Ash and his friends arrived at the Pokémon Center for a Pokémon check-up. May was also having great success, with her Torchic reaching the Normal-Peak level and her Beautifly reaching the Elite-Early level with Ash's help.
After lunch, May went off to train with Beautifly, leaving her Torchic behind with Ash and the others. Just then, Nurse Joy passed by and her eyes lit up when she saw the two Mudkip, the Torchic, and the Grovyle. She walked over and asked, "Excuse me, but are the Mudkip, Torchic, and Grovyle yours?"
"Yes, Nurse Joy!" Max blurted out.
"Really? You've raised them so well!" Nurse Joy genuinely praised them.
Brock, with a lovesick look on his face, stepped forward. "That's right! This Mudkip is mine, and I was the one who prepared all the Pokémon food they ate. It's an honor to receive your praise, Nurse Joy!"
Max quickly grabbed Brock by the ear and dragged him away.
Nurse Joy smiled. "Actually, a new trainer is coming today to choose a starter Pokémon. I'm on my way to prepare the Torchic, Treecko, and Mudkip for their check-up! It would be wonderful if they could grow up to be as healthy as yours."
Not everyone gets their Pokémon from a Professor. Many people, like Team Rocket's James, don't even have a Pokédex and have to rely on pictures or their own memory to identify Pokémon. In Slateport City, the starter Pokémon are distributed by Nurse Joy!
Ash felt a twinge of regret. In his past life, he missed his chance to choose a starter due to oversleeping but was instead given Pikachu, who became his best partner. But now that he had been reborn, he never got to truly choose his first Pokémon. He couldn't help but feel a little sad, as this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
After finishing the check-up, Nurse Joy smiled at the group. "All three Pokémon are very healthy. Now, let's let them out of their Poké Balls for some exercise!"
Looking at the eager Max, Nurse Joy said, "Max, you can do it!"
"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy!" ヾ(＠゜▽゜＠)ノ Max took the Poké Balls and opened them one by one according to the fire, grass, and water symbols. "Come on out, Torchic, Treecko, and Mudkip!"
The three Pokémon had very different personalities. The Torchic was aggressive and eager to battle, the Treecko was a shy girl, and the Mudkip was such a crybaby you might have mistaken it for a Sobble!
Just then, May called from her training location. "Nurse Joy! Something's wrong! I found a Wailord that was washed ashore, and it looks very weak."
As a Nurse Joy in a coastal city, she had a plan. She turned to Ash and the others. "Ash, would you please keep an eye on them for me while I'm gone? I'm counting on you!"
As Nurse Joy's number one fan, Brock immediately volunteered to go with her. With that, Brock and Nurse Joy left, leaving only Ash and Max behind.
Max looked at the three starters excitedly. "This is great! I can finally take care of Pokémon just like a real trainer!"
With their experienced Pokémon nearby, the three starters should be fine! Especially with Pikachu, who was an expert at taking care of younger Pokémon. The Treecko and Mudkip got along well, and Ash's own Mudkip was having a great time playing with the new Mudkip.
However, an unexpected incident occurred with the new Torchic. It was so aggressive that it had tried to challenge May's Torchic. If it hadn't been for May's Torchic's high level from training with Ash, it would have been defeated. The new Torchic just kept on battling, breaking through to the Normal-Mid level and even attempting to force its own evolution.
"No!" By the time Ash got there, the Torchic had already started evolving. A forced evolution would consume a huge amount of a Pokémon's potential, and it could take forever to recover, just look at Charizard.
Ash interrupted the evolution and picked the Pokémon up. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" "Pika-pi~"
Pikachu was also staring at the Torchic, surprised that it had caused such a ruckus in such a short time.
"Chamo~" May's Torchic looked speechless. This new rookie was so brave that it tried to force its evolution just to beat it!
"Chamo~" The new Torchic started tearing up, trying to look cute. The Torchic was indeed a brave and clever one; it was very good at acting.
Whack! Ash gave its head a light flick. He knew that this trick might work on Pikachu, but not on him.
After some discipline from Ash, the Torchic became much more well-behaved. It started rubbing against Ash's leg, trying to please him.
Soon, Nurse Joy, Brock, and May returned after successfully treating the Wailord and returning it to the sea.
As they arrived at the Pokémon Center, the new trainer also arrived. Ash quietly went over and explained to Nurse Joy that the Torchic had leveled up.
The little girl had already started to choose. Nurse Joy gently said to her, "Little girl, come and choose the one you like! The Torchic is a bit of a troublemaker, and the Treecko is a little..." Nurse Joy tried to explain their personalities.
The little girl didn't catch the hidden meaning in her words. "This is so cool! Which one should I choose?"
Her father, who came with her, smiled and said, "Take your time."
"I've made up my mind!" The girl thought for a moment and made her decision. "I choose Mudkip."
Just as the little girl chose the crybaby Mudkip and everyone thought it was over, the Treecko suddenly got teary-eyed and looked just as pathetic as the Mudkip.
As everyone was about to comfort it, the girl's father spoke up. "I've decided! I choose Treecko!"
"Huh?!" Everyone was shocked. Σ(°Д°;
"Nurse Joy, there's no age limit for becoming a Pokémon trainer, is there?" the man asked.
"Of course not!" Nurse Joy nodded in agreement.
The man had always wanted to be a trainer but was a few decades late. And so, the father and daughter both became Pokémon trainers! Fate can be a wonderful thing!
Only the feisty Torchic was left. It looked very fond of Ash.
Ash looked at the Torchic and asked Nurse Joy, "Nurse Joy, I was wondering if this Torchic could..."
Before he could finish, Nurse Joy smiled and replied, "Yes, it can. This Torchic is very feisty, and it has already surpassed the standard for a beginner's Pokémon. I have the authority to decide. Consider it a gift for your help!" She had already understood what Ash was going to say and could see that the Torchic had made its choice. She respected the Pokémon's decision.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" O(-人-)O Ash said gratefully.
Ash then crouched down and said to the Torchic, "Torchic, would you like to travel with me and get stronger together?"
"Chamo!" The Torchic looked into Ash's eyes and nodded firmly.
"Alright, it's decided! I choose you, Torchic!"
"That's awesome, Ash!" Everyone cheered. "Pika-pi~" Pikachu welcomed the little rookie to the team.
And just like that, Ash got his first starter Pokémon since his rebirth, finally fulfilling his wish.
[Torchic]
[Gender: Male]
[Type: Fire]
[Ability: Speed Boost (Speed increases by one stage each turn)]
[Rank: Normal - Mid]
[Moves: Peck, Ember, Growl, Quick Attack, Counter]
[Tera Type: Fire]
To be continued...