"..."
Inside Professor Oak's laboratory, Ash and Professor Oak stared at each other wide-eyed, both covered in soot from Pikachu's electric attack.
Nozomi, on the other hand, had been wisely keeping his distance from Pikachu the moment Ash entered, and thus remained unscathed.
"Professor Oak, why did it shock me?"
Ash looked down at Pikachu, who was lying on the floor with a thoroughly uncooperative expression, feeling both aggrieved and helpless.
"Ah…ahem," Professor Oak cleared his throat and put on a serious face as he looked at Ash.
"Ash, don't you know you're late? On such an important day, you actually showed up late—and all the Pokémon have already been claimed." Professor Oak said this while giving Nozomi frantic glances.
Nozomi's lips twitched. Oak was trying to nudge Ash along—he needed Ash to play along.
Hearing Oak's words, Ash panicked immediately. "Professor Oak, really…there aren't any Pokémon left?"
Professor Oak shook his head and sighed. "All the Pokémon have been claimed by this year's new trainers. Nozomi's Eevee is the last one."
Ash's attention shifted. He finally noticed another person in the lab. "You're…Nozomi?"
As fellow campers at the Pokémon Summer Camp, Nozomi had known Ash and Gary. He even remembered being chased around by a flock of Pidgey together with them.
"Long time no see, Ash," Nozomi greeted.
"Weren't you already certified as a League trainee inspector? What are you doing here?" Ash asked, curious.
"I resigned," Nozomi shrugged casually.
Ash didn't press further. But when he noticed the Eevee beside Nozomi, his eyes lit up.
"Eevee!"
He reached out to touch it, but Eevee immediately stepped back.
"This one isn't used to human contact," Professor Oak explained.
"That's fine," Ash said with envy.
Then he thought of himself and felt a wave of despair.Could it be that his journey to become a Pokémon Master was going to end before it even began?
"But…" Professor Oak hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.
Ash's curiosity was instantly piqued. "But what?"
"I still have one Pokémon here. It does have some drawbacks… I wonder if you'd be willing to accept it."
"Professor Oak… you don't mean that one, do you?" Ash asked cautiously, pointing at Pikachu, who was looking completely tsundere.
"That's right. This is the only Pokémon left in the lab. Are you willing to accept it?"
"Really…there's no one else?" Ash looked troubled.
The shock he had just received from Pikachu was still fresh—it had been electrifying in more ways than one.
If he could choose, he would've preferred Squirtle, Bulbasaur, or Charmander… any of the three.
"There isn't. Do you think I would lie to you? If you don't believe me, you can ask Nozomi." Professor Oak said firmly.
Seeing Ash look at him, Nozomi had no choice but to speak. "Professor Oak is telling the truth. There really aren't any Pokémon left here at the moment."
And it was true—there weren't any Pokémon at Oak's lab right now. A few days later, that would change.
Ash sighed. Pikachu was clearly his only option.
"Then… I'll take this Pikachu!"
With a mix of resignation and reluctance, Ash accepted Pikachu as his partner.
Thankfully, Ash had a resilient spirit and a strong capacity to adapt. He would soon come to accept this reality.
Nozomi and Professor Oak watched as Ash left.
Once Ash had gone, Nozomi turned to Professor Oak. "Professor Oak, is it really okay to treat Ash like this?"
Even though he knew Ash would eventually get along well with Pikachu, Nozomi couldn't help but ask.
"That Pikachu has great potential, and Ash's love for Pokémon comes from his heart. I'm confident he'll be able to win Pikachu over," Professor Oak explained.
"Of course, if he can't get along with Pikachu, once the teleportation device is repaired, I'll let him choose another Pokémon."
Nozomi nodded. Professor Oak had thought everything through carefully. Poor Ash still had no idea and truly believed Pikachu was the only choice.
"Well then, Professor Oak, I'll be heading out too!"
Having collected the Pokédex and his starter Pokémon, it was time for him to leave.
"Haha, then I wish you a smooth journey. If you happen to meet my grandson Gary or Ash along the way, take care of them for me."
Professor Oak knew Nozomi had more experience as a League trainee inspector and spoke accordingly.
"Of course."
Nozomi had become friends with both Ash and Gary, and helping them was second nature.
…
After bidding farewell to Professor Oak, Nozomi left Pallet Town with Eevee.
On an open field just outside town, Nozomi pulled out two more Poké Balls.
"Come out, Bulbasaur! Metagross! Meet your new companion!"
A flash of white light, and Bulbasaur and Metagross appeared in front of Eevee.
Bulbasaur remained calm, but Metagross's massive body startled Eevee, who immediately fluffed up and hid behind Nozomi, trying to appear larger and more intimidating.
Nozomi chuckled at Eevee's reaction. "Eevee, don't be nervous. They're your friends!"
He then raised his voice toward Metagross and Bulbasaur. "This is your new companion, Eevee. Come say hello!"
Metagross and Bulbasaur turned to Eevee.
"Bzzz—!"
Metagross emitted a gentle buzzing sound to show friendliness.
"Saur!"
Bulbasaur extended a Vine Whip.
"vee,"
Eevee tapped Bulbasaur's vine with a paw in greeting.
True to its nature, Eevee remained aloof.
But that was just how it was, and Nozomi didn't mind.
"All right, you three need to get along, okay?"
Nozomi's attention drew the three Pokémon together. He didn't have high expectations—he just hoped they wouldn't fight.
"Eevee!""Saur!""Bzzz!"
All three Pokémon affirmed they understood.
"All right then, let's set off for Viridian City!"
Even though Viridian Gym was temporarily closed, Viridian City was a necessary stop on the way to Pewter City. They would spend the night there.
After recalling Metagross, Nozomi led Bulbasaur and Eevee toward Viridian City.