The Next DayPallet Town – Professor Oak's Laboratory
When Nozomi arrived at the lab, a girl carrying a shoulder bag was just leaving, leading a Bulbasaur behind her.
"Professor Oak!"
"Oh, Nozomi!" Professor Oak greeted as he saw him.
Nozomi had once attended the Pokémon Summer Camp organized by Oak. His intelligence and inquisitiveness had left a strong impression, so when Nozomi mentioned he was about to begin his journey as a Rookie Trainer, Oak immediately agreed to assist him.
"You're here to pick up your Pokémon, right…? Well, there seems to be a bit of a problem," Professor Oak said hesitantly.
"What kind of problem?"
Seeing Oak's expression, Nozomi subconsciously felt uneasy, recalling how in the original story Ash overslept and all the Pokémon had already been claimed, leaving only Pikachu.
"Ah… it's like this. There are more Rookie Trainers starting out this year than expected, so the number of starter Pokémon we prepared isn't enough. To make matters worse, the Pokémon transporter from the League malfunctioned, so the Pokémon that were supposed to arrive today didn't come. And the ones we had prepared earlier have already been taken…"
Professor Oak apologized sincerely—this was entirely his fault.
"…."
Could such a thing really happen to him? Was it bad luck, or worse luck?
"So, the starters are all gone? That's fine—I happen to already have a Bulbasaur…"
Since the starter Pokémon were unavailable, Nozomi didn't insist. After all, with the system he had, one less starter didn't matter.
"Wait, that's not what I meant," Oak quickly waved his hands as he noticed Nozomi misunderstanding.
"I still have two Pokémon here, though they are a bit difficult to handle… If you're willing to accept them, you can choose one as your starter."
Oak pulled out two Poké Balls and placed them on the table.
"If you'd rather not, you could wait a while, and once the transporter is fixed, I can send your proper starter over."
"What Pokémon are these?"
Nozomi's curiosity was instantly piqued.
One of them had to be Pikachu—the one who was a powerhouse when strong, yet couldn't even beat a starter when weak. But what was the other?
"Come out!"
Professor Oak released both Pokémon.
Bang!A yellow and a brown Pokémon appeared in the lab.
The yellow one was naturally Pikachu, tilting its head with a clearly uncooperative expression.
The other was covered in brown fur, with long ears, a fluffy neck and tail, big round eyes, and four short legs—utterly adorable.
"Pikachu and Eevee?" Nozomi guessed.
"That's right," Oak confirmed. "This Pikachu hates humans and can easily shock anyone who gets close. As for this Eevee…"
"This Eevee seems normal enough," Nozomi said, uninterested in taking Pikachu from Ash.
Since its release, Eevee had been calmly grooming itself, behaving just like any other Pokémon.
Nozomi crouched to pet it, but Eevee dodged and gave him a sidelong glance.
"You see, both of these Pokémon are difficult. Pikachu hates humans, and Eevee is too aloof to obey commands—hardly suitable for a Rookie Trainer," Oak explained.
"If it doesn't work out, you can come back later, once the transporter is fixed," he added.
Nozomi didn't have time for waiting—not in this lifetime.
Looking at the tsundere Eevee before him, Nozomi thought for a moment, then pulled out a bunch of ingredients from his backpack and began preparing a dish according to the food Eevee preferred.
"Hm? Nozomi, what are you doing?"
Oak watched, puzzled, as Nozomi mixed berries and other ingredients.
"Of course I'm going to win it over," Nozomi said, placing the freshly prepared Pokémon food in front of Eevee.
"Eevee…?"
Scenting the food, Eevee twitched its tiny nose, eyes filled with desire.
Yet it glanced at Nozomi warily.
"Don't worry, Eevee, just try it," Oak encouraged from the side, realizing Nozomi was trying to build trust with food.
Eevee couldn't resist any longer and took a small bite.
Then, it was unstoppable!
The entire plate of Nozomi's specially prepared food was devoured.
Eevee then walked over and firmly sat beside Nozomi, clearly deciding he was its long-term provider.
"Impressive!" Oak exclaimed, giving Nozomi a thumbs-up. "I didn't expect you had this skill!"
Pokémon nurturing is an advanced field. Oak's expertise lay in Pokémon research rather than breeding. Seeing Eevee's complete change in attitude with just one meal left him astonished.
"Master a Pokémon's stomach, and you master its heart," Nozomi said with a smile.
Oak, seeing Eevee still aloof but now steadfastly beside Nozomi, smiled as he handed over the Poké Ball:
"Then Eevee is in your care!"
"Don't worry, Professor Oak. I'll take good care of it," Nozomi replied, accepting the Pokédex and Poké Ball.
…Though perhaps they overlooked one thing.Pikachu: "…"
At that moment, the door suddenly banged open, and a pajama-clad boy—Ash—rushed in.
"Sorry, Professor Oak! I overslept! I'm here to pick up my Pokémon!" he called out as he ran.
Reaching the table and seeing only one Poké Ball left—Pikachu—he sighed in relief, then his face lit up.
"Professor Oak, is this my Pokémon?"
He reached for Pikachu.
"Wait, Ash!" Oak's expression changed!
But before he could stop him, Ash had already scooped up Pikachu.
"Pika…chu!"
Electric sparks flew wildly throughout Professor Oak's laboratory!