"Wait… what's that blue Pokémon playing with the Poliwag? It even has a blue ball on its tail. Adam, remember this—since when did Azurill appear in Kanto?!"
While watching the Pokémon in the park of Professor Oak's Laboratory, Adam suddenly realized something strange.
In the small pond, a tiny and adorable Azurill was happily playing with several Poliwag.
Just as Adam was feeling puzzled, Professor Oak noticed him. The professor asked the other children to spread out and play with the Pokémon, then walked over.
"Adam, you're here too," the professor said with a smile. "If I remember correctly, you also turned ten this year, right? How about it—want to try and see if you can get a Pokémon?"
"Professor, that's not what I mean," Adam replied, pointing discreetly toward the pond. "When we studied the Pokédex at school, if I remember correctly, isn't the Marill line from Johto? How do you have one here?"
The professor looked where he was pointing and scratched his head.
"Oh, that little Azurill? Well, I went to Johto for a visit not long ago. Professor Elm there has a Champion-level Azumarill. I saw it knock down a Tyranitar with one punch—it was incredible!"
He laughed excitedly.
"So I traded a Dratini Egg for a batch of them. This one's individual potential isn't great, but it's the cutest of the bunch. I brought it here to see if anyone would connect with it. What, are you interested?"
"Can I really…? That might not be appropriate…"
Just as Adam was about to politely refuse—before secretly accepting—a sudden chorus of excited voices came from behind him.
He and the professor turned to look.
The only Azurill in the park had already wrapped itself affectionately around a girl's arm.
The girl had long hair draped over her shoulders, and her big eyes with long eyelashes fluttered as she looked at the Pokémon. The two stared at each other for a moment before both breaking into happy laughter.
The professor chuckled.
"It seems you and that Azurill weren't meant to meet. It clearly prefers Tōna."
Holding the Azurill, the girl walked over proudly.
"Hey Adam! Looks like I'm becoming a Pokémon Trainer before you!"
Adam reached out and poked the Azurill gently with his index finger.
The Azurill gave a soft hum and immediately snuggled deeper into Tōna's arms.
Tōna punched Adam lightly in the chest and glared at him.
The professor, already used to their playful bickering, took out a Poké Ball and handed it to her.
"Here you go, Tōna. This Poké Ball is for you."
"Thank you, Professor!" she replied sweetly.
Meanwhile, Adam grabbed the professor's sleeve and put on an exaggeratedly pitiful expression.
The professor shivered.
Seeing the usually cool-headed boy suddenly acting cute was too much for him.
"Alright, alright—take one too!" he said quickly, handing over another Poké Ball. "Go inside later and see if any Pokémon suits you. I'm going back to my research."
"Hmph! Adam, see you at school tomorrow!" Tōna said cheerfully while stroking the Azurill. "I'm heading home. Want to come over for dinner tonight?"
Tōna's house was actually across from the courtyard where Adam's grandmother used to live. After Grandma passed away, Tōna's family had offered to adopt him.
But Adam refused to depend on others for nothing. Instead, he chose to exchange labor for food and resources, living independently.
He scratched his hair awkwardly.
"No need. I'm going to walk around outside town for a bit and see if I can find a Pokémon that suits me better. The ones here today… don't really feel right for me."
"Should I go with you?" Tōna asked, suddenly worried. "It's dangerous to go into the wild without a Pokémon."
Adam shook his head.
"It's fine. I won't go far—just around Pallet Town. If I run into something, I'll try catching it. Honestly, I probably won't encounter anything anyway. Alright, I'm off. Bye, Tōna."
After saying goodbye, Adam returned home, grabbed the bento he had prepared earlier, and headed back to the artificial lake.
He let out a loud whistle.
Almost immediately, the Wimpod burst out of the water.
Watching the stream of water trailing behind it, Adam thought carefully.
"That move… looks like Aqua Jet. An inherited move, maybe. That's a great skill."
Looking at Wimpod's build, he frowned slightly.
"It doesn't seem like a wild Pokémon that grew up hunting. More like one raised by humans and then abandoned… maybe just like me."
"Poor little guy."
He opened one of the bento boxes and set it on the ground.
The Wimpod immediately began eating happily, while Adam quickly finished his own lunch.
When the Pokémon still looked hungry afterward, Adam patted its back and spoke seriously.
"Wimpod, be my partner."
"The adults say becoming a Trainer brings all kinds of opportunities to make money. Let's work hard together and live a life where we never go hungry again!"
"Wim… Wimpod!"
The Wimpod looked up at him, its eyes sparkling.
Adam gently took out the Poké Ball the professor had given him earlier and lightly touched it to Wimpod's forehead.
The Pokémon turned into a ray of light and entered the ball.
Adam froze.
The Poké Ball didn't shake like it did in the games he remembered.
He hesitantly pressed the center button.
In a flash of light, the Wimpod reappeared, immediately clinging to him and rubbing him with the antennae on its head.
Overjoyed, Adam hugged it tightly.
"Yes! I'm finally a Pokémon Trainer!"
"Wimpod, let's work hard together from now on!"
After wiping away his tears, he walked back toward Professor Oak's Laboratory with Wimpod.
The moment the professor saw the Pokémon beside him, his eyes widened.
"Th-th-that… is that an Wimpod from Alola?!"
"This is the first time I've seen one in Kanto! And it's slightly larger than average—its potential must be excellent!"
He rushed toward Adam excitedly.
"So this is your first Pokémon! Where did you find such a fantastic Wimpod? Let me take a look!"
The overly enthusiastic professor scared the Wimpod badly.
With a thump, it scrambled onto Adam's back and clung there nervously, whimpering while keeping a wary eye on the professor.
Adam tilted his head and gently stroked Wimpod's head.
"Professor… you're an adult. Try to stay calm."
"I found it in the school's artificial lake. It looked like someone had abandoned it. We're kindred spirits, so we decided to travel together."
The professor nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, that's a shame… but congratulations on becoming a Pokémon Trainer."
He patted Adam's head encouragingly.
"After fourth grade, the Pokémon School allows free training activities. As long as you can raise an excellent Pokémon within two years, you can graduate."
"You'll need to work hard, Adam."
Then he looked at the Wimpod again with regret.
"…Still, it's a pity. Seeing it makes me really want to record its research data."