What kind of starter Pokémon to choose? Rick once struggled with this important decision for... a whole three minutes one night.
In the end, it had to be that one.
He pressed the button on the Pokéball in his hand. With a hum—
A figure appeared on the table. It looked like a small orange dinosaur standing upright, with sharp teeth and claws. A flame gently swayed at the tip of its tail.
Charmander.
"So you picked Charmander, huh, Rick?"
Shiyu, hugging her Rowlet, looked curiously at the Pokémon.
"Gaa!"
Charmander suddenly growled menacingly at Shiyu, the flame on its tail flaring up.
The staff on-site didn't react in time. The next moment, Charmander opened its mouth and shot out a burst of embers straight toward Shiyu!
"Watch out!"
Rick reached out, pulling Shiyu into his arms just in time. Then he looked toward the raging Charmander with a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"What's going on?"
"Restrain the Charmander!"
The staff scrambled to grab their Pokéballs, but Rick stopped them.
"Wait."
Amid the puzzled states of everyone around, Rick calmly stepped toward the red-eyed Charmander.
"Stop, don't go over there!" a staff member quickly warned.
Charmander, seeing Rick approach, let out a furious roar and launched another ember attack—this one clearly much stronger than the first.
"It's dangerous!"
Rick casually tilted his head. The embers brushed past his cheek, leaving a wave of heat. Unfazed, he continued walking until he stood right in front of the Charmander.
"Afraid?"
Rick placed a hand on Charmander's head. Strangely, its tense body relaxed. It looked at Rick with a confused expression.
"Gaa?"
"Calmed down?" Both the staff and Shiyu were stunned by the scene.
"You're not the Charmander I originally reserved, but… I kind of like you."
Rick noticed a distinctive mark under Charmander's eye and gently patted its head.
Shiyu approached them. "You okay, A-Ye?"
"I'm fine."
At that moment, two staff members rushed in. "What just happened here?!"
After Rick explained, the Pokémon Center staff quickly launched an internal investigation. Within twenty minutes, someone returned with an update:
"We sincerely apologize. This was our mistake. The Charmander you reserved got mixed up. We'll provide compensation for the inconvenience."
"No need," Rick shook his head. "It's not a big deal."
He picked up the Pokéball again and asked:
"This Charmander isn't from the regular training facility, is it?"
"No, it's not," one of the staff replied. "Someone from the breeding base reported that this Charmander was actually born from a Charizard and a wild Salamence. We're not sure how it ended up in your delivery batch, and we're truly sorry for the mix-up."
Rick minimized the Pokéball and put it in his pocket.
"Then I'll take this one."
"But..." The staff looked troubled. "You're free to choose another one, at no extra cost."
Rick understood their hesitation. After all, Pokémon adopted from official centers were usually bred in controlled conditions. If something went wrong with this one, the center would still be held accountable.
After he assured them that he would take full responsibility and that the center wouldn't need to be liable, the staff finally relaxed and went to process the paperwork.
Shiyu, still curious, asked, "Wouldn't it be better to just switch it out?"
"Maybe it was fate," Rick replied, then glanced at her.
"By the way, you didn't seem scared at all just now."
"Because you protected me, A-Ye. I wasn't scared at all."
Thinking of how he had shielded her just moments ago, Shiyu lowered her head. Her pale fingers fidgeted together, and just as she was about to say something else, she looked up to see Rick already walking away.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Rick had reached the registration desk to get his Trainer ID. After a short wait, it was finally his turn.
"Name: Rick. Trainee Trainer. Starter Pokémon: Charmander. Everything is now registered."
The staff handed him a metallic card, featuring his photo and a Pokéball icon on the back. It was a Trainer League Card.
All official Pokémon trainers needed to register with the Pokémon Center or Trainer League. The card served like a personal ID, and depending on the trainer's level, it granted access to various discounts and perks related to Pokémon services.
With his starter Pokémon in hand and his registration complete, Rick's tasks for the day were done.
On the way home, Shiyu glanced at her League Card and muttered,
"If only the picture looked a bit cuter."
"Don't you think so?" she asked, turning to Rick.
"Shiyu, you're always cute, so it doesn't matter."
Rick smiled as he glanced at her card.
Shiyu's face turned bright red.
"Wha—don't flatter me like that! I don't have anything to give you in return!"
"I didn't ask for anything," Rick replied with a chuckle, eyeing her with an amused look.
"Why is your face so red?"
Shiyu turned away and mumbled, "It's your fault for saying embarrassing things…"
"Is that so…" Rick looked at her, eyes twinkling.
"But everything I said was true."
Shiyu blushed even harder and started pounding Rick's arm with her tiny fists.
"Stop saying things like that!"
"Alright, alright."
After parting ways and heading home, Rick sat on the couch. He pulled out the Pokéball, and with a flash of white light, Charmander appeared again.
"Gaa."Rick
Seeing the unfamiliar surroundings, Charmander immediately tensed up—but upon seeing Rick, its emotions calmed significantly, and it didn't lash out.
"This is your new home, Charmander," Rick said gently.
Charmander didn't seem interested. It turned and ran off toward the first floor.
Watching it flee, Rick murmured,
"Looks like it still hasn't fully relaxed. I wonder what it went through when it was younger..."
He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a faint blue glow covered his pupils. The world around him shifted into a semi-transparent blue overlay. Charmander's deep blue silhouette came into view.
Aura Power.
This was a special ability Rick possessed. Aside from mental communication and the ability to see through objects, it was said to have other unexplored uses.
Scholars referred to it as spiritual energy, or even soul power—but because so few people had it, the ability remained largely mysterious. For that reason, Rick had never told anyone about his powers and preferred to keep them hidden.
Using Aura Vision, Rick easily located Charmander hiding behind a trash can on the first floor.