Pokémon are incredibly mysterious creatures that inhabit this planet. Their species number 100, 200, 300… no, perhaps even more than that.
Pokémon and humans work together as friends and partners, yet at times they may also stand opposed as "enemies." They live all across the world. And thus, Red's journey begins.
...
Time passed quietly. Over these three years, Red and Beedrill gradually grew stronger, and he also became close friends with Mew, whom he had met by chance.
Soon, three years flew by, and Red reached the age of ten—the day he would set out on his journey.
In this world, once you turn ten, you can obtain your own starter Pokémon. However, to receive one of the League-cultivated starter trio and be granted a Pokédex, you must pay ten years' worth of fees and obtain a recommendation from a Pokémon Professor. That was why Red had worked as an assistant at Professor Oak's Laboratory from a young age—because Delia had to shoulder the expenses for both Red and Ash.
But being an assistant had its benefits. The expenses for both Red and Ash were fully covered by Professor Oak. As an authority in the research world, Professor Oak hardly cared about such minor costs. More than anything, he didn't want Red's future to be delayed because of these taxes.
"Good morning, Mom!"
After washing up and straightening his clothes, Red hurried downstairs for breakfast. Since he didn't need to pay the fees, his daily meals were relatively abundant, properly supplying the nutrients he needed and making him sturdier than others his age.
"Red, where's Ash?" Delia asked curiously.
"That guy said he wanted to sleep five more minutes. No idea if he'll end up being late…" Red replied vaguely. In truth, Red could have woken Ash up. But if he did, Ash would miss his destined encounter with Pikachu. Red didn't want that fateful meeting to disappear, so he asked Delia not to wake Ash either.
After finishing breakfast, Red set off for Professor Oak's Laboratory. The keen-eyed would notice that a Poké Ball was already embedded in his belt—it belonged to Beedrill. Over the past three years, Red and Beedrill had trained in secret, with Mew as their sparring partner.
As a result, Beedrill's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. With the support of dual Abilities, trainers below Elite Four level stood no chance of defeating it. Even those at that level showed faint signs of being suppressed.
Upon arriving outside Professor Oak's Laboratory, Red saw a crowd of adults gathered there. When they noticed him, they cheered and encouraged him enthusiastically. Every rookie trainer departing from Pallet Town was their pride.
After exchanging brief greetings, Red entered Professor Oak's Laboratory and found Gary and a young girl already waiting. The girl had delicate features, brown hair, and wore a white half-circle cap with red stripes. She had on a light blue off-shoulder top and a red skirt, carrying a pale yellow crossbody bag. She was Leaf.
Leaf was a friend Red had met at a summer camp when he was seven, and the two got along very well.
"Didn't expect even you to be late one day, Red~" Leaf greeted with a smile.
"A small incident came up," Red replied.
Before coming to Professor Oak's Laboratory, Red had gone to the training forest with Beedrill to say goodbye to Mew. During their farewell, Mew had rubbed its face against Red's cheek reluctantly. But knowing that Red had his own journey to embark on, Mew bid him farewell and vanished somewhere deep into the forest.
"Well… how should I put this…" Professor Oak scratched his head awkwardly. "Red, the Charmander prepared for you earlier ran into a bit of an accident…"
"Hm? What do you mean?" Red asked in confusion. Could a League-issued starter really go missing?
"You'd better see for yourself!" Professor Oak activated the machine. As it rotated, three Poké Balls popped out—except the middle slot remained empty. As a transmigrator, Red naturally knew that Pikachu's Poké Ball was hidden there.
"Red, sorry about this. Since you chose Charmander…" Gary stepped forward first and took Squirtle's Poké Ball. "I've been looking forward to this Squirtle for a long time!"
Red smiled faintly. Aside from personal preference, Squirtle also had a type advantage over Charmander. As rivals, Gary certainly wouldn't miss such an opportunity.
"Then I'll choose Bulbasaur!" Leaf picked up Bulbasaur's Poké Ball. Red noticed she let out a subtle sigh of relief, seemingly glad Bulbasaur hadn't been chosen by someone else.
After Gary and Leaf obtained their Poké Balls, Red silently took Charmander's Poké Ball. He was curious about what exactly had happened.
"Come out, Charmander."
Red tossed the Poké Ball. But instead of an enthusiastic Charmander, what greeted him was a hostile Flamethrower.
"Watch out!" Leaf cried anxiously.
"It's fine. That little flame can't hurt Red at all," Gary said calmly.
A wave of Aura abilities formed a shield in front of Red, easily blocking the flames. When the fire dissipated, a one-meter-tall Charmander with crimson pupils stood firmly on the ground.
"Professor Oak, this Charmander's lineage seems…?" Red observed carefully, sensing something unusual.
"That's right. This Charmander's parent was a pure-blooded pseudo-legendary Dragon-type Pokémon. It inherited that excellent bloodline. But it's extremely battle-hungry. The original Charmander was accidentally injured by this one. With no other choice, we assigned this hard-to-control Charmander to you."
Professor Oak explained while cautiously observing Red's reaction—only to find Red smiling slightly, apparently quite satisfied.
"Good thing I didn't choose Charmander!" Gary muttered, though he received a hostile glare from Charmander. If not for Red's presence, it might have silenced Gary with another Flamethrower.
"I'm very satisfied with you, but now isn't the time to capture you."
Red used his psychic power to restrain Charmander and recalled it into the Poké Ball.
"You two should release your Pokémon and build some rapport!" Professor Oak suggested. Gary readily released Squirtle, but Leaf hesitated. Charmander's sudden attack had left a poor impression on her, and she worried Bulbasaur might have a similar temperament.
"Don't worry. Red's Charmander was just a special case," Professor Oak reassured her.
Gary and Squirtle got along quite well. At first, Squirtle was a bit shy, but under Gary's enthusiastic hug, it quickly opened up and happily jumped into his arms. Professor Oak nodded in satisfaction—worthy of his grandson.
Leaf released Bulbasaur. As a Grass-type, Bulbasaur had a gentler nature. Sensing Leaf's unease, it extended a vine to shake her hand. Soon, Leaf embraced Bulbasaur apologetically for her earlier hesitation. Bulbasaur happily accepted her, squinting its eyes in joy.
Seeing that all three had obtained their starter Pokémon, Professor Oak straightened his expression and carefully explained the functions of the Pokédex and Poké Balls, as well as important matters to note during their upcoming adventures.
Leaf listened most attentively, even taking out a small notebook to jot things down. Red and Gary appeared somewhat relaxed, having long been familiar with such matters; a brief listen was enough.
"These are your Poké Balls and Pokédexes!"
After finishing the explanation, Professor Oak handed them their Poké Balls and Pokédexes, blessing them in hopes they would achieve their dreams on their journeys.
Only Red's Pokédex looked slightly different—it was an improved product developed collaboratively by Red and Professor Oak, and currently, only Red possessed it.