The next morning, Ethan, who had been excited all night, got up early. After his daily morning exercises and a visit to the laboratory to check on the unhatched Pokémon eggs, he came to the living room for breakfast.
"Perfect timing! After breakfast, you can go to the South City Institute to receive your starter Pokémon. Aren't you excited?" Joanna said with a smile as she walked out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of fried eggs.
"Of course! After so many years, I'm finally getting my own Pokémon!" Ethan excitedly sat next to Emily. From her slightly damp hair, it was clear that she had just returned from her morning exercise as well.
"Although university hasn't started yet, having a Pokémon means you've taken the first step towards becoming a trainer. I don't have much else to say, except to hope you remember one thing: the world of Pokémon isn't as wonderful as you imagine. Always prioritize your own safety, because there are people waiting for you at home." Putting down her breakfast, Joanna looked at the two children in front of her and spoke earnestly.
Although she wasn't a trainer, Ethan's father was, and she herself was a senior breeder. Putting aside the darkness of human nature, the wild jungles alone were full of dangers. For these children who had never left the city, being a trainer represented an adventurous future, but for them as parents, safety was the greatest hope.
However, she didn't prevent her children from becoming trainers like some ordinary families do, because she knew that the more dangerous the world, the more one needed strength. Only then could they control the right to live. Even dying on the path of growth was better than living under the protection of others.
"Don't worry, Mom, we'll be careful." Ethan nodded solemnly, while Emily also put down her chopsticks and looked at Joanna seriously, saying, "Nothing will happen."
Although they experienced the darkness of human nature too early, it also gave them a maturity far beyond their peers. Not to mention Emily, even Ethan, with two lifetimes of experience, if he had lived according to his pre-ten-year-old ways, he might have died somewhere in the wild. After all, reality and games are always different. In reality, there is only bloody combat, not just two black eyes symbolizing dizziness. Failure often means paying the price of life.
...
After receiving the children's assurances, the topic quickly changed. Once they finished breakfast and packed their things, they finally boarded the bus heading to the South City Institute.
...
Because the institute needed to accommodate a large number of Pokémon, including many large-bodied ones, it wasn't built in the city center but rather in the southern suburbs. At the same time, America's famous Southern University was also built nearby, along with various other universities and lesser-known colleges, making this area a well-known university town in South City.
Countless students shaped the various businesses here. Although the area was vast and sparsely populated, its prosperity was no less than that of the main urban area. Shops of all sizes were everywhere, and even wild Pokémon could often be seen, as there wasn't as much control here as in the main urban area.
Since the college entrance examination results weren't out yet, not many people were here, and the bus was quite empty. However, the rarity of Sneasel attracted a lot of attention, but for Ethan, who was constantly bothered by his appearance, this was nothing.
Arriving at the South City Institute, the two took out their respective starter Pokémon vouchers and were then led to a large hall. After a while, a female researcher in a white professional uniform came out to greet them.
"You're here? Two beauties?" The female researcher greeted them familiarly, looking at the two half-grown children.
"Sister Yan, you're going too far!" Ethan pouted and said grumpily.
Having grown up in the institute, he naturally knew many people there. The female researcher in front of him had only been at the institute for just over a year, but she had become very familiar with them. Being not much older herself, she often played with the two of them.
Her full name was Sarah Yan, twenty-three years old this year, a graduate of the Southern University's Breeding Department - General Breeding major, and an intermediate breeder. She was currently an assistant breeder at the South City Institute, mainly responsible for the daily care and data statistics of the starter Pokémon along with others.
"Hehe, who told you to be so beautiful?" She reached out to pinch Ethan's face but he dodged. Sarah laughed without any embarrassment, "I've been waiting for you for a long time, come with me!"
"By the way, have you thought about which Pokémon you want as your starter?" Sarah asked Ethan as they walked.
"I remember the institute recently received a batch of Litten and Popplio, right?" Ethan looked up and asked.
Starter Pokémon are basically Fire, Water, and Grass types. Neither Ethan's Fairy type nor Emily's Dark type could be directly obtained here. Not only for starter Pokémon, but these two types of Pokémon are inherently rare in terms of quantity and variety, otherwise they wouldn't have been kept secret and unannounced until now. Moreover, going directly for the hidden three types right after getting into a Pokémon university would be akin to courting danger.
Therefore, if they wanted to get Dark and Fairy type starter Pokémon, they could only choose starter Pokémon that had the new three types as a secondary attribute. Many Pokémon have multiple attributes, just like Charmander, whose final evolution, Charizard, has the Flying type. Other starter Pokémon are generally similar, but even Pokémon with Dark and Fairy types as secondary attributes are extremely rare.
As far as Ethan knew, among all the starter Pokémon, only Greninja, the final evolution of Froakie, and Incineroar, the final evolution of Litten, had the Dark type as a secondary attribute. The Fairy type was even rarer; among the starter Pokémon, only Primarina, the final evolution of Popplio, could awaken the Fairy type.
However, these types of Pokémon are not common in the US. The domestically produced starter Pokémon in the US are mainly Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Fortunately, America is vast and rich in resources, and later Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile were also discovered, so America actually produces two sets of starter Pokémon domestically.
As for other starter Pokémon, they were introduced from other countries and, after decades of cultivation, have largely been able to be produced stably. However, he couldn't be sure if there were Litten and Popplio, after all, neither Froakie nor Popplio had yet been listed in the League's Pokedex.
"Your information is very well-informed!" Sarah said with a smile, not surprised that Ethan knew about Litten and Popplio, two starter Pokémon that had never appeared in the US before.
"But unfortunately, Popplio has arrived, and in large numbers, so giving you one is no problem. But as for Litten... something happened on the way, and it hasn't arrived yet. And it's said that its mental condition isn't very good, so you probably can't choose it as your starter Pokémon." Sarah shrugged.
"What happened to Litten?" Ethan's brows furrowed slightly. Popplio and Litten were starter Pokémon recently introduced from Australia. He had heard about this at the Southern University's institute. Such exchanges of starter Pokémon are quite normal internationally, which is why he had chosen Popplio as his first choice. He just hadn't expected Litten to not arrive as scheduled due to an accident, which undoubtedly left Emily with one less option.
"They encountered pirate hunters on the way. Although they were repelled, many Poké Balls fell into the sea. Popplio, being Water-type, was fine, and Rowlet, being Grass/Flying, was also okay. But the Fire-type Litten suffered. Many Litten became seriously ill or even died directly and have been returned to Australia for recuperation."
"Not only Litten, but Popplio and Rowlet have also shown some acclimatization issues. I personally don't recommend you choose them. Moreover, there are no records of these Pokémon being bred in the US. As a newcomer, I think it's better to choose more common Pokémon in the US, like Squirtle." Seeing Ethan deep in thought, Sarah spoke again.
Young people are always easily attracted by the unknown. A brand new, rare, never-before-seen Pokémon often attracts a lot of attention. But as a researcher, she knew very well that although starter Pokémon are all different, their growth potential is actually similar. Aside from type advantages, there is no such thing as who is stronger or weaker; everything depends on the trainer's cultivation. In this situation, Pokémon that everyone is familiar with are definitely easier to train.
"How long until the next batch of Litten arrives?" Ethan asked, unwilling to give up. He wanted to equip Emily's team with a main damage dealer, and the Fire-type Litten was undoubtedly much better than the Water-type Froakie. Comparatively, whether he could get Popplio was not as important.
"I can't say for sure, but I estimate it will take at least a month or two." Seeing that he was still persistent, Sarah shrugged and replied, "And when they do arrive, we don't know how many there will be. At that time, we'll have to reserve some for the institute and the gym, so whether you can get one is hard to say."
"Do you have Froakie?" Ethan was about to say something else, but Emily beside him had already spoken.
"Emily!" Ethan called softly, but she shook her head.
"Actually, Froakie is better, isn't it? After all, Sneasel is an Ice type." Emily stroked the Sneasel beside her and said calmly.