[The Dreamer]

Michael grimaced as he finally entered the lab, glad to be out of the range of the various echoes and cheers emanating from outside.

It wasn't as if getting a starter Pokémon was anything rare, but because the one gaining the Pokémon was Gary Oak, of course they needed to make this into a spectacle. Michael had a large amount of respect for Samuel Oak, Gary's grandfather, but the boy himself was just unsufferable.

This is the same boy that expended most of his enormous allowance to buy himself a cheerleading squad, so it made sense why Michael and Gary were pretty opposed to each other. This wasn't a rivalry like the one Ash and Gary shared, but a mutual hatred of the other.

He could already feel a vein pop as he saw the smug smile Gary had on his face, spinning the poke-ball on one of his fingers.

"If it isn't Michael, the researcher wannabe. Makes sense that a subpar trainer would appear last. I got here first, and chose the superior choice of Squirtle, while you don't even get to make a choice." Gary taunted with a wicked smirk on his face.

Michael had a deadpan expression on his face as he replied.

"Must have been quite fast, considering that you could enter before the opening since your grandfather owns the lab. Nepotism is clearly doing you a favor Gary."

Gary snorted with a disdainful look. "Whatever, I don't have to listen to a loser like you. Have fun choosing your Pokémon, oh wait!"

Michael did not respond as Gary brushed past him, instead opting to continue on his path through the lab. An elderly gray-haired man awaited Michael as he closed in on the podium. Although he looked old, Michael did not dare underestimate Samuel Oak, one of the most accomplished professors in the nation.

"Ah, greetings Michael! It seems that you have finally made it, but unfortunately, there is only one left. This Charmander is the remaining Pokémon left over from the original three. "

Michael smiled as he heard that a Charmander remained, as it was his original choice. It was by far the most interesting, and the one that had the most research value.

Squirtle was a standard Pokémon that only had one point of interest, that being its shell. Most research is being invested into its shell, as it is highly reactive and also does well in water.

Bulbasaur was similar, with the only thing standing out being its back bulb. There were many discussions of whether or not the bulb and the Pokémon count as two different life forms or considered one in the same.

Charmander was the one he had planned to choose, because of its tail flame. The mysterious connection between the flame and the creature's life force has no proven explanation. The word "Aura" was thrown out a lot in these conversations, but the vague nature of the term made it an unsupported claim.

As Michael aimed to become a Pokémon Professor, such a mystery was vastly appealing to him. So, Michael released his Pokémon with much enthusiasm.

The released Pokémon was small and bipedal. Most of its body was colored orange, while its underbelly was a pale light-yellow color. It had four small fingers on each hand and three claws on each foot.

"Char, Charmander!" the Pokémon shouted as it reached upward towards him with great excitement.

Michael grabbed the child's hands before heaving it upward into his embrace, feeling how light it was. Charmander weighed about as much as a one-year-old baby, which Michael planned on changing later. He felt the heat of its flame as its tail went up and down, which stoked his curiosity.

A Charmander's flame operated on weird principles unlike normal flame. For example, how they behave during wet weather. A rainfall coming in contact would cause it to steam, but it would still be alive. No matter how much water one would dump on it, it would not go out as long as the physical body was healthy.

"Let's go little guy, were partners now. From now on, your name is Amber, and you're going to be my research assistant on this journey."

The Charmander, Amber, giggled as it made its way down onto the ground from Michael's grasp. It clearly approved of his name.

Professor Oak coughed to interrupt the moment, before he began speaking.

"Anyway, take these, your standard Poke-balls and Poke-Dex. I'm sure you'll make good use of them."

Michael thanked him, before making his way towards the exit. He would have left through the entrance, but he did not want to fight off another crowd. Especially if his parents were there. Now that would be really embarrassing.

He already had all the supplies ready for the trip and had already gone over things with his parents. They had trusted him to go on this journey, so he wouldn't let them down by making a small mistake such as missing essentials.

As Michael made his way through the exit with a Charmander in tow, he couldn't wait for what he would see next. For his journey had only just begun.