With a click, the center of the Poké Ball display stand opened, and a ball bearing a lightning bolt symbol slowly rose.
Professor Oak solemnly pressed the switch.
Bzzzt! A dazzling flash of electricity lit up, and a cute electric mouse appeared before Gary and the other two.
"This one is called Pikachu, an electric mouse. There were a few issues with this one, so I saved it for last," Professor Oak explained, seemingly oblivious.
Gary quietly took two steps back. A Pikachu fresh out of the starting zone didn't exactly have a good temper...
Ash didn't care about any of that. He rushed forward and wrapped Pikachu in a bear hug. "Oh, so you're Pikachu! You're so cute! You're so chubby..."
Pikachu: (｡ì_í｡)? Who are you calling chubby? Take this electric punch!
Bzzzt! Dazzling electricity flared again.
"Ah! I'm numb, numb, numb...!!" Ash instantly began flailing under the electric shock.
Professor Oak stood calmly to one side and explained, "Pikachu is very wary of people. Get close without warning, and you'll get shocked."
"Why didn't you say that sooner...?" Ash finally recovered and rested a hand on Professor Oak's arm.
The corner of Pikachu's mouth curled up. That hadn't been enough. Time for another shock!
Bzzzt... This time, Ash and Professor Oak danced together.
Gary calmly smoothed his hair. "Eevee, come out and use Sand Attack!"
"Vee!" Eevee skillfully leaped out of his Poké Ball, turned around, and braced his hind legs.
Whoosh... A clump of sand gathered behind him, created from Ground-type energy. All-natural and pollution-free...
Smack! With a kick of Eevee's legs, the sand slammed straight into Pikachu's face.
Pikachu covered his face at once and stopped releasing electricity.
"Phew... We're saved. That's my grandson for you." Professor Oak sighed in relief, then tossed Ash his Pokédex and Poké Balls.
"Cough, cough... Thanks, Young Master Gary..." Ash puffed out a mouthful of black smoke and caught his equipment.
"All right, now it's time to set off! I'm going to catch some Pokémon right now!" With a Poké Ball in hand, Ash felt ready to take on the world again.
"I think you'd be better off making a few preparations first," Gary kindly advised.
"I'm already ready! What else do I need?" Ash looked at Gary, brimming with enthusiasm.
"At the very least, you need some normal clothes and a pair of sneakers. Going barefoot is a little too..." Speechless, Gary pointed at Ash's outfit.
"Uh..." Ash scratched his head awkwardly. Only then did he realize that, in his rush, he had run all the way to Professor Oak's Laboratory barefoot and in his pajamas.
"You should always plan before you act. That's something you need to learn from Gary, Ash," Professor Oak added, joining in the lecture.
"I get it already... Quit nagging..." Ash pouted. The last thing he wanted was a lecture from Gary.
"Pika!" Just then, Pikachu moved behind Ash.
The little fellow bared his teeth at Eevee. Clearly, he was still upset about getting a mouthful of sand earlier.
"Huh? Pikachu, what's wrong?" Ash scratched his head in confusion.
"I'm guessing he's challenging my Eevee. What do you say, Ash? Want to battle?" Gary beckoned to Ash with a finger.
Ash immediately fired up. "All right, Pikachu! Let's beat Gary together!"
"Pika!" Pikachu turned his little face away. Keep me out of your nonsense!
"Whatever. If you want to fight, just follow me." Gary headed downstairs first with Eevee.
Pikachu immediately followed. Naturally, Ash refused to fall behind and jogged after them into the backyard.
Both sides put some distance between them, ready to begin their friendly match.
"Pikachu, this is our memorable first battle! Let's beat our opponent together!" Ash shouted, full of confidence.
Crack! A bolt of electricity struck the ground at Ash's feet the very next second.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Translated, Pikachu's expression meant, Quit yapping. Push me too far, and I'll beat you up too...
"Why are you like this...?" Ash instantly lost his sparkle and crouched in a corner, clutching his head.
"You've got quite a temper, little guy." Gary smiled. This Pikachu had spent several leisurely years at Professor Oak's Laboratory and even still had a little baby fat.
As for his strength, it was barely better than nothing.
"Here we go!" Gary called out.
"Vee!" Eevee instantly lowered his body and entered battle mode.
"Pika!" The hot-tempered Pikachu had long since run out of patience. He jumped up and fired a Thunder Shock.
"Eevee, Dig!" Gary didn't panic in the slightest. Handling Pikachu at this stage wasn't difficult.
Eevee dug in with his front paws and instantly vanished underground, leaving a hole behind.
"Pi?" Pikachu tilted his head. Where's Eevee? After searching around without success, the little troublemaker fixed his gaze on Gary instead.
"What... You want to attack a person now...?" Gary's mouth twitched. This Pikachu really was a reckless little menace...
"Pika!" Just as Pikachu prepared to charge over and give Gary some electrotherapy, a force hurled him into the air.
"Vee!" Eevee burst out of the ground, arriving just in time to protect his trainer!
"Vee!" (.•ˇˍˇ•.)! Eevee was furious. A fight is a fight. You can hit me, but you want to hit my trainer? Clearly, you've never had a proper beating.
Bang! Before Gary could speak, Eevee slammed into Pikachu with a Quick Attack, sending him flying far away again.
Then, with a flick of his tail, he fired a spray of golden stars.
Boom!! The combo left Pikachu dazed and sprawled on the ground, unable to get up.
Even that hadn't cooled Eevee's anger. He bared his teeth, ready to pounce and bite Pikachu a couple of times.
"That's enough." A pair of warm hands scooped Eevee into an embrace.
"Vee? Eevee!!" Eevee instantly became docile, his ears flattening out to the sides. He looked up at Gary with an aggrieved expression, still impulsively swiping his paws toward Pikachu several times.
Gary understood. Eevee wanted to protect him. No matter how gentle Eevee's nature was, he would never tolerate Pikachu trying to hurt his trainer.
"Pikachu, are you okay?" Ash also picked Pikachu up, his heart aching.
Pikachu was weak now. After struggling briefly, he let Ash hold him.
"Don't worry. He isn't badly hurt. Gary stopped things in time." Professor Oak came over and examined him. "Give him something to eat and some rest, and he'll recover."
"Phew, that's great. Thank you, Professor Oak." Ash nodded his thanks, then turned to Gary. "Gary, you win this time. Next time, Pikachu and I will win it back."
Gary checked and saw that his beginner mission was already complete, then nodded. "Sure. You're welcome to challenge me anytime. Just don't cry if you lose."
"Hmph! You're the one who'll cry!" Ash's face flushed.
Just then, a commotion rose outside the entrance. A send-off procession banging gongs and drums had arrived at the laboratory, led by Ash's mother, Aunt Delia.
Ash looked down at his pajamas, then at the neighbors outside. Even a guy as oblivious as him blushed. Oh, no! I'm going to die of embarrassment today!
With a wicked grin, Gary nudged Ash. "Don't just stand there. Show yourself, sweetheart!"
With that, Gary kicked Ash out of the laboratory and shut the front door.
Ash: (ﾟ⊿ﾟ)ﾂ Nooo!
"Hmph. All done." Gary dusted off his hands in satisfaction, then shouldered his backpack.
Everything he needed to do was done. It was time to officially set off.
"Gary, your twelve ex-girlfriends are waiting to ambush you at the back door. Want to see them?" Professor Oak's voice came from behind him.
A chill ran down Gary's back. He promptly scrambled out a window and fled. "No need! Grandpa, let's keep in touch by phone. I'm off!"
Watching Gary flee without even looking where he was going, Professor Oak chuckled. "That boy even looks handsome running away. A true member of the Oak family!"
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