The small hamlet of New Bark Town, home to Professor Elm's Pokémon laboratory, was situated right next to the Johto-Kanto border. Outside, James saw the trees being gently blown by the winds, and small flying Pokémon moving from one tree to the next as their perches were disturbed. The laboratory was perched on a small hillock, surprisingly nondescript for such a prestigious building.
The group reached the building quickly, and John Richards turned to the three youngsters.
“Well, this is where I leave you, Jennifer.” He hugged his daughter, and shook hands with both James and Shane. “James, good luck. Shane, I'll see you around.” John phased out alongside Xatu, and the Flying-type returned a minute later. Shane recalled it, and the three of them walked into the Elm Pokémon Lab.
The laboratory was spacious, with rows of bookshelves and some complicated-looking computer displays. At the back of the main room, though, was what James was most interested in. A large domed machine held three Pokéballs, each containing one of Johto's starter Pokémon. As the kids entered, Professor Elm, a thin, bespectacled man of about thirty-five, appeared from behind a computer mainframe.
"Oh, you're here already!" the Professor exclaimed, a smile forming on his face. "I wasn't expecting you for a while yet. How are you, Shane?"
"Pretty good," Shane said, grinning as well. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Professor?"
"It certainly has," Elm answered, nodding. "It seems like it was only the other day that you left with your first Pokémon. How's she doing?"
"Awesome," Shane said. He took out a Pokéball and tossed it lightly into the air, causing it to snap open. A medium-sized yellow Pokémon with a scythe-like leaf on its head emerged, charging down her trainer as soon as she saw him.
"Bay!" the Pokémon cried, tackling Shane to the ground and nuzzling his face.
"Hey, hey, Bayleef!" Shane laughed, trying in vain to get the Grass-type off of him. "It's good to see you too, girl, but do you have to do this every time you see me?"
"Well, it seems that she's still quite affectionate," Professor Elm remarked, watching Shane recall Bayleef. He turned to the younger Enfield brother. "Now, if I remember correctly, you're James, right?"
"That's right," James answered, nodding vigorously.
"I see. I'm assuming you're here to get your first Pokémon?" When James nodded again, the Professor smiled. "Well, your waiting's over, young man. Come with me." James followed Elm to the domed machine at the back of the room, excitement flooding through him. This was it, the decision most kids his age made as they began their travels. The Professor pressed a button, and the dome retracted, allowing him to reach in, take three Pokéballs out, and reveal the creatures inside.
The first Pokéball contained a pale green, quadrupedal Grass-type Pokémon with a green leaf on its head, similar to Shane's Bayleef. James identified it as a Chikorita, Bayleef's pre-evolved form. The next Pokéball released a small blue crocodilian with red spikes down its back and big red eyes: a Totodile. The final Pokémon revealed was a small echidna-like creature with bluish fur and a few red spots on its back, which would later be understood to be fire vents: Cyndaquil. Professor Elm smiled as James examined the three Pokémon.
"These three Pokémon—Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile—are the starters exclusive to our Johto region. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and will be extremely helpful in your quest. Choose whichever you like."
"I'm pretty sure which one I'm going to take, Professor," James said, looking intently at the echidna. "I'll take Cyndaquil, if that's all right."
"Absolutely," Professor Elm said with a smile, taking the other two Pokéballs and recalling Chikorita and Totodile. He picked up Cyndaquil's ball and handed it to James, and the boy recalled the Fire-type with a big grin. Almost as soon as the red light summoning Cyndaquil back had dissipated, the ball opened again, and there sat the echidna with an odd look on his face. "Well, that's interesting." the Professor said, observing the small Pokémon with a raised eyebrow.
"What's interesting, Professor?" James asked, looking worried.
"Oh, it's nothing serious," Elm said, the smile returning to his face. "This particular Cyndaquil seems to dislike being confined to its ball. I think he would rather walk along with you, James. You can get to know each other much easier if that's the case."
"Is that true, Cyndaquil?" James asked it, and Cyndaquil nodded vigorously. "Well, alright then, you don't have to stay in your ball if you don't want to." No sooner had he said this than the Fire-type jumped up on the table and onto James' left shoulder. "Uh, if you're gonna ride on my shoulder, Cyndaquil, can you maybe ride on the other one? Since I'm left-handed, I kind of need that shoulder." Cyndaquil nodded again and switched sides, jumping onto James' head in the process. "That's better." James said, reaching up to stroke the small Pokémon.
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"Cyndaquil likes you already, James," Jen said with a giggle, watching the boy and his Pokémon. Shane nodded in approval and started towards the door.
"Leaving already, Shane?" Professor Elm asked as the older boy released Xatu from its Pokéball and prepared to teleport away.
"I'm afraid so," Shane said apologetically. "I've gotta get home and let Mom know that everything went alright, and I think these two can handle themselves."
"Very well," the Professor replied, nodding in agreement. "Give your mother my regards."
"I will," Shane said, and he and Xatu phased out, heading back to Violet. Elm watched him leave, and then turned back to the two ten-year-olds.
"Now we've got the matter of your starter Pokémon out of the way," he said, "we can move on to other matters. Jennifer, I received a call from your father a few days ago, requesting that I have a Pokédex unit sent over for you to pick up. Since I knew James was coming too, I ordered two units, one for each of you, so you'll be able to identify any Pokémon easily." He walked over to a desk and removed two handheld computer devices from a drawer. One was dark teal and the other powder blue.
"I'll take the lighter one," Jen said without hesitation. Elm nodded and handed the powder blue unit to her, and gave the other one to James, who immediately set Cyndaquil down on the ground so he could scan him. Cyndaquil squeaked in indignation, but James ignored his protests and trained the Pokédex on him.
"Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokémon." a computerized voice announced. "Cyndaquil is usually timid, but will ignite the flame on its back if it feels angry or threatened."
"Let me try this out," Jen said, releasing her Magby and aiming the scanner at it. The computerized voice began to recite Magby's data.
"Magby, the Live Coal Pokémon. Its vitality is measured by the quality of the flames it spits, and it usually lives in volcanic craters."
"When did you get yourself a Magby, Jennifer?" Elm asked, as Jen recalled the baby Pokémon.
"My parents gave her to me for my tenth birthday," Jen replied, stowing her new Pokédex in her pocket. "They thought that she would keep me company when we moved away. She's done that so far, and now we're gonna take aim at the Johto League!"
"Well, I wish you both luck in that endeavor," Elm told her, grinning. He motioned Jen and James to a table near the door, and handed each of them five Pokéballs. "Use these Pokéballs to catch different Pokémon on your journey."
"We certainly will," James said, accepting the balls. The two ten-year-olds walked out the door and turned to say goodbye to the Professor.
"Remember, you'll need your Pokédex to get your trainer cards and register for the Johto League!" Elm called before the pair bolted.
"We will. Thanks a lot, Professor!" James shouted as he and Jen ran towards Route 29 and the start of their journey.
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"So what d'you think, Jen?" James asked, as Cyndaquil looked around at his new surroundings with interest. "Should we book it towards Cherrygrove City, or take it slow and maybe see a few Pokémon on the way?"
"Can we take it slow? I kinda want to check out the Pokémon that live here."
"Alright then," James said, and they started at a moderate pace towards the next city. As they reached a patch of tall grass, they noticed something that piqued both their interests.
A small bird-like Pokémon with brown feathers popped out of the grass, and turned its head to survey the newcomers. James felt a rush of excitement as he saw it; this could be his first capture! He whipped out his Pokédex and aimed it at the small bird.
"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon," the Pokédex announced. "This Flying-type is considered a good fit for beginners. It usually avoids fighting by kicking up a cloud of sand to blind its enemies."
"Well, Pidgey, you're gonna be mine in a few seconds!" James shouted as he took out a Pokéball. He cocked his left arm and was about to throw the ball, but Jen caught him before he hurled it at the bird. "What?" he asked Jen, a confused look making its way onto his face.
"James, didn't your brothers tell you anything about catching Pokémon?" Jen asked him. "You can't just throw the ball at it; you've got to battle it first and weaken it, remember?"
"Oh, right," James said, embarrassed at his reckless behavior. "Y-yeah, I knew that. Of course." He turned to Cyndaquil, who was tensed up on his shoulder. "You ready to catch us a Pidgey, Cyndaquil?" The Fire Mouse jumped onto the ground in response, and flames exploded from its back. "I'll take that as a yes. Now, let's see what moves you've got..." He consulted the Pokédex and read Cyndaquil's moves, then stowed it in his bag and looked at Cyndaquil. "Let's move, buddy! Tackle that Pidgey!"
Cyndaquil leaped at the bird, slamming its body into its opponent. Pidgey was knocked back, but recovered and began to flap its wings at the ground, creating a cloud of sand. "Don't let the sand blind you, Cyndaquil! Ember!" Cyndaquil reared back and launched a flurry of small fire bolts that hit Pidgey and dropped it to the ground, small scorch marks scoring its wings. Pidgey quickly pushed itself up and slammed into Cyndaquil, sending the Fire-type flying with a squeal.
“That's some speed! Alright, Cyndaquil, hit it with another Ember!” Cyndaquil sent more fire bolts at Pidgey, but it swooped in a short arc to avoid them. “Look out! Hit it with another Tackle!” The next impact knocked Pidgey to the ground, breathing heavily as it fought to stay in the fight.
"I think it's tired out! Throw the ball, quick!" Jen shouted.
"Right!" James yelled back, and he reared back and threw a strike that hit the bird right on the head. The Pokéball opened, and Pidgey was sucked inside in a flash of red light. The ball closed, and a red light appeared on the button in the middle as it began to shake. James clenched his fists in anticipation as the ball shook once, then twice. Cyndaquil's back was still ablaze, ready to attack if the target escaped. After a third and fourth shake, the red light on the button disappeared, and a tone sounded: Pidgey had been caught. "YES!" James shouted, leaping in the air with his fist raised. "We did it, Cyndaquil! We got Pidgey!" Cyndaquil still looked unconvinced, walking over and poking the ball with his snout, trying to make sure that it wouldn't open as soon as James went for it.
"Relax, Cyndaquil," Jen said soothingly, trying to calm it down. "Pidgey won't leave that ball unless James lets it out." Relieved, Cyndaquil ran back to his trainer and leaped on his shoulder, watching from his perch as James picked up the ball and slipped it into his bag.
"So, now that that's over with...you want to get moving again?"
"Let's go," Jen answered, and they continued down the route towards Cherrygrove City.