[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have received an Elite Mission: Help Professor Birch escape from the Zigzagoon pursuit.]
[Time Limit: One hour]
[Objective: Drive away all the Zigzagoons and rescue Professor Birch]
[Mission Rewards: Starter Pokémon ×1, Pokémon World Resident Card, Detection Skill]
[Failure Penalty: Reduced favorability from Professor Birch, and inability to obtain a Pokémon within the next three days]
Upon hearing the system prompt, Lu Feng's clear eyes lit up.
Wasn't this the iconic opening scene from the Ruby and Sapphire games?
He had been racking his brain over how to get a starter Pokémon—and now, this mission had solved all his problems in one go.
"Young man, please help me!" Professor Birch, seeing Lu Feng standing there in a daze, called out anxiously.
Hearing the urgency in the professor's tone, Lu Feng scratched his head awkwardly and said with an embarrassed expression,
"Professor Birch, my name is Lu Feng. I want to help you, but I don't have a Pokémon yet—I can't fight off these Zigzagoons!"
"How could this be…"
Professor Birch hadn't expected someone to venture into the wild without a Pokémon, and he froze in disbelief.
But seeing the Zigzagoon ramming the tree trunk below, making the entire tree shake violently and begin to wobble, his face turned pale with panic.
After thinking for a moment, he looked deeply at Lu Feng, then glanced toward a briefcase lying nearby on the ground.
For some reason, an idea suddenly popped into his head.
Relaxing his furrowed brow, he pointed toward a nearby patch of grass and shouted,
"Young man! There's a briefcase over there—inside are three Pokémon I just received from the League. Open it and pick one to help fight them off!"
Upon hearing this, a flash of joy passed through Lu Feng's eyes. The scenario was playing out almost exactly as he'd expected.
"Yes! This is perfect!"
Carefully avoiding the Zigzagoon's attention, he dashed toward the briefcase hidden in the grass.
It didn't take long before he reached it. Opening the case slowly, he saw three red-and-white Poké Balls gently trembling, as if inviting him to choose one for battle.
The three Poké Balls contained:
Mudkip on the left
Torchic in the middle
Treecko on the right
Torchic was a Fire-type chick Pokémon. Because of the flames burning within its body, its embrace felt very warm. It could release fireballs reaching 1000°C. When under attack, it would spit out fireballs from its stomach to defend itself. It feared pitch-black environments the most.
Treecko was a Grass-type forest gecko Pokémon, mainly green in color. With small spines on the bottoms of its feet, it could easily move across steep terrain. Its large tail could be used as a weapon.
Mudkip was a Water-type mudfish Pokémon, mainly blue. The fin on its head acted like a radar, helping it sense its surroundings. It breathed through the gills on its cheeks and, when endangered, it could unleash enough power to smash rocks larger than itself.
Looking at the three Poké Balls before him, Lu Feng's excitement surged, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"You haven't picked one yet?! I can't hold on much longer!!"
Just as Lu Feng was contemplating which Pokémon to choose, Professor Birch's voice rang out again—this time tinged with impatience.
"Professor, I'm on it! Please hang in there a little longer!" Lu Feng shouted back, trying to reassure him.
Hearing that, the professor seemed slightly relieved. Then, as if he remembered something, he quickly added:
"There's a Pokédex in the briefcase as well! If you don't know which moves the Pokémon have, you can use the Pokédex to look them up!"
Let me know if you'd like this in a more stylized version for web novels or fanfiction platforms!
Lu Feng's eyes flickered as he first grabbed the Pokédex, then took a deep breath and began thinking rapidly.
He knew he didn't have much time—he had to make a decision quickly, or the mission might fail.
After all, the upcoming battle would take time too.
In the end, Lu Feng fixed his gaze on the Poké Ball containing Mudkip, then solemnly picked it up.
Mudkip's final evolution, Swampert, is a Water/Ground-type with excellent resistances. It could both deal and take hits, making it a solid all-rounder in any team.
Although it had a 4× weakness to Grass, as long as moves like Ice Beam were added to its moveset, that weakness could be largely mitigated.
Not to mention, Swampert could undergo Mega Evolution, allowing its power to reach an entirely new level.
Looking up at Professor Birch still clinging helplessly to the tree, full of resentment, and at the three Zigzagoon prowling below, Lu Feng didn't hesitate—he threw the Poké Ball in his hand.
"Mudkip, I choose you!"
The Poké Ball opened with a click, flashing a red light. A small, blue, mudfish Pokémon with a fin on its head appeared in front of Lu Feng.
"Maa~" Mudkip cried cheerfully, locking eyes with Lu Feng, its gaze carrying a hint of affection.
It was as if it was thanking Lu Feng for choosing it.
At that moment, as their eyes met, Lu Feng and Mudkip seemed to form a mutual understanding.
Full of curiosity toward the world, Mudkip trotted up to Lu Feng and lightly tapped him with its head fin, as if expressing its joy.
Lu Feng looked down at Mudkip and felt that the air around them had grown slightly more humid. His face showed a thoughtful expression.
He then aimed the Pokédex at Mudkip, and with a ding, information appeared on the screen:
[Name: Mudkip]
[Gender:]
[Type: Water]
[Abilities: Torrent – When HP falls below 1/3, the power of Water-type moves increases by 1.5×.
Moisture – While a Pokémon with the Moisture ability is on the field, moves like Self-Destruct, Explosion, and Mind Blown will fail. Abilities that trigger explosions will also be nullified. Moisture does not affect powder-based moves.]
[Category: Mud Fish Pokémon]
[Level: 6]
[Potential: Elite Four Candidate]
[Moves: Tackle, Growl, Mud-Slap, Ancient Power (egg move), Whirlpool (egg move), Avalanche (egg move)]
(Potential is ranked as: Starter, Normal, Elite, Gym-Level, Elite Four Candidate, Elite Four-Level, Champion-Level, Legendary-Level)
Lu Feng glanced at the Pokédex and nodded slightly in satisfaction after reading Mudkip's information. Three inherited moves—it must have descended from a Lapras line over several generations.
And with Elite Four Candidate-level potential, it truly lived up to being an official starter provided by the League!
"Mudkip, let's go!" Lu Feng said softly, looking at the three Zigzagoons that were raring to attack, his voice gentle but firm.
"Maa~!" Mudkip let out a cry in response, its eyes locked onto the three wild Zigzagoons ahead, full of fighting spirit and brimming with energy.