That evening, Tianlin returned home.
“Big Sis Lan, I’m back!”Officer Jenny Lan—his sister’s full name—was, as usual, cooking in the kitchen.
Beside her sat a Growlithe, the Pokémon she used while on duty.
“You’re back!
How was your day?” she asked warmly.
After more than five years together, she already treated Tianlin as her real younger brother.
“It was great.
In a few days, I’ll finally receive my starter Pokémon.
Professor Oak said he’ll prepare a really good one for me—I honestly can’t wait,” Tianlin said excitedly.
“That’s wonderful… but once you leave, the house will feel a lot quieter,” she replied, a trace of loneliness in her voice.
Tianlin wanted to comfort her but didn’t quite know how, so he simply said with determination, “Don’t worry, Sis.
I’ll come back as the strongest Trainer.
When you’re on duty, you can use the partners I’ve raised—won’t that look impressive?”
Jenny Lan burst into laughter.
“That’s not exactly how you comfort someone,” she said, though she was clearly touched.
“But I believe in you.
You’ll succeed.”
Time passed quickly.
Before long, it was the eve of receiving starter Pokémon.
Even Tianlin found himself too excited to sleep.
At that moment, the system’s voice echoed in his mind:
“Host, the system has compiled most of the world’s data.
Please review.”
Tianlin blinked—he had almost forgotten about the system again.
Still, it proved useful.
As he reviewed the information, he learned that Trainers and Pokémon in this world were ranked roughly as:
Rookie Trainer Standard Trainer Elite Trainer Gym-level Trainer Quasi-Elite Four Elite Four Champion Master (a level never yet achieved)
Each tier was further divided into lower, middle, and upper stages.
Pokémon followed a similar classification in both strength and potential.
Potential referred to their growth ceiling, while aptitude determined growth speed, categorized as: Poor, Average, Good, Excellent, Top-tier, and King-tier.
The closer a Pokémon was to King-tier aptitude, the rarer it was.
Tianlin couldn’t help but wonder what level his starter would be.
Early the next morning, Tianlin—having barely slept—got up at dawn.
He had no intention of being late like Ash.
His sister had already prepared breakfast.
“Eat first.
What’s yours won’t run away,” she said with a smile.
Growlithe barked beside her.
Suddenly, Tianlin remembered the system’s detection feature.
He scanned Growlithe:
“Growlithe, male.
Puppy Pokémon.
Ability: Flash Fire.
Nature: Timid.
Height: 0.9m.
Weight: 20kg.
Potential: Gym-level.
Potential may increase if evolved with a high-quality Fire Stone.
Aptitude: Good.
Current level: Elite (low stage).”
Not bad, but nothing extraordinary.
Next time, I’ll definitely find a high-quality Fire Stone for Sis, he thought.
Tianlin hurried to Professor Oak’s lab.
“Up early, I see,” Professor Oak greeted him with a smile.
“This year’s starters in Pallet Town are all carefully selected—far better than usual.
And your Pokémon is settled too.
I’m sure you’ll be very satisfied.”
Soon, four people gathered: Tianlin, Gary, a girl named Xiaoying, and a boy named Ah Huo.
Only Ash was missing.
Gary grew impatient.
“Grandpa, don’t wait for that idiot Ash.
Let us pick first.”
Professor Oak nodded.
“Very well.”
He released four Pokémon: Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur—and to Tianlin’s surprise, a Treecko from the Hoenn region.
Clearly, Professor Oak had coordinated with Professor Birch.
“Go ahead and choose,” Oak said.
Gary immediately stepped forward.
“I’ll take Squirtle!”A solid choice—Tianlin had already scanned them.
Squirtle had top-tier aptitude and Elite Four-level potential.
Ah Huo chose Charmander.Xiaoying hesitated between Treecko and Bulbasaur but ultimately chose Bulbasaur, as she was more familiar with it.
That left Tianlin with Treecko—exactly what he wanted.
He picked up the Poké Ball and said, “Treecko, from now on we’re partners.
Let’s reach the top together.”
Treecko met his gaze, then nodded in approval.
Treecko data:Male | Grass-type | Wood Gecko PokémonNature: Serious (balanced)Ability: OvergrowHeight: 0.7m | Weight: 6kgAptitude: Top-tierPotential: Elite Four-levelCurrent: Rookie-levelMoves: Pound, Leer, Absorb
Tianlin was very satisfied.
Professor Oak then gave each of them a Pokédex and six standard Poké Balls.
At that moment, the system chimed again:
“Host confirmed as official Trainer.
Beginner package granted:
100,000 PokéDollars 6 Great Balls 2 Ultra Balls 1 top-tier Pokémon Egg”
A Pokémon Egg?
Tianlin was surprised.
A “top-tier” one at that—whatever hatched from it would surely be special.
Soon after, Ah Huo and Xiaoying eagerly set off on their journeys.
Only Tianlin and Gary remained.
Gary claimed he wanted to mock Ash before leaving, but Tianlin knew better—he was just waiting for him.
Before long, a boy in colorful pajamas came rushing in—it was Ash.
“Hey, isn’t that Ash?
Late again?
And you think you can rival me?” Gary smirked, showing off his Poké Ball.
Ash panicked.
“You already got your Pokémon?!
Tianlin, you too?!”
Tianlin nodded.
“What did you get?” Ash asked eagerly.
“Not telling you, fifth-place Ash,” Gary laughed, then drove off in a luxury car.
Tianlin shook his head.
Traveling like that… he won’t grow much yet.
He still has a lot to learn.
Meanwhile, Ash rushed inside to find Professor Oak—about to meet the partner destined for him.
Pikachu.
Not wanting to miss the moment, Tianlin followed him in.