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Kit Tajiri awoke to the bright rays of sunlight streaming from the window. She got up, stretched, and walked over to it. She pulled it open and smiled as the warm summer breeze blew through her long black hair, and watched as the growing sunrise cast a golden shine over the houses and trees of New Bark Town. It was a beautiful day. The perfect day to start an adventure!

Kit turned away from the window, thinking about the journey she would begin today. Her tenth birthday was just the week before, and she had finally been able to apply for a Pokémon trainer’s license. Starting today, she would begin the adventure of a lifetime – to travel the world and care for, train, and fight with her very own Pokémon. She did have the same dream that all other trainers had, to be the greatest Pokémon Master ever, but somehow, she also longed for something more than that. She didn’t know exactly what she wanted, but she was determined to find out. Someday.

She changed into her favorite outfit – dark blue flare jeans, purple T-shirt, white sneakers, red jacket with white short sleeves, and an old red Pokémon cap she always wore backwards, and glanced at her clock.

“It’s only 6:30,” she said to herself, “Way too early to start, but that’s okay!” She used the extra time to look over the things she meticulously packed the night before. “Let’s see… Extra clothes–check! Money–check! Laptop–check! Pokégear–check!” She took her brand–new Pokégear off her desk and slung it around her neck, then looked in her pack one more time. “Looks awfully empty right now, but the rest’ll come soon!” She was about to head downstairs when she noticed a picture on her desk and picked it up.

The picture showed a younger Kit, hugging a handsome young man with black hair and dark blue eyes, wearing a crisp navy and black uniform. Her dad.

“Daddy…” Kit whispered, “Today’s the big day. I’m excited, of course, but I just wish you were here, to see me off…” She sighed and blinked back tears that were threatening to come out. Her dad was a member of the Pokémon Emergency Rescue Squad, and two years before, while on an important mission, he had died mysteriously in a freak accident.

Kit was lost in her memories when suddenly… BOOM! CRASH! A tremendous explosion rocked the house and knocked her out of her thoughts.

“Mom!” she yelled frantically as she scrambled downstairs. She found her mom in her makeshift lab, wiping her blackened glasses and goggles, beating sparks from her short black hair and her lab coat, and fanning the flames off of a smoking Bunsen burner.

“Whew,” she said breathlessly, “That wasn’t exactly the result I expected!” She opened a window to let the smoke out, and called out, “That Flamethrower was a bit too strong, Charmer! Could you tone it down a little bit? Aqua! Can you check if any fire got in the yard? We don’t want it spreading to the other houses! Make sure that Rei’s careful! You know how much fire upsets her! Oh! And tell Naoko and Mika to watch out as well!” The calls of a Charizard, Blastoise, Vileplume, Nidoqueen, and Alakazam answered her. Then, the phone rang, making her jump. “San! Can you answer that? I’m in a pinch!” A blue-eyed Pikachu scampered up to the phone and pulled it up. “Pika-pii!”

Kit smiled. It was just another one of her mother’s run-of-the-mill experimental accidents that occurred at least once a week. Satomi Tajiri was a well-known rising Pokémon researcher and scientist, and a close colleague of the famous Professor Oak. She was also one of the best Pokémon trainers around when she was a kid, and now, she usually had her Pokémon team help out with her work in the craziest ways.

“Um… Mom?” Kit asked tentatively.

“Hm? Oh! Good morning, Kit!” Satomi turned off the Bunsen burner and walked over to her, her face still looking a bit sooty. “You’re early today. Excited about your trip?”

Kit nodded, and was about to open her mouth when little San hopped on Satomi’s shoulder.

“Pika-pi! Pikachu!” Satomi listened, nodded, and turned to Kit.

“Professor Elm just called. He said he wanted to see you before you leave.” Kit nodded and was about to walk out when Satomi added, “Make sure you eat something before you go, and sorry if the kitchen looks like a volcano erupted! The gas lines in town haven’t been working too well, so I had to get Charmer to help with the heating and–is something wrong?” She had noticed the somber expression on Kit’s face and looked at her with concern. “Are you worried? Nervous? You know, if you ever feel lonely, or that you’re not ready, you can always come home.”

Kit sighed and shook her head. “No, no… That’s not what I’m thinking at all! It’s just that, well… I was thinking about Daddy. I wish he could see me now…”

Satomi’s face fell. “Oh… I understand…” She put an arm around her daughter. “It’s only been two years since he passed away, but you still miss him, don’t you? I still haven’t gotten over it, either.” She gave Kit a hug. “Oh, he would have been so proud of you, I’m sure. You’re making history today–the very first trainer from Johto to compete in the Pokémon League!”

Kit looked up at her mother, smiled, and hugged back. “I’ll do my best, and I’ll make sure not to let everyone down!” Then, saying goodbye, she went out of the house, taking a pack of Pop-Tarts and a carton of orange juice with her.

She had just stepped out the door when a large Houndour pounced on her and knocked her down. She laughed and tried to wrestle him off. “Hey, Turbo!” she said, ruffling his fur. Turbo was the family watchdog and was her dad’s best Pokémon before he died. “I’m going somewhere for a while, so you watch Mom and everyone for me, okay?” Turbo barked happily in reply, and wagged his tail. Kit patted him again and continued walking, munching on a Pop-Tart.

Satomi looked at her through a window and smiled sadly. It’s amazing just how much she’s like him, she thought to herself, not noticing that the Bunsen burner in her lab had started smoking up again and igniting flames a mile high.

It didn’t take long for Kit to reach Professor Elm’s lab, since it was just a few blocks away. She went inside and found his assistant, Jan, working furiously on one of the computers with a frantic expression on her face. “Hi, Jan!” she said cheerfully, then blinked. “You okay?”

“Kit!” Jan answered, peering over top of the computer with a relieved expression, “Thank goodness, just the person I wanted to see!”

“Is Professor Elm here right now?” Kit asked, a puzzled look on her face, “He called and wanted me to come here, but he didn’t say why.”

“Well, he’s not in right now,” Jan answered seriously, “You see, something unexpected happened just before you got here, and the professor had to leave. I have no idea what happened exactly, but it was a big emergency, and he told me that if you got here before he got back, you should run out to Route 29 and follow him.” Kit was halfway out the door when she added, “He also said that it would be dangerous if you went alone, and wanted you to go in the back and take one of his Pokémon with you.”

“What? Really?” Kit replied in amazement, “Okay then!” She rushed over to the back of the professor’s lab. She looked around the room and noticed that everything was messy, as if a hurricane hit it. Everything was strewn about and the window was wide open. What in the world happened in here? she thought, looking at everything in shock.

She then saw two Poké Balls lying on a table in the middle of the room. One had a fire symbol on it, while the other had a leaf. There was a space in the middle of the two that might have held another one, but it was empty. “Hmm…” Kit looked around again. “There aren’t any other Poké Balls here. I guess he meant one of these…” She stared at the two balls and finally chose the one with the fire symbol. “I’d better hurry up,” she murmured, sticking the ball in her pocket and rushing out the door. Jan looked after her, wishing her good luck.

Kit reached the start of Route 29 in no time, and ran ahead, looking for any sign of Professor Elm. “I wonder where the professor had to go in such a hurry,” she said to herself, “Maybe he went to the police or something, I don’t know–OW!” Not paying attention to what was ahead, she smacked right into someone in front of her and fell down. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” she said. She looked up and saw a boy with wild red hair scowling at her.

“You’d better be sorry!” he replied smugly. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” He bent down and picked up a Poké Ball that fell out of his pocket. Kit stared at it and noticed that a water symbol was painted on it. Could it be…?

“Um… where did you get that from?” Kit asked nervously. The red-haired boy glared at her and shoved the ball in his pocket.

“It’s none of your business!” he yelled, stomping away. “And if you knew what was good for you, little girl,” he added, “you’d stay out of my way!”

“What was that?!” Kit jumped up angrily. “I’m NOT a little girl! You’d better take that back!!” The boy didn’t answer. Kit was about to reach in her pocket for her Poké Ball, but remembered Professor Elm, and walked away, fuming. “Jerk…”

A few moments later, Kit heard a loud yell. She whirled around, looking for where it came from, and saw some nearby bushes rustle violently. She walked over to them and was about to see what was inside when she was almost knocked over by a man. He had brown hair, glasses, and a lab coat, and was running from the largest hoard of Beedrills Kit had ever seen.

“Professor Elm?!” Kit called out, shocked.

“Huh? Oh! Hi, Kit!” he shouted back, then looked behind him. Seeing the Beedrills again, he screeched. “Aahh! Kit, don’t just stand there! Help me out! You’ve got a Pokémon with you, I hope?”

“Um, yeah! Just a sec!” Kit pulled out her Poké Ball and threw it. It popped open, revealing a Pokémon with an unusual pink flame on its back. Its magenta and yellow fur sparkled in the sunlight.

“You picked Cyndaquil!” the professor said, still running around trying to shake the Beedrill off. “Oh, it’s a good thing you did! It’s a fire-type!”

“Cyndaquil?” Kit stared at it in awe. “Cool! It must be a new species, since I’ve never seen it before in my life!”

“KIT!! A little help here, please?!”

“Ah! Sorry, Professor!” Kit frantically tried to think of what attacks Cyndaquil could have. “It’s probably most likely to be at a low level, so… Tackle–no, won’t work for something that flies, Tail Whip–no, wouldn’t work either…let me see… it’s a fire type, so… I’ve got it!” She ran over to Cyndaquil and commanded, “Cyndaquil! Use your Ember attack to fry those Beedrill!”

The reddish-pink flames on Cyndaquil’s back rose. “Cynda – QUIL!!!” The Beedrill were engulfed in large flames, and dropped from the sky, one by one.

“Yeah! Great job, Cyndaquil, you did it!” Kit cheered. She pulled out the Poké Ball again and held it close to Cyndaquil. “You deserve a rest!” Cyndaquil nodded, and entered the ball in a flash of red light.

Professor Elm plopped down in relief, catching his breath. “Whew… Thank you so much…” Kit walked over to him, concerned.

“Professor, what were you doing out here in the first place?” she asked, “I remember you called my house, wanting me to come over, and Jan told me you went somewhere in an emergency, and why is you lab in such a mess?”

“Well,” he replied, “I was in pursuit of a thief!”

“A thief?! Someone robbed your lab? Do you know what the thief looked like?” Kit demanded.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. He was a boy with long, spiky red hair, about the same age as you, and he stole a Pokémon from the back room in my lab!”

Kit stopped in her tracks. A boy with long, spiky red hair? She turned to the professor and replied, “I bumped into that very same boy when I was out here to get you! He did have crazy red hair, and he insulted me with his bad attitude. He also had a Poké Ball that fell out of his pocket, with a water symbol! Oh, if that was one of yours…” She hung her head. “If only I knew before… He was right under my nose, and I could have caught him for you and got your Pokémon back!”

“Kit, it’s okay!” Professor Elm assured her, patting her shoulder. “It’s not your fault, really!” Kit looked unconvinced, and he continued, “Since you met him face to face, you got a really good description of him, and that’ll make it easier for the police to catch him! Let’s go back to my lab, so we can contact the police and get this whole thing straightened out. Okay?” Kit looked at him and gave a weak smile.

Along the way, the professor tried to cheer her up more by engaging her in conversation. “I heard you’re starting your Pokémon journey today, am I right?”

“Yeah, I am!” Kit answered proudly, “I’ll be the first Johto trainer in five years to compete in the league!” She fell silent, then spoke up again. “So… how’s everything going for this new Johto league you’ve been trying to start?” So far, there was only one official active Pokémon league–in the Kanto region, and it was the focus of debate for many new trainers coming from other regions and from overseas who had to travel far away from home just to compete in a Pokémon league. Because of this, several campaigns had started up to create more regional leagues, and Professor Elm was in charge of organizing Johto’s new league.

“Everything’s on track so far,” he answered, “but I’m sorry to say that we most likely won’t be ready until at least next year. We’re still looking for more good Gym Leader candidates and trainers, and some Gyms are still under construction.”

Kit frowned. “Oh…” Then she brightened. “Well, whenever you’re ready, just tell me! I’ll make sure I’m the first trainer registered!”

Professor Elm laughed, then noticed that Kit was still holding Cyndaquil’s Poké Ball. “You know, you did really well in that fight with the Beedrills. Was that your first Pokémon battle?” Kit nodded, and the professor continued. “I’m impressed. And you and Cyndaquil seem to get along quite well. If you like, I’ll be happy to let you keep it!”

“WHAT?!” Kit was so surprised that she almost tripped and dropped the Poké Ball. “Really? You mean it? You don’t mind?”

“Of course not!” the professor replied, laughing, “Cyndaquil is yours!”

Kit cheered and gave him a big hug. “Thank you so much!”

The professor blushed and scratched his head. “That particular Cyndaquil is special, you know,” he said. “Normally, Cyndaquil are blue and yellow, with orange flames.”

Kit blinked and stared down at Cyndaquil’s Poke Ball. “But this Cyndaquil is a dark pink!”

Professor Elm nodded. “It’s a strange phenomenon that we’re still researching. Sometimes Pokemon can be different colors that shine in the sunlight. But it’s very rare.”

Kit continued to stare at Cyndaquil’s Poke Ball. “Cool…” she murmured.

They arrived at the lab a few minutes later, and Kit filled Jan in on what happened while Professor Elm called the police. When they came, Kit gave them an almost flawless description of the red-haired boy.

“So, Professor Elm, why exactly did you want me to come in the first place?” she asked him after the police left.

“Well, actually, I was doing a research project with the three Pokémon I had in the lab,” he replied, “All three Pokémon are newly discovered – Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile, a grass-type, fire-type, and water-type, respectively – just like Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. I wanted to see if they were good starting Pokémon for our region’s new league, so I was planning to give each of them to three new trainers–including you–to help speed up the results. However–” He looked at Kit with a thoughtful expression, “You just happen to be the only new registered trainer in this whole region, and of course, one of the Pokémon got stolen…”

“So you need another trainer for the Pokémon that’s left? Chikorita?” Kit asked. The professor nodded. “Well, I suppose you could probably give it to a trainer in Kanto. There are two new trainers I know from there who are starting out with me…” She stopped and grimaced. But those two… Eww, never mind! She continued, “But that might interfere with anything Professor Oak is doing.”

“In that case, do you want to take it instead?”

Kit looked at him and blinked a few times, thinking she hadn’t heard him properly. “Huh?”

“I was wondering if you could take Chikorita as well. That Poké-thief was clever enough to sneak in my lab and snatch Totodile, and I’m afraid he could come back for Chikorita, too.” He took Chikorita’s Poké Ball off the desk and handed it to Kit. “I’m sure you can take good care of it, and Cyndaquil as well!”

Kit stared at the Poké Ball with uncertainty, then smiled and took it from his hand. “Thanks, Professor! I’ll make sure to take really good care of both of them. You can count on it!” She beamed at the two Poké Balls in her hands, then remembered her trip. “Professor, what time is it?”

He looked at his watch. “It’s 8:00.”

“What?! OH NO!!! I’m late!” Kit jumped and frantically raced to the door. “I was supposed to be at Professor Oak’s by now! I have to go! Oh, and thanks for everything, Professor Elm! Bye, Jan!”

Kit ran the few blocks back to her house and almost crashed into her mother at the door. “Mom! I’m late! Can you drive me over to Professor Oak’s lab?” she screamed out, running up the stairs. She skidded into her room, grabbed her pack, and flew downstairs and out the door to see her mother already sitting in the car.

“What in the world were you doing at Professor Elm’s to make you this late?” she demanded, as Kit got in and threw her pack in the back.

“It’s a long story, I’ll tell you on the way,” Kit said, breathing deeply.

By now, the whole town was already awake and noticed the commotion. Everyone saw the car drive by, and all of the little kids ran out, chased by their parents, cheering Kit on and wishing her good luck. Kit lowered the car window and waved goodbye to all of them. She watched, as New Bark Town grew smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared as they drove away, and sighed. She wouldn’t see it again for at least a year. She looked ahead as they crossed into Kanto and smiled. Her journey was just about to begin.

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