Chapter 1: A Journey Begins

“Promise me, Shin-chan!” Kaito demanded.

“Kaito, this is ridiculous,” Shinichi sighed.

“Promise me!”

“Ok! All right. I promise,” Shinichi huffed.

“Promise what?” his cousin prompted, eyes narrowed.

-Sigh- “I promise that I’ll wait until we’re both ten and can start our journeys as Pokémon Trainers together. Happy?”

Kaito beamed and hugged Shinichi so tightly that he had nearly suffocated and needed his Aunt Chikage to rescue him. They had been six years old when this had happened. Now they were both ten and ready to begin their journey together. Shinichi had kept his promise and had waited two-and-a-half months to visit Professor Agasa and become an official Pokémon Trainer. Kaito needn’t have pestered or made Shinichi make that promise. Shinichi would have waited anyway. It was Kaito that had been the most excited about becoming a Pokémon Trainer ever since they were little kids. Kaito already knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to become a Pokémon Coordinator, like his father. Shinichi wasn’t as sure. He knew he wanted to set out and journey and explore the world, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to do it as a trainer or as something else.

But that was the whole point of making the journey as a Pokémon Trainer, wasn’t it? To discover who you were as a person as well as what kind of trainer you were, whether it is an actual Pokémon Trainer or a breeder, coordinator, researcher, watcher, ranger, and whatever else was out there to be. And as much as his cousin bugged him on occasion, he couldn’t imagine setting out on such an adventure without him, his partner in crime since infancy. He couldn’t remember a time he was without Kaito and didn’t want to think about having to in the near future, so Kaito needn’t have worried.

Shinichi’s parents, Yuusaku and Yukiko Kudo were off on another journey of their own who-knew-where and his uncle, Toichi Kuroba, was away somewhere competing in a Pokémon Contest, so that left Aunt Chikage to drive Shinichi and his cousin Kaito to Littleroot Town when the day finally came.

When Professor Agasa called his name to choose his starter Pokémon, Shinichi approached the podium and studied his choices carefully even though he’d been studying them for two-and-a-half months now. He knew their stats, their potential, and what they would become when they evolved, and still he wasn’t sure.

Treecko had potential if he wanted to pursue a Pokémon Trainer career. His mother had picked a Treecko when she’d started her journey and had had a good tournament run until she discovered her passion for Pokémon Coordinating. So Treecko was a possible choice.

Uncle Toichi and Aunt Chikage had both chosen a Torchic for their starters, and Shinichi had no doubts that Kaito would too. Shinichi didn’t want to have the same Pokémon as his cousin though (because where was the fun in that?) and wasn’t sure if he’d work well with an energetic little firebird anyway. So he could at least cross Torchic off his list of potential partner Pokémon.

And then there was Mudkip, the same as his father’s first Pokémon. It was still Yuusaku’s closest companion even as a Swampert. Mudkip were docile and known to be easy to handle for most beginner trainers. They weren’t overly energetic and potentially high maintenance like Torchic, nor where they overly enthusiastic when it came to fighting like some Treecko could be, depending on the Pokémon and their trainer.

Shinichi eyed his choices one more time before grabbing a Pokéball that contained a Mudkip. Like father like son, as the saying went.




Kaito was excited and couldn’t wait to begin his journey with Shinichi. He hadn’t hesitated in picking a Torchic like his parents had. As soon as Professor Agasa was finished handing out the Pokédexs and their license Kaito let his new partner out as soon as they were clear of the lab. Shinichi did the same with his Mudkip.

“Torchic!” the little bird chirped.

“Aww~!” his mother cooed. “This takes me back to the day I got Torch. My boys are all grown up!” Chikage Kuroba proceeded to hug her son and nephew tightly. “What are you going to name them?”

“Mo~m! Kaito whined, wriggling to break free of her grasp.

“Oh! Stand together with your new Pokémon!” Chikage demanded, rifling through her purse for her camera. “I’ll take a picture to send to Toichi, Yukiko, and my no-good lazy brother!”

Shinichi sighed and Kaito snickered. Shinichi’s father, Yuusaku Kudo, was Chikage’s older brother and she was always teasing him about becoming a brilliant but lazy Pokémon Watcher who was always running around Hoenn and the other regions dodging and evading his many publishers in the name of crucial Pokémon study and research.

Obediently, Shinichi and Kaito gathered their new Pokémon up in their arms and stood still for the picture. Chikage took several. When that was finally done, Shinichi and Kaito spent a little time just playing with and getting to know their Pokémon, while most of the other kids who’d visited the Pokémon Professor were leaving to begin their journeys. Chikage hadn’t put the camera away and took plenty of pictures. The boys ignored her, and were please to find that their Pokémon were already friends. Torchic jumped and fluttered about energetically while Mudkip was settled down on the ground, nodding it’s head and smiling, giving happy little cries while its friend chatted. Shinichi and Kaito watched their exchanges in fascination, asking their own questions to their Pokémon and imagining that they really understood them.

“Well,” Shinichi sighed after about fifteen minutes. “I suppose we’d better get started.”

“Yeah,” Kaito said, stretching. “Lets go!”

They said goodbye to Chikage, promising to see her again as soon as they made it back to Rustboro. After a teary, but cheerful goodbye, Chikage finally let her boys go, getting into her car and driving away.

“So which way, Shin?” Kaito asked.

“Uhh,” Shinichi mused, taking a look at the PokéNav that his father had sent him for his birthday. “We need to find Route 101. That’ll take us to Oldale Town. I think it’s that way.”

Kaito nodded, more than content to follow Shinichi’s lead on this. Shinichi was a details person and had planed out their whole trip. Kaito couldn’t wait. This was going to be the start of something spectacular. He just knew it!