Chapter One: The Summer Research Club

I was traveling through a city. It was an old city, with white stone walls surrounding streets of medieval wooden shops and houses. Peasants dressed in ratty clothing wandered to and from various buildings, their Pokémon following close behind them.

They stopped in place when the saw me. Whispers and murmurs spread across the crowd as they stepped out of my way. I was atop my noble steed Gideon, a strong and hearty Rapidash. The flames of his mane and back were of no bother to a pyro-knight such as myself.

We made our way down the dirt road, reaching the center of the village. The plaza held several statues of various old heroes, forming wide circle around an ornate fountain. Nearby trees rustled in the wind, with fallen leaves floating and dancing in the air. A small brick river ran out from under the fountain and alongside the road, crystal clear water rushing past as children and water Pokémon laughed and splashed around in it.

It was a really beautiful place. A peaceful place.

But that didn't last long.

The sky quickly darkened, and blood-red lightning crackled in the clouds. One house caught fire, and the flames spread to others. The air was thick with smoke and embers, and filled with the shrill cries and screams of the villagers and Pokémon as they ran for shelter.

Rumbling rolled through the ground. Bony hands and paws broke through the ground as skeletons and zombies, both human and Pokémon, pulled themselves out of their graves. They carried ancient and decrepit weapons, and their eyes glowed with a strange dark energy.

Which is never a good thing.

So I turned Gideon around to make a run for it. But we didn't make it too far before one of the houses collapsed, blocking our path with a wall of burning rubble. Other buildings fell around the plaza, trapping us in a huge ring of fire.

Guess there's only one option left.

I hopped down from Gideon, and readied my gear. My armor was a set of steel armor styled after Aggron, complete with horns on the helmet. I drew my sword, a one-handed blade made from a Skarmory feather. It was light and easy to swing. And my shield… okay, sure. It's still a rusty iron Aegislash shield, but its enchantment was just too good. I mean, restoring 10 HP whenever you block an attack? You can't pass that up.

A streak of fire ignited along my blade as I turned to face the undead horde shambling toward us. Gideon neighed loudly, whipping his flames up into a frenzy. We were ready for the fight.

But then hordes stopped. A cackling laugh echoed through what remained of the village. And from the thick smoke stepped a tall and thin figure wrapped in dark robes, propped up on a wooden staff with a green gem. The top of his face was mostly obscured by a hood, but I could see his long pointy nose and the thick gray goatee on his gaunt chin. I could feel his piercing eyes glaring back at me, a sinister smile across his face.

"Your courage is admirable," said the man, his voice dry and tired. "But it is misplaced." He tapped his staff on the ground, and the gem atop it glowed brightly with the same dark energy as the undead. The horde turned toward him, awaiting his orders.

So a Necromancer, then. A powerful one too. Eh, no matter. I've fought worse. Worse case scenario is that I just spam potions while smashing him in the face with my sword. That usually works.

"You cannot hope to defeat me," the aged mage continued. "The city has already fallen. There is nothing you can do. Your journey ends here."

"Nay!" I shouted back dramatically. "It is you who has no hope! For I am the great hero Katori! Slayer of the Elder Wyrm! Destroyer of the Eye of Doom!" I pointed my blade at him. "Prepare to meet thy fate."

"Hmph. So be it… hero." A shock wave of darkness rippled out from beneath his staff. The necromancer lurched forward, and his command roaring from his mouth. "Wake up, sleepyhead!"

… that's a weird thing for a necromancer to say.

Zombies and skeletons started shuffling toward me, as the necromancer once again shouted out. "Come on, sweetie! Wakey wakey!"

I raised my blade, ready to strike the nearest monster. But then a hand grabbed my shoulder and-

"Gah!" I bolted upright, eyes shooting open. My heart was nearly beating out of my chest, but it quickly calmed down as I looked around. I'm in my bed, this is my room, and that woman with the dark hair and thick glasses is my mom… Right, okay. Took a second but my brain's all caught up now.

"Good morning, Kitty," Mom cheerily said, sitting on the edge of my bed. She pulled her hand away from my shoulder. "Well… it's not really morning anymore. You need to get up."

"Grrrnnurgh," I replied. I flopped back down and pulled my blanket over my head. "Five more minutes… Gotta save the city…"

"I'm sure they can wait until tonight." Mom pulled the blanket away. "You can't sleep your life away."

"Watch me." I ducked my head under my pillow.

"I made lunch."

I wasn't going to say anything, but then my stomach growled. Loudly.

"Ugh, fine," I sat back up and swung my legs out of bed. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

Mom smiled as she started back toward the door. "Don't keep me waiting! I've got something important to discuss with you!" she said, walking out of sight. Then she poked her head back in. "And it's something good, I promise!" Then she disappeared again.

Great. Whenever she wants to talk about something 'good' it usually means that it's good for her. Or what she thinks is good for you. Not what actually is good for you. That's how I got roped into math camp three summers ago. And science camp two summer ago. And sports camp last summer. Fortunately, it made me miserable enough that she promised not to sign me up for anything this time.

So whatever is, it can't be that bad.

Oh well. Time to face the day. I slipped my glasses over my eyes, which meant now I could see my room more clearly. Or rather, just how messy it was. Nothing terrible, just some cables snaking across the white carpet floor, running to and from my TV, game consoles, computer, all that good stuff. There were only two empty soda cans on the floor – I've been getting better at taking care of those. But not so much with the laundry. More than a few piles of clothes were scattered around on the floor.

My eyes darted from one clothes pile to the next, searching for anything that could be considered clean. Hm. I looked down at the over-sized gray t-shirt I had slept in. It looked… fine. A bit wrinkly, but… I pulled it up to my nose. The old tried-and-true sniff test. Smells… passable.

Next up, I stepped over to my mirror and gave myself a quick look-over. Yup, that's me. The same old Katori Summers. Generic fifteen-year-old girl. My messy red hair wasn't too long, only coming a few inches above my shoulders. Deep blue eyes sat behind my glasses. A rather generous – maybe too generous – dusting of freckles scattered across my face. Basically, I just looked like a generic background NPC in a video game.

Speaking of which...

My PC was on my desk, tucked away in the corner of my room. I plopped down in the creaky old office chair and wriggled the mouse a little. The machine whirred to life. It wasn't really designed for playing games, being stuck with a Metang Series graphics card. Older games worked fine, but newer games… bleugh. Potato mode.

I tried to convince Mom to get me a new one, like a Metagross Series card, but she was a stick in the mud. Says it was to expensive. Pah. They were only, like, two-thousand bucks. She gets like, ten times that whenever she revives another fossil Pokémon. But no. Apparently Mom doesn't love me that much.

So I had to stick to PokéScape. An older but still good game. I was one of the top players, actually. The the next update was bringing in the new Mummy Dragon boss, and my guild was going to be the first to get all the rare drops. We always were. But that took time and dedication.

"Katori!" Mom called from downstairs. "Your lunch is getting cold!"

Right. Food. That's also important. But not as important. I clicked the PokéScape launcher and opened the game. The elf lady riding an Arcanine smiled at me from the loading screen, and I smiled back. Hours of tedious, monotonous grinding awaited me. Today's gonna be a good day.

"There you are, sweetie." Mom said as I trudged down the stairs. She was sitting at the dining room table, holding a cup of coffee. Mom loves coffee. A lot. Like, I don't know how that woman manages to sleep after all the coffee she drinks. "Didn't you sleep in that shirt?"

"It's not dirty."

"If you say so." Mom rolled her small brown eyes, but then gave me a warm and motherly smile. "You still look lovely."

"Sure…" About as lovely as the north end of a south-bound Mudsdale. Something my dad says.

"Have a seat," She nodded toward the plate on the table across from her. "I made your favorite."

"Oh… thanks." It was a plateful of those smiley face french fries with a pile of dinosaur Pokémon chicken nuggets. Which isn't actually my favorite, but Mom thinks it is. There was also a glass of strawberry soda on the side. That is my favorite though. "I'm gonna eat in my room if that's-"

"Nope," replied Mom, her smile waning. "We need to have a chat."

Urgh. I slid my chair back and sat down. At the top of the nugget pile was a nice crispy Rampardos. So I popped it in my mouth. "We're not moving, are we?"

"Oh, no… it's nothing like that." Mom stared down into her coffee, swirling it around in the mug. "It's just…" She looked up at me. "Remember when I promised to let you stay home this summer? That I wouldn't sign you up for anything?"

I stopped chewing. "Mom… you didn't."

"Well… I wasn't, but-"

"But Mom!" I groaned. "You promised!"

"I know, I know… but a great opportunity opened up and I just had to jump at the chance."

I shoved another nugget in my mouth. These things are the only thing preventing my soul from leaving my body right now. And yeah yeah yeah, I know I have red hair. I can already hear the joke. "It's not sports camp again, is it?"

"Aw, you didn't like sports camp? It seemed like so much fun!"

"Nobody liked me. I wasn't good at anything. And I kept getting paired up against a Magikarp for all the events."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"There's nothing more humiliating than having to run a fifty-meter dash against a literal fish out of water."

Mom paused, and furrowed her brow. "Didn't you lose the fifty-meter dash?"

With a pout, I downed a Armaldo nugget this time. "That stupid fish could flop around really fast," I muttered under my breath. "But that's not that point here!"

"Right, sorry." Mom took a long sip of her coffee. "No, this is better than sports camp. A true once-in-a-lifetime experience!" She pulled out a small pamphlet, which she slid across the table to me. "See for yourself!"

The folded piece of paper looked extremely professional, with beautiful artwork of various Pokémon adorning the front. In the middle was a picture of a happy ground of young people – kids to late teens – standing on either side of an older and all-too-familiar man in a lab coat. I examined the writing and... "No. Just… please no."

"That's right!" Mom piped up. "The world-famous Professor Oak's Summer Research Club! Isn't that exciting? Just think about it! You'll get to travel all around the Kanto Region meeting all sorts of people and Pokémon! And even get a Pokémon of your own!" A fond smile propped up by years of memories crossed her lips. "That's how I got my start too. You'll be just like me!"

I'd rather be dead. "… can't I just go back to sports camp instead?"

"Come on, Katori. Do you know how hard it was for me to get you this spot?"

I closed my eyes, and then rolled them. There's no way it was difficult for her. Mom's world-famous for her work with reviving fossil Pokémon, and is currently a project lead over several different things at Silph Co. She's got a lot of connections and her paychecks aren't small. "Aren't you, like, one of Professor Oak's colleagues or somethin'?"

Mom chuckled. "Well, yes. Oak and I do collaborate on quite a few projects. But even then, he doesn't play favorites." She slurped up the last bit of coffee in her mug. "No no, I had go through the same process as everyone else. And you only got the spot because someone dropped out last minute."

"Lucky me."

"Oh, you have no idea." Mom stood up and went to the kitchen, and the sound of pouring liquid soon followed. She returned and stood in the doorway, a trail of steam rising from her cup. "It's a great opportunity! Pretty much a free pass into Canalave University and then we can work together in the field! You wouldn't want to give something like that up, right?"

Of course I would. I stared at her for a moment, and then stuffed one of the happy little fries into my mouth. Chewed it up, swallowed it down, and then sent another down the same road. And then I just shrugged. "Meh."

"Don't be like that. You'll have fun, I know you will," reassured Mom. "Besides it's not just you, ya know. Your friends are going too."

"Huh?" I mumbled through a mouthful of fried potato mush. I have literally no idea who she's talking about. The only people I really interact with are the members of my PokéScape guild. And the only journeys they're interested in are quests.

"You know, your old pals from school. Red and Blue."

Oh, right. Those guys. Red and Blue. That's not their actual names, by the way. That's just what everyone calls them. No idea why. It started before I knew them. But yeah, I guess we are friends. Not really by choice though. Most kids had already left Pallet Town on a journey already, so we were the oldest kids left. Naturally, we just kinda gravitated toward each other. Red was the shy and quiet guy that hardly spoke, while Blue was the outgoing and loud guy that never stopped speaking. And I was just there because they tolerated my presence and included me in all of Blue's crazy antics.

"Cool. Good for them," I managed to sound disinterested. But inside, there was a small pang of sadness in my heart. We haven't hung out in a few months, but I still saw them occasionally around town. Mostly just Blue, though. He always knows how to make me smile. Without him here…

Mom sighed. "You're really stubborn, Katori. You know where you get that?"

"Dad."

"Bingo." Mom returned to the chair across from mine. "Look, I know this isn't something you want to do," she said, then took a gentle sip of piping hot espresso. "But I went on this journey when I was your age, and it really helped me figure my life out. Finding my passions, my career, who I was meant to be. I think something like this would be very beneficial to you."

I don't have any passions, I don't care about a career yet, and the only person I'm meant to be right now is a pyro-knight to take down the Mummy Dragon. But I didn't say any of that out loud, instead grabbing the last nugget – a Tyrantrum – and quickly scarfed it down. And soon followed with the last fry. I pushed the empty plate to the middle of the table.

"You eat way too fast," said Mom.

"It was good."

"I'm flattered." Mom adjusted her glasses. "So… will you go? Please?"

"Nope."

"Katori."

I folded my arms and shrugged.

Mom sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you what."

She paused for a moment. So I took a huge gulp of the strawberry soda and waited for her to tell me what.

"I'll make a deal with you," Mom went on. "Pewter City. It would take you… what? Three or four days to get there? A week at most, right?"

"I guess. Maybe. I dunno."

"So how about this? You give this research project a chance," offered Mom. "And if you can make it to Pewter City and aren't having a good time, then you can come home and I'll let you spend the rest of the summer however you want."

"Hmph." I snorted a laugh out of my nose. "You already made that promise and broke it," I told her, picking up my soda glass and putting it to my lips. "Got anything else?"

Mom took off her glasses and rubbed her face. "I know, sweetie. I know. And I'm sorry." She let out a huge huff of breath. "Let me think…"

It was hard to hide my smug grin, so I just downed some more of my fizzy drink. When Mom gets all huffy, that's when she starts backing down. Mark down another win for Katori. I don't think there's anything she could say at this point that would change my mind.

"And I'll buy you that computer upgrade you wanted. That card thingy. Does that sound fair?"

Then again…

Time for some quick mental math. On one hand, I'll lose a couple of days for the PokéScape raids by traveling to Pewter City. Oh yeah, and I'll have to deal with a Pokémon. But if I go for something cute and lazy like a Meowth or Vulpix… they won't be too bad right? And they'll be warm to cuddle with on cold nights. But on the plus side, I'll finally be able to play some of the newer games…

I looked to Mom. "Any upgrade I want?"

"Within reason," my mother clarified. "I love you and all that, but I would prefer to keep it under fifteen-hundred."

Hm. Fifteen-hundred bucks isn't much, but it might be enough to get out the Metang Series of cards and go right for a lower-end Metagross Series. That's still a pretty big leap for me. But would it be worth a week of suffering?

I finished off the last of the soda and set the empty glass down on the table. Can't believe I'm about to do this. "Well, since this means so much to you… I guess I'll give it a shot."

"You're all heart," said Mom, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "But seriously, I'm grateful that you're at least trying it. I don't think you'll regret it."

"I hope not." And if everything goes my way, I certainly won't. I stood up and brushed the nugget crumbs off my shirt. "So… when does it start?"

Mom glanced down at her watch. "Oh, about four hours ago. But don't worry. I already called Professor Oak and told him you'd be late."

"Great…," I muttered. Wait… Did she know that she would talk me into this? I don't know, but… whatever. I guess I have to go pack.

The packing process was a bit of a nightmare. I was just cramming clothes and things into my old school backpack while Mom stood and watched, yammering away at all the usual mom stuff.

"Call me everyday! Don't talk to strange people! Always brush your teeth! Make sure to feed your Pokémon! Really? That shirt with those shoes?"

I changed out of the clothes I'd been sleeping in, opting for a large white t-shirt with a curved black stripe from shoulder to shoulder across the chest and a simple pair of jean shorts. Like short-shorts. I don't really like short-shorts, but Mom told me I was so pale that she 'couldn't tell me from a snowbank' so I guess it's time for some sun. My old black tennis shoes went on my feet, and to complete the look I grabbed my dad's old baseball cap. It was a white cap with a black brim, featuring a big thunderbolt logo right on the front. That was the team he played on back then.

Then I was off into town.

And here's a tip for all of you out there. If, for whatever reason, you ever need to find Pallet Town on a map… just look for a big empty space at the farthest point away from civilization. That's probably where you'll find us.

Pallet Town is your everyday flat rural town. On a mostly clear day, you can see all the way up to the Indigo Plateau. And on a completely clear day, you can see all the way to Mt. Silver if you squint a little. There's a small main street where all the shops are – like all five of them – and that is pretty much the heart of the town. Beyond that are the neighborhoods, and beyond those it's just farmland. Lots and lots of farmland.

There's really only one thing of note here in Pallet Town. Located at the edge of town, right next to the road that leads out onto Route 1, is Professor Oak's Lab. Why did he set up here? I don't know. But that's where I'm headed now.

The road to the lab was long and winding, with a fence blocking off farmland running along one side and a wide open field on the other. The sky was a deep blue, with the sun shining down almost directly overhead. It was hot out, but there was enough of a gentle summer breeze rustling through the grass to keep cool.

Passing through the mostly empty parking lot, I stood before the lab. It was large, constructed of tan bricks, and probably the fanciest building in the entire town. But that's really not much of an accomplishment here. I climbed up the stairs and walked in.

The first thing I noticed was-

"Hey hey hey! Watch your foot!" A short round man in a lab coat waddled over, a fat finger sternly pointing to the floor. "You're standing on my research!"

I looked down and… yup, there was a sheet of paper under my foot. So I reached to grab it, but the lab coat guy stooped down and snatched it away.

"Gah, now there's a shoe print on my thesis," he muttered under his breath as he wandered away.

As I was saying…

The first thing I noticed was the absolute state the lab was in. Tables had been tossed aside, books and papers were scattered across the floor. A plant had been knocked over, its pot had been cracked. A rather expensive looking chair, or at least what remained of it, sat against the wall. Workers and researchers were scrambling to clean up, running vacuums and pushing brooms.

And I just stood there among the chaos. I didn't know what to do. I had been hoping that there would be some sign or something pointing out where I needed to go. Some orientation for the stupid research club or whatever. But there was none. I was left just looking around, feeling more out of place than a Pidgey in a Fearow nest. Something my dad says.

"Oh… um, hello." A different researcher walked over. This one was tall and thin, with a head topped by ruffled brown hair. He put on his glasses, and did his best to force a pleasant smile. At least he had a much better demeanor than the last guy. "Is there… uh, can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, I'm here for that… uh, thing. You know… the research… thingy." Nailed it, Katori.

The nice man's eyes softened slightly. "Ah, you're a member of the Research Club. We were told one would be coming in late." He motioned into the lab. "The Professor will want to see you. Follow me, please. Oh, and pardon the mess."

We went further into the lab, stepping over displaced furniture, equipment, and notes. I made sure not to put my foot anywhere near another piece of paper. Some of them looked like they already had small paw prints on them.

"So… did something happen?" I asked. And then mentally smacked myself. Of course something happened, you dummy.

"Oak's grandson happened," replied the researcher. "He's part of the Research Club this year, too. Though I think he cares more for battling. Came in with another kid to get their Pokémon. And of course, Blue just had to battle him on the spot. Couldn't even take it outside."

That other kid… that's gotta be Red. Blue always has to one-up that guy every chance he gets. Usually does, too. But Red seemed to know a lot about Pokémon. Maybe he pulled off an upset victory.

But before I the change to ask, we entered a spacious room.. It seemed mostly untouched by the chaos. Several desks lined the walls, each piled with books and notes and computers. Most of them were off, but one had Solitaire open. There were a few whiteboards with a ton of big words and detailed graphs scribbled on them. Toward the back there was a weird machine that had shelves designed to hold PokéBalls, but I could only see one of those famous red and white capsules in there.

In the center of the room stood a Pokémon Professor. Or, in this case, the Pokémon Professor. Samuel Oak always looked taller on TV, however he did still have a bit of a wide build in real life. His gray hair and lightly-wrinkled face spoke of decades of knowledge and experienced. He smiled as he saw us.

"Ah! You're Katori, yes? I'm glad you could finally join us!" said the Professor, enthusiasm in every syllable. He folded his arms and let out a hearty chuckle. "Better late than never, so they say!"

"So they say," I replied.

Oak turned to the man leading me. "Dr. Elm, how goes the clean-up?"

"The overall damage is minimal, but there is quite a lot out of place," replied the assistant. "We did manage to restore power to the main room. And we stood the refrigerator back up, though I am saddened to report that the lasagna did not survive."

"Unfortunate." The Professor lowered his head."Can't be helped. Thank you, Daniel. Back to it then."

"Uh… yessir. Right away." Dr. Elm returned to the disarray.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence, before Oak's chipper voice cut in. "So then, Katori. I'm glad you decided to join the Summer Research Club this year." A fond smile crossed his lips. "Your mother was one of my greatest students, I'm sure you know. It must be exhilarating to follow in her footsteps."

My fists tightened. "Yeah… sure is."

"I would think so. Are you familiar with this program at all?"

I shook my head. "No, not really."

"I see." said Oak, a hint of disappointment. But he brightened up again real quick. "No matter. The objective of the Research Club is to encourage the bright young minds of the Kanto Region to go out explore the world, all while learning about and with Pokémon."

He went over to a shelf in the back of the room as he continued to speak. "Now, in order to successfully complete this program, you'll need to observe and document at least fifty different species of Pokémon." Oak grabbed a couple of items with one hand and raised a finger with the other. "Evolved forms do count as separate species, though I do prefer that you seek out as many different evolutionary families as you can."

"Do I… I don't have to catch any of them, right?" One Pokémon was already more than I wanted.

"No no," replied the Professor, as he returned to the table. "While capturing new Pokémon would certainly be of benefit to you, as both a Trainer and a researcher, it is not required." He set down the things he had retrieved. "You will need these."

Oak slid a small red electronic device toward me. It was about the same size as a smartphone, and even had a camera up in one corner. I pressed a button on the side and the case popped open, revealing a screen and several more buttons, a D-pad included. I've seen one of these before. "A PokéDex… right?"

"Correct," said Oak. "It's quite a useful little device, as I'm sure you know. It contains copious amount of data on all known Pokémon. Or, well, at least this version only details the Pokémon of Kanto. A must-have for all members of the project. You know how to use it?"

"Of course," I lied. But it doesn't look too complicated. I'll figure it out later.

"Good." Oak pushed the second item, a hardcover notebook, forward. "And this is most important part of the Research Club. This notebook is where you'll record all of your observations and findings of the Pokémon you meet along the way." He tapped the cover." What you document in here will determine whether or not you pass the program. So do be sure that you never lose it."

I looked at the notebook, and then to the PokéDex. "Um… if the PokéDex has so much information in it… then why do I have to write stuff down?"

"The Dex contains a lot basic information, but the more detailed data… that can only come from experience," answered the Professor. "Indeed, the Dex can be helpful for finding Pokémon habitats, identifying footprints and other marks, and even type classifications for Pokémon. And you can use all of that data to help you better study certain Pokémon. But you won't be able to pass with just the PokéDex data alone. Trust me, several people have already tried."

"Great." I stuck the PokéDex and notebook in my backpack. "So… is that it?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! You've forgotten the most exciting part!" Oak folded his arms and smiled proudly. "You still haven't met your new Pokémon yet! It would be hard to travel without one!"

Oh yeah. "I get to pick one, right?"

"Wrong!" Oak snapped back happily. "Or well, you normally would. This lab operates on the time-honored rule of 'first come, first serve' after all. However, you are the last Research Club member to depart so… we only have one Pokémon left." He took the final PokéBall from the machine and held it out to me. "And this is it!"

"… it's at least something cute and cuddly, right?" That would certainly make it a lot easier on me.

"Oh, naturally!" Oak sounded way too enthusiastic. "At least, I'm sure there are some people that find this Pokémon adorable." He tossed the PokéBall to the ground. "Come on out!"

I watched as the creature materialized in a flash of blue light and… oh no. You can't be serious.

But I guess I didn't mask my disappointment well enough. "Oh, come on now, Katori," Oak went on. "I can assure you that Rhyhorn make for great a Pokémon partner. They're strong, they're dependable, and most important of all, they're very loyal to their Trainer." He smiled at the Pokémon. "Isn't that right, Rhyhorn?"

The large rocky Pokémon yawned, then belched, then flopped to the floor. It tucked its stubby little legs underneath its body and closed it's small eyes. Within seconds, it was dozing with a gentle rumbling snore.

Needless to say, that confidence did nothing to win me over. I didn't want a Pokémon to begin with, but I think I could've managed something small. Like a Growlithe, or a Jigglypuff, or even a Psyduck. But a Rhyhorn? That won't fit in my room. Heck, I don't think it could make it up the stairs. It would probably have stay outside, and then Mom would make me go out there and play with it and take care of it and… ugh.

"Is something the matter?" asked Oak. "You don't seem to be that excited."

"Uh, it's just that… well, I'm not really good with Rock-Type Pokémon." He'll believe that, right? Some people just don't mesh well with certain types. I rubbed the back of my head and tried to smile. "Never have been. I just don't know much about them… or how to take care of them… or, well, yeah."

"… I see." Oak rubbed his chin. I was hoping that he would go in the back and find some other Pokémon, but apparently that was asking too much. "Then that's perfect!" he exclaimed loudly. "The whole point of this project is to be a learning experience, after all! This will be a great chance for you to step outside of your comfort zone and come to understand a Pokémon that you are unfamiliar with!"

"Yeah, but… I don't know…"

"Not knowing is part of the adventure," Oak said. "But so is learning. And there are plenty of people out there who can help. I would recommend Pewter City's Gym Leader. He specializes in Rock-Type Pokémon. I'm sure he can tell you everything you need to know."

"Uh…"

Professor Oak held the PokéBall out to me. "Go on, your journey starts here."

I eyed the PokéBall. With a heavy sigh, I reached out for it. The metal casing was cool to the touch, and there was a bit of weight to the capsule. More than I expected, at least. Probably a bit heavier than a full soda can. It was the first time I'd ever held a PokéBall, and it felt… I dunno.

The Rhyhorn was still asleep and all curled up and… okay, fine. I guess it kinda looked a bit cute. If you squint a little bit. I guess it could've been worse. Like a Lickitung or something.

I pointed the PokéBall at the Pokémon. "Return."

But nothing happened.

So I tried again. "Uh… return?"

"You know, you don't have to say that," Oak commented. "They only do that on TV."

"Oh… then how do I-"

"The red top part. It pushes down a bit."

"Oh."

I pushed the top of the PokéBall, and sure enough a blue laser shot out of the center button. I started swinging it around. "Cool."

"Just be careful where you point it. Don't blind yourself… or me."

"Right." I aimed the laser at Rhyhorn, and the Pokémon quickly dematerialized into a small blue orb that was sucked right back into the PokéBall. And it was a smooth process. I didn't feel any kickback or vibrations from the device. "Huh. Neat."

"You haven't seen anything yet," remarked Professor Oak. "Hold down the center button."

I pressed down on the center with my thumb. A ring of white light pulsed around the button, and then PokéBall shrunk down, right there in my hand. From the size of a baseball to a ping-pong ball. "Whoa…"

Oak folded his arms with a grin. "Technology is quite impressive, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" I've heard people say that PokéBalls could shrink like that, but honestly, I thought it was just one of those myths that get passed around the playground or water cooler or whatever.

"So then, congratulations Katori!"

"… for what?"

"You're officially a Trainer now!"

Oh, right. That's a weird thought. Didn't think it actually would happen, but… well, today's been a prime example of things not going my way.

"And that…" continued Oak, "I believe that's everything. You have your notebook. You have your mission. You have your Pokémon. You're ready to begin your Summer Research Club project!"

"Yay." Just one week. I could make it through one week. I turned to leave. "Thank you, Professor."

"Good luck out there, Katori," he called back as I walked away. "Remember, I'm expecting great things from you!"

Of course he was. So was Mom. So was Dad. So was everyone. And man… they're all about to be really disappointed.