When every kid turns 10, they are able to start their pokémon journey. They're all given a choice of 3 starters of the fire, water and grass types. Most kids take this opportunity to try to become top trainers, however I didn't. I decided to stay at home and continue studying, for pokémon battling never really interested me much and wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, instead wanting to open a business. Consequently, I never studied anything about pokémon after the age of 10 and forgot a lot of things for the next 4 years. Now knowing my future was getting nowhere, I decided to give pokémon a try.

I'm Luke Spire, and today was the day when my journey started, at the age of 14. I had forgotten a lot about pokémon except for the basic concepts, such as type matchups. I knew enough to get by though, so I wasn't worried much at all. I was however, tired, since I had stayed up all night to decide which pokemon I should get as my first, and I made up my mind. At exactly 8:25 AM, I was at Professor Oak's lab.

"Professor, it's Luke, I'm here to get my pokémon." I said while ringing the intercom. There was no answer for a while. Knowing the professor, he was probably researching more about the newly discovered mega-evolutions.

"Ah, Luke my boy, come right in." I heard a whirring sound and the door opened. Walking in I saw that the Professor's monitor was filled with images of various pokémon and their mega-evolutions. Three images caught my eye, and they were those of Charizard, Venusaur and Blastoise or rather their mega-evolved counterparts. I knew mega-evolutions existed, but I never knew that mega-evolutions for the starters were discovered! This got me excited. At just that moment, Professor Oak stepped in the room carrying a tray with three pokéballs.

"Good day to you Professor." I greeted him.

"Good day Luke. You got here earlier than I expected, that's why nothing is set up. I thought you'd only show up at 2:00." He said.

"I couldn't sleep Professor, so I decided to come here earlier than usual. Are the pokémon ready?" I asked.

I had decided overnight that Squirtle would be my best choice, since he would take care of Pewter's gym, be on par with Cerulean and know Dig and Ice Beam by Vermilion and Celadon.

"So Luke, I have here Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander," he said while releasing them from their pokéballs, "all of them hatched just yesterday, so they are all very healthy. Which one do you choose?"

In front of me now stood Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur, all them looking very healthy and equally cute. They all looked normal except for one thing: Squirtle was much smaller than its usual size, even for a newborn. It was the height of a laptop screen and the width of my shoe. This just made me want to train it even more, since it would make for an interestingly sized Blastoise.

"Professor, I noticed that this Squirtle is smaller than other Squirtle. Is there a reason for this?" I asked him while picking it up.

"A fine question. We suspect it could be cell mutation, but other than that we don't have much to go on." He explained.

"I see. Well, I choose Squirtle. I have a feeling it'll be fun to train." I said decidedly. Even though it was smaller than regular Squirtle, it would still be strong. At least that's what I thought.

"An excellent choice Luke. I know you'll be good friends." The professor reassured.

"One last thing Professor, what gender is it?" I asked. I never liked referring to anyone as an it, even pokémon. I had to know their gender.

"Squirtle's a he, Luke. Have fun!" He exclaimed.

"Thank you Professor, I will." I responded. With that I headed back home to get my Pokédex and backpack. Everyone got a Pokédex after turning regardless of what they wanted to do. Granted, I may not used mine in 4 years, but I always took good care of my belongings, so I was sure it worked. I released Squirtle from his pokéball and introduced him to my room.

"Squirtle, come out." I said. The pokéball popped open and Squirtle materialized in front of me. He really was small, my PC was taller than him.

"Squirt? Squirtle Squirt?" He said while looking around.

"Squirtle, this is where I live. We'll be here for 2 hours before leaving. Do you like it?" I told him.

"Squirt? Squirtle Squirt Squirtle!" He said happily. I assumed he liked it.

"So Squirtle, what do you say we raise you to be the best Blastoise ever?" I asked excitedly.

"Squirt Squirtle!" He said while clenching his 'fists'.

2 hours went by without much happening, except for me showing Squirtle a pokémon book about evolutions. He got especially excited when seeing his evolutionary line and other water types. Soon I was due to leave, so I packed my things and left. I decided to let Squirtle ride on my shoulder since he was so small, and it also gave him an opportunity to see the world. I made my way past Professor Oak's lab and onto Route 1. I knew there weren't many strong pokemon in this route, so I decided to test Squirtle's battling abilities. Even though he was small, Squirtles were renowned for being very defensive, so I was confident. After a bit of searching, I finally found a strong-looking Rattata that we could battle.

"Alright Squirtle, ready for battle? Then get out there!" I urged him.

"Squirt?!" He seemed to ask while making a shocked face.

"Squirtle? What's the problem?" I asked him. "You're supposed to fight, so use Skull Bash on that Rattata!" I told him.

"Squirt? Squirtle Squirt?" He asked.

"I know it seems scary, but it's not. Trust me, this will make you stronger." I reassured him. Squirtle was probably scared of battling due to his small size.

"Squirt? Squirtle Squirt!" He finally agreed. He started to prepare a Skull Bash at the Rattata and soon he was charging at it. Obviously, the Rattata dodged and Squirtle hit a boulder. Normally, the Skull Bash would break it, however because of Squirtle's small size, it only left a small crack.

"Squirtle, are you okay? Can you get up?" I shouted/asked to him. I noticed he didn't answer. I tried again.

"Squirtle, are you okay?" Nothing again. Now I was worried. I ran up to Squirtle and saw something terrifying, he was bleeding from the head and convulsing. Since I spent so much time looking for a wild pokemon, I wandered farther away from Pallet Town. My only option now was the Poke Center in Viridian City, and I had to get there fast. Squirtle was still convulsing heavily and wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

"Squirtle, I'm so sorry. I should've assumed that you were too young and small to battle." I said, not knowing if he could listen. "Shit, I shouldn't have ordered a Skull Bash. Shit, Shit!"

I continued running for at least 2 hours before reaching Viridian City. I didn't stop running until I got to the Pokémon Center. I looked down at Squirtle, and he was vomiting blood.