This story begins one wonderful morning in Alabastia, the small town in Kanto, where many adventurers and Pokemon trainers grow up and begin their journey. I am one of them who wants to become an important trainer one day! Exactly, me, Negi Nekoichi! See and be amazed when I tell you now what I will experience on my great journey on the way to becoming the champ of all champs! And why I really want to become a Pokemon trainer ...

Well, it all started a long time ago with the stories my mother used to tell me as a little girl. She always talked about her adventures as a trainer and how many fights she had fought with her trusty Pokemon. I had always listened to her attentively and enthusiastically and wanted nothing more than to become a trainer and experience such wonderful things. Catching a new Pokemon as a companion, defeating an arena leader, advancing to the league ... I would have loved to share all of this with my mother if a fire hadn't broken out in our house one day.Nobody knew how it had happened, what the cause was, and nobody could stop it. It burned down the house completely and my mother burned with it while trying to save her pokeballs from the flames. She didn't let that stop her, not even Kane, her best friend the Arcani, and chased Kane out of the burning house with me to get me to safety. As soon as the arcani had carried me out of the flames on its back, the entablature, weakened by the fire, collapsed and buried my mother under itself. Nothing could save her, all attempts to extinguish the fire came too late, my mother burned down with the house. All that was found of her in the ashes afterwards were her charred bones over the few poke balls that she had protected from the fire with her life. And when they found Mother's remains, a strange shadow rose from the charred ruins of the house into the sky, but no one could see what it was.Nobody but me ...

***

Like almost every morning since the incident, I wake up and sit bolt upright in bed, soaked with sweat. Again I had this nightmare of the fire, and again I had seen this strange being in my dream, how it flew up from the remains of ashes into the sky and looked at me defiantly with its ruby ​​red eyes. I didn't know then and still don't know why the being challenged me, but in my heart I feel that its challenge still applies. Even now, ten years after the fire.
Sweaty as I am from the nightmare, I get out of bed and take a few things out of the closet to go into the shower. Kane greets me in the hall as I leave my room in my grandfather's house and looks at me slightly worried.
"Everything's fine Kane," I tell him and stroke his head. "I just dreamed of that time again."The Arkani nudges me with the nose and barks encouragingly, whereupon I poke him behind the ear with a slight smile. But then I go to the bathroom to take a shower and then get dressed. Even if it still pisses me off, I've gotten used to this nightmare. He keeps reminding me of what happened, but what happened back then had strengthened my decision to become a Pokemon trainer.
After the soothing shower, I follow the stairs down into the kitchen, expecting to find my grandfather at the kitchen table that has already been set. I've lived in my grandfather's house since the fire with the Pokemon who survived the fire in their Pokeballs thanks to Mother, and Kane. He has been taking care of me lovingly ever since and, although he is now very old, he has never forgotten my birthday. I am all the more surprised not to see him sitting at the kitchen table today. I let my gaze wander through the kitchen in amazement, but apart from the table, there is nothing unusual to discover.So I sit down at the table, shrugging my shoulders and want to start breakfast, when Samuel, grandfather's Bulbasaur, comes through the door into the kitchen, which leads out onto the terrace.
"Morning Samu", I greet him and want to bite into my bread, but Samuel grabs my wrist with one of his tendrils. "Bisa, Bulbasaur!" He says excitedly and wants me to come out onto the terrace.
"What's going on?" I ask in amazement, get up and let the Bulbasaur lead me out. As we walk outside across the terrace to Grandfather's garden shed (Samuel is still holding my wrist and leading me) I suddenly hear the rustling sound of flapping wings and notice the shadow over us.
"Watch out, Samuel!" I shout and immediately duck so that I just avoid the attack. But I quickly look up again and recognize the full-grown Ibitak, which rises up into the air with a croak after the failure to start another attack.Samuel lets go of my wrist and stands in front of me ready to fight.
"Bisa! Bisa!" He shouts, threateningly swinging his tendrils and looking at me invitingly. I immediately get what he wants and nod.
"Come on Samuel! Leech seeds!", I order him and immediately the Bulbasaur reacts and shoots its leech seeds at the Ibitak. However, this evades rather bored, croaks loudly and climbs higher.
// It doesn't mean ... //, the thought of the borer beak attack flashes through my head, and as soon as I think about it, the giant bird is already carrying out exactly this attack. "Jump to the side!" I call to Samuel, and thanks to my call, he barely escapes the big beak. "And now the vine chop!"
Before the Ibitak can take to the skies again, Samuel grabs it with his tendrils. The bird's pokemon no longer comes to an indignant croak when the bulbasaur immediately hurls it to the ground with its tendrils. Then the bird only sees stars.
"Class!You were great, Samuel! ", I praise the Bulbasaur and grin." That really wasn't an opponent for you! "
"Bisa, Bisa!", Samuel smiles embarrassed and is happy about the praise.
"Not only Samuel fought well!", I hear a familiar voice and look in the direction of the shed. "Grandfather?!"
It is actually my grandfather who comes out of the shed and grins at me!
"You didn't have me ...", I look at him confused, slightly annoyed but also embarrassed and don't know what to say.
"Yes, I was watching you and Samuel," replies my grandfather and leans down to the Ibitak. "You both fought well, like a really well-rehearsed team. That was exactly what I wanted to see, hohoho!" He laughs. "The attack shouldn't have been so strong as Samuel. Poor Shakespeare ..." He strokes the Ibitak's head, which it answers with a low coo.
"What ?! That was ...? Sorry Shakespeare!"I apologize to the bird's pokemon." I didn't recognize you without the collar!
“That also made sense during this exercise!” Grandfather takes Shakespeare's red collar with the little silver tag out of his pocket and puts it back on him. "If you had recognized him then you would not have fought against him with the fighting spirit that I just saw with you," he smiles at me. "You are very similar to your mother. You don't like to hurt friends. But when it comes to anything you can't be stopped. Happy 18th birthday by the way." He hugs me warmly.
"Thank you grandfather," I smile and return the hug. "I thought you had forgotten me."
My grandfather lets go of me and looks at me. "How could I ever do that? I'm old, but my memory still works fine! By the way, I have another surprise for you. After all, this year isn't just any birthday. Come with me!"
I follow my grandfather, together with Samuel and Shakespeare, who survived the defeat well and flies over us, back into the house and then into the large, cozy living room.On one of the armchairs, with one hand scratching Kane's mane between his ears, sits (yes, I hardly dare to believe my eyes!) THE Professor Eich!
"Hello, Negi!", He greets me, who simply stops in the middle of the living room door and stares at him. "Ha ... hello, Professor ... Eich!" Is all I get.
My grandfather pushes me on to the next chair opposite the professor. "Now don't stand there as ordered and not picked up! Sit down with him! The professor and I have important news for you that will surely make you very happy!"
I sat down in the armchair when Grandfather pushed me around and still couldn't get another word out. THE professor is visiting us! But why? Did something happen? So is it about me?
Samuel lies down next to my armchair and Shakespeare lands on the back of the other armchair, on which my grandfather sits down after me, and they both watch what is going on in the room.Kane perks up his ears attentively and listens when the professor begins to explain the reason for his visit: "So I heard you have your 18th birthday today. I congratulate you, this is a special day! And that's exactly why I'm here."
The professor takes something out of his shirt pocket and holds it out to me. Hesitantly, I take the item in my hand and examine it closely: It's a blue Pokedex!
"This Pokedex has been specially developed for you," explains Professor Eich. "The Pokedex NEO or NEO-dex for short. It not only records the data of known Pokemon species, but also creates data registers for new species that you may encounter on your journey. Its data memory is enormous and records more than a thousand Pokemon! think you'll be able to use it, "he smiles at me.
I look at him in disbelief. "It's ... just for me? That means ..." A glow spreads across my face. "I can finally become a real Pokemon trainer ?!Then surely I'll get my first Pokemon too ?! "
"Slowly! Just not so fast!" Laughs the professor and raises his hands reassuringly. "You won't need any, because you already have some!"
Grandfather nods when I look at him questioningly. "Kane, Samuel and Shakespeare are really looking forward to going with you on the trip."
The Pokemon show this with barking, croaking and loud "Bulbasaur! Bulbasaur! Bulbasaur!"
I'm so happy that tears almost come to my eyes. I had dreamed of it for a long time, and now my dream is finally coming true: traveling around the world as a Pokemon trainer! "Oh, thank you Grandfather!" I jump up from the armchair and hug Grandfather gratefully.