sigh, future me here: ik chikorita is cute but pick that fire starter.
unless if you want to get stuck in the second gym (!) and realize your 6 hours grinding for chikorita and his cuteness wont kill that fuckin bug. (and cherry on top, you wont see a single fuckin fire type to catch T_T)
welp, i was having fun while i was playing it. wish there wasnt an obvious wrong or right starter choice tho.