Cheerful cries filled the the schoolyard as Viridian Union School's newest class of graduates lined up at Professor Oak's table. For nine years, they'd attended class, studied, and taken tests.

Now, as of this week, they were finally eligible to register as Pokemon Trainers. One by one, their very own Pokemon journeys were about to unfold...

"So, those are your choices," finished the professor, recalling the Charmander and returning its Poke Ball to the rack. "All right. Who will be your starter?"

The next boy in line line, Aurton, wore a tan-and-blue jacket. "Um, sir, you only named eleven," he said tenatively. "Didn't you say there were twelve choices?"

Sighing, Oak looked away. "Well, no one's ever interested in the twelveth choice," he admitted. "These days, kids just want their Chimchars and their Charmanders and their Totodiles--"

The boy shook his head. "I... I don't want any of those! S-sorry. But, um... what's the last choice?"

Silently, the professor took a Poke Ball from his coat pocket and activated it. In a flash of light, a Mudkip emerged from the Poke Ball, eyes darting around the school yard in terror. "Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokemon," said Oak quietly. "Is this the Pokemon you--"

The others in line burst into laughter, but Aurton's eyes lit up. "Mudkip! Just like Brendan Corund," exclaimed the boy, his heart pounding. "Yes, please. I'll take Mudkip!"

Ignoring the taunts and snickers behind him, the boy smiled at the Mudkip, who quickly glanced away, whiskers quivering. "All right, then," said the professor. "Then it's settled. Sign here, and you can pick up your ID at the nearest Pokemon Center."

Patting the Mudkip on the head, Oak recalled it into its Poke Ball as Aurton finished up the paperwork. Finally, this lonely Pokemon would have a friend.

But then, as he handed the Mudkip's Poke Ball to the boy, his hand trembled, his smile fading. For some reason, he felt deeply uneasy. "Listen," said Oak sternly, looking the boy in the eye. "Aurton, was it? This Mudkip has been through a lot. Take very, very good care of him."

"Yes, sir! I'll call him... uh... Rushing River," stammered the boy. "Well, maybe Rush for short..." Smiling, he cupped the Poke Ball close to his heart. "A-anyway, I swear I'll treat him well! Thank you so much!"

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"..and one day, I'll be a champion! A son you can be proud of," wrote Aurton, his hand trembling. "Love, Aurton." Folding the letter to his parents, he placed it on the dining table and looked once last time around the home where he'd been raised for the last thirteen years. A home to which he was about to say goodbye.

Picking up Rush's Poke Ball, Aurton pulled on his orange knapsack, school notebooks and stationery replaced with camping supplies. No PokeGear, no PokeNav; he wouldn't have any contacts to add, anyway.

As Aurton headed outside, the Mudkip trembled in his Poke Ball. How could he belong here, at this human's side? He didn't belong with anyone else. He didn't belong in Oak's laboratory. How... how could he possibly belong to the boy who named him Rush?

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Trainer ID in hand, Aurton trudged through the swirling morning fog. Tugging his jacket close to his body, he kept a steady pace down the dirt-paved trail, his Mudkip curled up in the Poke Ball on his belt.

Sunlight streamed down through the canopy of trees as morning overtook dawn, illuminating the path. Taking an Aspear from his bag, thirteen-year-old Aurton Silversky bit into the crisp, tangy flesh.

Every so often, light glinted off bits of trash and litter nestled among the green, catching the trainer's eye. His eyes fell on a discarded issue of the Pewter Gazette, bearing the headline: "Golden Victory! Ethan defeats Lucas in a close match, 1-0."

He couldn't have gotten more than a hundred meters from the city gates when he felt the Poke Ball on his belt trembling. With a jerk, the capsule popped open, and his Mudkip tumbled out in a flash of light. "Whoa! Careful!"

He tried to scoop up the Mudkip in his arms, but the mud-fish continued to squirm around fearfully, sliding right out of his grasp. "Hey, what's wrong?" asked the boy, staring as the Mudkip landed in a patch of soft grass. "Rush?"

The Mudkip looked away and shook his head, trembling. "Come on, you can tell me," coaxed Aurton, squatting down, tenatively reaching forward.

The orange whiskers quivered, the tail-fin tense. "Kiiiip," whispered Rush, still not looking at his trainer. "Kip mud... kip, kip."

The boy's eyes widened, and he drew back his hand. "Are you mad at me?" he said quietly, his gaze dropping. "Did I do something wrong? I-I'm sorry. I..." He covered his face. "I just wanted a Mudkip. I mean... the Champion of Hoenn had one too! But..."

Breathing rapidly, Rush looked up at Aurton, his heart sinking. "Kip kip. Mud, mud kiiip, mudmud?" Could it be? Was his trainer going to abandon him already--

A high-pitched squeal. The Mudkip whirled around as a Rattata lunged at Aurton, sinking its teeth into the boy's leg. Shrieking, the trainer sank to the ground, clutching his leg, writhing in the grass.

Dismayed, Rush stared at the boy. Trustworthy or not, he had to do something! Shutting his eyes, he sprang headfirst at the Rattata, dislodging it from Aurton's leg.

Squealing, the Rattata flew back and hit the ground. Baring its fangs, it scampered at the Mudkip with an angry hiss.

"Get him, Rush," said Aurton through clenched teeth, pressing the fabric of his pants to the fresh wound on his leg.

A thrill swept through the Mudkip. Growling, Rush sprang up over the Rattata, forcefully banging his head against the rodent. Falling on its back, the Rattata twitched, and went still.

Slowly, Aurton got up. "You okay?" he asked weakly. Breathing hard, Rush nodded, still glaring at the Rattata. Aurton cracked a smile. "Oh, good..."

Before the trainer could get a look at the Rattata, someone collided with him from behind, sending him tumbling to the ground again, his injured leg pressed into the dirt. "Agh!"

As the dust settled, the boy pulled himself up into a sitting position, still clutching his leg, and got a good look at whoever had runinto him.

A few feet away was a red-haired boy with blotchy, pale skin, a few years older than him. "Hey, off to the side if you can't keep up," he snapped. "I was chasing a Rattata."

Aurton glanced nervously at the unconscious Rattata. "S-sorry," he stammered as he got up, limping slightly. "Didn't mean to... um..."

"Then get off the road, retard." The ginger brushed dust off his pants. "The name's Mark."

"I'm Aurton." Worried, the young boy checked Rush's Poke Ball for scratches or cracks. Luckily, it seemed to be fine.

Mark squinted at him. "Aurton? What sorta name is that, eh?"

"It's my name," muttered the boy, brushing dust off his pants. "I'm from Viridian. Just left home today." The legendary Red might've left home at age eleven, but under Viridian civil codes, the age requirement for Trainer registration was thirteen.

"Ha, so you're a newbie!" The ginger pointed at Aurton, shoving his finger into the younger boy's ribcage. "And you picked a Mudkip? Retard. Looks like you need a lesson, slick-footed retard. I challenge you to a battle!"

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Trees with long, arching branches lined the forest path, with wild tangles of waist-high grasses and patches of shrubbery here and there. "You up for this, Rush?" said Aurton, looking at the Mudkip, a bit concerned.

Though still a bit winded, Rush nodded and stepped forward into the battle ring. He'd prove himself to his trainer.

"Let's roll! Firebutt!" called Mark, clicking the button on the red-and-white capsule in his hand. The Poke Ball's two halves swung open and released a brilliant flash of light onto the other end of the battle ring, revealing a Chimchar.

"Ook ook!" screeched the Chimchar as it hit the ground across from Rush, waving its flaming tail and hopping up and down wildly.

Aurton stared at the Chimchar. "Um, why did you call him Firebutt?"

"Because monkeys are cool, and butts are cool," said Mark, sticking his tongue out. "Fire is also cool, so ha!"

Monkeys are also butts, thought Aurton irritably. He stared at the Chimchar with distaste. His first trainer battle. This should be easy. Water beats fire, right?

"Single 1-on-1 knockout match, first to 1 point wins," said Mark, putting his hands on his hips. "Let's go!"

"Firebutt, use Scratch!"
"Rush, use Growl!"

Squeaking, the Chimchar sprang at Rush, who stood his ground and let out an unnerving cry--but not before Firebutt had raked his claws down the Mudkip's head fin, leaving angry violet marks. Aurton gasped, Rush yelped as the monkey quickly retreated to his place with a backflip, grinning smugly at trainer and Mudkip.

"Firebutt, use Scratch!"
"Rush, Tackle!"

Aurton and Mark stared intensely as their two Pokemon sprang at each other, Rush's tail flicking like a rudder as Firebutt's tail burned like a match. This time, the boy heard a satisfying screech from Firebutt as the Mudkip slammed into him--followed by more yelps as sharp claws raked at Rush's flank painfully.

"Rush, Tackle again!"
"Firebutt, use Thunder Punch!"

Aurton froze as the Monferno gave a thin, sinister smile, drawing back a crackling fist. Pow! As Rush bounded forward, Firebutt socked the Mudkip in the face, sparks flashing as the Mudkip tumbled back and hit the ground

Falling to his knees, Aurton cradled Rush in his hands, speechless. "Ska-doosh!" yelled Mark as he recalled Fireutt. "Thought you could win just because you have the type advantage? Ha, owned! OWNED! IN YOUR FACE!"

Shaking with silent rage, Aurton took out a potion aerosal and tended to Rush's wounds, trying not to lash out. I did my best. I had no regrets. That's what he was supposed to say after losing a battle. Come on, say it. But he just couldn't.

"Good game," he mumbled, fishing out a five-hundred yen bill and handing it to Mark. But even saying those words pissed him off. Just looking at Mark's face pissed him off.

"That's right! In your face," sneered Mark. He cupped his hands around his mouth to form a tunnel. "Slick-footed loser!" Kicking dirt into Aurton's face, he recalled the Chimchar and sauntered off as the younger boy howled and clawed at his eyes.

Slowly, Rush got to his paws as Mark's footsteps faded into the distance, breathing heavily, shakily. He should have won. He had the advantage, didn't he? But he just couldn't do it. After such a humiliating loss, Aurton surely had no more use for him.

But to his surprise, he felt his trainer's warm touch on his head. "Hey, Rush," whispered Aurton through clenched teeth, trying to wipe his stinging eyes clean. "We... we're not gonna let that guy go so easy, right?"

Turning, the Mudkip stared up at Aurton, his heart pounding. Could it be? "Kip kip," Rush whispered back, his eyes tearing up. Climbing up his trainer's arm, he carefully wiped Aurton's eyes clean with his fin, a tiny smile forming. "Kip, mud mud."

If this boy wouldn't give up... then he wouldn't either. One day, the Mudkip promised silently, the two of them would be Champions. "Mud mud... mud kip!"