By evening, we finally reached Professor Birch's laboratory. One of the assistants was already waiting at the entrance.
"Welcome back, Professor! This must be Stephen, right? I've prepared the three starter Pokémon."
"Thank you for your work," I replied. "And I've already decided which one I want."
"You seem confident. Good!" Professor Birch smiled and motioned for me to follow him inside. The laboratory was filled with high-tech equipment I had never seen before. A League research facility couldn't compare with the personal lab of a regional professor.
"Even if you've made up your mind, we still follow the proper process," Birch explained, releasing a Poké Ball. A small green Pokémon appeared. "This is Treecko — Grass-type."
"Treecko!" it called proudly, tail swaying with energy.
"Next is Torchic, Fire-type."
"Torc…" Torchic observed me closely, as if trying to read my intentions.
"And finally, Mudkip — Water-type." "Mud!" It stared blankly, showing little emotion.
"So," Birch asked, expectant, "your choice?"
"All three are adorable," I said honestly. "If I could, I'd take them all. But my final choice is…" I stepped forward, crouched, and held out my hand. "Nice to meet you, Torchic. Let's work hard together and become great partners."
Torchic stared at me for a moment — then nodded confidently. "Torc!"
"Congratulations," Birch said warmly. "I think you two will be a good match. Here — your Pokédex and five Poké Balls." I accepted them with gratitude.
"Stephen," Birch suddenly spoke more sternly, "the road ahead is dangerous. Torchic's life depends on you. Do not act carelessly."
"I understand, Professor. Thank you for the guidance."
"Good. It's already late — traveling through the forest at night is risky. Stay here until morning."
"I appreciate it. Sorry for troubling you." After settling into the guest room, I stepped outside to bond with Torchic.
"Come out, Torchic!" "Torc?" it chirped, confused.
"We should learn about each other. Let's see what moves you know." I scanned it with the Pokédex.
Moves: Scratch, Ember, Peck
"A good start. Ember for range, Peck for coverage… nice." I placed a medium-sized stone ahead. Using trees for fire training sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. "Let's try Ember first!"
"Torc!" A burst of tiny flames launched forward, hitting the stone and leaving scorch marks.
"Well done! Strong power — we need better accuracy though. Now, Scratch!" Torchic's claws glowed white as it dashed forward. The strike landed, but lightly.
"Not too strong yet. We'll train it. And finally — Peck." Torchic charged energy in its beak, then lunged — getting stuck in the stone. I hurried over and tugged, and we rolled a few times before freeing it.
"Great power, but too long to charge. We'll work on speed. You did well — rest now." Torchic returned to its ball with a gentle shake, like saying thanks.
"Stephen, dinner is ready!" the assistant called. I followed — and found instant noodles and snacks. The drop in quality from Caroline's home cooking was painful, but I couldn't complain and quietly ate while Birch and his assistant continued working.
The Next Morning
After a simple breakfast, I packed up and thanked everyone before setting out. Torchic and I trained and battled several Pokémon along the way — Wurmple, Poochyena — building experience little by little.
Around noon, we stopped beside a river. I unpacked the vegetables the Petalburg vendor gave me and began preparing lunch. Meanwhile, Torchic practiced Ember — this time training speed and focus. Once my soup was done, I brought out Pokémon food.
"Torchic, lunch!"
"Torc??"
I watched the Ember arc… and land directly on a Lotad resting in the river.
"Ah — sorry! Sorry!" My heart jumped. "It was an accident! Here — take some Pokémon food as an apology!"
I poured food near the riverbank.
To my surprise, the Lotad didn't react at first. Instead, it slowly drifted… and then blinked tiredly. A moment later, another Lotad surfaced. Then another.
All of them looked sluggish — not hurt, just… exhausted.
"That's odd," I murmured. "Are you all hungry?"
Like they understood, the first Lotad weakly paddled toward the pile of food. Then the others followed, gathering around with faint little chirps.
Torchic tilted its head in confusion.
"Tor…?"
The moment they smelled the food, the Lotad perked up and began eating — faster and with more energy than I expected. The sluggish dullness in their eyes faded bit by bit.
Relief washed through me.
"Looks like you guys haven't eaten for a while." I knelt, feeding another handful. "Take your time. Don't choke."
More Lotad appeared from the river, attracted by the smell. Within minutes, the riverbank was full of them, happily nibbling and splashing weakly.
This wasn't scary — but it was strange.
Wild Lotad usually found plenty of food here. The water was clean, the area calm. So why were they starving?
Torchic pecked at my sleeve and chirped softly — worried but curious.
"Yeah…" I nodded. "Something's not right. We should tell Professor Birch later."
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves. The river glimmered peacefully again. The only sound was the crunching of Pokémon food as the Lotad ate with genuine gratitude.
"Finish up, okay? Stay healthy."
Torchic puffed its chest proudly, like it was also helping care for them.
My journey had just started — and already, the world was showing me that being a Pokémon trainer wasn't just about battles.
It was about taking responsibility and noticing when something was wrong.
As the last Lotad finished eating and happily paddled back into the river, I stood up and brushed off my pants.
"We'll figure out what happened here," I whispered, watching the ripples on the water. Torchic chirped boldly beside me.
Whatever caused this… I felt like we were about to find the answer soon.