A week passed quickly, and it was finally the day of departure. Ash had been looking forward to this day, and Ash had prepared everything early.
Instead of being late like in the anime, he got up early. After my usual morning run, he found my mother, Delia, still asleep when he came home.
Returning home, seeing that Delia hadn't woken up yet, Ash went to the kitchen to cook. Over the past few years, he has occasionally helped with cooking, and since he would be leaving soon, he wanted to make a special meal.
He put Delia's Breakfast on the table, and after he was full, he went upstairs to take a shower and change into clothes made by Delia.
He put on the new outfit and stood before the mirror. Though Delia made the clothes, the design was based on Ash's ideas, making it different from the original.
The outfit was primarily red, consisting of a black short-sleeved T-shirt, a white-collared red sleeveless jacket, black fingerless gloves, black slim-fit jeans, and black and red high-top sneakers. The jeans were tucked into the shoes.
Compared to Ash's original costume in the anime, he preferred this one from the game, which was red's costume, the protagonist of the game.
In reality, both are the same person—one is the protagonist of the game, and the other is the protagonist of the anime.
Chi(red) represents wisdom. The difference is that one is quite and calm, while the other is a sunny and optimistic goofball.
Essentially, they are the same. The quite nature in the game is because game protagonists are typically silent. Games focus on player enjoyment, and if you can't win championships, who would play? Thus, perfect game characters are normal, as players often project themselves onto these characters. Conversely, animation caters to children's immature characters.
"Okay! Let's go!" After changing into new clothes, Ash walked to the table, picked up the hat on the table.
The hat was also red, with a white front and a green Poké Ball pattern on the upper left corner. Ash put it on, picked up his prepared backpack, and left.
He glanced at Delia's closed door, deciding not to disturb her, and went downstairs with his backpack.
Ash left a note on the table, placing it under the breakfast, and then went out.
What Ash didn't no was that not long after he left, Delia came downstairs.
Delia went to the kitchen. Seeing the exquisite breakfast on the table, her eyes reddened slightly. She took the note from under the plate.
It read:
"I'm off! Remember to eat breakfast and take care of yourself - Ash!"
"This child~~" Delia murmured, touched by the message.
Over the past three years, Ash has become more sensible and is no longer the careless child he once was. She was supposed to send him off, but Ash had become so responsible that she felt a bit reluctant to say goodbye.
Looking at the breakfast, Delia decided she couldn't go and say goodbye. For the sake of her child's dream, she didn't want to show too much reluctance and risk putting pressure on him.
. . . .
"Ash! Today is the day to set off, so do your best!"
"Thank you, Aunt!" Walking along the way, though it was still early, many people were already up. They greeted Ash warmly as he passed by.
Enthusiasm and getting up early seem to be common habits in this world, highlighting the simplicity of the local customs.
"Come on, Gary ! Gary is the best!!" When Ash reached the Professor Oak's Laboratory, he heard cheering from a distance. Ash couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated, though he wasn't surprised by the commotion.
A large group of people had already gathered at the entrance of the Laboratory, most of them eager spectators.
For Pallet Town, this is an annual event. Many come to watch, even though few end up becoming top trainers. However, this doesn't dampen the adults' hopes for their children.
At the front of the crowd, a group of energetic cheerleaders, around eighteen or nineteen years old, stood at the door shouting slogans for Gary.
"Excuse me, please!" Ash said politely as he approached the crowd. Recognizing Ash as one of the day's protagonists, the townspeople made way for him.
"Ash, why did you come late? You can't be so careless!" Gary had already arrived.
These cheerleaders were his support team.
"Professor Oak isn't watching the door, and I'm not late. Are you exaggerating?" Ash responded, used to their bickering over the years. He glanced at Gary's support team and sighed inwardly.
"Hmph! Don't worry about me. Aren't you envious?"
"Yeah, sure..." Ash muttered, not wanting to get into it. He wasn't really envious. In his past life, he had many titles in the anime fandom, including some silly ones like "Neptune."
Seeing Ash's disinterest, Gary didn't push further. Ash noticed that the other two participants had arrived. Besides Ash and Gary, there were two others, a boy and a girl.
The boy didn't leave much of an impression on Ash, but the girl was different. He had met her several times over the past three years, and she always surprised him.
Her name was Blue, which wasn't particularly unusual in this world.
But for those familiar with the games, comics, and specials, she was significant.
She was the protagonist known as Blue in the Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green versions of the game. However, in those games, the playable character was always Ash, with Gary as the rival.
Blue only appeared on the cover of the Japanese Blue version, and she wasn't present in the game itself.