"Why?" Yellow saw Professor Oak suddenly sit down on the ground, panting heavily. Anyone not knowing better would think he had just been in a bare-knuckle brawl with a Spearow.
"My legs are numb. I'm getting old and my body isn't what it used to be. I haven't squatted like that in ages. Damn it, I told them not to switch to a sit-down toilet, but they wouldn't listen. Now my legs are getting weaker by the day."
Fortunately, it wasn't a rejection; after some hesitation and coaxing, they set off. Yellow learned that Professor Oak had just been studying how to tame aggressive Pokémon without using Pokémon or Poké Balls. He had succeeded once before, but today's overflowing confidence had been completely deflated by Yellow.
Arriving at the laboratory, three Poké Balls sat on the table. Professor Oak said, "Choose one. As your starting partner."
Yellow pressed the button in the middle of the first Poké Ball, and a red beam of light released a Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur (Garlic Turtle), Squirtle (Bald Abbot), and Charmander (Short-Armed Lizard) stood in a row, all looking at Yellow, eagerly waiting to be chosen.
Squirtle lay flat on the tabletop, using its shell as a pivot, and began to spin in place.
Squirtle: "I can dance, hehe."
Charmander hopped over to a researcher, signaled for the researcher to put a cigarette in his mouth, and then lit it with the flame at the tip of its tail.
Charmander: "I'm a lighter, hehe."
Professor Oak snapped sternly, "Alright, put that out. Anyone caught smoking indoors is out on their ears."
Bulbasaur immediately extended two vines from the massive seed on its back, tying up Professor Oak in just five or six seconds. Moreover, Yellow felt as though he had seen this kind of binding art somewhere before.
Bulbasaur: "I know how to bind, hehehe!"
At least their personalities were all right—quite cheerful. Yellow quickly calculated the base stats of the three Pokémon in his mind, then made his decision: "Since Little Turtle likes Squirtle so much, I choose you, Charmander!"
Squirtle: "Are you kidding me, bro?"
Bulbasaur: "Is my artistic expression really that far ahead of its time?"
Professor Oak nodded and asked, "Are you sure it's Charmander?"
"Positive!"
Just as Yellow finished speaking, two more young boys burst into the laboratory. One wore red shoes, red clothes, and a red hat, while the other wore a green shirt and blue jeans, with a water-drop pendant hanging around his neck.
"Grandpa!" shouted the handsome boy, causing Professor Oak's face to light up with joy.
"Little Turtle!" shouted the other child, whose appearance bore a striking resemblance to that of a certain legendary man.
"You're here, Red, Green."
This statement from Professor Oak utterly shocked Yellow for a whole year. Red and Green were both legendary Trainers, yet Ash was a character derived from Red. Could this be some kind of massive crossover event?
He had only hoped for it, but they had all really shown up at once.
To prevent anyone from snatching it, Yellow quickly recalled Charmander back into its Poké Ball.
Red looked at Yellow's Trainer card and said, "So you changed your name to Yellow? It matches the color of the hair on your head, Yellow. Did you choose Charmander?"
"Yeah," Yellow replied. Actually, his choice was based on base stats and future Pokémon development. After all, in the original work (he hadn't read the manga, this reference was from *Pokémon Origins*), Charizard was Red's signature Pokémon, so he was essentially snatching love away from another.
"I wanted Charmander too! Professor Oak, do you have any more Charmanders here?"
"I do!" Professor Oak walked into the lab behind him and retrieved another Poké Ball containing a brand-new Charmander.
"Whoa, there are extra starter Pokémon, Professor Oak?" Yellow couldn't help asking, as he had thought there was only one of each.
"Of course. The League allocates Pokémon based on the number of registered Trainers. As long as you pay the deposit, the corresponding Pokémon will be provided. You don't have to worry about missing out just because you arrived late."
"Deposit? What deposit? Are these Pokémon bought with money?" Yellow had never heard of such a thing.
"I'll explain everything in a moment," Professor Oak didn't answer directly.
"I want this one!" Red said excitedly.
That Charmander stood motionless, expressionless, seemingly waiting for Red to win its favor.
"Alright, take it away," Professor Oak agreed. Red recalled Charmander into its Poké Ball and examined it closely.
"Both of them want Charmander, I want one too! Grandpa!" Green whined.
"Why are you copying us? Copycat! Your first Pokémon has to be the one you like best and suits you best, you can't act on mere impulse. This is our first little partner! Copying the style of my trendy underwear is one thing, but you can't just copy my choice of Pokémon," Red said earnestly, stroking his Poké Ball.
"Who says so? I am not copying! I just happen to like those rock-and-roll gorilla underwear too!"
"Indeed, Red makes a valid point. Are you certain you want Charmander, Green?" Professor Oak asked again.
"Never mind, never mind, I'll take Squirtle. That shell looks like it would be great for cracking walnuts, and I really like how it looks—round head, stubby little hands and feet. You can tell right away that it's going to be very..."
"Are you sure?"
"Sure."
Just like that, all three of them had their own Pokémon.
"Wait a moment, I'll go get your Poké Balls and Pokédexes."
Professor Oak returned with fifteen Poké Balls and three red folding Pokédexes.
When Yellow touched the Pokédex, it had a wonderful texture—matte finish, rose-red color, and an unexpectedly exquisite build. The upper part of the Pokédex featured a high-definition screen, while the lower part had an alphabetic keyboard.
"Hundreds of Pokémon have been discovered in the Kanto Region so far, but even more unknown Pokémon are waiting to be found. As a favor from you three kids, whenever you encounter a Pokémon that has already been registered by a Trainer, the Pokédex will automatically display its information. As for those that aren't displayed, please take a picture of them and send it to me."
Professor Oak pointed to the square button on the left side of the Pokédex and said, "This is the camera button. Long-press it for video recording. The small hole right at the top of the Pokédex can slot into the release button of a Poké Ball to view the current Pokémon's information. I'm counting on you kids."
Just then, another boy barged in, wearing a familiar hat and familiar clothes, bursting with energy as if he had an endless supply of boundless strength.
Ash!
Why did they all have to arrive on the very same day?
"Professor Oak!"
"Oh my, Ash is here too? How has Delia been lately?" Professor Oak's eyes crinkled into a smile.
Ash panted heavily and asked, "My mom is in tip-top shape! For some reason, she's looked healthier and healthier lately. Red, Green, sorry to keep you waiting! Little Turtle has finally reached the age, so the four of us can travel together! Professor Oak, can I start choosing now?"
"He goes by Yellow now, actually. Go ahead, choose one."
Ash glanced at Yellow, flashed a mysterious smile, and then rummaged back and forth among the starter trio. Just as he was about to pick Bulbasaur, a Pikachu suddenly scampered out from behind the door.
"Professor Oak! Is that a Pokémon? It's so cute, can I choose it?"
Yellow was startled. The gears of fate were turning after all.
"You can, but this Pikachu is a bit shy, doesn't really like interacting with people, and isn't very obedient."
Ash eagerly accepted the Poké Ball from Professor Oak and threw it, only for Pikachu to whip it right back with its tail.
Pikachu: "Don't look at me, I'm just a mouse who dyed his hair blond. Blondes aren't very likable, right?"
Ash went to pick up Pikachu, while Yellow took a step back, saying, "You'd better stay away."
That Pikachu was somewhat irritated, but Ash was hugging it way too tightly!
Pikachu: "Humans with no sense of personal space really are like creeps!"
"Pika... chu!"
Pikachu unleashed a lightning bolt, the dazzling, crackling light scorching Ash's hair completely black.
Seeing that Ash was still conscious, Yellow couldn't help marveling: "As expected of the Pallet Town Superman, he's totally fine after taking a jolt like that."
Professor Oak explained, "We've had cases of Trainers being attacked by Pokémon in the past, so the Pokémon League modified the Trainer cards. As long as you carry one on you, it can withstand attacks from Pokémon."
Everyone suddenly understood. As they prepared to leave, Green suddenly suggested, "Since we've all got our own Pokémon, let's have a battle!"
The other three shared the same idea, and Yellow was practically burning with fighting spirit. Being able to battle these Trainers was a dream from his past life.
There were two buttons on the back of the Poké Ball to control its size.
Yellow enlarged his Poké Ball and said excitedly, "I choose you! Charmander!"
"Then I'll be your opponent! Go, Pikachu!" Ash was extremely excited as well.
Professor Oak stopped them, "Children, don't battle inside my laboratory. Go to the open ground outside, and grab your activation codes first."
Professor Oak handed each of the four youths a slip of paper bearing a string of alphanumeric codes.
"An activation code? What is this, Grandpa?" Green asked the question on everyone's mind.
Professor Oak laughed heartily, "Trainers can send Pokémon to storage boxes via the transmission device, and the Pokémon in those boxes will appear right here with me. Each person's activation code can only open their own storage box, so don't lose it—not even if you have to shove the slip of paper down your underpants!"
"Got it!" Red and the others chimed in unison, slipping the notes into their respective backpacks.
The four of them moved outside, while Professor Oak watched from the sidelines.
Yellow looked at his Charmander, filled with joy, and couldn't resist reaching out to stroke it.
It stood sixty centimeters tall, and its skin felt slippery to the touch, as if a thin layer of mucus was coated over it, though it wasn't sticky. Its belly was warm, and the flame on the tip of its tail was so intensely hot that he didn't dare touch it with his hand.
"So a real Charmander looks like this. I wonder what kind of stuff it has packed inside that belly." Yellow was overflowing with joy. Having finally laid eyes on the Pokémon he had yearned for day and night, he simply couldn't put it down.
Charmander: "Stop guessing, it's just poop."
Ash's Pikachu stood in place, looking at Charmander very politely. They had pooped side by side earlier that morning.
"Charmander starts at level five, so it probably only knows Scratch and Growl. Pikachu's Thunder Shock is a special attack, so Growl won't do anything," Yellow muttered to himself.
"Charmander! Use Scratch!"
Receiving the order, Charmander scrambled forward on its short legs, charging toward Pikachu.
"Pikachu, dodge!"
Yellow was taken aback. *This kid, does he already know this god-tier move right off the bat?*
Pikachu had zero battle awareness and even prepared to greet Charmander when it drew near.
"Pika?"
"Chu!"
Pikachu: "You stabbed me in the back! We took a dump side by side this morning!"
Pikachu shrieked in pain as a bright red claw mark was razed across its face. Then it stood up, mustered all its strength, and prepared to unleash a Thunderbolt.
"Charmander, dodge!" Following Yellow's lead, Charmander actually swerved to the side, shifting its attack from the left to the right.
"Charmander, use Scratch!" Charmander landed another Scratch attack on Pikachu.
Pikachu wasn't about to be outdone either, immediately hitting Charmander with a Thunderbolt. The shock made Charmander shiver all over, but fortunately, it was still able to move.
"Charmander, keep using Scratch!" Charmander pressed the attack. Just as Pikachu prepared to unleash another Thunderbolt, before Yellow could even give the command, Charmander had already altered its attack route on its own.
Having taken three hits in a row, Pikachu was out of stamina, wobbling unsteadily, when it suddenly leaped back onto Ash's shoulder.
Charmander didn't dare attack anymore since Pikachu had run off to find its parent. It looked back helplessly at Yellow, waiting for instructions.
Charmander: "Are you going to say something, blond master?"
Ash also felt quite helpless. Cupping his hands under Pikachu's armpits, he encouraged, "Pikachu, watch out for the dodges and use Thunderbolt on Charmander again!"
Pikachu was gently set back down on the ground, and Yellow seized the opportunity to command, "Charmander, Scratch!"
Pikachu ran away, and Charmander gave chase. It fled, it pursued, and there was no escape. After running in circles for a dozen seconds, Charmander caught up and knocked Pikachu out with a single Scratch.
Charmander bounced happily back to his side. Yellow had won his opening battle, and feeling overjoyed, he squatted down to stroke Charmander's slippery head, whispering, "You did great, Charmander, you're so smart."
Charmander grinned widely into a silly smile, emitting a unique Pokémon cry.
Charmander: "I've got this carry in the bag, master."
Green had also defeated Red nearby. Regardless of future achievements, right now their newly acquired starters knew nothing outside of Tackle and Scratch—it was all down to luck with zero technique involved.
Red: "Heh, I still had a Poliwag up my sleeve, but today's not the day to show it. A loss is a loss, I'll just pretend today never happened."
Once the four battles concluded, Professor Oak said, "The Pokémon in your hands can't quite be considered yours yet. These were just obtained by your parents paying a deposit. Win your first gym badge within a year, and the deposit will be refunded. You will then officially acquire the right to hold a Trainer card and properly manage your Pokémon. Do you little ones have confidence?"
"We do!" the four of them shouted in unison.
"Alright, go on home."
"Let's go, Charmander." Yellow scooped up Charmander. It weighed less than twenty pounds, but since he was only ten years old, it was still a bit of a struggle.
Charmander wriggled its body, and the flame on its tail nearly set his pants on fire. Affectionate as it was, he had better put it down.
The four of them parted ways. As Yellow reached his front door, the Poké Ball he had used to capture the Spearow suddenly began to stir, shaking so violently it was about to rip right through his trousers!