Chapter Text
“Kumiko, wake up! You don’t want to be late on your first day!”
Rubbing her eyes, Kumiko Oumae sat up in bed, her eyes darting over to the open door where she heard her mother’s voice coming from down below. As she stretched her arms, she briefly wondered why her mother was calling her until she remembered what today was.
The day she could get her first Pokémon.
With a startled “BWAHHHH!” she sprang out of bed, almost forgetting to pick up her hair tie before getting to her morning routine. Finishing up a short while later, Kumiko nearly stepped out of the room prior to realizing she missed one crucial step: choosing her clothes for the day.
Stumbling back to her room, Kumiko opened her closet, filled with clothes strewn lazily on hangers and the floor. After considering several different combinations, she settled on wearing an orange and white blouse with blue denim shorts, the contrasting yet subdued colors complementing each other while not being too flashy.
Pulling back her hair, Kumiko’s fingers stretched the hair tie before collapsing it, cloth and rubber springing back as she realized that there was no need to hold her hair back. It was short enough to not get yanked on by any wild Pokémon even when it was hanging free. Still, she tucked it in her pocket just in case.
Grabbing her black messenger bag with a Tuba-kun plushie attached to it, Kumiko could see her mother preparing breakfast as she walked downstairs, the smell of fried eggs tingling her nose.
“Morning, mom.” she drearily murmured, her voice still sounding tired despite the sudden burst of adrenaline earlier.
“Good morning, dear. I’ve prepared omelettes for breakfast. Today’s a big day for you, isn’t it?” her mother cheerily replied as Kumiko slid down into her chair. “It’s not every day you get to choose your first Pokémon!”
Slicing a section off her meal before eating it, Kumiko was more ambivalent. “Yeah, I would be more excited if I actually knew which Pokémon I’m picking.”
“Don’t worry, honey.” Kumiko mother reassured her. “You’ll still have time to choose at the lab. Compared to the three in other regions, there are lots of Pokémon to choose from here in Octiva. I’m sure the Professor will sort you out.”
Eating the last portion of her omelette, Kumiko’s mood remained unchanged as she stared at her empty plate. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any mishaps at the lab which would make her decision more challenging.
“I’m heading out now.” Kumiko voice was weary as she stood up and wiped her mouth using a paper napkin. Crumpling it up into a ball, she threw it into the nearby trash can with a ‘klank’.
“All right, sweetie.” her mother called back “Don’t forget to send back photos of your new Pokémon. I’m sure that your father and sister will like them too!”
Sighing to herself as she opened the door, Kumiko only walked a few meters away from her house before the door slammed shut, which coincided with a ‘BOO!’ coming from the bushes right outside of her home.
“HWAAAA!” was the only sound that came through Kumiko’s mouth before she realized who was crouching behind the shrubbery: Natsuki Nakagawa, one of her closest friends.
The two had met through a summer music program for euphonium players a year ago, and quickly hit it off thanks to their shared personality traits and sexuality. Perched on top of Natsuki's head was her Munna Zenzense, her eyes glowing as she sucked away at her Trainer's dreams to prevent her from falling asleep.
“Gah, you scared me!” Kumiko’s alarmed voice rang out. “Couldn’t you have just greeted me like a normal person?”
“Relax, kid.” the older teen calmly deflected. “I’m just here to wish you well before you start your own journey. Besides, since when was choosing your starter Pokémon boring? I’d love to see which one you’ll pick.” With her signature “CEMENT ADDICTION” T-shirt and ripped jeans, Natsuki's casual clothing perfectly matched her attitude.
“That’s the problem.” Kumiko bluntly replied. “I haven’t decided on one yet.”
“Well, no worries, kid. I won’t tell you what to choose. As they say, it’s the Pokémon that chooses the trainer, not the other way around.” Natsuki tried to reassure her friend, remembering her own indecisiveness during the early stages of her own journey.
“Thanks for the inspirational quote, Natsuki. I really appreciate it.” Though Kumiko’s tone reeked of sarcasm, she was still thankful for her friend’s comforting words.
“Anyways, good luck out there. The world’s a tough place, but I’m sure you’ll handle it just fine. See you around!” With that last sentence, Natsuki sent out her Espurr Soul, and was whisked away with a Teleport.
“Classic Natsuki. Always ditching me at the last minute.” Kumiko muttered to herself while walking down the road to her destination.
The lab was a moderately sized single-floor building, but what made it impressive was the grand expanse of greenery behind it, stretching out boundlessly like a miniature nature reserve. A wide variety of Pokémon inhabited the fields, all of them available for prospective trainers to pick and choose from.
Stepping inside the lab, Kumiko noticed that the Professor wasn’t present. Despite booking an appointment here a week ago, it seemed that nobody was present for whatever reason.
“Hello? Anybody here?” Kumiko’s voice rang out throughout the lab’s interior, reverberating across the wide array of machinery.
“Oh! You must be the new Trainer that the Professor talked to me about.” A woman wearing a pale blue blouse with a knee-length white skirt stepped out, her brown hair matching the color of her eyes.
“I’m Satomi Niiyama, a good friend of the Professor. She asked me to take care of the lab before she left a while back. I take it that you’re Kumiko Oumae, yes?”
“Uh, yes.” Kumiko nervously replied, noting this strange set of circumstances. On a day like this, where was the Professor? Wasn’t she the one supposed to greet Kumiko and help her? “I’m here to get my starter Pokémon.”
“Great! Then follow me!” Niiyama gestured for Kumiko to go with her, heading for a door at the back of the lab.
With a push, the door effortlessly swung open, revealing the great expanse of land waiting just outside. As Kumiko walked through, her eyes darted back and forth between the Pokémon residing there, searching far and wide for a Pokémon that would fit her.
“All these Pokémon here are hatched from Eggs left behind at Daycares all around the world, which is why some of them are stronger or know moves they normally shouldn’t.” Niiyama explained. “You can have any Pokémon you want, but one only. It’s more engaging to befriend wild Pokémon throughout your journey rather than receiving a full party right off the bat. Take your time and look for a Pokémon that suits you.”
“OK. Thank you very much” As she began her search for a partner, Kumiko walked around the field, her eyes resting on one Pokémon before quickly moving on to another.
Bidoof? Too ordinary. Yamask? Too creepy. Slowpoke? Too slow.
Her search fruitless, Kumiko decided to rest under a tree for a while, but just as she was sitting down, she could hear something jumping beneath her.
“Mara-mara!” a high-pitched voice rang out, instantly erasing Kumiko of her fatigue. Crouching down, she found herself face-to-face with a pair of yellow eyes belonging to a Maractus.
“Hey, little guy. Where did you come from?” Kumiko asked, though she knew that no answer was coming back.
“Ma-rac!” Jumping in the air, its body began to emit a rhythmic sound akin to a pair of maracas being rattled.
“Judging by the look on its face, it clearly looks happy to see you.” Niiyama had a pleased look on her face as she strolled over to where Kumiko was. “Would you consider it as your starter?”
Thinking back to the cacti she kept back at her home, then looking back at the Maractus standing in front of her, Kumiko made up her mind.
“Well, since I’ve had previous experience with non-sentient cacti before, I guess that I’ll take this Maractus as my starter. There shouldn’t really be much difference.” She replied, hoping this wasn’t a bad decision.
“Great!” Niiyama had a hint of relief on her face “I’ll get Maractus’ Pokéball back at the lab along with a Pokédex for you.” As she left for the building in front of them, Kumiko decided to sit down and get to know Maractus, her Maractus now, a bit more.
“Hi, Maractus.” Kumiko’s voice was fraught with uncertainty as she wondered what to talk about with her new starter Pokémon “My name’s Kumiko, and starting from today, I’ll be your new Trainer. Nice to meet you, I guess?”
Unfazed by its Trainer’s anxiety, Maractus started to jump up and down again, body rattling with excitement. Unfortunately, this meant that its spikes almost scratched Kumiko, who instinctively dodged away at the danger in front of her.
“Mara?” it inquired, unsure of why its Trainer seemed to avoid it. Perhaps she was afraid.
“Sorry, Maractus.” Kumiko hastily apologized. “Your spikes are sharp, and I didn’t want you to cut me by accident.”
“Rac-tus!” As if knowing that its trainer didn’t mean to make it feel unwelcome, Maractus began jumping again, this time making sure to avoid close contact with her.
“Looks like you and Maractus make a good pair.” Niiyama observed, returning with a Pokéball and what seemed to be an instrument tuner in hand.
“Uh, what’s that tuner for?” Kumiko asked “Shouldn’t I be getting a Pokédex? I already have a tuner at home”
“The ‘tuner’ I’m holding is actually a Pokédex, but it also serves as your Trainer ID and has various music-related functions such as an actual tuner.” Niiyama explained “Furthermore, to better assist new Trainers, all Pokédexes in production now include a Rotom to improve functionality.” With Niiyama’s guidance finished, the small display on the Pokédex flickered to life, revealing two eyes and a pixelated grin.
“Bzzzt, nice to meet you!” the Rotom greeted Kumiko through the Pokédex’s speaker “I hope that I can be of great service on your journey from now on!”
Taking in Rotom’s over-friendly hospitality, Kumiko muttered a brief thanks before taking it and Maractus’ Pokéball from Niiyama, slipping the Pokédex into her bag.
“Well, it looks like that our journey begins now, Maractus, so let’s get to it!” Kumiko addressed the Cactus Pokémon, which replied with a smile and a twirling jump. As it reached the apex of its leap, Kumiko recalled it back into its Pokéball, which then shrank as she attached it to her belt.
“Thanks for all the help, Ms. Niiyama. I’ll be sure not to let my Maractus down!” Though her voice was firm with declaration, Kumiko was still hesitant if this was the right decision or not. Oh well, there was no turning back now.
‘You’re welcome. Feel free to come back and visit if you have time, and good luck on your journey!” Niiyama replied, sending the teen off as she walked away.
“It’s always a joy seeing the bond between Pokémon and Trainer blossom,” Niiyama thought to herself “Just like when we first started, huh, Chihiro?”