Chapter 4: Starter Pokémon
The scene changed once again.
This time, it took place by the seaside.
Raina appeared to be around four or five years old. Her orange hair was tied into two small buns as she crouched at the water’s edge, staring intently at the surface.
"Squirt...?"
A blue head emerged from the water. Squirtle blinked and tilted its head as it examined the tiny human in front of it.
Raina held her breath and slowly extended her hand.
Squirtle looked at her hand, then at her face, as though trying to confirm something.
A moment later, it let out a soft "Squirtle" and voluntarily leaned forward, rubbing its head against her palm.
Raina’s eyes instantly lit up. She turned around and shouted excitedly.
"Daddy! Daddy! It rubbed against me! It likes me!"
Asher’s amused voice came from outside the camera’s view.
"Mm-hmm. It likes you."
"Then can I keep it?"
"You’ll have to ask your mother. The Gym is her territory."
Raina immediately turned in another direction and shouted.
"Mommy! Can I keep it?"
Misty walked over with a helpless expression.
"Ask whether it wants to go with you first!"
Raina turned back and looked at Squirtle seriously.
"Squirtle, would you like to become my Pokémon?"
Squirtle tilted its head and stared at her, seemingly considering the question.
"Squirtle, Squirtle!"
It then nodded vigorously, leaped straight out of the water, and threw itself into Raina’s arms.
The impact forced her two steps backward before she fell onto her bottom.
Still hugging Squirtle, Raina beamed with happiness.
"Yay! I have my own Pokémon now!"
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"Aaaaaah! That was way too adorable!"
"Wait, wait! Did she meet that Squirtle in the wild?"
"So Raina’s first Pokémon was Squirtle... Her parents didn’t give it to her? It was a wild Pokémon?"
"How could someone run into a starter Pokémon that easily in the wild? Her parents must have arranged it beforehand."
"But judging by their interaction, it looked more like Squirtle chose Raina on its own."
"When I was five, I was still wrestling with Caterpie."
"Are you serious? You wrestled with a Caterpie?"
"...I was very skinny when I was five."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Ash]: Whoa... That Squirtle chose her by itself!
[Brock]: Yes. That is quite rare. When a Pokémon voluntarily chooses a Trainer, it usually means it has recognized a certain quality within that person.
[Ash]: My Squirtle chose me too!
[Gary]: So you’re saying that you’re on the same level as a five-year-old Raina?
[Ash]: Gary, you—! I’m definitely challenging you to a battle today!
[Lorelei]: Squirtle is certainly a suitable Pokémon for a beginner, but allowing a four-year-old child to care for one... That does seem rather early.
[Janine]: My father introduced me to Pokémon at around the same age, although I cried for an entire day after being stung by a Tentacruel for the first time.
[Bruno]: Hahaha! Such is the destiny of a Trainer!
[Professor Oak]: Hmm... Owning a Pokémon at the age of four is certainly considered early in the Kanto region. However, since Misty is a Gym Leader, it is not entirely unreasonable.
The video continued playing.
The setting returned to the interior of Cerulean Gym.
Raina watched Squirtle in the pool with an excited expression, while Asher and Misty observed from a short distance away.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!"
A small stream of water shot from Squirtle’s mouth and struck the target on the opposite side, scattering droplets through the air.
"Yay! That was amazing!"
Raina clapped her hands and jumped excitedly.
Asher smiled.
"It looks like she has quite a bit of talent."
Misty still appeared nervous.
"She’s only four! Shouldn’t she learn the theory first?"
"Practical experience is the best teacher."
Asher paused before gesturing toward their daughter.
"Besides, look at how happy she is."
Raina had already thrown herself into the pool and was splashing around with Squirtle, laughing so brightly that her eyes curved into crescents.
Misty remained silent for a moment before her voice softened.
"...Fine. But you have to watch her carefully. Nothing can be allowed to happen."
"As you command, Lady Gym Leader."
"...Don’t call me Lady Gym Leader!"
"Then what should I call you? The mother of my child?"
"Asher!"
Before Misty’s shout had even faded, another splash erupted from the pool.
Raina was attempting to climb onto Squirtle’s back. Her short legs kicked desperately for quite some time, but she could not pull herself up.
In the end, Squirtle pushed her from below with its head, lifting her onto its shell.
"Wow! Squirtle is amazing!"
Raina tightly hugged Squirtle as it swam unsteadily around the pool. She laughed so hard that her body rocked backward and forward.
Misty immediately moved to rush over and pull her from the water, but Asher caught her by the arm.
"Wait."
"Wait for what? She’s only—"
"Look."
Misty followed Asher’s gaze.
Squirtle was swimming very slowly and steadily, its four short limbs moving rhythmically beneath the water.
Although Raina wobbled on its back, Squirtle adjusted its angle slightly whenever she was about to fall, keeping her balanced.
Misty froze.
"...It’s doing that intentionally?"
"Mm-hmm."
Asher released her arm and leaned back against the wall.
"This little fellow is smarter than we thought."
Inside the pool, Raina had completely lost her fear. She lay across Squirtle’s back with her cheek pressed against its cool shell, quietly mumbling something.
Squirtle turned its head and glanced at her with its round eyes.
"Squirtle."
It then continued swimming steadily.
Misty remained silent for a long time.
"Fine," she muttered. "...Maybe you were right."
"Yes, yes."
"Don’t brush me off!"
"I wouldn’t dare."
"You’re obviously brushing me off!"
[VIP Chat Group]
[Brock]: ...Why do I get the feeling that this Asher is very experienced at placating Misty?
[Ash]: Is he? Isn’t he just repeatedly saying, "Yes, yes"?
[Gary]: This is why you understand nothing.
[Ash]: And you understand it?
[Brock]: Ash, you’ll understand once you have a girlfriend someday.
[Ash]: A girlfriend? What’s that? A friend who happens to be a girl?
[Paul]: ...
[Brock]: ...
[Gary]: ...Ash, you idiot.
[Ash]: ??? Why are you suddenly insulting me?!
[Delia]: Sigh. Why is this child so hopelessly oblivious?
The video continued playing.
Beside the pool inside Cerulean Gym, Raina and Squirtle lay completely soaked at the water’s edge.
The girl and the turtle sneezed at exactly the same time.
"Achoo!"
Asher suppressed a laugh and handed them a towel.
"Have you played enough?"
Raina accepted the towel, but rather than drying herself, she carefully began wiping the water from Squirtle’s body.
"Squirtle can’t get cold. It’ll become sick if it catches a chill."
Squirtle blinked before suddenly letting out a cry and throwing itself into Raina’s arms, rubbing its head against her repeatedly.
The tickling made Raina burst into giggles.
"That tickles! Squirtle, stop rubbing against me!"
Asher turned toward Misty and raised an eyebrow. His expression clearly said:
See? This child was born to become a Trainer.
Misty snorted and turned her head away, but the curve of her lips betrayed her.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Brock]: Wait. I have a question.
[Ash]: What question?
[Brock]: Raina dried Squirtle, but she’s still soaking wet herself.
[Gary]: ...And your point is?
[Brock]: She’ll catch a cold.
[Misty]: @Brock, you’re right! That idiot Asher! How could he let a child stand around soaking wet for so long?!
[Brock]: ? No, what I meant was that Asher should—
[Misty]: I know! I’m criticizing him!
[Ash]: ...But Misty in the video looks pretty happy.
[Misty]: Ash, shut up!
[Lorelei]: Hehe. For such a young child to instinctively care for her Pokémon before herself truly is quite remarkable.
[Bruno]: That is a Trainer’s natural instinct! When I first met my Hitmonchan—
[Lance]: Bruno, you were already fifteen when you first met Hitmonchan.
[Bruno]: ...You’re right. I suppose it is not quite the same.
[Iris]: This child is so adorable! And Squirtle is adorable too! The first Pokémon I met when I was little also approached and rubbed against me on its own!
[Leon]: Pokémon that voluntarily grow close to someone often become their most trusted partners. That was how it was with Charizard and me.
[Raihan]: Oh? Are you finally going to tell us the touching story of how you met Charizard, Leon? I’m already preparing to yawn.
[Leon]: Raihan, you...