harleyscars Chapter 39 "Beginner" Azure
Chapter 39 "Beginner" Azure
While the detective and Dr. Yew were having a pleasant conversation in the tea restaurant, Azure, who had just left the Feather Residence, embarked on a journey alone to find the Yew Research Institute.
Even though she was new to the Unova region, after studying the map, she realized that the only way to reach the remote town of Kagoshima on the southeastern coast of Unova was by rail.
The assistant didn't have a fancy black ticket, so she dutifully booked a train ticket for an early morning departure.
Without experiencing any thrilling two-player battles or encountering any top-tier trainers wandering around, Azure arrived at the train's final stop—Kalostown—in an ordinary carriage without any entertainment.
"Next, we need to follow this Route 1 south to reach Luzi Town, where the Yew Research Institute is located. I heard that Douzi's hometown is also in that town."
The girl, wearing a sun hat and holding a map, muttered to herself to the Eevee perched on her shoulder.
Route 1 is indeed very beautiful. On both sides of the wide road, rows of trees rustle in the wind, and wild Pokémon with Unova style occasionally dart through the lush green grass.
Whether it was because it was too early or because Azure's aura as a high-level trainer was too strong, the girl did not encounter any challenges from Pokémon trainers along the way.
This is different from the situation on Route 1 between Shin-chan Town and Iso-sei City in the Kanto region.
Perhaps due to the influence of the last two dojo leaders in Evergreen City, both Itagi and his successor, Aomori, exude an extremely powerful sense of oppression.
The eagerness of trainers to pass the strongest gym exam makes them extremely anxious. Full of energy, they often ambush passing trainers on Route 1, engaging in friendly battles near the city. If they win, they become overconfident and challenge the gym; if they lose, they rush to the nearest Pokémon Center…
It is precisely because of this that Viridian City and the nearby Pallet Town have produced the best group of trainers in the entire Kanto region.
Compared to Kanto, a city brimming with martial spirit, Route 1 here connects two remote cities without gyms, and the wild Pokémon along the way are relatively weak. Trainers probably don't bother training on this route.
With no challengers, Azure was happy to relax and enjoy the scenery along the way, just like on a picnic. She also followed the detective's instructions to keep an eye out for anything unusual as she made her way towards Deer Town.
The further she walked, the more uneasy she felt—no matter how she looked around, there was nothing unusual in sight.
The girl couldn't help but worry. If she, as the assistant, went to the Yew Research Institute and then reported to the detective that she hadn't found anything... wouldn't Detective Hugo think she was incompetent?
Amidst her chaotic thoughts, Azure could only stare wide-eyed, searching for anything worth reporting along the way. However, ever since she got off the train at the station, all she could see were trees, grass, rocks, and countless small wild sprites.
"Ibrahimovic, what should I do?"
In the deserted road, the dazed girl couldn't see anything unusual and actually started seeking help from Pokémon babies.
"Eevee!" Little Eevee called out energetically, its playful nature taking Azure's words as a battle command. It lightly jumped off Azure's shoulder and pounced towards the wild Pokémon hiding in the grass ahead.
Azure tried to grab Eevee's tail but missed, and was on the verge of tears: "I'm already having a headache, stop being naughty! We need to get to the research institute ahead before 10 o'clock, and we're going to be late!"
.
When Azure finally managed to enter the research institute before 10 o'clock, she saw Dr. Yew, who often appeared on television in the Unova region, as well as four people who looked like researchers, including an older man and three male students.
The doctor and his colleagues warmly welcomed the girl.
At this moment, Azure had already locked the disobedient Eevee inside a Poké Ball, which was placed in her backpack. The young assistant now looked no different from a trainer who had just embarked on a journey.
To Azure's surprise, the detective who had set out to investigate with great enthusiasm was no longer among the crowd.
"Where did Hugo go?" Azure looked left and right, trying to find out if the detective was lurking somewhere in the hall, but to no avail.
"Welcome to the Unova region, Miss Azure, who has come from afar," Dr. Yew said to Azure with an extremely sincere smile.
"Congratulations on beginning a new journey here. I'm Yew, the mentor for newcomers, and my profession is Professor Pokémon. I'm sure you're already familiar with Pokémon. That's right, all sorts of different Pokémon inhabit the land, sea, sky, cities, and forests of this world..."
Listening to the doctor's enthusiastic lecture, Azure felt a sense of déjà vu, and then—
"Wait a minute! Why am I..." Azure cried out in surprise, suddenly realizing that she had stumbled into a newcomer's starter Pokémon selection ceremony, but Professor Juniper quickly covered her mouth.
The professor continued gently, "Miss Azure, I know you're a little hesitant about embarking on your adventure alone since you've just arrived in the Unova region, but don't worry, the research institute will provide you with excellent starter Pokémon."
Azure wanted to argue, to ask what was going on, and to find out where that damned detective had gone.
However, the hand covering the girl's mouth tightened even more, and Dr. Yew's smiling face filled Azure's vision. Like the opening intro of an adventure game, the doctor spoke loudly to Azure in a voice that echoed throughout the research institute—
"In this world, creatures called Pokémon live everywhere! Some people take care of them kindly, while others command them in battles. Young lady, please choose. Which one will you embark on a journey of hope and dreams with?"
An assistant opened a brocade box containing three Poké Balls. Seeing that Azure was no longer resisting, the professor released his hand from the girl's mouth and released the Pokémon from the Poké Balls one by one.
"This child is a Grass-type Snivy, an intelligent and calm Pokémon. Even when facing opponents stronger than itself, it can calmly and easily deal with them. Its favorite activities are sunbathing and photosynthesis."
The professor then pointed to a small red and black pig: "This is a 'Warm Pig,' a fire-type. It's adept at nimbly dodging enemy attacks and retaliating by shooting fireballs from its nose. It loves to eat roasted berries, but it often gets charred because it gets too excited. By the way, it's very comfortable to sleep with this child in winter."
Even Azure was captivated by the Unova starter Pokémon introduced by the professor, temporarily setting aside her many doubts and observing the three adorable Pokémon in front of her, each with its own unique charm.
"In the end, this is just a water otter, a beginner-level Water-type Pokémon that uses its belly shell to fight, and sometimes it also uses it as a knife to cut berries. Its confident expression is one of the cutest things about water otters."
Azure looked at the water otter, and sure enough, the little otter was standing there with its hands on its hips and its head held high, looking quite smug. Compared to its appearance, the other two, the Snivy and the Warm Pig, didn't seem so energetic.
The girl was unaware that over sixty trainers had already chosen Otter as their initial partner, otherwise she would have understood why Otter was so proud—it had already decided that it would be chosen.
"Miss Azure, please choose your preferred starter Pokémon from among them," the professor said to the girl, while whispering something in Azure's ear—
"Just pick one based on your intuition, and then we'll explain everything to you."
Does "we" refer to the group of people in the research institute, or to her and that elusive detective? Azure looked around again, still completely confused.
Left with no other choice, the girl glanced at the three starter Pokémon, took a deep breath, tried her best to clear her mind, and then instinctively gave her choice—
"Then let's go with the otter."
Instantly, the research institute fell silent.
Apart from Dr. Yew, the four researchers stared in astonishment at the blue index finger pointing at the water otter, as if they had witnessed some miracle.