That's also an extremely valid point of view! Some people end up with starters they dislike, so I'm glad to hear that's not the case here.

[Like those poor trainers who had to survive route 29 with a Magikarp. And those poor Magikarps who had to deal with trainers who didn't respect them after going through route 29 together.]

I started out with a Houndour. Little Fire/Dark-type hellhound, excellent if you need to grill meat on the road. Very cute, as long as you like skulls and bones.