When he turned his head to look, he saw a boy the same age as Ash, with reddish-brown prickly hair, narcissistically playing with his hair with one hand, looking quite smug.
Recognizing the boy's appearance, he knew who he was even without Ash's memory.
"Are you disappointed that I wasn't late, Gary!"
This arrogant boy was none other than Ash's rival, Gary Oak, the grandson of Professor Oak.
Later, Shigeru Miyamoto, who was also the founder of Mario, another Nintendo game that became popular worldwide, was known as the father of Mario and Pokémon. Perhaps talented people became friends naturally.
Gary was born with many advantages, so he developed a proud and smug character from a young age and was Ash's early rival.
In the later stages, his personality changed, and he gradually became calm and collected.
Although the two quarreled constantly, they established a deep bond. Gary, who dreamed of becoming the strongest Trainer like Ash, later chose the same path as Professor Oak.
Combining the memories of both lives, Ash knew that although they had been arguing since childhood and Gary often hurt him whenever he got the chance, they were lifelong friends. In any world, those who hurt you the most are not necessarily distant. Those who are always by your side may not have any contact with you when you grow up, and Gary was obviously the former.
"Hmph!" Gary was still young and not as venomous as the Trainer in the anime.
In the past, every time he hurt Ash, Ash would always be furious. Seeing Ash angry made Gary very happy. But this time, seeing Ash didn't react too much, Gary, who had prepared a stomach full of hurtful words, didn't know what to say and could only turn his head arrogantly.
Ash didn't care either. Gary had a sharp tongue but nothing meaningful to say, and now Ash wouldn't be angry because of a child.
Soon, the children who participated in the summer camp arrived, some accompanied by their families who just dropped them off.
This time, the summer camp was entirely in charge of Professor Oak, and parents wouldn't accompany them. Parents in this world were really big-hearted.
There were 30 children participating in this summer camp, quite a large number, like a kindergarten class.
"Professor, there is no problem with the number of people. We can go!" After the staff checked the names one by one, they informed Professor Oak.
"Okay Then, let's go! Everyone, follow along, we're heading to Route 1, where there are many jungles. Everyone should stick with the team and not wander off!"
Route 1 was close to Pallet Town. Although there were many jungles, most of them were inhabited by small and harmless Pokémon, so Professor Oak felt safe bringing the children there.
"Yes!!" all the children responded in unison. It should be said that the parents in this world have great hearts, but the main reason is that the children here are indeed more sensible. After all, this is a world where many 10-year-olds travel alone.
After getting a response, Professor Oak began to lead the children out of town, followed by many staff members.
The Laboratory was not far from the town, about 10 minutes away.
"Wow!!!" Looking at the jungle in sight, the children were already full of curiosity and exclaimed.
Plop flop! ! !
Perhaps because of the children's voices, there was a sudden sound from the forest not far away, and several bird-like creatures flew over in the air, causing another cry of surprise from the children.
"It's Pokémon!!"
Seeing the children staring at the Pidgey, Professor Oak explained seriously. After all, the main purpose of this summer camp was field practice lectures.
"Guys, that's Pidgey, a small Flying Pokémon."
"Pidgey is a gentle Pokémon. Even if attacked by surprise, it won't necessarily counterattack but will create a sandstorm to escape. Because of its flying ability, it is the first choice for Rookie Trainers to subdue!"
Under Professor Oak's narration, the children listened intently.
"Pidgey normally lives in dense jungles. There is also a Flying Pokémon, Spearow, that lives in the jungle."
"They have a very hot temper and a strong sense of territory, so they often fight with Pidgey. Once attacked by surprise, they will attack in groups. Sometimes they hide in the forest and are mistaken for Pidgey. Be careful when entering the woods."
"Ok!!" Listening to Professor Oak's explanation, the children quickly noted it down.
"Okay, let's move on!"
After explaining the two common flying types, Professor Oak signaled to continue. The children followed in the footsteps of Professor Oak and the staff, continuing deeper into Route 1, preparing to go to the camping site.
In fact, this was like a spring outing for kindergarten or elementary school students, except they encountered many Pokémon along the way.
Professor Oak showed everyone common Pokémon such as Rattata, Oddish, Caterpie, Weedle, etc., and explained each one.
While listening to Professor Oak's explanations, they came to a clearing in the jungle, near a river. Their destination was the camping point upstream of the river.
"Let's rest here first!" Professor Oak said to the children when they reached the open space.
"Yes!!" Although the children's energy was unlimited, they had traveled a long way. Most of them had never walked such a long distance alone. It was summer, and everyone was already sweating. Regardless of the image, they sat on the grass to rest.