Kaito woke to the sound of footsteps in the hall and the smell of warm bread, and when he opened his eyes he saw Professor Oak standing in the doorway with a small tray in his hands and a calm look on his face, and Oak set the tray down on the table and sat across from him without hurry, as if he had all the time in the world to listen and to watch. Oak did not ask for a long story. He only asked one clear question: whether Kaito wanted to learn and whether he would follow the rules of the town. Kaito answered simply that he wanted to learn and that he would follow the rules, and Oak nodded and said that was enough for now and that they would begin with small steps.
After breakfast, Oak led Kaito out to the lab yard and pointed to a small patch of grass near the lab where the sun hit the ground evenly and the wind did not blow too hard, and Oak said that this was a good place to train and that Kaito should start with short sessions and watch the Rattata closely for signs of fatigue. Kaito listened and he repeated Oak's instructions in his head, and then Oak surprised him by saying that he had one more thing to offer if Kaito was ready to accept it, and Kaito felt his chest tighten because he did not know what Oak meant but he trusted Oak's calm voice and he nodded.
Oak walked to a small wooden crate near the lab door and opened it carefully, and inside the crate was a small Pokémon curled up on a soft cloth, and when Oak lifted the cloth the Pokémon blinked and looked at Kaito with steady eyes and a quiet presence that made Kaito feel something like respect without words. Oak set the Pokémon down and said, "This is Bulbasaur. I have watched you for a day. You treat Pokémon with care. I will give Bulbasaur to you if you promise to train it with respect and to follow the rules I told you."
Kaito felt his hands go cold for a moment and then steady. He had seen Bulbasaur in pictures and videos, but seeing one in front of him was different. The Bulbasaur looked at him and did not move away. It did not seem afraid. Kaito knelt slowly and reached out his hand. Bulbasaur sniffed his fingers and then pressed its small head against his palm. Kaito felt a simple, clear connection in that moment, and he said, "I promise." Oak nodded and wrote a short note in his book and then said that Bulbasaur would be Kaito's official partner and that Oak would help when he could but that most of the work would be Kaito's.
The system panel appeared in Kaito's mind as it had before, precise and factual, and the appraisal lines were short and clear and they told him what he needed to know without giving him answers to how to win fights. The appraisal read that Bulbasaur was calm, that it had a strong potential, and that it would respond well to patient training. Kaito read the lines and felt a steady thought form in his head: the system would show what was possible, but the work would still be his.
SYSTEM – APPRAISAL Pokémon: Bulbasaur Type: Grass/Poison Current Tier: D Potential Tier: S Notes: Calm temperament; high potential with steady bonding
Kaito thanked Oak and then sat on the grass with Bulbasaur beside him. He thought about the drills he had done with the Rattata and he thought about Oak's advice to keep sessions short and to watch for signs of fatigue. He decided to begin with simple commands and timing drills, and he started by asking Bulbasaur to follow his hand and to step over small sticks he placed on the ground. Bulbasaur moved slowly at first and then more confidently, and Kaito kept his voice low and his hands steady and he rewarded Bulbasaur with small pieces of bread when it did the motion correctly.
People in town noticed the new pair. A few neighbors stopped to watch and a child waved from a distance. Oak watched from the lab steps and did not interfere. He only made a small note in his book and then walked away to tend to other work. Kaito felt the weight of Oak's quiet trust and he used it as a steady force to keep his training honest. He did not try to force Bulbasaur to do more than it could. He repeated the drills and he stopped when Bulbasaur blinked slowly or when its breathing changed. He followed Oak's rule and he kept the sessions short.
As the day moved on, Kaito introduced Bulbasaur to the Rattata and let them meet without pressure. The Rattata sniffed Bulbasaur and then circled once and sat down. Bulbasaur watched the Rattata and then reached out a small vine to touch it gently. The two Pokémon did not fight. They did not show fear. They accepted each other's presence and then returned to the training area. Kaito felt a small satisfaction at the sight. He had not forced the meeting. He had let it happen slowly and the result was calm.
Oak returned in the afternoon with a small book and a pencil and he sat with Kaito and showed him a few simple notes about how to read a Pokémon's breathing and how to watch for signs of stress in the eyes and the tail. Oak's instructions were plain and direct. He said that a trainer must always watch and must always be ready to stop. He said that strength without care was not strength at all. Kaito listened and he repeated the instructions in his head. He felt the system in the back of his mind and he felt the training multiplier line as a fact, but he did not let it change how he treated Bulbasaur. He treated Bulbasaur as a living being and not as a tool.
That evening, a small problem happened near the edge of town. A group of wild Pidgey had nested in a low tree and a strong wind had knocked down a few branches and trapped one of the Pidgey under a tangle of twigs. People gathered and tried to free the bird, but the branches were sharp and the bird was frightened and it kept flapping and making the situation worse. Kaito saw the scene and moved forward without thinking about being noticed. He asked Oak for permission and Oak nodded. Kaito called Bulbasaur and Rattata and he moved to the tree.
He worked with calm hands. He used Bulbasaur's vine to lift a branch slowly while the Rattata held a smaller twig steady. Bulbasaur's vine was careful and precise. The Pidgey was freed and it flew away with a quick cry. The people who had gathered clapped and a few thanked Kaito. He felt a small satisfaction but he did not let it change him. He returned to the training area and he checked Bulbasaur's paws and the Rattata's tail for cuts. He cleaned a small scrape on Bulbasaur's leg and he spoke to it in a low voice.
That night, Oak called a short meeting with a few townspeople to explain who Kaito was and to ask them to watch over him. Oak spoke plainly and he said that Kaito had woken in the forest and that he had a Rattata and now a Bulbasaur and that he wanted to learn. The townspeople listened and some were worried and some were curious. One woman said that a child should not be alone in the world and another man said that the boy had done well to help the Pidgey. Oak said that they would watch and that Kaito would not be alone.
Kaito stood and said that he would follow the rules and that he would not take Pokémon from others and that he would not fight in the streets. His voice was steady and clear. The townspeople looked at him and some nodded and some still looked worried. Oak said that Kaito would train under his eye when he could and that the town would help when needed.
After the meeting, Kaito walked back to the lab with Bulbasaur and Rattata at his side. He felt tired and he felt the day in his bones. He fed the Pokémon and he checked their paws and he cleaned a small scrape on the Rattata's side. He spoke to them in a low voice and he told them they had done well. He felt the system in his mind and he felt the training multiplier line as a fact, but he did not let it change how he treated the Pokémon. He had used the system to make his work count, not to replace the work.
A short line of text appeared in his mind as the sun moved low.
SYSTEM – TRAINING COMPLETE 10× Efficiency Applied
Kaito read the message and felt a small satisfaction. He had worked and the work had counted. He had not used the system to force results. He had used it to make honest work more effective. He packed a small bag with a few pieces of bread and a water bottle and he walked to the small cot in the spare room. He kept the door open a little so he could hear the town and he kept the Rattata and Bulbasaur near the door.
Before sleep, he thought about Oak's words and about the map Oak had given him and about the rules of the town. He thought about the child who had waved at him and about the people who had helped free the Pidgey. He thought about the system and the way it showed facts and numbers. He thought about the plan he had made and he added a new line to it: he would train Bulbasaur and Rattata every day, he would follow Oak's rules, he would help people when he could, and he would keep the system to himself.
Kaito closed his eyes and felt the steady breathing of Bulbasaur and the soft weight of the Rattata at his feet. He felt tired and he felt ready. He did not know what would happen next. He only knew that he had chosen a path and that he would walk it one step at a time. He would be brave and he would be careful. He would learn how to protect Pokémon and he would not let the system change who he was.