Inside Professor Oak's laboratory, Ash arrived with quite the entourage: Meowth, Pikachu, Chansey, and Ralts. Seeing this lineup, Gary couldn't help but exclaim, "Hey, Ash! You're showing off, aren't you?! You're definitely showing off!"
Ash glanced at Gary and wordlessly flicked the brim of his hat. "What do you mean 'showing off'? Pikachu and the others just don't like staying in their Poké Balls, so I'm not going to force them inside."
"Then what about Ralts?"
"This little one is very attached to me, so I'm not putting her in a ball for now." Ash gestured toward his hand, which was being tightly gripped by Ralts's tiny hand.
"You... just how did you end up with such insane charisma?"
"I'm just not like a certain someone who only knows how to chase girls."
"What did you say?!"
Seeing Gary's frustration, Ash twisted the knife further.
"Besides, unlike you, I don't need to ask my family for money. I've got my own fortune! And don't tell me you actually plan on traveling in that sports car."
Thinking of the flashy car parked outside, Ash felt a headache coming on. Gary glared at him. "Don't act like you didn't prepare any transportation."
"Oh, I prepared something. Meowth is carrying it for me. I'll only use it when things get difficult. I'm not like you."
"That's right, meow! We're going to travel while actually taking in the scenery, meow. A brat like you wouldn't understand, meow!" Meowth had zero patience for Gary and didn't hold back.
"Dammit! Just you wait. When the Indigo League starts, I'll show you how strong I really am!" Gary knew he couldn't win a verbal sparring match with Ash, so he could only resort to hollow threats. However, Ash's next words silenced him.
"Oh? So you think you can beat Meowth?"
"You want to go, kid, meow?" Meowth unsheathed his razor-sharp claws.
"Or can you beat my Pikachu?"
"Pika!" Pikachu's cheeks began to spark with electricity.
"Or maybe you think you can defeat my Chansey?"
"Lucky!" Chansey smiled and raised her massive palm.
Gary's face turned green. These three Pokémon were practically his childhood trauma. He knew their true strength was terrifying—especially that of Chansey, the most disgusting member of Ash's team. He had heard from his grandfather that he didn't know what Ash was feeding that Chansey, but her defense and stamina seemed limitless. Even worse, Ash was sadistic enough to teach her Toxic! Add to that her monstrous physical strength, and she was a literal mountain of pink terror. Yet, Gramps had hinted that Pikachu was actually the most frightening of them all—his true power level had been a mystery for years.
Gary wasn't suicidal enough to fight Ash now, at least not until he understood the extent of Ash's strength.
"Hmph. I'll prove my ability soon enough. Just hurry up and pick your Pokémon." Gary didn't want to continue the conversation and urged Ash to choose.
"Alright, alright. Let's see... Hm? Squirtle is already gone?"
"That's right. I chose Squirtle." Gary held up his Poké Ball. "What, did you want it?"
"Not really. I just wanted to check. Since you took Squirtle, I'll look at Charmander and Bulbasaur."
In the end, after a moment of consideration, Ash chose Charmander. It wasn't that Bulbasaur was bad, but Ash remembered something: Professor Oak had mentioned a child who had left for personal reasons and couldn't make it. That kid's name was Damian. If Ash's memory was correct, even if that Charmander was picked, it would eventually be abandoned. Ash decided to take this Charmander himself.
Looking at Charmander, Ash patted its head. "I'm your trainer from now on, Charmander."
"Charrr!"
Charmander happily hugged Ash, and he stroked the little guy's head. "Good boy."
Shortly after, Bulbasaur was claimed by a young girl who clearly adored it. After the three of them received their Pokédexes, it was finally time to set off. The girl left first, and Gary, after bidding Ash farewell, drove off with his entourage of cheerleaders.
Ash returned home one last time with Charmander. Waiting for him wasn't just Delia, but a whole crowd of wild Pokémon who had come to see him off.
"Make sure you take good care of yourself, Ash!"
"Don't worry, Mom! I'll be fine!"
Finally, under the watchful eyes of the Pokémon and his mother, Ash stepped forward into his journey.