(They stepped inside the lab, where Professor Oak was waiting for them with a warm smile.)
Oak: "Welcome! I'm glad to see you three made it."
(Oak said cheerfully.)
Oak: "I've got everything ready for your journeys. I hope you'll all help me with my research, so I've prepared a Pokédex for each of you."
(He handed a Pokédex to each of them then stepped back to look at them.)
Oak: "Now then... who wants to choose their Pokémon first?"
(Gary immediately stepped up.)
Gary: "I already know who I'm getting."
(he said confidently, grabbing the Pokéball for Squirtle.)
Gary: "I'll wait outside for you guys, gonna get to know my new partner."
(With that, he walked out.)
Green: "Guess I'll go next."
(Green said, striding over to the Pokéball for Bulbasaur.)
Green: "I'll meet you outside too Ash."
(She followed Gary out, leaving Ash standing there with Pikachu.)
Oak: "Well, I guess that just leaves you, Ash."
(Oak said with a warm smile, though there was something else in his eyes, a flicker of sadness.)
Oak: "U-um..."
(He hesitated, as if he was holding something back, but shook his head.)
Oak: "I think it's best if you open the last Pokéball."
(Ash nodded and reached for the final Pokéball, pressing the button to open it.)
(But as he did, it was empty, making both Ash and Pikachu freeze.)
Ash: "Eh...?"
(Oak scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.)
Oak: "I'm sorry, my boy. The truth is... well, a boy named Damian came by and already chose Charmander as his starter Pokémon. His father paid a lot of money for me to reserve it for him."
(Ash and Pikachu blinked. )
Ash: "Wha—then why wouldn't you just get another one? It's not like Charmander are legendary Pokémon."
(Ash asked, frowning.)
Oak: "That's... err, complicated. I'm sorry, but the breeders ran out of Charmander eggs, and... I just thought it would at least be fine for now, since you have Pikachu with you. So you won't have nothing."
(Oak said, trying to sound like it was a reasonable excuse.)
(But neither Ash nor Pikachu bought it.)
(All three of them knew this was just a cop-out answer.)
Ash: "Uh... huh... So if I didn't have Pikachu, then what would you have done?"
(Ash asked, his eyes narrowing.)
Oak: "I... err..."
(Oak trailed off, unable to answer.)
(He just sighed and looked down.)
Oak: "I'm sorry. I wish I could get you a proper starter, but the best I can do is promise I'll find some way in the future to make it up to you. I wouldn't blame you if you're mad at me."
(Pikachu narrowed his eyes, cheeks sparking as if ready to zap Oak, but Ash rested a hand on Pikachu's head to calm him down.)
Ash: "Well, I'd be lying if I said this wasn't annoying, but what's the point of getting angry? It's not like me hurting you will do anything. Fine. But until you actually make it up to me, I'm not going to let you live this down."
(Ash said.)
Oak: "That's... understandable..."
(Oak sighed, rubbing the back of his head.)
Oak: "Here, take some Poké Balls. I threw in a few extra. It's not much, but it's a start."
Ash: "Yeah... It's fine. No—wait, what am I saying? It's not fine, but it's also not the worst thing in the world. I might have needed to go out and catch a Pokémon with nothing to defend myself, but I mean what I said, you better think of something."
(Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, and together they walked out.)
(Just before leaving, Ash decided to insert the chip into his Pokédex.)
(As he did, the screen displayed.)
Ash [in mind]: 'Updating... Please wait.'
(Ash shrugged and left the building.)
(As soon as he stepped outside, he was greeted by a large crowd, most of Pallet Town had gathered to cheer for him, Gary, and Green before they set off.)
(Gary and Green were already surrounded by a sea of people, and as soon as they saw Ash, a fresh wave of cheers washed over him too.)
(After what felt like an eternity, the crowd finally dispersed, leaving all three of them exhausted and sprawled on the ground with their Pokémon by their sides.)
(Ash was the first to sit up.)
Ash: "Man, if that's how bad it is just to be known in Pallet, I'm not looking forward to how it'll be when we get to the League."
(Gary dusted himself off as he stood, grinning.)
Gary: "You'll get used to it. I have to deal with this being the grandson of Professor Oak. But I gotta admit, this was bigger than usual. I guess since people call us 'Pallet's prodigies,' they're extra excited for us."
(Ash walked over and offered Green a hand.)
(She took it and stood up with a grateful smile.)
Green: "Anyways, Ash, come on. Let out your Charmander, let's have the three of our Pokémon stand together for a picture."
(Green said, holding up her Bulbasaur.)
(Ash sighed and crossed his arms.)
Ash: "About that... I kinda don't have a Charmander."
(he admitted.)
(Gary blinked.)
Gary: "What?!"
(Green frowned.)
Green: "Huh? Didn't you get one from the Professor just now?"
(Ash sighed.)
Ash: "Nope. Turns out some guy named Damian got it, his dad paid for Oak to reserve Charmander. So, yeah... I'm stuck with just Pikachu."
(Ash said as Pikachu elbowed his head since he said that it was a bad thing.)
(Green's eyes widened.)
Green: "Wait, seriously? That's not fair!"
(Gary crossed his arms, and his Squirtle tried to copy him, puffing up its little chest and crossing its stubby arms, which looked more like a determined shrug.)
(Gary glanced down at it with a grin, then turned back to Ash.)
Gary: "Yeah, want me to march back in there and make Oak cough up at least some kind of Pokémon for you?"
(Ash shook his head and waved dismissively.)
Ash: "Nah, don't bother. He said he'd make it up to me... somehow. No clue when or how, but for now, I've got Pikachu. That's all I need."
(Pikachu perked up at that, his ears twitching proudly.)
(He crossed his arms too, sparks crackling faintly in his cheeks, clearly approving of Ash's answer.)
(Gary gave a half-laugh, shaking his head.)
Gary: "Tch. That's rough, buddy."
(Green gave a helpless little smile and clapped her hands together to try and change the subject.)
Green: "Anyway! Since we're all heading the same way, why don't we travel together at least until we get through Viridian Forest? I heard there's a Spearow infestation right now, might be safer if we stick together."
(Ash and Gary exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.)
Ash: "Sure, sounds good."
(Ash said.)
Gary: "I have no problem with it."
(Gary added.)
(So the three of them set off, walking together toward Route 1.)
(As they walked, Ash kept an eye on his Pokédex.)
(Curious, he flipped it open to check if the chip had finished updating.)
(The screen blinked, and new text began to scroll across it:)
[Congratulations for activating the Pokédex Chip.]
[Current features unlocked: Basic Pokédex Function, Wireless PC Access, Pokémon Progress Tracking.]
[Selecting first bonus update... Bonus update chosen: Ability to see Pokémon's current and future abilities.]
[New update will be unlocked after a sufficient number of Pokémon are caught.]
(Ash raised an eyebrow, tilting his head.)
Ash [in mind]: 'Huh. That's new. I wonder what it means by future abilities?'
(He glanced at Pikachu, curiosity getting the better of him, and scanned him.)
(The Pokédex beeped softly as it displayed the results.)
[Pikachu (M), the Mouse Pokémon. It can generate electric attacks from the pouches located in both of its cheeks.]
[Abilities: Static. Hidden Ability: Lightning Rod. Future Ability remains the same.]
[Current Moves: Thunder Shock, Growl, Tail Whip, Thunder Wave, Iron Tail, Nuzzle, Quick Attack, Double Team]
[Mutation detected… Analyzing… Error: Unable to analyze mutation.]
(Ash blinked.)
Ash [in mind]: 'Mutation? What mutation?'
(He frowned, puzzled, as he turned the scanner toward some nearby Pokémon, a Pidgey fluttering past, a Spearow cawing from a tree, a Rattata darting in the grass.)
(None of them showed anything out of the ordinary, just the standard entries.)
(Green noticed Ash scanning the Pokémon and tilted her head curiously and tried to peek at what Ash was doing.)
Green: "Are you trying to catch a Pokémon already, Ash?"
(she asked.)
Ash: "Maybe. I mean, I wouldn't say no to catching a Pokémon or two... but none of these guys look that interesting. What about you guys? Any you're after?"
(Ash asked, looking at his friends.)
(Gary shook his head, crossing his arms.)
Gary: "Nah. I'm holding out for something different. Besides, we should be thinking ahead, any idea what the first Gym's gonna be like?"
(Ash chimed in.)
Ash: "Apparently, the first Gym Leader is a guy named Brock. He's a Rock-type specialist. You two should be fine, but I'm gonna need to hunt around Viridian Forest for a Bellsprout or an Oddish."
(Green nodded in understanding, and Gary gave him a pat on the back.)
Gary: "Yeah... you're in for a rough time."
(Gary muttered with a smirk.)
Green: "You wanna borrow my Bulbasaur?"
(Green offered, pointing down to her little frog Pokémon, who was waddling behind them, trying to keep up.)
Green: "I can loan him to you, but you'll owe me a favor~"
(Ash shook his head.)
Ash: "Nah. I've always worked harder than you guys, hard work's what I do best. And besides... I know better than to make deals with you."
(Green snorted, raising her hands in surrender.)
Green: "You got me. But still, good luck with Brock."
(Then she glanced at Gary, a sly glint in her eye.)
Gary: "By the way, are you really not bringing your Eevee?"
(Gary sighed, looking away.)
Gary: "We already talked about this. Last time you came to my house, remember? I'm not ready to take care of Eevee the way I want. So, I left him with Daisy for now. I'll come back for him... just not yet."
(Ash raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin spreading across his face.)
Ash: "Riiight. You sure it's not just 'cause Pikachu beat him~?"
(Pikachu perked up, snickering quietly.)
(Gary scowled.)
Gary: "That was a fluke! We had a rematch, and I won, remember?"
(Ash smirked, arms behind his head.)
Ash: "Yeah, but last I checked, the score was 5 wins for Pikachu, 3 for Eevee. Soooo... cry about it."
(Gary grumbled under his breath, and Green giggled at the banter.)
(As they continued down the path, Ash's eyes caught a flash of feathers in the field ahead.)
(A lone Spearow was standing there, wings flaring, glaring straight at Pikachu with narrowed eyes.)
(Its aggressive stance set off warning bells in Ash's head.)
(He quickly pulled out his Pokédex.)
[Spearow (M), the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Unlike Pidgey, Spearow has a terrible attitude. It is highly aggressive and will often attack other Pokémon and humans without provocation.]
[Ability: Keen Eye. Hidden Ability: Sniper. Future Ability: Remains the same.]
[Current Moves: Peck Double Team, Assurance ]
[Mutation detected… Analyzing… Alpha Gene detected.]
Ash [in mind]: 'Huh'
(Ash thought.)
Ash [in mind]: 'Well isn't that interesting.'
[To Be Continued...]