Charmander

Not to sound like a pyromaniac, but you always found fire to be an interesting type. It seemed strong and reliable, able to do damage you would need to succeed.

“Charmander.” You say, and Oak nods. You grab the pokeball the Pokémon rests in. The ball is warm to the touch, and almost seems to shake softly in your hand.

“Then I’m gonna pick squirtle!” Gary says as he grabs the corresponding pokeball. Of course he picked the one with the type advantage. “Now then, because I was waiting so long for you, you are hereby my rival. So battle me! Here and now!”

“Gary! You can’t just-“ Oak says.

“Come on, Gramps, let me show you what I’m capable of!” Gary interrupts him as he throws the pokeball and squirtle pops out of it with a satisfying noise.

“Squirt! Squirt!” It shrieks as it stares at you intently. You look down at the ball in your hand. You know people tend to nickname their Pokémon, and as you stare down at it, a name immediately pops into your head, a somewhat fitting one.

“Go, Pyro!” You shout as you throw the ball, and the newly named charmander emerges, a fierce look of determination on his face as he stares down his first opponent, and ready to receive commands.

“Hehehehe...” Gary snickers. “I didn’t think about it until just now, but if I win, don’t I get to-“

“GARY!” Oak shrieks, and it’s enough to make Gary cringe slightly in fear.

“Alright, alright.” He says. “Either way, I’m gonna win!” The smile on his face makes you frown in annoyance.

However, despite him having a Pokémon with a type strong against your, neither of your Pokémon knew the moves needed to deal substantial damage. Because of that, you manage to defeat him with some simple tackles, even getting a lucky strike that does quite a bit to the poor squirtle. Once it’s defeated, it retreats back into the pokeball, and Gary growls.

“You got lucky.” He says, and reaches into his pocket, pulling out some money and handing it to you. “Next time will be different.” He doesn’t say anything else before he stomps his way out of the building. As you watch him leave, you feel a poke on your leg. You look down to see Pyro poking you with his small finger. You reach down and lift him up, being careful not to burn yourself on his tail as you give him a smile.

“You did good, Pyro.” You say, and he growls endearingly with a smile of his own.

“Now, I must warn you one more time,” Oak says, “the life of a female Pokémon trainer in this region is one full of risk. Are you sure you wish to pursue this?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” You say as you put Pyro back into his pokeball. Oak sighs and nods.

“There is a Pokémon center in the next town over. You’ll want to start making your way there as well as to the first gym, Brock. Although with a fire type, his rock types could be fairly tough to fight. I’d recommend getting some more suitable Pokémon before facing him.” Oak says.

“Thank you professor.” You say, and he nods.

“I can heal...Pyro for you.” He says, and you hand him the ball, which he places on a machine behind him. It whirs and hums a delightful tune, and once it’s done, he grabs it and hands it back to you. “Oh! I almost forgot.” Oak suddenly says before he walks over to the nearby desk and retrieves a small device off of it, before walking back over and handing it to you.

“This is a pokedex. It scans any new Pokémon you come across and provides detailed information about them. It will be essential on your journey. Please try to fill it up as much as you can on your travels. You can use these.” He says as he also hands you five pokeballs, likely empty and ready to hold new captures.

“Yes sir!” You say with a salute, as you take the dex and the balls.

“Well then, that’s all I need. You can leave now. Good luck, and stay safe.” He says, and you nod, turning around and walking back towards the door.

As you reach it, the door opens, and in walks a kid whose eyes are mostly obscured by a red cap he wears on his head. It matches the rest of his red outfit, and while he seems shocked for a moment to see you, he regains his composure quickly and continues past you wordlessly. You hear Oak greet him as you leave the lab, ready to start your grand adventure.

Now, what first?