At the same time that Red successfully captured the shiny golden Pidgey, on a small path in Pallet Town, a boy wearing pajamas was seen sprinting desperately toward Professor Oak's Laboratory.
"Seriously! Why didn't Mom and my brother wake me up?! My starter Pokémon, you have to wait for me!"
Still in his pajamas, Ash rushed outside Professor Oak's Laboratory. After running past the neighbors, he slammed straight into Gary's face, and the two of them fell to the ground together.
"What the heck! I was wondering which blind idiot it was. Turns out it's our reckless Ash!" Gary stood up and, upon seeing it was Ash who knocked him down, instinctively began mocking him. As Ash's longtime rival, Gary would never miss a chance to ridicule him—especially since he had just been easily defeated by Red's Charmander and needed an outlet.
"Sigh, those two are arguing again." Leaf shook her head helplessly. After listening to her parents' instructions, she quietly left Professor Oak's Laboratory and headed toward Route 1. Being rather shy, Leaf wasn't particularly close to Ash or Gary, so she simply left without saying goodbye.
"Ash, I can't believe you'd even be late on such an important day—the day you become a Pokémon Trainer. I've already received my own starter Pokémon!" Gary boasted smugly, pulling out Squirtle's Poké Ball and spinning it on his index finger like a trick. The sight made Ash, who still hadn't gotten his Pokémon, burn with envy.
"Gary, which Pokémon did you choose as your starter?" Ash got up and scratched his head awkwardly. He hadn't expected to knock Gary over the moment he arrived. Feeling somewhat at fault, he didn't retort to Gary's mockery.
"I'm under no obligation to tell you." Gary arrogantly refused. He snapped his fingers, and a group of beautiful cheerleaders lined up behind him in perfect formation, chanting, "Gary, Gary, he's the best! Gary, Gary, better than the rest!"
"To all the wonderful people of Pallet Town, I, Gary, will definitely become a Pokémon Master and bring glory to our town!" Gary raised both hands and shouted his bold declaration. The surrounding residents applauded enthusiastically.
"Hmph, you obviously chose Squirtle," Ash muttered under his breath. He knew Gary's personality well—just to beat his older brother Red, he would absolutely choose Squirtle to counter Charmander as his starter Pokémon.
Thanks to Red's "strict upbringing," Ash's theoretical knowledge had improved quite a bit. At the very least, he wouldn't act as clueless as he did in the original story.
"Isn't that Ash?"
Professor Oak stepped out of the laboratory and noticed Ash at the entrance.
"Professor Oak, where's my Pokémon?" Ash grinned shamelessly and walked up, showing no awareness whatsoever that he was late.
"Ah, Ash, your Pokémon..." Professor Oak awkwardly looked away. This year, four rookie Trainers were setting off from Pallet Town—something he hadn't anticipated. He had only applied to the League for three Pokémon. However, Professor Oak had his own solution. Seeing that Ash wouldn't let go of him, he simply brought him inside the laboratory.
Upon entering the room where the Pokémon were distributed, Ash immediately set his sights on the Poké Ball labeled Bulbasaur. He wasn't stupid—Charmander and Squirtle had already been taken by his brother and rival. Only Bulbasaur remained unclaimed.
Ash picked up the Poké Ball and pressed the button with his index finger, only to find it completely empty.
"Ahem! Bulbasaur has already been taken by Leaf. As for the other two, you know the situation, so I won't explain further," Professor Oak said.
"It was Leaf?"
An image flashed through Ash's mind of a girl who would occasionally hide behind trees to secretly peek at his brother…
"Then what about my Pokémon, Professor Oak?!" Ash cried out in frustration. He had been hoping Bulbasaur was still available. Now there was nothing left. He looked at Professor Oak with despair, making the professor feel quite guilty.
"There is actually one more Pokémon… but its temper is a bit unusual…" Professor Oak pressed a switch. From the center of the machine, a Poké Ball marked with a lightning symbol slowly rose. Ash excitedly placed his right hand on the Poké Ball. With a click, a fateful encounter began.
...
"Come out, Pidgey."
Red released Pidgey once more. Having been captured, Pidgey had developed a sense of dependence on Red and almost wanted to dive straight into his arms. The psychological shadow left by Charmander earlier had been no small thing.
"Uh..." Charmander scratched its face awkwardly, not expecting it had traumatized its new companion like that.
"Alright, alright. Charmander didn't mean it." Red comforted them. He then took out a Potion and a Burn Heal from his backpack to treat Pidgey. The initial sting of treatment made Pidgey cry out once, but under Red's soothing voice, it gradually enjoyed the refreshing sensation of the spray. Soon its injuries were completely healed, and it exchanged greetings with Charmander, acknowledging each other's presence.
[Ding! Pokémon identified: Pidgey. Would you like to stack the Tangled Feet Ability / Big Pecks Ability?]
After brief consideration, Red chose to stack the Big Pecks Ability.
[Tangled Feet: When confused, the Pokémon's evasion increases. Moves used against a Pokémon with this Ability while it is confused have only half their usual accuracy.]
[Big Pecks: The Pokémon's Defense cannot be lowered. It is immune to Defense-reducing effects.]
In Red's view, Pidgey's fighting style revolved around absolute accuracy and speed. Tangled Feet conflicted with Pidgey's own Keen Eye Ability, while Big Pecks could stabilize its Defense and help maintain battle control.
With the Ability stacked, subtle changes appeared in Pidgey. It puffed out its chest curiously, noticing its chest muscles had inexplicably grown much sturdier. Feeling proud, it chirped toward Charmander, signaling a desire for a rematch.
Charmander helplessly shook its head and ignored the challenge, instead lying down on a rock to bask in the sunlight.
Seeing Charmander ignore it, Pidgey remained in Red's arms. Clever as it was, Pidgey understood that its change had come from Red's help. It gazed at him with admiration. The aura of strength radiating from Red was enough to captivate it. Like Charmander, it wanted to receive Red's training. Pidgey resolved to become a powerful Flying-type Pokémon.
After a brief rest and reorganization, Red returned Charmander and Pidgey to their Poké Balls. Alone, he crossed a small forest and arrived at a lakeside suitable for camping and picnicking. It was a wonderful resting spot—the fresh natural air, the clear lake water, and the surrounding vegetation made one want to stay for days.
Red took out essential travel supplies from his backpack and prepared both his own meal and Pokémon food. Notably, travel backpacks in this world were no ordinary items. They contained official League spatial black technology. Large objects like tables and tents could be stored inside without causing crowding or excess weight.
Since Red served as Professor Oak's assistant, his backpack was the League's newest model, capable of holding twenty-five cubic meters of space. Most necessities couldn't even fill it. He had no need to worry about space issues.
"Everyone, come out."
Red tossed out four Poké Balls. Beedrill, Charmander, the giant Onix, and the newly joined golden Pidgey all appeared in the clearing.
Beedrill and the giant Onix curiously looked at Pidgey, intrigued by their new companion. With its well-developed chest, Pidgey showed no fear and puffed itself up to meet their gaze. However, the attentive Beedrill noticed Pidgey's slightly trembling legs…
"Alright, you don't need to look at Pidgey like you're inspecting a criminal," Red said helplessly. Shiny Pokémon were indeed rare, so it wasn't surprising they observed it so intently.
While biting into some bread, Red took out a fishing rod and bait from his backpack, planning to fish up a Water-type Pokémon. Behind him, the four Pokémon were eating. Charmander and Pidgey were devouring their food as if competing in a contest.
Beedrill and the giant Onix exchanged helpless smiles. In the end, they were still just two kids.