A red light beamed towards the ground, and inside the Pokéball was the Pokémon...

Squirtle. The Water type starter curiously looked around his surroundings and focused his eyes on me, which I found quite adorable. I believed that we can form a good team together.

After spending a short time bonding with my Squirtle, I looked over to the other two to check on what they got for themselves.

However, what caught my sight was a disappointed Disc and a worried Cassie. The Pokémon beside Cassie was a Charmander, while what was beside Disc was a Bulbasaur.

I could tell the reason why Disc was disappointed. He probably was hoping for a Charmander, knowing that it was the most desired Pokémon starter in the region.

"I-I didn't expect to get Charmander, I thought I would get someone gentle like Bulbasaur..." Cassie was shocked by the outcome. She admitted that she did not know how to deal with tough-looking Pokémon back then, so I could understand why. However, she was definitely more worried about Disc, who she knew was disappointed by the result.

"Hey Disc... I don't mind exchanging Pokémon with you." Saying that, Cassie was about to return Charmander back to its Pokéball, but the male Charmander growled at Cassie, begging his new trainer not to follow her own idea. It seemed like the Charmander already took a liking to Cassie. Cassie's determination started to fall apart upon looking at her small, adorable new starter.

Suddenly, Disc spoke up. "Cassie, it seems like Charmander likes you already. You should keep it with you."

"Are you sure? I know that you wished to get Charmander-"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I got Bulbasaur, so she's my partner from now on. I thought about it, and I don't think Bulbasaur deserves to feel bad for my own tantrum and disappointment. It's not her fault, after all. From now on, this Bulbasaur shall be with me for my journey as a trainer now." Disc smiled and petted the female Bulbasaur, reassuring us that he recovered from his disappointment. We were relieved that Disc was understanding about the outcome. He was always a well-mannered boy, and considerate about others in each situation. His behaviour towards this outcome proved it once again.

The playful Charmander was happy about everything getting resolved, as it leaped from the table and landed right above Cassie's shoulder. Cassie smiled, starting to accept Charmander fully as her official partner.

"Thank you, Disc, I'll make sure to take good care of him!" Disc smiled upon her response.

I suggested to nickname our Pokémon so they felt more like our own. They agreed with my idea and after thinking about it, I named my Squirtle Surfer, Cassie named her Charmander Flare, and Disc named his Bulbasaur Leafy. After that, we decided to bid our parents one final farewell before leaving at half past eleven.

"Is that your new Pokémon, Lows? It looks awesome!" My mother was delighted with Surfer.

"Yeah, it is. Anyways, I can't wait to travel to the Hoenn region!"

My mother smiled, "Lows, take care of yourself in the Hoenn region. If something bad happens, you can always come home."

That made me tear up a little, knowing that I wouldn't be able to come home for a while after this farewell. "D-Don't worry, I can always call you with my Pokégear,"

Suddenly, I saw my father walking towards me with red eyes, which were obvious signs that he probably cried prior to meeting me.

Did Dad... cry? He never cries, not that I know about it. Except for that one time... I cut off my thoughts before going too further into it.

"Lows, good luck on your journey. We are always there for you in spirit wherever you go." My father said, and I nodded, influenced by the sad atmosphere surrounding my home.

"W-Well, will you look at the time, it's already half past eleven!" My mother broke the silence for us. As she said that, a loud engine sound was heard, signalling that the taxi had just arrived.

"M-Mom, D-Dad, I'm going to miss you two." My parents hugged me before I took my backpack and went into the taxi. I looked at my parents through the taxi window as the taxi started moving. They kept waving their hands until they were out of my sight.

On the way to Vermilion City, I sent out Surfer in the taxi. The Water type Pokémon jumped into my arms and looked around his surroundings through the taxi window.

"Surfer, are you excited to explore around Hoenn soon?" Surfer growled excitedly in response. He was more than ready to travel with me.

After about twenty minutes, I arrived at Vermilion City, I took my backpack and exited the taxi, with Surfer following me from behind.

Vermilion City

"The Port of Exquisite Sunsets"

"So this is Vermilion City..." I looked around the city. There was still some time left before we were boarding the ship to the Hoenn region.

Hmm... What can I do here in my spare time?

Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder from behind. "Hey, you're pretty early."

I looked behind me and they were Cassie and Disc, who apparently just arrived in the city with their new Pokémon alongside them.

"Glad to see you two making it." I smiled.

"What can we do here? There's still some time left, and I'm not hungry to have an early lunch." Cassie asked.

Disc said nothing and looked around the city. Suddenly, something caught his attention. "Look! What is that?" We all looked in the same direction. There seemed to be a carnival happening right in front of our eyes. There was a crowd there with stalls selling all kinds of different stuff.

"Should we explore around the carnival?" We agreed to Disc's suggestion and immediately ran towards where the carnival was happening.

Me and Surfer walked around the area excitedly. There were many kinds of items that I wanted to purchase, but I had only a limited amount of budget, so I only bought some important items: Pokéballs, potions, Pokémon food, and even Berry Pots along with berry seeds.

When I was satisfied with my spendings and was about to leave, I accidentally bumped into a boy and fell onto the ground. While I checked on my backpack to make sure everything was in good condition, the boy sneered, "Some weird trainer who doesn't know how to use his eyes again."

I wasn't in a good mood after hearing that. I knew I was the one at fault, but making that comment was more than just unnecessary.

Suddenly, two people offered to get me up. I looked at Cassie and Disc, grateful towards their help. Disc tried to talk nicely to him, "I don't think that's the way to talk about others. Besides, my friend didn't do it on purpose."

"Well, I think that he did it on purpose..." The boy didn't bother to take Disc's words into heart, "And why should I listen to you when trainers in Kanto are just weaklings that couldn't even battle well?" Though the comment wasn't made too loudly, some trainers around him heard what he said and started whispering to each other, obviously displeased with what he said. Looking around the surroundings and realizing that he might get into more trouble after saying that, he fled from the scene.

"Lows, are you alright?" Cassie and Disc asked me, concerned. I nodded, "I'm alright. I don't think that guy was, though."

"Well, don't mind him, he's just cocky because of his achievements in the recent Indigo League." Cassie replied.

"Wait, you know this guy?" Disc was curious.

"I did some research beforehand," Cassie answered, "He is Harry Waves, the son of Brawly, the Dewford Gym Leader in Hoenn. He started his journey a year late, in which he spent the year learning battle strategies. After that, he travelled around the Kanto region, and participated in the Indigo League where he finished as a semifinalist in the Junior Division. For someone's first time participating, it was an outstanding achievement."

"I heard that he is also continuing his journey in Hoenn with a brand new team. This technically means that we might be encountering him more than often during our journeys, and maybe even battle him in the Ever Grande League." Cassie added, making us worried about having a strong opponent in our first journey already.

"This isn't good..." Disc responded.

"Well, we don't have to focus on him. Instead, we should focus on what's to come in our journeys. We have been anticipating this for a long time now, haven't we?" Their faces lit up upon hearing what I said.

"Look at the time now!" Disc checked his watch and said, "We should head towards S.S. Fast now."

We left the carnival and after searching over a few ships, we found ourselves in front of S.S. Fast. At the dock, there was a small counter with a receptionist working there.

"Mr. Chase, Mr. Landerson and Ms. Jones, may you three show me your trainer cards?" The receptionist asked politely.

We showed her our trainer cards that we just recently obtained. After checking over some details, she nodded with a smile on her face, "Welcome to S.S. Fast for your trip to Hoenn's Slateport City! Your rooms are Room 12 for Mr. Chase, Room 13 for Mr. Landerson and Room 15 for Ms. Jones. At the main hall, you can either have friendly Pokémon battles or enjoy your meal before we arrive at the destination. There is also Pokémon food available there. You're required to head back to your rooms once it reaches nine at night to prevent disturbing other passengers who intend to rest. Do you three understand the rules and regulations?"

We nodded, and the receptionist said, "Enjoy your trip in S.S. Fast!"

We entered the ship and decided to go into our rooms to store our belongings there before meeting at the main hall. I opened the door of my room and I was dumbfounded by the comfortable vibe brought by the room. There was a queen-sized bed, a small table with a chair along with some decorations that fits the room's atmosphere very well. There was also a small window with curtains where we could look at the beautiful night sea. Overall, I was satisfied.

I let Surfer out from his Pokéball, and immediately, he went to have a look through the window. I assumed he was excited to check out the sea for the first time. Later, we left our room and went to the main hall to meet up with my friends.

I had a good meal with Surfer while my two friends battled with some of the passengers. Just as I finished my food, they walked over with defeated looks on their faces.

"Didn't go so well?" I asked the two.

"Well, we were defeating trainers at first, but someone else defeated us easily. Two of us in a row, too!" Cassie sighed.

"You probably know who he is. Apparently, he boarded the same ship as us to Hoenn." Disc said.

"Harry?" It could have only been him. Based on their reactions, I assumed I was right. Just as I asked that, the arrogant trainer walked towards us, mocking the two, "Just as I thought, the ones associated with the trainer who had no working eyes wouldn't be much better, either."

"Hey, you can talk all bad about me, but don't drag my friends into this." I replied.

He smirked, "Well, how about we settle this with a Pokémon battle? Or... are you too afraid to accept this challenge?"

Darn, bullies... I was nervous, but I accepted his challenge, "S-Sure, why not?" I had only learnt some battle strategies by watching battles through the television, but I wanted to give it a shot. We headed towards the battle area of the main hall, and we were ready to start.

"Time to battle, Mudkip!" He sent out his Mudkip from his Pokéball. The Mudkip didn't seem as excited to battle, instead I felt some sadness from this Pokémon. I felt bad, but I had to continue as I sent out Surfer.

"Mudkip, use Mud Slap on Squirtle!" Mudkip immediately ran towards Surfer, following his trainer's command and released a small pile of mud towards Surfer. Surfer was unable to react on time, as he took all the mud on his face, his vision getting blocked by the mud.

I gotta think fast! "Mudkip, use Mud Slap again!" As Harry commanded, I had an idea in mind.

"Surfer, use Growl, then tackle Mudkip!" Surfer was able to sense the direction of where the Mudkip was approaching, and growled at him fiercely, terrifying the Hoenn starter and stopping him for a moment. Surfer took the opportunity to run towards the Mud Fish Pokémon, giving it a hard Tackle attack.

I was happy that the strategy worked, but I noticed that Surfer is already getting tired due to this being his first battle. "Surfer, win or lose, let's try our best, okay?"

Surfer nodded in determination, ready to continue the battle. "Surfer, use Tackle!"

"Mudkip, do the same!"

Both Pokémon rushed towards each other and collided with each other with their own Tackle attacks. Mudkip was able to endure the impact, while Surfer was knocked onto the ground, unable to move anymore.

"I suppose I win this one, weakling. It went the way just as I thought." Harry maintained his arrogant tone in his voice. I paid no attention to him, instead I focused on checking on Surfer. He was fine, just extremely exhausted. I thanked him for the battle and returned him back to his Pokéball.

Seeing that I wasn't affected by his comments, he let out an irritated groan and said, "Keep having that hope of yours, because they would all be gone when I win the Ever Grande League this year."

With that, he left the main hall without even returning the tired Mudkip, forcing the Water type to follow him while panting. I felt bad for the little guy.

Despite losing, I was feeling thrilled. Battling gave me an experience I never had before. It felt like me and Surfer bonded in some way.

I can only get better from here. I'll prove him wrong that Kantonians are more than just weaklings!

I went back to Cassie and Disc, who were watching the battle and gave me words of encouragement after I lost. We also went to heal our Pokémon before heading back to our rooms.

However, the day hasn't ended yet. Cassie and I decided to give Disc a surprise before his birthday ended. We met outside Disc's room as planned and knocked on the door.

He opened the door, and immediately, we sang, "Happy birthday to you..."

We sang the Happy Birthday song for him while holding a cake that we bought earlier. Disc was surprised, but quickly recovered and grinned, thanking us for the surprise.

"You two didn't have to do this for me, being with you two and starting our journeys together was already the best gift for me." Despite saying that, his happy expression proved that he appreciated our surprise for him. He closed his eyes, made a wish and blew the candles. We enjoyed the cake and had a small conversation before heading back to our rooms while it was still somewhat early to prepare for bed.

In my room, I asked Surfer, "Surfer, did you enjoy the battle we had?" Surfer nodded in response with a happy expression.

"Let's do better in the future, then!" I gave Surfer a high-five before going to bed for a good rest.

Tomorrow is where our adventure officially begins!

Lows' Pokémon Team:

Surfer (Squirtle, Male) Jolly Nature, Moves: Tackle, Growl