After a night of flying, Paul successfully landed at the airport on the outskirts of Pallet Town at six in the morning.
Instead of choosing the shuttle bus, Paul released his two Pokémon. They would walk to Pallet Town.
From the moment of landing, formal training begins.
"Piplup! Go faster, are you kidding me?! If we can't see Pallet Town by ten o'clock, you can say goodbye to lunch!!"
Paul, having switched to training mode, is definitely a devil. While running ahead, Paul yelled back, lecturing Piplup who was stumbling and scrambling behind.
Piplup was suffering; running was torture for its short legs. But compared to Paul's terrifying expression, * Piplup thought missing lunch was far scarier *.
After all, the Pokémon food Paul prepared was all special grade, complemented by berries suited to its body and taste. The flavor, once experienced, was unforgettable.
Piplup!!! ~Piplup scrambled its short legs, rushing for lunch!
While Piplup struggled, Elekid was quite relaxed. If it started to fall behind, it just swung its arms a few times. * Was its Motor Drive ability a joke? Piplup, you and your little short legs dare to try and overtake me? Can my electric speedster self be bothered by you? You clearly don't understand the acceleration Motor Drive provides! *
"Ele!!!" "Pip!!!"
Seeing the two Pokémon chasing each other, Paul showed a rare, almost fatherly smile while running.
"Come on!!!" Paul cheered them on.
Running towards the rising sun, Paul, slightly sweating, finally saw the outline of Pallet Town.
"Okay, physical training is over." Stopping outside the small town, Paul took out prepared Moomoo Milk and gave it to Piplup and Elekid to drink. They were both growing, and nutrition was crucial.
"Pip~" Piplup happily buried its entire face in the milk bowl, gulping it down eagerly.
"Ele~" Elekid took its own bowl and downed it in one go.
"Alright, you two head back into your Poké Balls to rest first. After I finish my errand, we'll head to the forest for some actual combat training." Recalling both Pokémon, Paul pocketed their Poké Balls and walked towards the largest building in Pallet Town.
As expected of the town where beginnings are made, the paths in Pallet Town were lined with flowers, the roads were clean, and a fresh scent filled the air.
Arriving at Professor Oak's Laboratory, Paul was slightly curious to find many people standing at the entrance. After inquiring, he learned that Professor Oak's grandson, Gary Oak, was setting out on his journey as a trainer today. These people were all here to see him off.
* Tsk tsk, as expected of Gary Oak, he's really popular *.
Finally squeezing through the crowd, Paul saw a slightly younger Gary holding court, declaring he would bring glory to Pallet Town.
"Hi, I'm here to see Professor Oak. Is he available?" Paul stepped forward and asked.
Gary tilted his head, looking Paul over. "Haven't seen your face before. Who are you?"
Paul took out his Pokédex. "I'm Paul from Sinnoh. I'd like to ask Professor Oak to update my Pokédex with Kanto region data."
"A new trainer from Sinnoh?" Gary's eyes lit up. He stepped forward and casually slung an arm around Paul's shoulders. "Come with me, Gramps is in the lab."
Paul felt slightly uncomfortable with Gary's enthusiasm. * Wait, this isn't your usual arrogant character setup, Mr. Oak? *
Once inside, Gary nudged Paul secretly with his elbow and whispered, "I'm also a new trainer this year. How about we have a friendly match later? Let me see what a Sinnoh Pokémon is like."
Paul smirked inwardly. * So that's it. Gary is curious about Sinnoh Pokémon; that's why he's being so friendly *.
"No problem, but we have to wait until I get my Pokédex updated."
Gary raised an eyebrow. "It's a deal."
Soon, the two walked into a research room filled with large equipment, where the gray-haired Professor Oak was absorbed in his research.
"Gramps, this is Paul from Sinnoh. He wants you to update his Pokédex," Gary announced, explaining Paul's purpose.
Professor Oak turned his head, looked at Paul who was about the same age as his grandson, and smiled kindly. "Hello there, young man."
Paul bowed respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Oak. I'm Paul from Sinnoh. Since I plan to travel in Kanto, I was hoping you could help update my Pokédex. The information on Kanto Pokémon is quite limited in the Sinnoh version."
Professor Oak nodded amiably, took Paul's Pokédex, and inserted it into a slot on a machine. "It's no trouble at all. Just wait a moment."
"Thank you very much!" Paul bowed deeply, always maintaining politeness when dealing with respected elders.
"Oh, no need to be so formal. You seem to be about the same age as my grandson Gary, yet you've come all the way from your hometown to travel in Kanto. That's very impressive for your age," Professor Oak said encouragingly, helping Paul straighten up.
"I'm a new trainer this year. My brother travelled through the Kanto region, so I wanted to start my own journey here as well," Paul stated seriously.
"Yes, it's good to have a goal," Professor Oak agreed with a nod. With a ding, the data download completed. He removed the Pokédex and handed it back to Paul.
"All the known Pokémon data for Kanto and Johto are in there now."
After receiving the Pokédex, Paul thanked him again and eagerly flipped through it. Sure enough, the basic information for the four major regions (excluding legendaries) seemed complete! * A four region Pokédex in hand! *
"Hey, Paul, you promised me," Gary whispered, reminding him.
"Haha, alright, no problem. Let's head to the battlefield," Paul, in a good mood, readily agreed to battle Gary.
Hearing that the two youngsters wanted a friendly match, Professor Oak also became interested.
"Alright then, let's use the backyard. It's spacious enough, and I'll act as the referee."
"Thank you, Professor," Paul nodded in agreement.
The three went to an open area in the backyard. It had to be said, Professor Oak's Laboratory backyard was enormous, with pastures encompassing mountains, rivers, lawns, and forests, capable of supporting most types of Pokémon.
"This spot is fine." Reaching the open area, Gary excitedly looked at Paul on the opposite side. This was the first battle of his journey.
"Okay, sounds good." Paul moved across from Gary, and the two created some distance, standing opposite each other.
Professor Oak raised his hand enthusiastically. "Alright, both sides send out one Pokémon! The battle will be one on one. Don't worry, I'll heal your Pokémon afterwards! Battle begin!"
Gary raised his Poké Ball and kissed it dramatically. "Go, my chosen partner!"
Paul inwardly cringed. * You throw that thing on the ground constantly; how is it not dirty, 'partner'? *
Immediately snapping back to focus, Paul, switching into battle mode, instantly became serious. He took out Piplup's Poké Ball and threw it. "Piplup, prepare for battle!"
"Pi.. Piplup!!" Landing gracefully, Piplup immediately entered a battle stance, raising its head and chirping to hype itself up.
On the other side, Gary's Squirtle looked left and right, seemingly wanting to hide behind Gary's leg...
Professor Oak smiles and shakes his head. It looks like Gary and Squirtle need more time to bond.
Piplup eyed the scene doubtfully. * That's not the reason, just look at our trainer's face *.
Paul, fully in combat mode, was unsmiling, his eyes filled with fighting spirit, appearing calm yet fierce.
"Okay, Squirtle, let's go! Use Water Gun! Attack Piplup!" After finally coaxing his Squirtle, Gary managed to start the battle.
However... Squirtle charged up briefly, and its Water Gun hit the ground directly beside Piplup. A complete miss...
Piplup looked smug. * Is that all you've got? *
It then started rolling on the ground, taunting the little turtle mercilessly.
"Piplup, get serious! Attack with Peck!" Paul commanded. Against a Water type, a Flying type move like Peck would be more effective!
Piplup straightened up, its beak suddenly elongating under the influence of Flying type energy. Then, flapping its small wings, it charged fiercely towards Squirtle.
"Squirtle, use Withdraw!" Gary still showed some competence. Lacking synergy with his Squirtle, he didn't opt for dodging but chose to have it Withdraw into its shell to endure the damage.
However, Piplup wasn't deterred. Seeing Squirtle retract, Piplup adjusted its angle and aimed its Peck right at the tail hole opening in the shell!
Hiss~ Paul himself winced slightly.
The effect was immediate. Squirtle popped out of its shell instantly, clutching its tail and running around in pain.
"Squirtle, don't be scared! Use Tackle now!"
Encouraged by its trainer, Squirtle bravely turned around and charged head on!
"Piplup, Whirlpool!" Paul commanded with a wave of his hand. Piplup understood instantly, launching a swirling vortex of water directly at Squirtle's face.
Crash!! Squirtle felt like it had been thrown into a washing machine, sent flying outwards in a spiral.
This fall was rough. The little turtle struggled several times to get up but ultimately collapsed, unable to battle.
"Alright, that's enough," Professor Oak called the match. "Paul wins."
* Accurate judgment and strong command over his Pokémon *. This was Professor Oak's initial assessment of Paul.
Unwilling to accept defeat easily, Gary comforted his Squirtle, recalled it to its Poké Ball, and looked at Paul. "The Pokémon from the Sinnoh region are really powerful."
"To be precise, it's the trainers who are skilled," Professor Oak stepped forward, correcting his grandson. "There isn't a huge inherent difference between the starter Pokémon from Sinnoh and Kanto. You lost this battle due to lack of experience, Gary."
"I won't lose next time, Paul! I'll be waiting for you at the Indigo League!" After declaring this arrogantly, Gary left without looking back. Young and prideful, he didn't take defeat easily.
"Heh, what a handful, that grandson of mine," Professor Oak shrugged helplessly at Paul.
"Actually, Gary is already quite good, and he adapts well on the spot. I think he'll become much stronger. Right now, he just suffers from unfamiliarity with his Pokémon," Paul replied meticulously, not flattering Gary, but genuinely believing he had potential.
As Professor Oak's grandson, Gary possessed natural talent and a wealth of knowledge surpassing most peers. If his confidence hadn't been shaken by his later loss to Ash at the Johto League Silver Conference, Paul believed Gary's potential was definitely Champion level or higher.
* However, to be honest, Squirtle's ultimate potential is probably slightly higher than Piplup's *, Paul sighed as he remembered a certain special evolution.
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Professor Oak asked with interest.
"Well~ I heard that Professor Sycamore in the Kalos region is researching a newly discovered evolutionary phenomenon. It can allow the final evolution of Squirtle to achieve a new evolution surpassing its normal limits. If you're interested, I suppose you could collaborate with Professor Sycamore," Paul said, deliberately disclosing the early research on Mega Evolution to Professor Oak in hopes of benefiting from it sooner himself.
As a research enthusiast, Professor Oak's eyes lit up instantly, his researcher's spirit ignited.
"I need to go make a phone call right away! Paul, could you please watch the lab for a bit? If any new trainers arrive, let them choose their own starter Pokémon from the table in the research room. The drawer under the computer desk has empty Poké Balls and Pokédexes. Each person gets five Poké Balls and one Pokédex. Thank you!" After giving Paul these instructions, Professor Oak rushed to the second floor of the lab without a backward glance.
Paul started to reply, "Don't worry, Professor Oak..." trailing off as the Professor disappeared.
* Okay. Looks like I might get benefit from Mega Evolution sooner than expected *. He rewarded Piplup with a small Pokéblock treat and recalled it to its Poké Ball. Paul returned to the main lab area, hands in his pockets.
* Now, I wait. Really looking forward to meeting Pallet Town's strongest rookie *.