"Bulbasaur," Blue said without preamble, announcing this to both his sister, Daisy, and his grandfather as he walked into the kitchen. They were plating the table.

"What about Bulbasaur?" his sister asked, crouched in front of the oven. Was she trying to judge how done dinner was with her eyes? His sister was weird.

"That's gonna be my starter tomorrow," Blue said. Because he wasn't completely without manners, he went over to the cutlery drawer and pulled out what they would need, setting them at everyone's seat. It was the last night they would all eat together at the dinner table for a long, long time, possibly ever, and so Blue didn't complain about the way the frilly tablecloth tickled and scratched at the skin of his legs. Pajama shorts were comfy, and he didn't want to run back upstairs to change. "Since I plan to head straight out of town after I get it, I won't get the chance to tell you. Figured you'd wanna know."

His sister beamed up at him from her awkward crouch with a smile so bright, she could light up Rock Tunnel with it. "Thank you for telling me! Bulbasaur is very cute. Send me a pic of it when you get a chance."

"I didn't pick it because it's 'cute'!" Blue said indignantly. "It's the most strategic choice. A beginner trainer doesn't have many options in terms of team members early on, and so it makes sense to pick a Pokemon that's good against the first three Gym Leaders: Ground, Rock, and Water-type, Grass is super effective against them all."

His grandfather hummed as he sank into his seat, placing the last of the plates on the table. "First two. The Viridian City Gym Leader doesn't take beginner trainers."

"He's a Gym Leader. He can't say no to a challenge, Gramps. It's literally his job."

"No, but he can be out of town for long periods of time until most people give up and move on," Gramps said. "I'm not entirely sure what he does, but he runs some sort of side business that keeps him very busy for most of the year. He makes time when it gets close for the League to start for the season, but as a result a majority of trainers have already done most of the Gym Challenge, so he fights very few challengers."

Daisy pulled a lasagna out of the oven, setting it on a metal, Tauros-shaped pan holder in the center of the table. "They let him get away with that?"

"Trainers have to go through Viridian City to get to Victory Road anyway, so it's not really an inconvenience to anyone, per se. Most trainers who can't cut it have figured it out by then, so he only deals with serious challengers. And when he's there, he is attentive," Gramps said. Though he didn't sound like he approved. "...enough."

Blue hummed. "I kinda wanna wait him out, just to make a point."

"It'd be a waste of time and hinder you in the long run. You'd be better off traveling and training. The more you see in this world, the more prepared you will be for the challenges you will face."

"Yeah yeah, sure thing Gramps. Was just a thought. Why lasagna?"

"Comfort food!" Daisy said as she started slicing, somehow managing to wrangle a deliciously stringy and gooey strand of cheese enough to get it onto a plate. No mess. That took talent. "Unless you splurge at a restaurant, you won't be able to get much of this kind of thing on the road, I don't think. And you hate cooking, so even if you could, you wouldn't."

Blue didn't hate cooking, but he did find it unimaginably boring. He didn't correct her. What he did do was pick up his fork.

"Whatever. I already packed my bag with nonperishable, easy-to-carry food anyway. And I made sure it would be appropriate for Bulbasaur to eat, too." Blue aggressively stabbed his slice of lasagna, twirling the cheese around the tines until it finally snapped. He could barely feel it when it broke off, the tail end still connected to the food falling back onto the plate with a soundless slap. If he was the sort of guy who read into symbolism, he would think about how it was a great deal of effort for relatively little reward as well as a high chance to accidentally make a mess. But he wasn't, so he didn't. There was little need for him to reflect on anything.

When he shoved the bite into his mouth, he looked up at his grandfather. Gramps ate his slice with a knife and fork, carefully sawing off a tiny chunk before lifting it to his mouth and chewing it slowly, savoring the experience. His eyes bore directly into his grandson.

Normally, having his grandfather's attention wasn't a bad thing, but Blue didn't understand why he had eyes on him now.

"What?" Blue asked.

His grandfather didn't speak immediately, instead sliding his eyes across his grandson's face, cataloging what he saw. Dry, emotionless. Scientific. Like Blue was a puzzle he was trying to solve, a thesis in the making, and not a relative he was excited to see off on his adventure tomorrow. Blue should have been used to that face, having lived with his grandfather for his entire life up to this point, but in truth it had never sat well with him.

Blue clenched his jaw. Gramps merely smiled at him, lips tight and eyes bright.

"A trainer should always expect the unexpected, Blue," he said with mirth. It immediately ratcheted Blue's shoulders up around his ears, but his grandfather didn't give him any opportunity to interject. "The worst thing a person can be, sometimes, is certain."

Whatever that was supposed to mean. Blue aggressively shoved another bite of lasagna in his mouth, snapping the cheese apart with his teeth.

The next day, he arrived at his grandfather's lab bright and early. His so-called rivals did not. Because of this oversight, he had to stand there and make small talk with the old man. It was a painful start to his journey.

"I did tell you kids to be here at nine," Gramps said with a chuckle. "You overachiever."

"Ain't nothin' wrong with that," Blue said. His hands were on his hips as he tapped his foot. He wanted to be certain his gramps knew how pointless he found this 'waiting for others' thing was. Blue could have already caught his first Pokemon by now! Maybe even two!

"Nine o'clock means nine o'clock, Blue. The world is not going to bend itself to your schedule just because you want to get ahead. Get used to it."

Blue huffed, knowing full well that the world bent itself over backwards for important people like his grandfather, but there was no arguing with a renowned professor. Not unless you had credentials. Thankfully, it was here that Leaf decided to appear, still visibly half asleep as she wobbled her way across the room, waving idly at some of the aides at their desks. Her white hat was askew as if she had been scratching the top of her head.

"Mornin', everyone," she said. She turned toward Blue. "Ready to go?"

"Born ready," Blue said instantly. Behind him, Gramps let out a huff. Was it amused, exasperated? Didn't matter.

"We're not starting until Red shows up as well," Gramps said. Figured. Everything waited on Red, didn't it? He could just amble along, slow as a Slowpoke, and everyone else would have to just suck it up and do things at his pace. He was like a Magikarp on a team of fully evolved Dragon-types.

Blue scowled to himself, his incessant tapping getting faster. His eyes flicked between the digital clock, willing time to move faster, and the tall, unobscured windows of the lab. Every time he saw the dust particles dancing along the sunbeams his eyes would flutter closed, imagining himself out there, tromping through grasses searching for Pidgey and Rattata. Nothing world-changing, nothing epic—not yet. But it'd be a start. It'd be better than standing here, in his grandfather's boring old lab that Blue had memorized behind his eyelids. Why couldn't he just grab his Pokemon and go?

At 8:59, Blue had formed some scathing words for his grandfather about wasting time when the door to the lab opened once again. Red slunk in almost guiltily, his hat brim pulled low over his eyes. He quickly sauntered over to where Leaf was standing and slowly lifted his head, his wide, warm eyes flicking to Blue briefly before locking onto Professor Oak.

Seething bile wormed its way up up his throat. Blue hated him so much sometimes. Couldn't even show up a few minutes early to get his own Pokemon.

"Excellent!" Professor Oak said, clapping his hands together. "Now that we're all here, and now that it's nine," he said with a significant look to Blue, "we can begin."

Blue knew his grandfather well, of course, having lived with him for his entire childhood, and, as his childhood friends, Leaf and Red were almost as familiar. The old man, while respected, was far from a mysterious, removed figure to be venerated and held on a pedestal by them. Yet even so, the kids unconsciously lined themselves up before him, knowing the speech by heart but nonetheless feeling, for the first time, the gravity of his words for themselves.

"We live in a world of Pokemon," the Professor said. As if any of them could have not known it, lived it, breathed it. "We have lived in this world alongside these mysterious creatures for millennia. But even now, they still hold mysteries left to be uncovered. For some, they are used as partners for battle; for others, they live alongside them, and keep them as pets."

Holding his arm out to the side, the professor gestured to the table next to him. On the table sat two Pokeballs. Only two. That wasn't how it was supposed to be.

"These Pokeballs contain Pokemon. These will be your partners on your Pokemon journey, and today, you will finally get to choose your partner. Or perhaps," and here, the professor smiled, "your partner will choose you."

The professor straightened his back, taking in the adorably stoic faces of the young children in front of him. The mirthful look from the night before appeared on his face, and again it set Blue's nerve endings on fire.

"Leaf, you're up first."

"What?" Blue said.

"Since Leaf was the closest in spirit to getting here at the right time today, and had the most patience," Gramps said without heat, "she gets to choose first. Go ahead, dear."

She stepped closer to the table, hesitant, bending slightly to read the small plaque beneath the balls. She waffled in place, bringing a hand to her chin as if it would help make her decision easier, before picking up the ball on the right.

"I'll take this one," she said, holding the ball in one hand and carefully poking the button in the center with a finger from her other hand. On the second press the ball opened with a loud sound and in a dizzying flash of light, a Clefairy appeared on the ground next to her. It cried out in delight and threw itself against its trainer's legs, wrapping its short, stubby arms around her as best it could.

"Ah, you've chosen Clefairy, the Fairy Pokemon," Professor Oak said with a nod. "An excellent choice. Don't let its cute looks fool you, its signature Metronome ability can be devastating in the right time and place."

"Yeah, if you're lucky. Luck is a poor man's strategy," Blue said.

And then Red had the audacity to elbow him in the ribs! Blue swatted him back. "Hey! What the hell, Gramps, since when do you hand out Clefairy to new trainers? Shouldn't she have got a Squirtle or somethin'?"

"While it's true that, traditionally, I hand out Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur," he said, dragging out the last word, "I do it that way, mainly, to introduce new trainers to the concept of typed Pokemon. It's one thing to know all the match-ups, it's another to have and use them. But you kids are familiar with the lab, and the Pokemon housed here; it would teach you nothing. And so, I have elected to use a more unique selection for you three. I assure you, I have been considering this for a while, and I picked these Pokemon to be your starters for a reason." The professor grinned, looking at each of them with fondness. Mischievous old Gogoat.

"Okay, so it's not about type," Blue said. He could accept the idea that Gramps had higher standards for him and his rivals than the standard trainer, but now he was caught flatfooted. Clefairy was a weird Pokemon and an even weirder starter. "Then what did you pick that one for?"

"As I said, its signature Metronome ability can be devastating. That can be a hindrance or a help, depending on the trainer's ability to direct their Clefairy. I would keep that fact in mind, Leaf, as you proceed on your journey."

"Got it! I'll do my best."

"Red, it is now your turn to choose your partner."

"What!?" Blue said, rounding on his grandfather. He loved and respected the man, but—what? "There's only one Pokeball left!"

Gramps attempted to stop him, but Blue stomped over to the table and snatched the Pokeball. With a short throw he released the Pokemon inside, revealing an Eevee, which ran around in a circle for a moment before sitting on its haunches and staring up at Blue with big, curious eyes.

"Vui!" it cried, gazing up at its trainer. It wiggled, pawing the ground, obviously wanting to jump on him but smart enough to wait and see if it would be welcome.

Eevee... was not a terrible Pokemon, though not ideal as a starter. It would probably be a while before it was actually useful, but it did give Blue options. He supposed that it could be worse. Most trainers evolve Eevee immediately, but not all of them take the time to figure out what the Eevee is actually good at before evolving it, instead buying the first stone they see or picking one based on aesthetics, and not what the team needs. Eevee was the height of trainers treating their Pokemon like fashion accessories and not assets. Blue would have plenty of time to build a team and then decide what his Eevee should be. It's like an investment.

So yeah. Not a terrible Pokemon. He sort of wished it was something cooler, though.

"I can work with an Eevee," Blue said, mainly to himself, but the thing cried out in happiness and tried to jump into his arms. Surprised, he didn't move, and it instead bashed its head into his knee. The Eevee was weak, and it didn't really hurt, but training it not to jump on people would have to be the first thing he did.

Gramps sighed, low and long. "I had intended for Red to receive that one, but I suppose I can give him the one I intended for you, instead."

That caught Blue's attention. Gramps caught a Pokemon just for him? Why didn't he start with that? Blue was here for over an hour, and the old man hadn't said a thing. That made it all the more unforgivable that he'd kept Blue waiting all morning. If he wasn't even supposed to get a choice, then there was literally no reason to have kept him here!

Professor Oak pulled a nondescript Pokeball out of his lab coat pocket and handed it to Red. With a short throw a Pikachu appeared, ears low and frowning. Its posture screamed defensive and hostile.

"This is Pikachu," the professor said, "an Electric Type Pokemon. This one was caught very recently, so it's not exactly tame yet—"

And on cue, it electrocuted Red.

"—but they can be surprisingly powerful and loyal companions. As a starter, they pose a unique challenge for most trainers, but those who persevere often find themselves rewarded."

The Pikachu scoffed, turning around and facing a wall. Did Gramps seriously catch this little attitudinal thing with the intention of foisting it onto Blue? Never mind his earlier disbelief, Blue was glad he didn't get stuck with the temperamental rat.

There was a lesson in this whole deal, but there was little hope of Red or even Gramps catching on to it. Red let himself be passive, he just let his starter be chosen for him, and now he was stuck with a crummy Pokemon that didn't look like it would even listen to him. Blue, meanwhile, took control of his destiny with his own hands, and clearly ended up with the better deal. Not that Gramps would see it that way, but that was fine. Blue had sort of given up on he and his grandfather ever understanding each other.

The Pikachu zapped Red again, who audibly yelped this time. A sensible person would recall it, and deal with the disobedience and humiliation later, but Red was not a sensible person. Instead he knelt down behind it and reached into his bag to pull out a couple berries.

"Oh!" Leaf said, picking up her Clefairy. "Did you get up early today to go berry picking? Is that why you were so late?"

Red nodded.

"That was smart," babbled Leaf, swaying slightly from side to side. "I should have done that, too. Might take some time once we're done here. Maybe take the opportunity to see what kind of berries my new Clefairy likes."

"Cle-fair-y!" it called in response and snuggled deeper into her arms.

Holding out the berries in front of him, Red tried to bait the Pikachu to turn around, but it didn't. After an awkward wait, Red eventually shrugged and pocketed the berries.

He really was going to let his Pokemon walk all over him. A trainer that couldn't command respect wouldn't get very far. Blue was almost disappointed.

Professor Oak cleared his throat. "Well then, I suppose that's it, then. You're now all officially Pokemon trainers. But, if you wouldn't mind, I have one last thing to give you." From the desk behind him he picked up three red, rectangular devices and handed them out to each of the kids. "A Pokedex! It's the Pokemon Encyclopedia, which will not only help you keep track of Pokemon you have seen and caught over the course of your journey, but can be modified with special chip cards that can add additional features. My granddaughter, Daisy, has already been kind enough to get you all Town Map cards, which she already installed for you all. It keeps track of where you are and provides a map of the Kanto Region, which should make navigation a breeze."

"I thought you made the Pokedex, Professor," Leaf said. "Why don't they just come with all the features?"

"Ah, excellent question. I may have come up with the idea for the Pokedex, and personally wrote a great deal of the information about the Pokemon contained inside, but they're actually manufactured by Silph Co. I'm afraid such high-tech gadgets are beyond my ability to make, particularly for the now thousands of trainers who use them." The Professor looked humbly embarrassed. "Personally, I envisioned them as a very niche tool, to be used primarily to log research, but they've become quite popular."

"Only a half-baked trainer would turn down a portable repository of information about Pokemon they could catch." Blue crossed his arms, ignoring the way Eevee was trying to climb up his pant leg. "How else would most of 'em be able to tell the difference between a strong Pokemon and a weak Pokemon?"

"By looking at it?" Leaf said dryly.

"You can't always tell a Pokemon's strength by looking at it. In fact, that would be a very poor method," Professor Oak said. "Even tiny, common Pokemon can be surprisingly strong. Don't underestimate any of them."

"Yes, professor," Blue and Leaf chorused, while Red merely pulled down on his brim in acknowledgement.

Looking each of them in the eye, Gramps put his hand on Red's shoulder. Most likely, it was merely because Red happened to be standing closest to him, but once again Blue was forced to swallow his instinctive anger at the sight. Red did nothing and got rewarded, making everything look so easy. "You're all going to be amazing trainers," his grandfather said, voice thick. "I can already tell."

Leaf squeezed the life out of her new Clefairy like it was a stuffed animal and Red looked up at the man with a rare, small smile. Blue felt his insides constrict. Let Red and Leaf be amazing trainers—whatever weird criteria Gramps is using for that. Blue was going to be the best trainer, and the two of them wouldn't even come close. He's offended at being put on the same level as them.

"Whatever, Gramps," Blue said and diligently ignored the way his insides melted at the look his grandfather gave him. The only things left behind were the cold, sharp remains of his own bitter feelings about the whole situation. "The sooner we get movin', the sooner we can prove you right, right?"

His grandfather's face returned to its perfectly scientific neutrality. "These things take time," which was such a non-answer that Blue really should have expected it. Instead it rankled him, and hard.

"Welp, I'm ready to go! Smell ya later, losers. See you in my rearview mirror."

Briskly he turned and headed toward the door, but before he could make any progress, someone stepped in his way.

"Hey, wait!" Leaf said, "We just became trainers. We should have a battle."

"Battle with him," Blue said, jabbing a thumb at Red. He didn't look, but he could feel the other boy's ever-present stare. "Weaklings should battle other weaklings."

"We all just got our Pokemon! None of us has had a chance to do any training."

"All the more reason to skip it then! Battling now wouldn't demonstrate anything about our skills as a trainer."

Leaf put her hand on her hip, leaning forward, other arm dedicated to holding up her Pokemon like a ragdoll. "You don't even want see what your Pokemon is like in battle before going out to fight wild Pokemon?" She threw her hand in the air. "Are you just going to toss it at a Beedrill and hope for the best?"

"Of course not," Blue said. "I would have a strategy in mind, obviously."

Dipping her head and widening her stance, Leaf scowled at him. For a moment they stared at each other and, wordlessly, Leaf urged her Clefairy out of her arms and let it hop to the floor. "Well, we're official trainers now," she said, "and I'm challenging you to a battle."

Blue hadn't expected that from her, if he was being honest. And frankly, he just wanted to leave.

"A trainer cannot deny an official challenge without some kind of circumstantial issue, an emergency, or paying out the minimally required percentage of a losing fine," Gramps said from behind, clearly channeling what Blue had been saying about the Viridian City Gym Leader the night before. "Or, to put it simply: you can't run from a trainer battle."

"Tch! Fine. If we're wasting time, might as well get some experience out of it. Eevee, let's go."

"Vui!" his Pokemon cried as it leaped out in front of him.

Leaf's Clefairy jumped out of her arms in kind. "C'mon, Clefairy! Let's have some fun! Pound 'em!"

Clefairy charged, and the battle was on. Blue felt that his first trainer battle should have had a little more fanfare, but unfortunately for everyone, they were both newbies with new, untrained Pokemon, and so the battle quickly devolved into the two of them running into each other repeatedly, attempting to do damage. The overall effect was more schoolyard fight than Pokemon battle, but at the end, Blue's Eevee managed to remain standing, shaking and panting as Clefairy eventually gave up and left itself facedown on the floor.

"Aw, man," Leaf said as she recalled her Pokemon. "We need to work on our aim. Clefairy hit your tail and neck scruff more than she hit Eevee itself."

Professor Oak clasped his hands together, drawing attention. "An astute observation! Even incremental improvements like that are vital to succeeding as a Pokemon trainer."

"Is actually hitting your target really an 'incremental' improvement, Gramps?"

The Professor regarded his grandson coolly. "Very rare are great leaps made in education and learning, Blue. Even the self-taught. The biggest hurdles are often not the climb, but the plateaus."

Blue scoffed, crossing his arms. Eevee limped over to him in order to lean against his leg. "The only plateau that I'm gonna see is the Indigo Plateau."

"Mm. I'll remember that."

As if. The old fart's head was full of nothing but Pokemon facts.

Blue looked away from his grandfather and turned to face Red, matching the other boy's frown with his own. The brim of Red's hat cast a shadow over his face, giving him a far more serious and mysterious aura than he deserved. His eyes stuck out like evolutionary stones embedded in a rock face, glittering in the light and taunting Blue with their mere existence. He wanted to dig them out with a pickaxe.

Red blinked.

"Got something to say?" Blue bit out.

Red tilted his head, bringing up a hand to rub the hair at the base of his neck in embarrassment. His perpetual frown actually softened a little, lips twisting as he tried to form words. After a moment of hesitation Red straightened his shoulders and looked directly into Blue's eyes. "Do your best."

Blue couldn't help it. He laughed in Red's face. "As if!"

Placing his hands on his hips, internally, Blue screamed. What he had meant was "as if I would do anything less", but for some reason the sentiment had gotten tied up in his throat. He ignored the tired looks that Gramps and Leaf gave him and stared resolutely at Red's face.

It would seem that Red understood what he had meant, as he gave Blue a sharp nod and shoved his hands in his pockets.

There. Finally. Had everybody finished with their business? It was long past time to leave.

"...as I was saying," Blue said, recalling his Eevee into its Pokeball. "Smell ya later, losers. Don't try to stop me unless you want to be squashed like the bugs you are."

And with that, Blue spun around and power-walked out of the lab, out of Pallet Town, and out onto his journey at last.

…he was starting to think things weren't going to go according to plan.