Promise

"Allen, congratulations on your graduation!"

"Cynthia, congratulations to you too!"

"Caitlin, congratulations!"

The gift Allen received was a school bag—not one of those fancy bags from Silph Co., but a simple, everyday school bag, the kind that kids typically carry to school.

"Ding ding ding! Son, look! What did your Grandpa buy for you? Hahaha!" Grandpa Drayton chuckled, proudly holding up three colorful school bags.

One was blue for Allen, one yellow for Cynthia, and the other pink for Caitlin.

Both little girls' eyes lit up when they saw the yellow and pink bags, their faces filled with excitement.

"Isn't it just a school bag?" Allen asked, his expression unamused as he glanced at his grandpa, folding his arms. Then, the thought of the idle Pokémon still sitting in his bag crossed his mind.

'Sigh. If only it weren't a relic Pokémon,' Allen thought, feeling a little frustrated. 'I could've probably asked Grandpa's Electabuzz and the other Pokémon to gang up on it and make it obedient.'

Thinking about his Hisuian Zoroark, Allen felt a mix of emotions.

Happy? Definitely.

But there was one big problem—he didn't dare release it carelessly. After all, he wasn't sure how obedient it would be.

According to the Wiki, a Pokéball mechanism was supposed to instantly befriend the Pokémon you captured. But that was just the Wiki's theory. In real life, could he really trust that?

Even in Scarlet and Violet, Game Freak made an adjustment that Pokémon wouldn't fully obey you until you earned a certain number of gym badges. In the anime, Ash's Charizard had a reputation for being rebellious, especially during the Indigo League. Not to mention traded Pokémon—the whole "instantly befriend" concept made that idea seem even more nonsensical.

So, the big question was: If he released his Hisuian Zoroark, would it automatically become obedient?

Allen wasn't sure, and he wasn't willing to gamble on it.

"Allen, look here!" Cynthia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He blinked and turned to see her spinning in a circle, her yellow bag swinging behind her like a dancer's twirl.

She beamed at him, arms outstretched in a dramatic pose, clearly enjoying the moment. "What do you think? Does this look good?"

Behind her, Gible, ever the energetic little Pokémon, was hopping around excitedly, thinking Cynthia was playing some sort of game. "Gib~Gib!!" it chirped, bouncing around her feet in circles, eager to join in on the fun.

Allen smiled at the sight, his earlier concerns temporarily forgotten. 'Yeah, I'll worry about that later,' he thought.

Before he knew it, he found himself bragging about his new bag to the others, completely distracted from his thoughts about Hisuian Zoroark. Grandpa Drayton couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, enjoying the shift in Allen's mood.

"Dear, come here," Grandma Dracelia called out to Allen.

"Yes, Grandma?"

"Are you sure you want to go to Rustboro for primary school? Don't you want to stay in Jubilife City with Cynthia and Caitlin?"

Allen smiled bitterly at the question. He had lost count of how many times his grandma had asked him this.

Reflecting on his previous accomplishments—catching the criminals, discovering the problem with the dam and saving all of East Sinnoh, and even making the discovery of Alcremie—he'd earned his rewards.

The first two rewards were that he was allowed to keep the two Pokémon eggs from the criminals and the special incubation fluid for free.

That was three achievements, but only two claimed prizes. That meant there was a third prize he could request once again.

His choice?

It had to be a starter Pokémon. What else could it be?

Of course, the chance to own a regional starter Pokémon.

So, Allen made his request to the professors for his final prize.

At first, he had thought he'd be choosing a Pokémon from one of the famous regions like Kanto, Sinnoh, or Galar, especially with Professors Oak, Rowan, and Magnolia involved. But he didn't expect Professor Birch's roster to be on the table!

Professor Rowan sighed and said, "He wanted to come here to see Alcremie, but he's tied up with the discovery of an Orb at Mt. Pyre. If it weren't for that, he would've been the first to visit."

Allen's mouth twitched. Didn't that mean his discovery of Alcremie had already spread through the professor circles?

He sighed. It seemed becoming well-known was inevitable now. But as he heard about the orb being mentioned, he couldn't help but glance at Professor Carolina. Could it be...?

"Anyway, here are the Pokémon you can choose from," Professor Rowan snapped Allen out of his thoughts.

Here were the options:

Kanto: Bulbasaur

Hoenn: Torchic, Mudkip, Treecko

Sinnoh: Turtwig

Galar: Sobble

"You need to make your choice quickly so we can reserve your Pokémon before other trainers claim theirs," Professor Rowan said, handing Allen a tablet displaying the profiles of the available Pokémon.

Allen blinked at the list, his confusion apparent. He glanced at Professor Rowan, then back at the tablet, as if silently asking, 'No, why does Hoenn still have three starters available, while regions like Kanto, Sinnoh, and Galar only have one option left?'

Seeing Allen's confused expression, Professor Rowan understood instantly. He sighed and explained, "It's not that Hoenn's regional starters aren't popular, but the professor who holds their tickets is rarely in the lab—he's always out in the wild!"

Only then did Allen understand. Professor Birch, as a specialist in Pokémon habitats, naturally preferred to be out in the wild, observing Pokémon in their natural environments, rather than spending all his time cooped up in the lab.

That explained everything. Still, this wasn't a bad situation, right?

As a Smogon expert, what else was there to wait for?

The choices were clear: either Mudkip or Torchic.

The pros and cons came down to their final evolutions.

Blaziken has just about everything it needs to do its job. Fire and Fighting are great STABs as relatively few Pokémon resist both of those, and Blaziken can easily pick up moves like Stone Edge or Knock Off to use against them. It also gets Swords Dance, the best Attack-buffing move it could ask for, to help it reach the point where it's much better able to one-shot most threats.

However, Swampert... Allen rubbed his chin.

Water/Ground is a good typing, as long as you keep it away from Grass-type attacks. Moreover, this is real life, not a game. What you need now is to survive, not just win matches—unless, of course, you want to go pro.

In terms of 1v1 combat, Swampert should have the edge over Blaziken, as it can tank hits and dish them back just as hard. Not only that, but Swampert is a tanky Pokémon that can withstand most of Blaziken's moveset.

Looking at the pros and cons, Blaziken has a 2× weakness to both Water and Ground—coincidentally, Swampert's exact typings. What else was there to wait for?

"Professor, please help me reserve Mudkip," Allen said seriously.

Time passed, and soon, the time for enrollment arrived.

With Caitlin's humble background, there was no way her father could afford to send her to Hoenn and let his only daughter be so far away from him. The same went for Professor Carolina—so, in the end, Cynthia could only reluctantly stay in Sinnoh and enroll in Jubilife Trainer School alongside Caitlin.

Allen, however, was the only one who decided to venture out first, choosing to go to Hoenn. Of course, he wouldn't be going alone—he would be traveling with Professor Rowan, who had personally recommended him to Rustboro Trainer School.

As he prepared for his departure, Grandma Dracelia busied herself checking his belongings, making sure he had everything he needed.

"Allen, have you packed your clothes? Your pants? What about your recommendation letter?" she asked, her tone filled with both care and worry.

"Yes, Grandma," Allen replied, zipping up his bag.

"And your Pokémon Eggs? You haven't forgotten it, have you?" she pressed, glancing around as if expecting to find something missing.

Allen patted the incubator safely tucked in his bag. "It's right here, Grandma. I wouldn't forget something that important."

Dracelia sighed, nodding in approval. "Good, good. And your travel funds? Your.."

And soon, the endless stream of questions began again, making Allen chuckle softly.

"Grandma, I already prepared everything," he reassured her.

"Hmph, even so, I won't rest easy until I know you're fully prepared," she said, crossing her arms tightly. "I don't want you running into trouble unprepared."

Allen only smiled at this. He knew his grandma was truly concerned about him.

A gentle nudge at his side made him turn.

"Miiiilll~"

Bulla, the Miltank, let out a soft, low moo, pressing her forehead lightly against Allen's arm.

Then came the others.

"Buneary, bun!"

His Buneary hopped up and down restlessly, eyes shimmering with worry, ears twitching as if she wanted to leap into his arms and refuse to let go.

His grandpa, standing quietly with his arms crossed, nodded at him, though his usual cheerful expression was tinged with something heavier—pride, sadness, and an unspoken wish that Allen didn't have to go.

Even his Electabuzz, usually rowdy and full of energy, merely let out a low hum, placing a heavy hand on Allen's shoulder, as if silently saying, 'Take care.'

Allen swallowed hard. His chest felt tight. This wasn't goodbye forever, he reminded himself. It was only temporary. His fingers curled into fists at his sides, trying to keep himself composed.

"I'll be back," Allen finally said, his voice quieter than before. "I promise. If there's a vacation, I'll come home, Grandma—I swear," he added seriously.

Grandma Dracelia quickly wiped at her eyes, pretending she wasn't crying. Grandpa Drayton nodded, his expression full of quiet pride.

One by one, his Pokémon gave their goodbyes—soft cries, small gestures, lingering looks that made it even harder for Allen to take that first step away.

With a deep breath, he turned toward the path ahead. Professor Rowan was already waiting by the taxi, their luggage packed, ready to head to the airport.

Just as Allen was about to step inside—

"Allleeennn! Waitttt!!!"

A high-pitched, breathless voice echoed through the air.

Allen turned around, startled.

It was Cynthia, running toward him at full speed, her golden hair bouncing with each step. Behind her, Caitlin trailed behind, huffing as she tried to keep up.

"Cynthia?"

She skidded to a stop in front of him, her cheeks flushed. "Allen, we made a promise, didn't we?" Cynthia said quietly, fidgeting with her sleeves, as if contemplating something.

"Promise?"

Cynthia pouted, crossing her arms. "Hmph! You forgot, didn't you?"

"I—"

"Then since you forgot, let's make another pinky promise!" she declared, puffing up her cheeks in determination.

Allen thought for a moment before sighing. "Fine… what do you want to promise this time?"

Cynthia then extended her right pinky finger and hooked it with Allen's, intertwining them, and pulled him towards Caitlin

"Caitlin, are you coming too?"

"..."

The three children's little fingers intertwined, and then Cynthia expressed her wish:

"From now on, we can't fight anymore. We also can't forget each other—we have to be best friends forever!"

"Pinky promise... it's a deal... No change is allowed... within a hundred years."

---

Hey guys, sorry I can't reply to everyone individually—I'm currently at the hospital taking care of my baby nephew. I hope all the questions regarding Zoroark have been answered here.

As for the info dump in the previous chapter—my bad! I accidentally published the wrong version. I had written both a long and a short version, but since I forgot my laptop, I tried editing and publishing from my phone instead. And yeah… things didn't go as planned.

So for now, I'll hold off on publishing anything unless I have my laptop with me.

If you have any questions or feedback, let me know! I might not be able to answer everyone one by one, but I'll try to gather similar questions and respond to them all at once.

Once again, thank you for reading, guys!