Morning light filled Professor Oak's laboratory, spilling across worktables crowded with instruments and half-finished research. The hum of machines blended with distant Pokémon calls, steady and familiar.
Ash stood near the center of the room, backpack at his feet, hands clenched at his sides. This was the place every trainer dreamed of standing in. It felt different than he imagined. Heavier.
Across the room, the Charizard rested near the far wall.
Its injured wing was freshly bandaged, wrapped with careful precision. Though it lay still, its eyes were open, alert, watching everything. Especially Ash.
Professor Oak adjusted his glasses and turned from his computer.
"Ash," he said, voice calm but serious, "today was supposed to be simple. You arrive, you choose a starter Pokémon, and you begin your journey."
Ash nodded. "I know."
Oak's gaze shifted to the Charizard. "Instead, you brought me a fully evolved Fire-type Pokémon with a history of trauma and abandonment."
The Charizard's tail flame flared briefly, then settled.
Oak folded his hands behind his back. "Do you know why trainers begin with unevolved Pokémon?"
"So they grow together," Ash answered quietly. "So neither gets left behind."
"Exactly," Oak said. "This Pokémon has already been left behind."
Ash took a step forward. "That's why I don't want to walk away."
Oak studied him for a long moment. Maya, standing near the door, said nothing. This was not her decision to interrupt.
Oak finally turned and opened a reinforced case on the main table.
Inside were three Poké Balls.
"Charmander," Oak said. "Bulbasaur. Squirtle."
Ash looked at them. They were clean, polished, untouched by loss.
He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Professor. I can't choose them."
Oak raised an eyebrow. "You refuse?"
"I don't want to start by pretending nothing happened," Ash said. "If I leave him now, I'm just another person who decided he was too much trouble."
Silence filled the lab.
The Charizard shifted, claws scraping softly against the floor.
Oak closed the case.
"Very well," he said at last. "If you are determined to begin your journey this way, then you will do so properly."
Ash's head snapped up. "You mean—?"
Oak reached into a drawer and placed several items on the table.
A backpack.
Six Poké Balls.
And a small red device, smooth and compact.
"This is a Pokédex," Oak said, sliding it toward Ash. "An electronic encyclopedia designed to record data on Pokémon you encounter."
Ash picked it up carefully, like it might vanish if he moved too fast.
"It will automatically analyze Pokémon you see in battle or in the wild," Oak continued. "Types, behavior, evolution stages. Use it to learn, not to judge."
Oak met Ash's eyes. "Knowledge does not make you strong. How you use it does."
Ash nodded, gripping the Pokédex. "I'll take care of it."
Oak gestured to the Poké Balls. "These are for Pokémon who choose to travel with you. Do not throw them carelessly."
Ash glanced at the Charizard. "I won't."
Oak's expression hardened slightly. "Understand this, Ash. That Charizard is not your weapon. It may never obey you. It may leave. If you try to command it like a badge or a trophy, this ends."
Ash didn't hesitate. "I promise."
The Charizard stood, pushing itself upright despite the injury. It faced Ash directly now, eyes sharp, unreadable.
Ash swallowed. "My name's Ash. I don't know much yet. But I won't sell you. I won't abandon you. And I won't force you to fight."
The Charizard snorted, a faint puff of smoke rising from its nostrils.
Then it turned away and began walking toward the lab doors.
Not acceptance.
Not rejection.
Oak watched carefully. "Maya will accompany you," he said. "She's studying Pokémon behavior under extreme conditions. Yours qualify."
Maya smiled faintly. "Someone has to keep notes when history misbehaves."
By midday, Ash stood at the edge of Pallet Town once more.
The Pokédex rested at his side. Poké Balls weighed lightly on his belt. Responsibility weighed far more.
The Charizard walked ahead of him, injured wing tucked close, tail flame steady.
Ash took his first step after it.
The journey had officially begun.
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T/N:
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