Ethan Kaneki always hated school. He hated elementary school and learning to read. He hated middle school and learning about decimals and fractions. He even hated high school, where he got a hands-on education on all things pokemon, including battling. Ethan Kaneki hated school.

So why the hell was he getting a lesson on regional variants on a beautiful summer day? He couldn't tell you either.

"Ethan! You're not listening!"

"Will there be a quiz?"

"Yes!"

"Is it for a grade?"

Silence for a moment.

"That's what I thought."

"Ethan!"

His lecturer, Lyra, groaned in exasperation. An elaborate assortment of facts and visualizations were drawn on the chalkboard behind her, a worn-down piece of white chalk in her hand naming her the culprit. Even though Ethan had graduated two months prior, Lyra had taken it upon herself to further his education before he left on his journey. Ethan indulged her, but couldn't always muster any kind of academic drive, especially for something as asinine as-

"Regional variants," Lyra repeated. "Pokemon that, over time, adapt to new environments with methods such as new typings, abilities, or even evolutions!"

Lyra taught with the same conviction and enthusiasm as her father, which came as no shock to Ethan. Professor Elm adored knowledge in all its forms, even though his specialties were pokemon evolution and abilities, and it'd be only natural that his daughter was the same way. Still, endearment could only take you so far, and Ethan did not want to spend his day in a mock classroom.

"Lots of familiar pokemon have regional variants across the world, like Vulpix, Wooper, and even Meowth, which has two!"

Ethan raised an eyebrow in mock intrigue, trying desperately to get the lesson moving, but Lyra saw right through him.

"Can you at least try to seem interested?"
"I am trying! I raised my eyebrow!"

"That doesn't mean anything except that you want me to hurry up!"

So she was onto his tactics. "What more do you want?"

"For you to actually pay attention!"

"Why would I? It's not interesting, or even useful!"

"Well, maybe it could be, but you won't even let me get through the basics!"

"Maybe if-"

Ethan didn't finish his sentence, trailing off in embarrassment as the door opened. Professor Johnathan Elm stood in its frame, a bit awkward in demeanor. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No, sir. Lyra was just explaining regional variants to me-"

"Trying to. He won't listen, Dad!"

Professor Elm eyed them both, clearly hesitant to engage one way or the other. He sighs, scratching the back of his neck. "While it may be useful information for Ethan to have, you can't hold him hostage to teach. Surely there are some other people in town more willing to hear about pokemon?"

"All the kids just want to play with Marill! They don't even want to hear about Mantyke patterns!"

"Shocker."

"Ethan!"

Professor Elm sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Ethan, I need you for an errand anyway."

Ethan rose to his feet immediately, trying his best to withhold a sigh of relief. Elm's errands could be tedious, but anything would beat Lyra's homeschool. "What's the move, boss?" Ethan asked with a quick adjustment of his hat.

Lyra let out another groan.


Professor Elm had insisted on briefing Ethan in his lab, which Ethan found odd, but decided not to comment on. The professor himself was fundamentally pretty weird, a trait Ethan was sure could be ascribed to most academics. He stopped letting it phase him soon after moving in, for his own sanity.

"So, Ethan," the professor began, a nervous grin overtaking his face. "This errand is rather intensive, but I do believe it'll be worth it."

Ethan nodded.

"You are, obviously, familiar with my sponsorship program."

Ethan nodded again. Professor Elm, for all his quirks, was renowned throughout the Johto region and beyond, and as a result, was chosen by the Pokemon League to sponsor three trainers each year. These three trainers would be taken care of financially, given counsel and advice in training, and even gifted a rare starter pokemon. Ethan knew this because he would be one of Elm's chosen proteges this year. Well, he was the only one. Elm had been rather disappointed with the applicant pool, according to Lyra.

"Well, I found a second trainer to sponsor," Elm continued. Ethan's eyebrow shot up.

"Really?"

Professor Elm nodded. "A girl from Goldenrod. She had missed the initial application deadline, but she emailed me directly, and I was very impressed by her essay."

Ethan didn't quite know how to respond. "That's great."

"Very," Elm affirmed, nodding. "At any rate, she'll be arriving in Cherrygrove today, and I was hoping you'd be there to greet her and escort her back."

Ethan blinked. And then blinked again. Shut his eyes tightly and opened them again. Blinked once more for good measure.

"You want me to go to Cherrygrove?"

Elm's usual errands took Ethan across New Bark Town, sometimes even a few times in a day, but Cherrygrove City was a half a day's walk across Route 29, which, while not incredibly dangerous, was still teeming with wild pokemon.

"Yes," Elm replied, "But not alone."

Ethan's face twisted in confusion until Professor Elm gestured to one of the many desks in his lab, this specific one holding… oh. Oh.

Pokeballs.

Three, to be exact. Each with an elemental marker engraved into the shiny red top. A leaf, a flame, and a water droplet. Ethan knew immediately what they contained: starter pokemon.

"Oh, fuck."

Professor Elm grimaced slightly. "Language, Ethan."

"Sorry," he apologized. "But does that mean..?"

Professor Elm nodded excitedly, a grin creeping onto his face. "It's time for you to receive your first pokemon."

Ethan's head spun as he looked at the pokeballs on the desk. He hadn't expected them to be here for another month at least. "Already?" He stuttered.

"The League's breeders were a bit ahead of schedule this year. These three came in a few days ago."

"A few days? You've kept them hidden for this long?" Ethan asked incredulously.

The professor laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Trust me, I hated keeping them a secret, but I wanted to surprise you."

Ethan wanted to be angry at the professor for keeping something as cool as three fucking starter pokemon from him, but how could he? He was getting one. Today! But which one?

He gazed intently at the pokeballs, imagining the pokemon inside each one. Professor Elm followed his stare and chuckled softly, walking over to the table. "Would you like to meet them?"

Ethan nodded fervently. Elm gingerly picked up the pokeballs, releasing each pokemon in a show of light. Chikorita was the first to appear, a green reptilian (maybe reptilian- Ethan was famously bad at biology) with a green leaf-like appendage growing out of its head. The grass-type chirped amicably. Next was Cyndaquil, a squinty-eyed mammalian with fur so black it almost appeared blue in the light. The fire-type sneezed, a small puff of fire erupting from its back. Totodile caught Ethan's attention last, a blue reptilian with red spikes trailing down its back and sharp teeth on full display. The water-type did a little dance, bringing a smile to Ethan's face.

He stepped back and took a look at the three of them together- Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile, grass, fire, and water. Three creatures, three elements, three paths he could take. It wasn't a decision he could afford to make lightly. In fact, it wasn't a decision he felt he could make at all. Taking a deep breath, he knelt down, bringing himself to the pokemon's level.

"Hi, I'm Ethan."

All three pokemon stared back at him, ready to listen. He took a deep breath and continued. "I'm a trainer- well, I'm about to be. I'd like for one of you to come with me, but I want it to be your choice. I won't make any of you do anything." He looked to Professor Elm, who nodded encouragingly. "I want to be Champion of Indigo. That takes a lot of work, a lot of training. It won't be easy. There will be a lot of challenges and a lot of battling, but I'll make you strong, us strong. Together."

He had rehearsed this speech a hundred times over, in the mirror, in the shower, as he drifted to sleep, but he still found the words difficult to conjure. Nothing could've prepared him for the real deal, three real and alive pokemon in front of him, hanging onto every word he says.

But that's what being a trainer is, isn't it?

The three pokemon looked at Ethan, then Professor Elm, then each other. They entered conversation, the vocalizations and gestures foreign to Ethan. Chikorita would chirp, followed by a grunt from Totodile, then a bark from Cyndaquill, back and forth for what felt like hours. Finally, the pokemon settled into silence. With the confidence of a thousand Pyroar, Cyndaquil stepped forward.

A hesitant smile broke across Ethan's face. He looked Cyndaquil in the eye- or tried to, at least. The species were notorious for their poor eyesight and often kept their eyes closed. "You want to come with me?"

The fire-type nodded, chirping an affirmative. Ethan's smile morphed into a huge grin. "Welcome to the team, buddy."

He held his hand out, allowing Cyndaquil to sniff him. The pokemon immediately nuzzled his hand. Ethan's fingers reflexively curled, scratching Cyndaquil affectionately, pleasantly surprised by how warm it was. He was? His smile faded as he shifted his focus to Professor Elm. "What are… they?"

Professor Elm chuckled. "Cyndaquil is a boy."

Ethan nodded, turning his attention back to Cyndaquil. He scratched the underside of the fire-type's chin. "Nice to meet you, buddy."

"Would you like to name him?" Professor Elm asked. Ethan stopped to think. He did, of course. It'd be rude not to. He didn't call himself "Human", did he? Why shouldn't a pokemon have a name? Well, once again, he figured it should be up to Cyndaquil.

"Do you want a name?" Ethan asked him. He pondered for a moment, shifting his weight back and forth before nodding. Ethan grinned, already brainstorming possible names for his new friend.

"Blaze?"

Cyndaquil shook his head no.

"Ignis?"

Another shake.

"Iroh?"

Cyndaquil seemed to laugh at this one. Ethan pretended it didn't hurt. He continued to rack his brain, throwing out every moniker even lightly tied to the concept of fire. Cyndaquil shot down each one. Exasperated, Ethan reached into the furthest, most ludicrous corner of his mind, feeling around until… Hm. An old fire master, cemented in Johto's mythology.

"Gwyn?" Ethan uttered his name, unsure. Finally, the fire-type responded positively, chirping affirmatively as the fire on his back flaring up. Ethan grinned.

"Gwyn it is, then."


The remainder of Ethan's time at the lab had been annoyingly procedural- assigning Ethan a Pokedex and a Trainer ID, registering Gwyn as his pokemon, and making sure he knew the risks of traveling between cities. Professor Elm had given him a six-pack of potions and stressed the importance of using them.

"I'd rather you come back with six empty potions than a hurt pokemon. Potions are replaceable, Gwyn isn't."

Ethan knew this, of course, and was frankly insulted by the insinuation that he didn't, but he went along with it anyway. Elm was anxious, not patronizing, even if it rubbed Ethan the wrong way regardless.

He was, however, fully out of patience for it by the time he got to Lyra. The warning about Rattata hadn't even left her mouth all the way before Ethan rolled his eyes and slammed the door.

He'd bring her back something from Cherrygrove as an apology.

Ethan loved Lyra, truly. She had become something of a little sister to him ever since Professor Elm and his wife, Veronica, had taken him in. Unfortunately, little sisters were annoying, and Lyra was no exception. She had a knack for activating Ethan's already-volatile temper. "I'm working on it," Ethan muttered.

Gwyn looked up at him inquisitively. The two were walking side-by-side on Route 29, as they had been for the past hour or so. It had been pretty uneventful thus far, giving Ethan time to get lost in thought. "It's nothing, buddy. Just thinking."

If the Cyndaquil wanted to hear more, he didn't show it. At least, not it any way Ethan could pick up on. He frowned. That was something he could work on.

Ethan knew a few things about Gwyn, having scanned him with his Pokedex back at Elm's lab. His ability was Blaze. He knew Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen, and Ember. He was purebred and raised for about two months by League personnel. Ethan's knowledge started and ended there. He decided to fix that.

"So… I'm Ethan."

Gwyn snorted, a tuft of smoke erupting from his back. Ethan grimaced. Not a super strong start.

"But you already knew that."

The Cyndaquil chirped. Ethan couldn't make heads or tails of what it meant, but he kept going.

"We're gonna be traveling together for a while, maybe even the rest of our lives, so I don't wanna be strangers, you know? I figured I'd tell you a little bit about me."

Gwyn stopped walking. Puzzled, Ethan stopped, too, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Gwyn waved his stubby arms around nonsensically. Ethan frowned. "That's not helpful."

Gwyn snorted, another tuft of smoke billowing from his back. He did a small hop, still waving his short arms. Finally, it clicked. "You want me to hold you?"

Taking Ethan's understanding as an invitation, Gwyn scurried up Ethan's leg with a dexterity he did not expect. Ethan just barely managed to shift his weight and move his arms into position to support the fire-type, stumbling just slightly. "I guess that's a yes."

They continued walking- well, Ethan continued walking- along Route 29. Ethan talked idly the entire time, retelling his life in broad strokes, occasionally getting lost in a detailed anecdote. Gwyn was a good listener, not that he had a choice. Every so often, he would interject with a vocalization, a chirp or a bark usually, but sometimes a snicker. Ethan noted that the pokemon had a very slapstick sense of humor.

Another half-hour had passed before a pokemon made itself known- a Rattata. Gwyn jumped at the opportunity to battle, which Ethan didn't object to. The fire-type took orders in great stride, and even managed to improvise an Ember when Ethan got tongue-tied. The Rattata didn't stand a chance and fled before it was too late. Gwyn barked triumphantly, the fire on his back flaring. Ethan cheered him on, of course. It was just a small Rattata now, but that was the foundation for taking down opponents like Lance's Dragonite later. Small steps.


To call Cherrygrove a city seemed generous to Ethan, but that's what it was deemed officially. It was supposed to have been developed into a bustling metropolis, at least according to Professor Elm, but that had obviously never happened. Still, Ethan had to admit that it was a leg up from New Bark Town. The roads were paved with a pleasant cobblestone, beautiful pink flowers adorned any surface they could grow on, and a cool salty breeze blew through the air, breaking through the July heat.

He'd only been here a few times before, usually as a means to get to Goldenrod when Professor Elm couldn't arrange a teleporter. The city didn't boast much, but it did have a port that connected with Union Town and, less frequently, Goldenrod City. Professor Elm's newest protege would be arriving from there shortly.

Ethan checked his Pokegear, finding the information Elm had sent him about the girl he was here to escort to New Bark Town. The professor hadn't sent much, just her name and a picture. Krystal Odell, Ethan's age with turquoise hair tied into pigtails and piercing green eyes. It looks like a school ID picture- no smile, a blank backdrop, and a white uniform. He committed her features to memory and closed his Pokegear.

The walk to Cherrygrove's port was short, but pleasant. The entire city (Ethan still hated calling it that) was contained to a few central blocks, and the grid system of the roads was easy to navigate. Gwyn enjoyed the attention of the pedestrians who would stop to pet him, even posing for a picture with a young boy at his mother's request. Ethan did have to stop him from setting an old woman's garden on fire, but she was so charmed by him that she didn't seem to mind.

Finally, they had made it to the port. Ethan's gaze swept over the docks and the nearby beach, taking it in. There weren't very many people, but the sand was teeming with Krabby and Wingull, both of which would make for great training with Gwyn when they returned. He made a mental note and turned his attention back to the docks, where he noticed Krystal sitting on a bench, bag in her lap. Her turquoise hair was hard to miss. He walked to her, extending a hand. She stood up straight, slinging her bag onto her shoulder, and met his handshake.

"You must be Krystal. I'm Ethan, Professor Elm's assistant. I was sent to escort you back to New Bark Town."

Ethan winced internally at how formal the words were. He was probably coming off as such a square.

Krystal's handshake was incredibly firm as she responded, "Nice to meet you."

Gwyn huffed, smoke puffing from his back. Ethan rolled his eyes, gesturing down to him. "This asshole here is Gwyn."

Krystal nodded, kneeling down to acknowledge him by petting his head. "He's cute. Your starter?"

Ethan nodded. "Got him today. He's from the same batch you'll be picking from."

Krystal's mouth twitched as she stood back up, her gaze shifting between Ethan and the Cyndaquil. "You're the other sponsee."

"Is that what we're called?" The word seemed a bit ridiculous.

Krystal opened her mouth to respond as Ethan's Pokegear rang. He saw Professor Elm's name flash across the screen and sighed, gesturing to Krystal. She nodded, and he answered.

"Hello?"
"Ethan! Made it to Cherrygrove yet?"

"Yes sir. Here with Krystal now."

"Wonderful! How is she?"

Ethan shifted his gaze to her briefly. "Uh… Good?"

"Good, good. Look, I just got off the phone with Mr. Pokemon."

Mr. Pokemon. Ethan's heard the name before. An eccentric old man who lives north of Cherrygrove City. He allegedly had a collection of rare artifacts from around the world, but Ethan had never met him to confirm. "Yeah?"

"Yes. He said he has an egg he'd like me to take a look at, and he sent it to the Pokemon Center in Cherrygrove. Would you mind picking it up and bringing it here? I'll pay you for your trouble."

Ethan closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he mulled it over. "Uh… Yeah, that should be fine. You don't have to pay any extra, I'm here anyw-"

"Nonsense!" Elm immediately cuts him off. "I'll move the money into your account. Buy some lunch for the both of you, you must be starving."

"Professor, I-"

"I have to go, I have a call coming in. I love you, I'll see you tonight!"

Elm hung up before Ethan could respond, much to his frustration. He loved Elm, truly, but man were his scatterbrained antics annoying. He tucked his Pokegear away and sighed, turning his attention back to Krystal. "Not sure how much of that you heard, but-"

"Lunch?" Krystal interrupted.

Ethan nodded, grinning. She was speaking his language perfectly. "Lunch," he agreed.


Krystal had been studying Ethan since the second she laid eyes on him. Maybe she thought he didn't notice, but he did. He had a knack for that kind of thing. Even as they ate, he could feel her eyes on him, taking in his stance, his mannerisms, how he chewed. He could almost see the gears in her head turning to process every small piece of information he gave her. She was actively data mining him.

He had no room to talk, though. He'd been doing the same thing, and, at the risk of sounding cocky, doing a much better job at it. He'd been more discreet, at least. Krystal's natural curiosity (tied to her role as an academic, Ethan suspected) was incredibly apparent in all she did- her bright blue eyes were never passive, always fixed onto something, and the corner of her mouth would twitch whenever she thought something was interesting. Her mouth twitched a lot.

It had just twitched again.

"Champion?" she repeated, wiping ketchup from her chin.

Ethan nodded.

"I see."

Ethan furrowed his eyebrows. "What the fuck's that supposed to mean?"

Krystal set her napkin down, shaking her head. "Nothing, nothing. Just very ambitious."

Her response pissed Ethan off, but he just huffed. "Well… yeah."

Krystal snorted. "I'm just saying, every trainer taking on the gym circuit wants to be Champion."

"Not every trainer."

"Most of them. What makes you any different?"

Ethan scoffed. Who the fuck did she think she was? "What makes anybody different?"

"Sounds like you're avoiding the question."

He didn't like where this was going. "Whatever. What's your end goal?"

She rolled her eyes, pissing Ethan off even further, but he ignored it. "I'm studying history and mythology."

"Yeah, I got that. But… then what?"

It was Krystal's turn to furrow her eyebrows. "What the fuck's that supposed to mean?"

Ethan silently reveled in her irritation. "What are you gonna do with all the… knowledge, or whatever?"

Her demeanor softened. She shrugged. "Write a book, maybe. I could always teach. But mostly I just want to learn. Maybe even discover something."

"I see." It felt nice, spitting her words back at her.

Krystal rolled her eyes once more, folding up her napkin and setting it on her plate. She stood up and stretched. "We should go."

Ethan checked his watch, noting the time. 15:49. It would take about four hours to get to New Bark Town, longer if Krystal slowed them down like he expected she would, and even longer still if they didn't make it before sunset like he suspected they wouldn't. He nodded and stood up, stretching his back and groaning. Gwyn scurried out from under the table and onto Ethan, climbing up the teenager and into his arms. "Do you know how to get to the Pokemon Center? I'd look it up, but…" he trailed off, gesturing towards the fire-type cradled in his arms.

Krystal rolled her eyes again, making Ethan clench his jaw, and pulled out her Pokegear. After some typing, she nodded and shut the device. "Like, three blocks north then it's on our way east."

Once again, the grid system would come in handy. He doubted anything would be as easy to find in Goldenrod or Olivine. "Shall we?" He asked, the slightest hint of sarcasm dripping through.

Krystal didn't dignify him with a response, merely huffing and beginning to walk away.

Ethan huffed and followed behind her. It was going to be such a fun walk home.


AN: Thanks for reading! I've got a lot planned, and I'm very excited to tell this story, so your readership means a lot to me!

To keep some things clear: I know some people don't like capitalizing pokemon species names. I'm not one of those people. I've found it's easier for me as both a reader and a writer, so pokemon and moves will almost always be capitalized. The same will be true of titles like Champion and Gym Leader, and devices like Pokedex and Pokegear.

If a piece of information dropped by Ethan's internal monologue seems vague or like it raises more questions than it answers- that's intentional. His motives and backstory may not seem explicitly clear for a few chapters, but the pieces will fall into place.

Don't be afraid to follow, favorite, and review, and always feel free to message me. Thanks again for reading!