merlin still had no idea where the portal had come from, or how it was formed, not even Alakazam knew. So was it just a freak of nature? A rip in time and space? Or was it caused by a human? Merlin hoped that he would find out eventually, but if he did, then what? Would Merlin try to find way to get back to his world? Did he even want to go back? It wasn't like Merlin had any friends, not even his own parents had been making time for him these days. Merlin had nobody there, but here, Alakazam and Kangaskhan seemed to care about him. In fact, Merlin found them a lot easier to talk to than to other people, probably because they did practically save his life.
Now that Merlin thought about it, he didn't even tell his parents that he was leaving the condo, he didn't even leave a note. Would his parents have realized by now that he hasn't returned home? And if they didn't, how long would it take for them to realize that their son has gone missing? And once they did realize, would they even care?
Deep in his thoughts, Merlin failed to pay attention to the fact that he had strayed from the path, and failed to notice that there was a creature sleeping right in front of him. Merlin instead just continues to walk, until he feels his foot hit something and he trips, falling onto his hands and knees in order to prevent himself from faceplanting onto the ground. Huh? What did I just trip over?, Merlin thinks, his hands and knees stinging slightly from when they hit the ground. Merlin stands up and turns to look at what he had tripped over, but before he could get a good look at it, he feels an impact in his stomach before everything went dark.
Merlin groans softly as he opens his eyes. It was still daylight, though the sun was getting a small tint of pink and purple. He sits up slowly, feeling a slight throbbing in his head, and he hopes that he doesn't end up getting a concussion. He had already hit his head once, and even he was surprised that he didn't get any brain damage from it. As Merlin sits up, he notices that he is somehow covered in a bunch of green leaves, enough to make a small pile out of them. The leaves are also a bit small, or at least, smaller than the leaves on the trees above him. And these leaves looked a little too green to be completely natural. So what was the cause of them?
Merlin looks around, his eyes searching for the culprit, and his eyes soon land on a creature that appeared to be sitting in front of him. The creature blended in rather well with it's surroundings, so it was no surprise that Merlin's eyes overlooked it at first. The creature itself is small and looks like a tortoise. It's body is mostly light green, with yellow eyes and feet and a yellow lower jaw. On it's back is a brown shell, and the shell has a thick black stripe and a black rim going around it. On top of it's head is a small seedling with two small leaves.
"Well, hello to you too," Merlin greets, only to get a growl in return. Ah, this Pokémon must have been what I tripped on, Merlin thought. After all, why else would the Pokémon be unhappy with him. Or at least, Merlin thinks it is unhappy, the growl didn't sound like a happy one.
"Um. I'm sorry that I tripped over you. I'm afraid that I was lost in thought and wasn't paying attention," Merlin says apologetically, and a little awkwardly. Regardless, this apology seems to placate the creature, for it gets a more happy look on it's face. In fact, it almost appears to be smiling. Merlin couldn't help but smile back, but then realizes that it appears to be getting dark out.
"Ah shit, I'm sorry little guy, but I have to get back before it gets too dark," Merlin says hurriedly as he stands up, brushing the leaves off of him. Merlin looks around the area a bit, but is able to remember the way he came from. Merlin takes one last look at the creature that had knocked him out, the creature looking at him curiously, and he smiles softly before turning back around and making his way back to the cave.
It didn't take very long for Merlin to get back to the cave. When he returned, he was immediately greeted by Kangaskhan, who picked him up in a firm, yet gentle hug. This shocked Merlin, for he couldn't remember the last time he had ever received a hug from anyone. However, before he had the chance to hug the Pokémon back, the Kangaskhan had already gently put him back down on the ground and let go of him before turning and heading back inside the cave.
Merlin doesn't waste any time in following her, and upon entering the cave, he could see a huge pile of what could only be some kind of fruit. Merlin could also see Alakazam near the pile, and said Pokémon turns to look at him when Merlin walks into the cave. "Ah, you are back. Did you enjoy your walk?" The Alakazam asks, Merlin nodding in confirmation.
"Yes, I did. I saw a lot of Pokémon, mostly ones that looked like butterflies and other bugs though," Merlin replies with a smile, deciding not to mention the strange tortoise-like Pokémon he had encountered. He didn't want to risk being confined to the cave if he told Alakazam and Kangaskhan that he had gotten attacked.
"The forest is home to many Pokémon, but bug-types are the most common here and are the ones you will most likely see. The ones you said looked like butterflies are called Butterfree and Beautifly. Then you have their pre-evolved forms. The Butterfree are evolutions of Pokémon known as Metapod and Caterpie, with Metapod being the first evolution of Caterpie. For Beautifly, it's Kakuna and before that it is Wurmple," Alakazam explains, Merlin nodding as he mentally recites that information.
Merlin then turns his gaze to the pile of strange fruit. "And what are these? I've never seen fruit like these ones before," he comments while picking up one of the pieces of fruit. The fruit he picked up is yellow in color, and has a shape that is similar to that of a pear.
"They are called berries. They all have different affects and are quite useful, not to mention delicious. The one you are holding is a sitrus berry, when eaten it raises the health of a Pokémon that has been injured," Alakazam responds as he grabs a blue berry that looked like, well, a blueberry. Kangaskhan too takes a berry, one that looks like a peach with a vague heart-shape.
Merlin nods as he examines the berry that he held before taking a bite out of it. To go along with it's name, the berry had a citrus taste to it like an orange, but with a hint of lemon. It wasn't a bad taste, however, it was actually quite pleasant. Merlin finishes the berry quickly and was about to reach for another, when he feels a body tackle into him, sending him into the ground.
Isn't this the second time I got attacked by something? Merlin wonders as he groans softly in slight pain, and he sits up to look at what had tackled him. What Merlin saw, shocked him a little. Sitting in front of Merlin, with a proud look, is the Turtwig from earlier. Even Kangaskhan and Alakazam looked shocked at the small Pokémon's arrival.
"Oh, it's you. Did you follow me all the way here?" Merlin asks, the Turtwig nodding as it makes an unidentifiable sound in confirmation. Merlin shakes his head in disbelief before looking back at Kangaskhan and Alakazam.
"Ah, sorry, I forgot to tell you. I also met this Pokémon while I was out. I accidentally tripped over it, but I didn't think it would follow me back here," Merlin explains sheepishly, though it didn't seem like either of the Pokémon were upset with him.
"I see, though I suppose it isn't a surprise that it is this friendly towards you. Although, it is rare to see a Turtwig and it's evolutions living out here in the wild," Alakazam says after he gets over his initial shock, though this comment makes Merlin curious.
"Really? How come? Are they an endangered species or something?" Merlin asks, looking at the turtle-like Pokémon in curiosity. It made sense if there were Pokémon species that were endangered, whether it be by human involvement or by other reasons.
"Partially. Turtwig and it's evolutions were once a critically endangered species, but human researchers were able to save the species from such a state by breeding them. However, because the Pokémon were bred and raised by humans, they never would have been able to survive on their own in the wild. So now, Turtwig is bred and given out as a starter Pokémon for people starting their journey. The species is more commonly seen in the wild in other regions though, especially the Johto region where they are a protected species. It is the same for Chimchar and Piplup, and their evolutions," Alakazam explains, Merlin nodding at the explanation.
"Again though, it is rare for a wild Turtwig to be seen in Sinnoh, especially in these parts. My guess is that either it used to have a trainer at one point, or it had ran away from a Pokémon laboratory where it was bred," Alakazam adds thoughtfully, his mustache twitching.
"I see," Merlin mutters, feeling a mixture of sadness and anger, at the thought of someone abandoning this friendly creature. It would appear that animal abuse and abandonment also occurred in this world. Then, Merlin got an idea. It's a crazy idea, but one that Merlin is determined to carry out.
"Well then, in that case, why don't I just become Turtwig's trainer. You said it's possible he had one before, so it only makes sense that someone else continues to train him," Merlin proposes. Merlin couldn't understand why he feels so strongly about this, he has no obligation towards the Pokémon that he had tripped over earlier that day. And yet, even so, Merlin couldn't help but feel a strong connection towards it. Turtwig was alone, like Merlin was back in his world. Nobody cared about it, or else it wouldn't be out here with nobody to care for it.
The Alakazam nods thoughtfully. "Well, you are right about that. However, the path of becoming a Pokémon trainer is not an easy one. If you choose to be this Pokémon's trainer, you will have the responsibility of training it and raising it so it could become stronger. Are you sure you will be able to do that?" The old Pokémon questions, now sounding serious.
Merlin thinks about the question, now having a small bit of doubt. Will he be able to train and raise Turtwig so it could get stronger? Merlin looks down when he feels a foot tap his knee, and sees the Turtwig looking up at him, as if it was encouraging him. "Yes, I will be able to do it. I will be able to make it stronger," Merlin replies, now determined to keep that promise.
"Well then, in that case, you better give that Turtwig a name. Naming your Pokémon beyond their species name helps to create a stronger bond between trainer and Pokémon, and it will solidify your partnership," Alakazam instructs.
Merlin nods as he looks back at the Turtwig, who was now eating some berries with Kangaskhan. "Stump, that will be his name," Merlin says with a soft smile.
"Stump is a fine name, and I believe it fits this Pokémon well. Now, let's go eat before those two eat all the berries without us," Alakazam replies with a hearty laugh before he and Merlin go to the berry pile, joining their friends in the meal.