My gift to you

On his journey in the game world, he would often find potions, berries in trees and Poke balls lying everywhere on the way. That's why Ayan never bothered to buy any Potions from the Poke Mart as it would be waste of money. His potion use would cut down significantly if he could catch a Pokémon that could teleport like Abra, Ralts and other psychic Pokémon. 

In the real world these Pokémon were very helpful because they could just teleport people around. Of course there were Alliance restrictions on the use of these Pokémon and the distance covered by these Pokémon differed in their strength. Of course it also made these Pokémon incredibly rare to catch.

Besides psychic type Pokémon were also very much sought after because they could be used in research because of their incredible brains. Almost all researchers would have one psychic type Pokémon. 

And he had a feeling that having Abra or such other Pokémon would immensely help him in the game world too. He couldn't wait to catch Ralts or Abra as soon as possible. 

Lombre blinked up at Ayan with something close to reverence. Its body was no longer trembling. In fact, its limbs looked lighter, more fluid. It tapped its own chest twice, then looked at Ayan again with intense eyes, as though trying to say something.

"Uh…" Neil scratched his head. "Why do I feel like it's thanking you?"

"It probably is," Elicia said. "You did save it. And a potion like that isn't something most Trainers use so casually."

"It was just the right thing to do." Ayan really didn't care about the lost potion. He would get it just by walking around.

But before he could turn back, there was a rustle behind them. As they began walking, Lombre quietly trailed behind. At first, Ayan thought it was just heading in the same direction. But when they paused to check the path back to the main trail, Lombre stopped too. And when they started again, so did it. Always behind Ayan.

"You've got a fan," Neil grinned. "Think it wants to follow you now."

"Hey… Are you following me?" Ayan turned kneeling again. Lombre stepped closer and gave a slow, clear nod. "

"That's… rare. Wild Pokémon usually don't trust people this easily unless there's a bond already." Elicia blinked.

"Dude, you have to catch it! That Swablu shot, healing a wild Pokémon, and now a new partner? That's like storybook stuff. Now you will have 3 Pokémon." Neil said. Elicia's eyebrow raised when she heard 3, it meant he already had another Pokémon. Wasn't this man way too lucky. 

"Lombre… I'm really glad you're okay. But I don't think I can take you with me." He stood up and gave a small sigh.

"Wait, what?" Elicia was beyond flabbergasted. This was Lombre and this was already the first evolution and all Ayan needed was a Water stone to evolve it to Ludicolo which was quite a strong Pokémon. 

"You're serious?" Neil asked. 

"It's not about strength. I'm already taking care of two Pokémon, and I want to give them my full attention. I don't want to divide that more right now. But…" Ayan of course lied. He had more than 2 Pokémon and just didn't want to add to the rooster just for the sake of numbers. He turned to Neil, his voice thoughtful.

"Neil, you've been working hard since we got here. You care about Pokémon, and you're observant. If Lombre's willing… I think it'd be better off with you."

"Me? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. You said you wanted to catch something today. Maybe it wasn't a Scyther or a Pinsir—but Lombre's strong. It just needs a little support."

Lombre turned its head from Ayan to Neil, eyes narrowing. It looked unsure. Still clinging to the one who had healed it. Ayan noticed, and gently reached into his bag again—this time pulling out a small Oran Berry. It was plump and light blue, with a sweet tangy scent that made even Elicia's Budew twitch in interest.

"Here," Ayan said, kneeling again. He held out the berry in his open palm. "If you're still hungry, this'll help."

Lombre sniffed, then carefully took the berry. It munched slowly, eyes never leaving Ayan's face. Then it glanced at Neil. Hesitant. Appraising.

"Hey… if you come with me, I promise I'll train hard with you. I'll help you get stronger. And one day, we'll find that Swablu again, and you'll get your revenge."

Lombre froze mid-chew. The berry vanished from its fingers, swallowed in one gulp. Its eyes locked onto Neil. A moment of silence. Then, to everyone's surprise, Lombre stepped forward and stood beside Neil.

"Looks like he made up his mind."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

With one gentle tap, the Poké Ball made contact with Lombre's back—and opened in a burst of light. Lombre didn't resist. In a blink, the Pokémon was absorbed, the Ball clicking shut and pulsing once with a soft tone of completion.

Neil held it in his hand as if it were a piece of fragile glass. His first caught Pokémon.

"…Wow," he said finally, staring at it with wide eyes. "I… I really did it."

"Congratulations, Neil. Lombre suits you." Elicia smiled. Among the three Neil was the one who got the first Pokémon as the second evolution and the most powerful among the three. Well at least in the eyes of the three, as Ayan was sure that his Gyarados was probably more powerful. 

Though he wasn't sure since his Gyarados was level 15 and Lotad would evolve to Lombre in level 14, so there might not be a huge difference as the real world wasn't based on numbers. But it didn't matter to Ayan. If he had a ranch, he would have thought taking this Lombre under his wing, but he didn't have that kind of money yet. 

Meanwhile. 

"I won't let you down," he said to the Ball, then looked at Ayan. "Thanks, man. Really."

"Just take good care of him."