The dream of becoming a Pokémon master

"Charizard, soar through the heavens!"

Kyosuke hadn't considered that he was on the back of a Charizard. When he commanded the Charizard to fly, it suddenly lunged upwards at a ninety-degree angle to the ground. Because he had no protective gear, he was pulled off its back by gravity and crashed to the ground...

...............

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! The steel floor at home is still too hard, isn't it? Even my body, which is used to being tough, still hurts when I fall from a height of one meter." Kyosuke scratched his head and complained.

Although he fell from a wooden bed and his head came into direct contact with steel, he did not show any signs of concussion, probably because his head was made of steel.

"But now's the perfect time! Time to get my first partner, hopefully a good one." Looking out at the night sky, he smiled and said, "Of course, after I finish today's training."

.........

Location: Zhenxin Town. Time: 4 a.m. on the birthday of four ten-year-old children.

Kyosuke is doing his daily training.

"100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run every day for two years now. I don't even know if the results are noticeable." Complaining while exercising is a daily routine. "But I guess I'm the only one who's ever seen Pallet Town at 4 a.m., hahaha."

Although Kyosuke is still a child, he is quite tall, probably because he has been training. His face is just averagely handsome, but the only unrealistic thing is that his hair is unusually thick after he started training, and it will grow back overnight even if he shaves it.

Having been an otaku since childhood, he didn't have much contact with other lively children. The only children he associated with in town were two simple-minded second-generation kids, Gary and Satoshi.

The reason she associates with Xiao Mao is naturally because of his background. Associating with a rich second-generation has many benefits, such as being able to easily find someone to buy various figurines and games on your behalf.

Ash's reasoning stems from his mysterious father, Professor Oak, whom he's never met and who takes special care of Ash and his mother. Furthermore, Ash's goal is to become a Pokémon Master, making Professor Oak clearly Ash's lifelong rival! That's what Kyosuke thinks.

Another coincidence is that the three of them, plus an unnamed Pallet Town kid, all share the same birthday.

However, children in small towns usually pair up in groups of three. I wonder which of the four in Pallet Town is redundant?

.........

Time: 4:30 PM. Location: Kyousuke's house in Shinshin Town.

"Mom and Dad have been gone for so long this time. Two years. All they do is send money home, but they never come back to visit. Can money buy happiness? Yes, but this happiness is fake..." Kyosuke always thinks of his parents when he takes a shower. It feels strange to think about them while scrubbing himself, but this is the only time of day he has time to think about them.

After all, he's a kid with a regular lifestyle.

My schedule is packed with early morning workouts, anime watching, gaming, novel reading, and sleep. Even hanging out with my best friend occasionally requires advance booking and squeezing in time...

But today is different!

He'll have his first Pokémon soon!

Thinking of this, Kyosuke stopped thinking about his parents altogether.

……

After taking a shower, I returned to the bedroom.

The iron plate was laid on the original wooden board, with some fist marks of varying sizes.

This was specially made after the forging process began.

Kyosuke divided each steel plate into sections and punched it every day after training, hoping to break through the steel plate when he started his journey.

Today is the last chance.

He stood in front of the last flat spot, adjusted his breathing, closed his eyes, and began to gather power in his right fist.

"This is a serious punch, imbued with two years of my willpower!"

A roar! A heavy fist slammed into the iron plate, the force of the blow increasing, but the resistance also grew stronger…

"Phew, still no good. Oh well, here I come, Ooki's lab!" Looking at the clear fist mark, Kyosuke shook his head, quickly adjusted his mindset, grabbed the backpack he had prepared beforehand, and headed to Ooki's lab.

Of course! He certainly didn't know that the wooden planks that used to cover the floor of the house had all turned to dust...

.........

"The day before yesterday I dreamt of being tied up and played with by Venusaur, yesterday Blastoise almost suffocated in the sea, and today Charizard failed to fly... Ahhhh! I've decided! I'll ask Professor Oak to give me a legendary Pokémon, after all, I'm destined to become a Pokémon Master." The person, who was daydreaming while walking, quickened his pace and soon arrived at the entrance of the research institute.

However, he didn't knock on the door, since it wasn't morning yet.

Kyosuke silently counted, and when he reached 450, the first ray of sunlight pierced the darkness. He symbolically took a breath, then forcefully knocked on the lab door: "Professor, wake up! I've come to get my starter Pokémon!"

A research institute is, after all, a research institute; it's quite sturdy, but I always feel like its durability drops a bit too quickly…

"Kyosuke, can't you be a little more considerate of an old man!" Not long after, Professor Oak opened the door, panting. "Aren't you a shut-in? How come you have so much energy?"

"I'm going to be a Pokémon Master! Catching legendary Pokémon with my bare hands is my life's goal!" Kyosuke said earnestly.

"I can't be bothered with you. Go choose your Pokémon and go on your trip. I want to go back to sleep for a while longer, ah~~" The professor, still half asleep, yawned as he led Kyosuke to the three Poké Balls.

"You know what's in those three Poké Balls, right? Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander. You've probably already made your choice. Now, decide."

"Huh? Aren't they Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard?!" Kyosuke exclaimed in shock.

"Where do you get the confidence to control such a powerful Pokémon, young man!" Oak gave Kyosuke a sharp rap on the head.

Then, though his hand hurt a lot, he couldn't say anything and secretly hid it behind his back.

"Is that so... Are there any newly born legendary Pokémon or anything like that? It's quite possible that a famous professor has a legendary Pokémon." Kyosuke didn't seem to be having a headache and gave the professor a "you know what I mean" look.

Daiki replied with "What did you say?"

Kyosuke was inwardly distressed, but a sudden realization dawned on him: things weren't so simple. There were only three Poké Balls in front of him, but four children were turning ten today. Professor Oak was a well-known figure; his son was also a professor, and his grandson, Gary, was turning ten and about to receive his starter Pokémon…

So, it turns out, some people really can win at the starting line...?

Kyosuke felt bitter inside and stared at Professor Oki with disdain.

Professor Oak felt his scalp tingling under that stare. Even pretending to look around at the scenery couldn't withstand the blatant contempt, so he finally asked, "Ahem, do you have any other questions?"

"Did you prepare a legendary Pokémon for Gary?!" Kyosuke's honest eyes scanned Professor Oak's entire body.

"You mean this? I thought it was something serious. Ash's dad gave me a Pokémon and asked me to give it to Ash. It's not as complicated as you think. Anyway, he'll definitely be late again, so I don't need to persuade him to give up on the starter Pokémon. But you absolutely can't tell Ash, okay?" Professor Oak said with a relaxed expression.

But how could the clever Kyosuke be fooled by such a simple trick? He discovered another blind spot: Ash's father hadn't been seen for years, so why would he simply give Oak a Pokémon to help him instead of going home himself? Why was Aunt Hanako alone at home, never seen discussing her husband's past, and had no photos of her at home? Why do Ash and Gary look so alike?

Can't think any more!

Kyosuke stopped thinking and nodded in satisfaction with Professor Oak's answer.

"But since there are no divine beasts, then we only have choices..."