Early in the morning, Chen Ming set out with Professor Oak.
The Pokémon Center was rather far from Pallet Town, so they needed to use some form of transportation. While staying in the Pokémon Center room, Chen Ming had spent his time meditating within his mental space, leaving him with little opportunity to observe Pokémon. Having only recently recovered from a low fever, he looked about with wide-eyed curiosity as he stepped out of the ward.
Oddish, Rattata, Squirtle...
They all looked so adorable, though unfortunately none of them belonged to him.
Professor Oak waved to Chen Ming and called out, "Let's go, A-Ming."
"You're not yet of age to be a trainer. How about registering your identity with me when the time comes and claiming your very first Pokémon?" He scooped up Chen Ming, who had walked over, set him down on Dragonite's back, and asked with a smile, completely devoid of any hint of trickery.
He had a vague feeling that something wasn't quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Now in human form, he wrapped his arms around Feida, the Dragonite, finding it so soft and fluffy that he wanted nothing more than to sleep right there on top of it.
Professor Oak's Dragonite had a wonderful temperament and was very fond of children. It let out a few cheerful "buu-buu" cries, trying to coax a smile out of Chen Ming.
Feigning the innocence of a young child, Chen Ming asked, "Is that really okay? Won't that be too much trouble for the Professor?"
How was it that he was starting to enjoy playing along like this?
"Haha, no trouble at all, no trouble! We'll talk about that later; let's get back to Pallet Town first."
Despite his head of white hair, Professor Oak moved with great agility. He hopped onto Dragonite's back and gently patted the Pokémon.
Understanding the cue, Dragonite flapped wings that seemed far too small for its massive body.
Chen Ming was terribly curious about how such tiny wings could generate so much power. Their rhythmic flapping felt quite fascinating—should he give it a hug when they landed later?
Dragonite's speed was truly top-tier, comparable to opening up the throttle on a speeding motorcycle. The wind should have stung terribly against his face.
In reality, it didn't. Dragonite seemed to be mindful of the passenger on its back, applying a faint, specialized kind of energy to form a protective, buffering barrier.
Could this be a racial talent?
Chen Ming quietly noted the sensation.
—
Arriving at Professor Oak's sanctuary, Dragonite landed smoothly, stirring up a gentle breeze that rustled the grass below.
Near the sanctuary, Gary was playing with an Eevee, while Ash was observing various Pokémon nose-to-nose, though he looked like he had taken a bit of a beating in the process.
"Oh, Ash is here too."
Professor Oak glanced over casually, noting that things looked pretty much as they had when he left.
Ash scrambled to his feet and shouted, "Hello, Professor Oak—!"
"So this is the person Mom said would be living with me? Hi, I'm Ash! Nice to meet you!"
Ash brushed the dust off his knees and extended his hand with a grin.
Chen Ming murmured a quiet greeting and shook Ash's hand in return.
He had already heard about this from Professor Oak on the way, and it wasn't something he couldn't accept.
Gary didn't come over right away, choosing instead to observe from a distance.
Professor Oak gave a feigned cough and cast a few extra glances at Gary. "You three go on and play together. I still need to take the kids from the summer camp back into the forest for a proper experience. Remember to behave yourselves."
Presumably, he wanted Gary to keep an eye on things, knowing full well that Ash wasn't the type to stay quiet.
"Aw—I wanna go too, Professor Oak! Can I sneak along?"
Ash's eyes sparkled; he had been dying to see more Pokémon for the longest time.
Patting Ash gently on the head with a hearty laugh, Professor Oak replied, "No. You're not old enough yet. Next year will be your turn, so just be patient."
At last, Professor Oak departed, leaving the three of them staring at one another in a rather awkward silence.
Ash was the first to break the tension, tossing out the idea of secretly following the Professor into the forest.
Knowing better than anyone how Ash couldn't tear himself away whenever he saw a Pokémon, Gary was the first to object.
Besides, having spent so much time around Professor Oak, Gary already possessed a vast store of theoretical knowledge, and listening to his grandfather drone on about the basics was terribly boring.
After a few stern interventions, they managed to put a stop to Ash's immature idea. Chen Ming didn't get involved at all throughout the whole ordeal, nor was it his place to chime in.
Having dealt with Ash, Gary declared his territory with a hint of haughtiness: "Hey, kid, don't even think about stealing Grandpa from me. You can't win against me."
"Don't worry, I have no intention of competing with you. You don't need to mind me."
Avoiding trouble had always been Chen Ming's code of conduct. Fighting for attention like this sounded like an absolute headache, and it was something that would never be on his radar.
"What's your deal, Gary? Seriously, A-Ming, don't mind him. Come live at my house."
"Let me tell you, my mom's stir-fries are super delicious! Even a guy like Gary ends up eating extra bowls of rice when he's over."
Ash wiped his nose to smooth over the awkward atmosphere.
"What are you talking about, you blockhead? Look who's talking—you're the one who eats like a pig."
...
Watching the two of them bickering back and forth, Chen Ming wondered if this sort of bizarre friendship from the anime had formed this early on.
Despite the squabbling, both of them clearly intended to help Chen Ming fit in, even if Gary still wore a stern expression on his face.
Arriving at Pallet Town's well-known restaurant, Auntie Delia had just finished up her work.
"Oh, Ash, you're back," Delia said with a warm smile. "Gary, and A-Ming, the one the Professor mentioned—come on inside quickly, it's hot out. Auntie will bring you some iced water."
Chen Ming watched Delia for a long time.
Of course it wasn't out of infatuation with her beauty, but she was the protagonist's mother, after all. Seeing a living, breathing person instead of a two-dimensional anime character gave him a distinctly surreal feeling.
Now that he thought about it, with Auntie Delia being so pretty, she certainly lived up to her reputation as the number one beauty in Pallet Town.
Ash's house was quite spacious and well-suited for living.
Not only did it feature a backyard, but the interior decor was also remarkably cozy.
He wondered what was going through Ash's father's head—traveling out on his own and rarely ever coming back, leaving multiple bedrooms completely vacant.
Delia took the initiative to chat with Chen Ming, establishing a preliminary understanding, and even showed him to his assigned bedroom to see if anything needed changing, showing great respect for his opinions.
Chen Ming wasn't one to nitpick, especially since he wasn't particularly fussy about where he lived. If he were, he would have blown the research institute to smithereens the moment he gained consciousness.
Since it was still summer vacation, Chen Ming had plenty of time to interact with them.
He wasn't particularly fond of managing interpersonal relationships, but if others were radiating genuine kindness, he had no reason to push them away. Before long, their bonds grew familiar, and the initial sense of alienation vanished.
Next came the matter of schooling, which Professor Oak had already arranged. This made Chen Ming feel all the more puzzled, as he still couldn't figure out the reason behind it.
The schoolwork itself was quite simple—a breeze for Chen Ming—though on occasion, Gary would cast competitive glances his way.
Chen Ming didn't care for it, but he still kept up appearances enough to blend in.
His grades weren't overly outstanding, maintaining a steady above-average level.
Ever since he was taken in, Chen Ming had fallen in love with the habit of observation, often recording various things—mostly regarding Pokémon behavior and ecology.
With Professor Oak around, he could simply go ask whenever he encountered something he didn't understand, though the reality of the world inevitably differed slightly from the anime.
And so, a year slipped by.
Having 'received' the task of watering Auntie Delia's flowers, Chen Ming held the watering can and reminisced about the leisurely life of the past year.
Over the course of the year, he had set some small goals for himself: learning cooking from Auntie Delia, studying Pokémon knowledge, helping out whenever he could, and observing the ecological habits of Pokémon.
As for Pokémon battles—something Ash and Gary adored—Chen Ming didn't get heavily involved. Still, armed with his memories of the anime and games, busting out moves like Ash's countershield for fun seemed like it would be more than enough.
As for the major goals, such as the genetic issues within his own body, Chen Ming had a few tentative clues, though he still needed to verify them.
Finally, Chen Ming flipped open his frequently used journal to the very last page. What was written there wasn't a daily entry.
It was his calculation of the time ratio between the two worlds—after all, anyone would be curious about why Ash never seemed to age.
To his astonishment, he made a startling discovery: it wasn't that Ash didn't age, but rather that the life cycle of people in the Pokémon World was exceptionally long. In other words, they had extended lifespans.
Although they still used the same counting system of years, months, and days, a world infused with special powers was bound to have its differences. A single day in the Pokémon World was longer than in the other world, and a year encompassed more days.
Calculated this way, while someone might be called ten years old, they were actually developmentally equivalent to seventeen or eighteen. With such a prolonged timeframe to perceive the world, heading out on a journey at that age made complete sense, perfectly aligning with the League's stipulated age.
And yet, despite all this time, the blockhead hadn't grown wise to the world at all—a numbskull was truly a numbskull.
Just then, Ash happened to walk past. Seeing Chen Ming staring off into space, he hollered, "A-Ming! You're gonna drown those flowers at this rate, hey!"
The shout jolted Chen Ming back to reality. Spotting the waterlogged soil, he hurriedly righted the tilted watering can.
This was the drawback of exclusively training his mental energy without actually using it in daily life.
Still, given the choice, he would still choose this path. No one could predict whether an unexpected situation would arise during his travels where mental energy couldn't be used; he couldn't rely too heavily on that kind of convenience.
As for his identity as Mewtwo, he would avoid using it whenever possible. He wasn't afraid of Team Rocket, but rather... safety first, safety first—
At the stray thought, he shivered slightly.
He looked over at Ash with an apologetic smile, trying to figure out what to say, but Ash beat him to the punch.
"Hey, hey, look at this poster!"
Ash held up something resembling an advertisement flyer.
Stepping closer to take a look, it was just the summer camp hosted by Professor Oak, starting up again this year.
Chen Ming looked utterly indifferent, but Ash was brimming with excitement.
"We're old enough now! We can actually go participate," Ash said, exceptionally excited as he came over to share the news. "Do you want to go together? That guy Gary said he doesn't want to go for some reason—it's so annoying."
"A-Ming, A-Ming, let's go together!"
Ash leaned in close, practically pressing his face right up against Chen Ming's.
Stepping back slightly to respond, Chen Ming said, "Sorry, I've already made plans for this summer vacation." If the timeline was correct, he wanted to go track down Mew and see if it could help resolve the issues with his body.
"Aw—just me, then?"
Ash looked somewhat crestfallen, though he quickly perked back up, running around with the poster in hand.
Rid of Ash's 'harassment', Chen Ming quickly finished watering all the flowers. Glancing around to make sure no one was looking, he deployed the Grass-type move: Grass Field.
Focusing the energy into a single point—a task not too difficult for Chen Ming—he instantly revived the wilting flowers. These were a variety Auntie Delia loved dearly, so letting them wither away wouldn't do.
The thought of finding Mew soon only lifted his spirits even higher.