CHAPTER 3

"Professor Birch, I'm sorry for being late. My Torchic should still be here, right?"

Aoki's tone remained calm, showing neither anxiety nor panic. He was confident that Professor Birch had reserved a Pokémon for him.

"Even though you're late, I kept Torchic aside for you. I even had to make up an excuse to turn away another trainer who wanted it. You owe me one," Professor Birch said with a chuckle.

Despite being a highly regarded Pokémon Professor, Birch was still human. He had a good impression of Aoki, not only because of his late parents, who were once valuable research assistants, but also because of Aoki's own contributions to the field.

"Thank you, Professor Birch," Aoki said sincerely. He was truly grateful for the help Birch had given him over the years. The only thing he held against him was the delay in acquiring Aron's egg, which had set his progress back by a few years. But aside from that, Birch was genuinely a good person.

"Alright, Aoki, here's the Torchic you wanted."

Professor Birch handed over a Poké Ball. Aoki accepted it and released the Pokémon inside.

A small, orange figure appeared before him—Torchic, the Fire-type starter Pokémon of the Hoenn region. It was the base form of Blaziken, which, upon evolution, would gain a secondary Fighting type and access to the powerful ability Speed Boost.

"Torchic, this is your trainer," Birch introduced.

"Chic!"

Torchic immediately dashed toward Aoki, wrapping its tiny wings around his leg, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Aoki bent down and gently picked it up. Torchic's round body felt warm in his hands. Its final evolution was known for its power and agility, but for now, it was just an adorable chick.

"Torchic, let's work hard together from now on," Aoki said.

"Chic!" Torchic chirped happily, snuggling against him.

Taking advantage of the moment, Aoki opened his system panel and checked Torchic's stats.

Name: Torchic

Ability: Speed Boost

Type: Fire

Strength: Intermediate

Potential: Elite Level

Moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember, Sand Attack

Egg Move: Fire Spin

Aoki's eyes flashed with satisfaction. Most newly obtained starter Pokémon were at the Rookie level, but his Torchic had already reached the Intermediate stage. Moreover, it had inherited the move Fire Spin, which was rare for a starter.

While it couldn't yet match the power of Boss Lairon, Torchic's Elite-level potential meant that, with proper training and nutrition, it could reach Champion level in the future.

Right now, Aoki could only produce intermediate-grade Pokéblocks due to the limited quality of available berries. However, once he obtained high-quality berries, he could create superior Pokéblocks to accelerate Torchic's growth. With this, reaching Elite strength in a year or even less was possible.

"Professor Birch, thank you for preparing such an outstanding Torchic for me," Aoki said sincerely.

He knew that most starter Pokémon had only Gym-level or, at best, quasi-Elite potential. Getting an Elite-level Torchic was an enormous advantage, and Birch had undoubtedly gone out of his way to secure it.

"No need to thank me. You're an exceptional researcher, though it's a pity you chose to become a trainer instead," Birch sighed. "Still, I can't deny that you have talent as a trainer. After all, your Boss Lairon reached the peak of quasi-Elite strength within a year. That kind of progress is unheard of."

Aoki nodded. "Professor, aside from challenging the League, I also have a research project I want to pursue during my journey."

While training was important, he had no intention of giving up his research. Becoming a professor would grant him significant status, much like Professor Oak, Professor Birch, and Professor Juniper. Additionally, publishing influential research papers could be incredibly lucrative.

Given his knowledge from his past life, he could easily introduce groundbreaking theories and discoveries that would cement his name in the scientific community.

"A new research direction?" Birch's eyes lit up. "I expected nothing less from you. Make sure to do your best!"

He had great faith in Aoki's abilities. If he was setting out on a journey, it wasn't just for the League—he was undoubtedly aiming to make a major contribution to the Pokémon world.

"Then, Professor Birch, I'll be heading out now," Aoki said, recalling Torchic. He still needed to pack his belongings before officially setting off. His goal was to conquer the Pokémon League.

Would he take down Lance, challenge Steven, or perhaps surpass Wallace?

Maybe even… catch Cynthia's interest? That was something to think about.

"Wait a moment!" Birch called out. "I know you have your own resources, but take these—Poké Balls and a Pokédex."

He handed over a Pokédex along with five Poké Balls.

Even though Aoki had paid the one-million-Pokédollar registration fee, it was standard for new trainers to receive these supplies.

"Thanks."

Aoki stored the items in his backpack—a high-tech product from the Silph Co. Despite its ordinary appearance, it had a spacious storage function.

Of course, compared to his system's inventory, it was far less convenient. He was already accustomed to using the system's storage for most of his needs.

Watching Aoki leave, Birch smiled. "It looks like this year's Ever Grande Conference is going to be quite the spectacle."

After all, Aoki wasn't just any trainer.

He could very well become the strongest Champion the Pokémon League had ever seen.

And perhaps, the greatest Pokémon researcher in history.