The three discussed for a while without much dispute and quickly made their choices. Gary chose Squirtle, just like in the anime, Blue chose Bulbasaur, and the last boy chose Charmander.
Ash observed this scene and was pretty sure that the story was following the anime, except he wasn't late this time.
Gary still chose Squirtle. There should be small activities in the special chapter, and if this is a special chapter, Pikachu should not be here.
In the special chapter, Red was not late and chose Bulbasaur. Pikachu was initially wanted for stealing and met later during the journey.
After being tamed by Red, her personality became similar to Pikachu's. It took Red a long time to tame her. Since Pikachu is here now, many things have been confirmed.
"Okay, since you have all chosen, this is the identification ceremony!"
After handing over the Rookie Pokémon to the three, Professor Oak asked his assistant to bring a Pokédex and five Poké Balls for each of them.
"This is the Pokédex, which contains information about Pokémon. If you find a Pokémon, you can use the Pokédex to get details about the Pokémon . At the same time, Pokémon not in the Pokédex can also be recorded in it."
"And here are Poké Balls! They are used to capture Pokémon. I hope you can catch the Pokémon you want. Good luck!"
Professor Oak looked at the three of them with a smile, and they each accepted their items.
"Thank you, Professor (Grandpa)!"
"Then, Professor, I'll take my leave first." Getting the Pokémon and Pokédex meant they were officially starting their journey. The three said goodbye to Professor Oak and left the Laboratory one after another.
Blue and the others left first, leaving Ash and Gary behind. There were still many people outside, including many of Ash's neighbors who had a good relationship with Delia.
"Ash! You're finally out, let's keep going!"
"Yeah, Ash will definitely be a great Trainer, we can't wait!"
"Is this the Pokémon led by Ash? So cute!"
The neighbors all came over when they saw Ash coming out and chatted excitedly. Ash couldn't resist their enthusiasm.
"Thank you very much for coming to see me off. Please take care of my mother while I'm gone." Ash bowed slightly to them.
"Don't worry about us, it's usually Delia who takes care of us."
"Yes, Ash! Don't worry!" the neighbors said enthusiastically.
Feeling reassured, Ash prepared to leave. At this moment, he saw a red convertible sports car parked in front of him, followed by another sports car.
Gary was sitting in the driver's seat with a cheerleader in the passenger seat, and two more were squeezed behind them. Several more were in the following car.
"Ash, I'll go first, and I'll beat you soon." Gary stopped in front of Ash, twirled his hair narcissistically, and spoke confidently.
Ash looked at this scene, feeling a bit speechless. He wanted to complain like he did when watching the anime in his previous life. "Brother, you're overloaded! Is it because Officer Jenny didn't come fast enough?"
"Are you going to travel like this?"
"Is there any problem? I'm a genius trainer, and I'm different from you," Gary replied proudly, not understanding what Ash meant.
"Uh... Forget it, it's up to you! I'll go first. Goodbye!" Ash stopped talking and left directly with Pikachu.
He didn't intend to persuade Gary. With Gary's arrogant character in the early stage of the anime, he wouldn't listen to what Ash said anyway.
After leaving the Laboratory, Ash didn't leave Pallet Town immediately but walked to the intersection and headed in another direction. Pikachu on his shoulder seemed a little puzzled.
"Pikapi?"
"Are you asking if we're going to travel?" Ash asked, noticing Pikachu's confusion.
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded slightly.
"Of course we're going, but before we leave, I want to see if another friend is still here." Ash responded, and then, under Pikachu's curious gaze, he quickly made his way to a river.
"Magikarp!" This is where Ash often fished and where he caught a Poké Ball a week ago.
Before catching the Poké Ball, he also caught a Magikarp. At that time, he thought it was just a chance encounter. When Ash came back the next day, he was surprised to find it still there.
In the following days, whenever Ash visited, the Magikarp would emerge from the water as if to greet him. Today, Ash wanted to see if it was still there.
Splash!
Hearing the familiar sound, Magikarp emerged from the water, its wise eyes lighting up with joy at seeing Ash. Ash stepped forward and gently caressed its scales.
"Pikachu, this is Magikarp, and this is my companion Pikachu." Ash introduced them.
"When Pikachu heard Ash mention 'companion', it stood on Ash's shoulder, looking at him thoughtfully. It wasn't until Magikarp made a bubbling sound that Pikachu snapped out of its reverie."
"Pika!" Pikachu raised its short paw to greet Magikarp, accepting it as a companion.
"Magikarp, I'm leaving soon!" A few days ago, Ash had mentioned his upcoming journey. Magikarp, hearing this again, showed disappointment in its wise eyes, knowing it was too weak to leave the water.
"Would you like to be my Pokémon?" Ash suddenly asked, taking out a Poké Ball, pressing the button to enlarge it, and holding it out.
Gurgle!
Magikarp was slightly taken aback but then bubbled joyfully, clearly agreeing.