4 Chapter 4: A New Friend

On the streets of Pewter City, Aeron walked while carrying an egg incubator in his hand. Some people shot a few glances at him but then dismissed him since it was not too much of a common occurrence for someone carrying a Pokémon egg. Especially when the examination had just ended, and many were buying eggs from Breeding Centre.

The current destination of Aeron was the Pewter City Pokemart.

"I have about 7,000 pokedollars. I need to buy some milk for the newborn and other nutritious things. Then I need a camping tent and other utilities that I would need during my travels." He was in deep thought, and his eyes landed on the small bag tied to his waist. "At least I no longer need to spend money on a bag. Most of my money would have been spent on it otherwise, and I still would not have gotten something as good."

Aeron was pleased with this new bag.

After strictly following the map displayed before his eyes, Aeron reached the Pokemart. He looked at all the trainers and different Pokémon following behind them.

As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a crowd of trainers he could have never expected. Even though the number of trainers entering and exiting was a lot, the number inside the mart did not do it justice.

"So cool!" Like someone from the boonies who was seeing a high-rise building for the first time, Aeron, too, was surprised by the hustle and bustle within the mart. Even though he had heard a lot about it, this was his first time visiting this place.

"Is this your first time?"

"Huh?"

Aeron turned around and looked for the person who had just spoken. His eyes met with the voice's owner, and a sigh escaped his mouth. "Was it that obvious?"

"I had the same face when I saw this place or anything related to Pokémon for the first time."

An orange-haired girl walked toward Aeron. She wore short blue jeans with a top that showed her narrow waist. Her tanned skin made her attractive, and her orange hair made her stand out.

"Misty Williams."

"Aeron Duskborn."

"Duskborn? That's a unique last name." Aeron just shrugged his shoulders at that.

"Congratulations on clearing your examination."

"Hmm? How do you know?"

"League releases a list of those who passed. I always look at it. I recognized you because of it." Misty had a soft smile on her face as she spoke to Aeron.

'Misty Williams…' Aeron spoke in a soft voice. Where had he heard this name? It was then that he remembered where he heard that name. "You are Misty Williams? Last year's first ranker and daughter of Cerulean City gym leader? What are you doing here."

Misty stuck out her tongue at Aeron's words. "Yes. I began my journey a year later than I intended to. I was here to restock some supplies. What about you?'

Aeron was still a bit fazed when he confirmed the girl's identity in front of him. Misty was last year's famous genius, along with this year's Gary Oak and Leaf Green.

'Who would have thought I would meet one of the top rankers like this.' He was amazed at the coincidence. Regaining his calm, Aeron spoke once again. "This little guy will hatch in a few hours. I need to make sure I have everything necessary before it hatches."

"You choose an egg?" Misty was surprised, but not much. Many new trainers preferred an already hatched Pokémon, even if it was difficult to bond with them. Everyone was excited about their journey, and no one wanted to wait till the day the Pokémon matured.

"I would rather start my journey a bit late than have a weak bond with my Pokémon when I am in the wild."

Pokémon were double-edged swords. Nothing could make them leave your side if they were loyal to you. But if they decided not to listen to their trainers, they might attack them instead of another wild Pokémon.

"My starter was an egg as well. My father gifted it to me. I can assure you, having a strong bond with your Pokémon would help you in the long run and the best time for it is when a Pokémon hatches from their egg." Misty knew how important it was to have a strong bond with one's Pokémon. Many trainers who ignored this aspect usually met a very horrible end.

"Since you are new here, do you want some help?"

Aeron thought for a bit, for he nodded his head. "Sure."

It was his first time here, and it was better to have someone knowledgeable about the place tag along than run around looking for supplies with no clue where to find them.

"Are you from Pewter City?"

Aeron shook his head. "Florian Town. It is just a short distance from Pewter City. What brings you here? The Pewter City gym badge?

Misty shook her head. "Nope. I am on my journey to train. I am still collecting my team of six." Misty looked at Aeron with her emerald green eyes. "I will start the gym circuit when my team is ready and sweep my competition in one swoop."

Aeron nodded his head at that. It was difficult to challenge a gym and participate in the League Tournament. Even if a new trainer had a type advantage, beating a gym leader would be almost impossible. One needed extensive combat experience and a strong team of at least three. Aeron himself had a somewhat similar plan. He would gather his team of six and then try the gym circuit once he was confident in his abilities.

For the next two hours, Aeron and Misty walked around the Pokemart buying different things. Misty made sure to help Aeron whenever he needed help choosing something he needed clarification on.

Aeron had about 7,200 pokedollars, but when he left the Pokemart, he was down to 500 only.

He had bought enough Miltank milk for two weeks for his Pokémon. Even if the baby period of a Pokémon was only a week, some Pokémon ate more than others. He then bought a tent and a magnet belt to help him place his pokeballs around his waist. He also purchased some health potions. One thing that cost him most of his money was a TM he did not want to walk away from.

[TM: Protect]

It alone cost him 5,000 pokedollars.

"Now I feel like a real trainer." Aeron joked as he walked out of the mart with his first friend Misty.

"Are you going to return home now?"

Aeron looked at the time and nodded his head. "I need to reach home before the egg hatches. My parents were trainers, so they can help me if something goes wrong."

"By the way, can I ask what Royal Pokémon you chose?" This was an excellent chance for him to see one of the Royal Pokémon of Kanto in the flesh. Cerulean City Gym was famous for using Water-type Pokémon, so he was sure Misty would choose Squirtle.

"Sure." Misty took out one of the two pokeballs on her waist. It was a black ball with a blue line going around it.

Misty threw the ball in the air, and with a bright blue flash, a Pokémon appeared before him. As soon as the Pokémon appeared, everyone around them paused, took out their smartphones, and started recording. Aeron was in shock when he saw what Pokémon it was.

"Squirtle!" The Pokémon roared.

"Thought so." Aeron looked at the Water-type Royal Pokémon of the Kanto Region.

Aeron tapped his Pokedex/watch and scanned the Pokémon before him. Two holographic screens with images of a Squirtle appeared before him.

The first screen showed a summary of the Pokémon, like its habits, likes and dislikes, how to raise them and some other things, while the other screen showed the level along with the type of Pokémon.

[Squirtle

Gender: Male

Type: Water]

'He will evolve soon.' Aeron looked at the two screens. He was not surprised that he could not see the ability and moves of the Pokémon. Only a Pokémon's trainer could see those unless one was scanning a wild Pokémon with no trainer. "I am sorry to ask this, but why is he..."

"Not evolved yet?" Misty completed his sentence, and Aeron nodded his head. "Since my father had been busy, I was helping my sisters take care of the gym. I had little to no time to train my Squirtle. But now I am going to focus on him wholeheartedly." She pointed at the other Pokeball on her waist. "I also have Nayla, and she is super strong."

Aeron was curious about Pokémon Nayla, but he did not ask. He brought his attention back to the Squirtle before him.

"Can I?" Aeron asked, and Misty nodded. He kneeled and started patting the Water-type Pokémon. "I am envious."

Aeron could not help but say. Having one of the three Royal Pokémon was very rare. Each Royal Pokémon provided by the League had extraordinary talents, and each could be trained into a powerhouse.

'One day, I will have one for sure.'

-------------------------End of Chapter-------------------------

Author's Note:

- I hope you all like this story, and I will try my best to write a good one.

- Thank you for the support. I hope you like the book so far.

- Peace!