"So in the end... my decision comes down to these two?"
Ethan took a deep breath, hesitating for a moment between the two reports before picking up Bulbasaur's to review it.
Its final form, Venusaur, was a Grass/Poison type. Although its attributes didn't directly fit his Sandstorm team, it possessed the perfect defensive combination to complement it.
In fact, in almost every version of the game, Venusaur was considered the best defensive Pokémon for sand teams.
With its great endurance and recovery ability, it could hold its ground in battle without issue. That was why Ethan had included it on his shortlist of the two Pokémon most suitable for his team.
"Bulbasaur... inherited the move Grassy Terrain!"
Seeing the move listed in the report, Ethan's face lit up with surprise and delight.
"Excellent, it inherited Grassy Terrain. At least it's a qualified Grass-type starter."
He exhaled in relief and continued examining the rest of the data.
"Other than that Egg Move, it only knows Tackle. Looks like it just hatched, so it hasn't had time to learn any other moves."
As he kept reading, Ethan noticed that this Bulbasaur had inherited Venusaur's ability to manipulate nature: it could make flowers bloom, trees grow, and control vines freely. Its affinity with nature was extremely high.
"It really is an excellent Bulbasaur."
He nodded in satisfaction and then opened the file of the final candidate: Mudkip.
This Mudkip had inherited three physical offensive moves — Avalanche, Counter, and Double-Edge — though it hadn't inherited Wide Guard, a powerful defensive move, which was a small pity.
However, the report highlighted its extraordinary physical strength. Even without having evolved into Swampert yet, it already possessed astonishing power.
Its father was an extremely strong Swampert, capable of taking down nearly any opponent with a single blow — it had literally earned its name through its fists.
"A 'One-Punch Swampert,' huh?"
Ethan looked at the description and frowned, clearly torn.
Both Pokémon were magnificent. If he could, he'd take them both. But reality was cruel — he could only choose one.
He looked back and forth between Bulbasaur's and Mudkip's reports. Since both had outstanding talent, the decision had to come down to tactical utility.
Their roles were clear: Bulbasaur, with Grassy Terrain, was a defensive and healing support; Mudkip, with its overwhelming power, was a pure physical attacker.
"A brute-force attacker... a 'One-Punch Swampert'..."
Ethan murmured, glancing to the side, where Meltan was playing absentmindedly.
Yes... if it came down to raw offensive strength, its evolution, Melmetal, would be the true specialist. He didn't believe any Swampert could surpass a Melmetal in physical power — the latter was a Mythical Steel-type Pokémon with the ability Iron Fist.
Of course, that was just in theory. In reality, evolving Meltan into Melmetal was so difficult that it would probably take years — if it ever happened at all.
Even so, from the perspective of team composition, a healing and defensive Pokémon like Venusaur would contribute far more than an offensive Swampert.
At present, his team didn't lack offensive power; what it truly needed was a reliable healer and defensive supporter. And a Bulbasaur with Grassy Terrain fit that role perfectly.
In fact, Ethan believed that a Swampert (Water/Ground) performed best as a defensive tank thanks to its excellent typing, which gave it only one weakness — a quadruple weakness to Grass. Its base defense was also impressive.
It was a shame this Mudkip's talent leaned toward raw power. If it could Mega Evolve, with the ability Swift Swim under rain, it would reach its full potential.
But Mega Evolution required a Mega Stone and a Key Stone — items extremely difficult to obtain. That's why Ethan dismissed that possibility for now.
Although, come to think of it, Venusaur could also Mega Evolve. With the ability Thick Fat after Mega Evolution, its durability skyrocketed, and its strength wasn't inferior to that of a Swampert.
"Seriously... what a difficult choice."
Ethan sighed deeply, his face showing increasing indecision.
Both Pokémon were excellent. The League had clearly made a meticulous selection in gathering them, and the fact that they were descendants of Elite-level Pokémon was only one of the criteria considered.
Of course, the League didn't do this purely to support new trainers.
Suddenly, Ethan recalled the conditions imposed by the League upon receiving a starter Pokémon. The most important one: if the chosen starter ever bred offspring, its descendants had to be sent to the League's Starter Breeding Center.
The purpose was clear — to create stronger generations of starter Pokémon, ensuring that future specimens would have exceptional talent.
Another condition was that trainers had to record their starter's entire growth and submit the data to the League. That way, they could improve and optimize training methods.
After all, a truly capable starter Pokémon needed not only powerful innate talent but also good growth speed and proper training.
Ethan suspected that when the League launched a large-scale trainer expansion program, vast numbers of new talents would emerge — just like in the original Pokémon world — and many would achieve remarkable success thanks to these starters.
Moreover, these Pokémon were also a vital strategic resource: if the League ever needed them, they could quickly become an elite combat force.
"Let's look through the other manuals... maybe there's an even better option."
Ethan thought for a few seconds and began flipping through the documents again. His eyes gleamed slightly as he turned the pages and reached another Pokémon's profile... a Fire type: Cyndaquil.
(End of Chapter)