Just like Misty said, if others find out that he encountered the Ho-Oh that hasn't appeared before humans for hundreds of years during his journey, his travels will definitely not be peaceful.
Ho-Oh is an entity that both black and white sides wish to explore. Compared to other Legendary Beasts, Ho-Oh is more eye-catching because legend says that those who see Ho-Oh will have a lifetime of luck, and... if they gain Ho-Oh's approval or capture Ho-Oh, it might even extend their lifespan!
For humans, more than ninety percent desire and pursue immortality.
Therefore, the fewer people who know about seeing Ho-Oh, the better, just like Ash having a chat group.
Seeing Ash apologizing sensibly, Misty also breathed a sigh of relief. On one hand, Ash did not mind her rough actions earlier, and on the other hand, Ash understood why the matter of Ho-Oh couldn't be spread, saving her from a lot of explaining.
"Oh right, I should call Mom to let her know I'm safe. Misty, don't you want to call your family?" Ash suddenly remembered something, clapping his hands and turning to head to the public video phone at the Pokemon Center, also asking if Misty wanted to make a call.
Misty shook her head and calmly said, "I don't need to. My family is very busy and doesn't have time to take my call."
"Eh, what does your family do?"
"Performances, a bunch of unserious sisters, don't ask so much."
"Oh."
Ash dialed his home number, assured Delia of his safety, and then called Professor Oak to inform him that he had arrived in Viridian City.
Professor Oak noted that Ash hadn't captured a single Pokemon, while Gary had already caught more than a dozen.
To this, Ash quoted Champion Ash: "Pokemon are partners. When capturing them, you must be ready to treat them sincerely. Trainers can have many Pokemon, but often Pokemon only have one Trainer, so if I can't be responsible for them, I don't intend to catch Pokemon casually."
This profound statement left Professor Oak a bit stunned. Frankly, it did make a lot of sense.
Though Gary caught many Pokemon, most were common ones like Raticate, Pidgey, Spearow, Sandshrew, mainly for the sake of collection. As for raising them... knowing Gary's personality, he probably wouldn't spend much time on these common Pokemon.
After capturing them, caring for them was left to Professor Oak. Compared to the wild, those Pokemon could have a guaranteed life at the lab, but they lacked the freedom in the wild. Most importantly, their Trainer might not exchange them for a long time.
This does seem a bit pitiable for the Pokemon.
"I didn't expect you, Ash, to say something so philosophical. It's completely different from your performance in class," Professor Oak remarked emotionally.
In academic classes, Ash was far behind Gary, but after just a day of traveling, he could ponder such insightful questions, totally different from before traveling.
This is something a newly traveling teenager wouldn't usually consider, nor do many experienced Trainers.
"What do you mean? What's wrong with me thinking this way? Professor Oak, your view is way too biased!" Ash complained with dissatisfaction, but inside he was a bit anxious.
If not for Champion Ash's words, he might have already captured several Pokemon, including Spearow, Pidgey—he definitely wouldn't have missed those.
But Champion Ash's words made Ash understand what a true Trainer is.
A true Trainer doesn't evaluate by strength or tactical superiority, but whether they have a sincere heart to treat the Pokemon they capture.
Capturing a bunch of Pokemon just for combat and tactics is entirely irresponsible.
"Alright, now that you've reached Viridian City, I feel at ease. By the way, Gary has already registered for the League Conference. Are you going to participate, Ash? Oh, do you even know what the League Conference is?"
"Of course I know! It's already registered, okay? If Gary calls you, tell him from me to clean his neck and wait for me at the Quartz Conference!" Ash punched the air with fighting spirit!
"Uh... sure, I'll pass the message. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up... Wait, there's one more thing. Choose any Gym for your first challenge, but don't choose the Viridian Gym or the Saffron Gym, got it?" Professor Oak was about to hang up but suddenly remembered something and quickly stopped Ash from hanging up, saying hastily.
"Hm? Why is that? It's that Viridian Gym again... Even the folks in the group advised against choosing Viridian Gym first. Is it that formidable?"
"The Viridian Gym is the strongest Gym in the Kanto League, bar none. Its leader, Giovanni, is hailed as a man rivaling the Elite Four, also known as Earth's Giovanni."
"Earth's Giovanni..."
"Right, Giovanni uses mainly Ground Type Pokemon. Even the weakest ones aren't something a beginner can handle, and especially with your starter being Pikachu, it's extremely disadvantageous against Ground Types. Just avoid the Viridian Gym, okay?" Professor Oak earnestly warned Ash.
He was genuinely worried that Ash would go to Viridian Gym and lose all confidence after being beaten by Giovanni, losing his Trainer spirit entirely.
Historically, such events have occurred, as Pallet Town is the first stop out, and Viridian City just so happens to have a Gym. Many beginners cluelessly challenged it with predictable results...
"Got it. What about the Saffron Gym? What's going on there?" Ash nodded in understanding, but he wondered about the Saffron Gym that Professor Oak also advised against. Is it also very strong?
"The Saffron Gym recently changed leaders. The new leader isn't gentle, and from the intel I've received, every Trainer challenging Saffron Gym seems to leave with an indescribable shadow over them. The advice from the challenged Trainers to newcomers is simple: unless there's no other Gym to challenge, don't ever go to Saffron Gym!"
Professor Oak's face was close to the camera, his magnified face looking like a monster. Combined with what he said, it could scare a three-year-old to tears.
Both Ash and Misty shuddered at Professor Oak's words, with Ash repeatedly agreeing not to go to these two Gyms for now.