The annual entrance exams are a joke. Anyone worth their shit can pass them easily. That makes becoming a trainer easy. The tough part is only the top three students get regional starters. Starters are highly ranked battling pokemon that are highly valued and rare in trainer circuits, as they are specially bred by each region for the sole purpose of giving the best trainers a hell of a head start. So in Sinnoh here, the League has special ranches for the Empoleon, Infernape, and Torterra lines.
Empoleon is a beast of a steel type, not burning like the other mons of its type, but it's slow as shit. I don't want a pokemon whose primary method of moving is waddling. Infernape is a hell of a battler, but I don't want an ape on my team. The Primeape, Infernape, and other primate lines are good battlers but have terrible attitudes and throw their own feces everywhere. It's disgusting. Plus they have issues with eye contact and have egotistical attitudes and challenge their trainers at every turn. Torterra is a defensive tank but it's a sitting duck and while it can tank hits, that's pretty much all it's good for. That's why I need to place number 1 in my graduate pool. The top student of every region gets the first pick of a starter. They can choose any starter, from any region. Second and third place get starters from their own region, and everyone else is stuck with Tauros shit. Generally that region's dogs, like a Elektrike or Growlithe, or that region's bird, like a Pidgey or Starly. Granted, I wouldn't mind an Arcanine but only a couple trainers worldwide have actually managed to evolve their Growlithe into that fire incarnate speed demon.
No, I'm going to net myself a Froakie. Greninja is an absolute monster with its speed and dark moves allowing it a unique movement style, with its tongue serving as a good leverage tool to swing and use its environment handily. It has a unique ability that at its best allows true mastery of any type of move. Typically pokemon can only truly master moves of their own type, utilizing those moves to their full potential. But the Greninja line is unique in being able to master moves of other types, boosting maximum effectiveness and damage.
That's why having to wait 3 months for the results of our test is absolute bullshit. I'm confident I aced it, but if I messed up anywhere just once, that means someone else could net the number one spot and I'd be stuck with my region's shitty starters. Empoleon and Torterra just don't suit my style of battling, and discount Blaziken wouldn't be bad if it didn't have a natural inclination towards its own feces.
But, today is the day. I've been spamming the refresh button on my pokenav for these results. All they said was they'd be in today at some point between 1 and 3 P.M., but this is excruciating. I might crack the screen with how hard I've been pressing on it.
"So I really can't just get an Elekid instead"
"Come on Volkner, you knew from the start our starters are water, fire, or grass." The professor explained for the hundredth time. Volkner is a smart kid, and already knows what he wants to specialize in, but he really needs to grow up. He's sixteen, he shouldn't be this whiny. Flint stood stoically in the corner. I already knew he was going for that Chimchar. Its really no surprise these two ended up second and third. They were never far behind in class, Flint actually getting better grades than me most of the time, but I don't always do the homework. Why bother if I can still get an A by aceing all the tests instead. It's not like the highest GPA was given the international starter pick, I just needed to ace the entrance exam. The top kids generally are from renown lines, like Flint, who's family has been fire specialists for the last 6 generations. His dad is actually in the Elite Four right now. That being said, Volkner and I were both no names who had high ambitions, nothing but talent mixed with hard work, who planned on taking it all the way.
I turned to Volkner. "If you really wanted an Elekid, you should've thrown on the exam, and just hoped you got lucky with the lottery afterward. You might've even gotten a Shinx". The rest of the pool gets entered into the lottery, getting a random starter out of it. Generally these are low level pokemon from the region, but there's usually some from other regions thrown in there, I heard a kid got an Abra last year.
"Hell no would I submit myself to the lottery, no chance I'd let myself get stuck with a Combee or Bonsly or some shit".
"Then stop complaining dipshit."
The professor cleared his throat, silencing us immediately. He had that kind of presence, where if they're talking, you want to listen. He just had that sense of importance about him. While not as renowned as Oak from Kanto or Sycamore from Kalos, he's the best expert on Pokemon in the region, which is no small feat.
"Well I can guess what Flint's pick is going to be, Damien, Volkner, I'll need to know what you want. Damien you can choose one of our starters here, take Flints choice from him, or we can get an international one imported this afternoon. Volkner you get second pick, so same deal sans the international part. Flint, we'll see if Chimchar is still available after these two." The international starter wasn't actually a rule until 2 years ago, when through a combined effort of Professors Oak and Birch, internationally transferring a pokemon became possible. People could make trades, get their pokemon moved, buy pokemon, from anywhere to anywhere in the world. Granted, it's still really expensive, so it's only done by people who have tons of money to throw around, but prices have been dropping, albeit at a very slow rate. That's also why they only justify the top 1 spot to get the international pick, and also due to the fact certain regions had more popular starters. Last year, of the 8 regions finalists, 3 picked starters from Kanto and 3 picked starters from Hoenn, the remaining two getting pokemon from their own region.
"When's the last time you caught up with Professor Sycamore, because if you were looking for an excuse, my pick is Froakie."
"A Froakie, wonderful, and yes I have been meaning to catch up with Sycamore so thanks, his last paper was riddled with errors and I haven't been able to yell at him properly in years. He really is a magnificent scientist, but his work on standard evolution is lacking." Professor Sycamore was the foremost researcher on mega-evolution, but nobody beat Professor Rowan in knowledge on standard evolutions.
"If I may ask, why a Froakie?" The professor inquired.
"Well I figured Volkner is going to need all the help he can get, so I figured a type disadvantage might even the scales a little bit for him." While Volkner wouldn't have any electric types off the bat, a little shit talking is always in my best interests. And I avoid talking about my real motive and future strategies, two birds ya know.
Volkner fumed a little, but he kept his emotions in check. Wow, progress, there may be hope for you yet Volkner. "I'll take Turtwig." Guess he does have a type advantage right off the bat. Wait, did he do that just for-
"Don't think you're special Damien, I was going to go for the Torterra line regardless. Electric types tend to be glass cannons, a defensive tank will be a good offset. Besides, that grass and ground moves will be good coverage for my team's weaknesses."
Well played Volkner, you may be an immature prick, but you didn't place second for nothing.
"And you know what I want Professor."
"Indeed I do." The Professor handed Volkner and Flint the Turtwig and Chimchar pokeballs respectively. The shiny red and white contraptions had a small leaf and ember above the release button. "Damien, you'll have to wait until later today to meet your starter, but Volkner and Flint you can release yours now."
Two white lights popped into the room, coalescing into two small pokemon that rose to my knee in height. The green quadruped had a brown shell that wrapped around its body, two leaves sprouted from its head as it looked up at Volkner, opening and closing its mouth as he patted it on the head. A small monkey sat on the ground across from it, its tail producing a small flame that the Turtwig eyed warily.
"I'll let you two get acquainted, Damien you can come with me to get your pokedex and journey materials all sorted. I'll be back for Volkner next, and once you get everything you're free to leave on your journey." The Professor motioned as he took me to the other room.
Today, my journey would start today. The world wasn't ready for it.
The white light popped out of the small container with a water drop on it. A small frog with a cloud like fluff around its neck slowly looked up at me. Its ginormous eyes looked so innocent for the powerhouse of a murderbeast it would become in time. That's all they were really. Pokemon. Destructive powerhouses that could and would end your life on a whim. The league liked to portray these creatures as tame and benevolent creatures, but I knew the truth. The league patrolled and culled the numbers of dangerous pokemon all around the region. Routes that new trainers went on wouldn't have any really dangerous mon, and the ones that were there were doped by sweet scent. Rangers for the youngster routes would have pokemon who could use sweet scent, dulling the aggressive tendencies of the murder beasts. Later routes had no such protections though, the beasts have preyed on cities and towns, tearing civilizations apart until we learned to make them fight for us too. The little frog in front of me was proof of how far we'd come, how we'd kept our title as the apex species by taking control of all the others. This little guy has been taught from birth to serve humans, to listen to them and fight. To fight other Pokemon to satisfy its aggressive tendencies, to make sure they wouldn't attack us instead.
Volkner and Flint had their first battle and left on route 202 towards Jubilife City. They wouldn't have any trouble making it through, it was an early route, even if you wandered off the path you wouldn't find any dangerous pokemon.
Froakie looked up at me with expectant eyes.
"There's a long road ahead of us, Froakie. You've had an easy life so far, but that ends today. If we're gonna make it to the top, I need everything you have and more." Froakie looked up at me a little more determined than before, but it wouldn't last long.
"We start training today. We'll stop once we've achieved our goal."
Froakie looked up at me confused. I stared ahead at the poster on the wall.
Cynthia
Froakie eyed the absolute monster of a Garchomp, his eyes lingering on the massive scythes it had for arms. But those eyes had no fear in them.
I smiled, things were turning out great. I stuck my arm out and motioned with my other hand, Froakie jumped up my arm and onto my shoulder, understanding.
I set out from the lab, the lush green forest in front of me welcoming me with open arms. A lone Staravia drifted in the sky searching for prey. I set forward, smiling as I set forward, Froakie matching my determined look as it narrowed its eyes.
Our journey begins today.