One week later, Ash arrived with his bag on his back and was the first to knock on the glass door of Professor Oak’s lab.
“Ash!
You’re here so early!” Professor Oak walked out with a smile, holding a Pokédex and six brand-new Poké Balls.
Ash accepted them and placed Pikachu, Kangaskhan, Eevee, Dratini, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander into their Poké Balls.
That was right.
He had all three starters now.
One year ago, at a Pokémon sanctuary, he had stayed with Bulbasaur and helped it protect its injured companions.
In the mountains during a torrential downpour, he had encountered Charmander while it was still wild, hiding from the rain in a cave.
Just to explain here: this was not when it was abandoned by Damian.
It was simply a lonely Charmander that happened to run into a storm.
And on a drizzly evening, he had crouched at a street corner and gently wiped away the tears from the eyes of an abandoned Squirtle.
Every meeting was still vivid in his mind.
Those precious memories had now become warm pulses inside the Poké Balls.
He had brought back all of his original companions ahead of time.
“Except Kangaskhan.
She’ll stay home to keep Mom company…” Ash clipped the final Poké Ball to his waist, the corner of his mouth lifting into a confident smile.
When the door opened again, Gary walked in with his spiky hair and a limited-edition Poké Ball backpack slung over his shoulder, wearing a half-smiling expression.
He reached out and picked up Squirtle’s Poké Ball.
Then he looked at Ash and said, “See you, Ash.
I hope you can at least manage to collect eight Badges!”
After throwing down those words, he strode toward the door with Squirtle, the sound of his leather shoes against the floor deliberately loud.
“Seriously, what a kid,” Ash said helplessly, shaking his head as he reached out and stroked Pikachu and Eevee on the head one after another.
When the door opened for the third time, Leaf and Blue walked in.
Leaf’s eyes were instantly drawn to Bulbasaur.
When she crouched down, Bulbasaur gently touched her fingertip, as if some kind of understanding had been reached between them.
“You still beat me to it,” Leaf said to Ash with a wink.
When she stood up, the hem of her skirt brushed across the floor.
Blue, meanwhile, was holding a blue Pokémon Egg shimmering with a watery glow.
Her braid swayed with her steps, and her eyes were full of barely concealed excitement.
“Ash!
Look!” Blue practically bounced in front of him.
Fine ripples were spreading across the surface of the egg in her arms, and a tiny curled-up figure could faintly be seen inside.
“It’s about to hatch!” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
She held the egg carefully, remembering what had happened a few days ago—when Ash had mysteriously pulled out this Squirtle Egg.
She had been so excited that she had jumped up and kissed him on the cheek.
Without the system cheat’s special function, how could he possibly have bred such a perfect Pokémon Egg?
After all, in the original story, Blue had set out with Squirtle.
But Gary was Professor Oak’s grandson, so of course he would arrive earlier than Blue.
So Ash had simply exchanged for a Squirtle Egg for Blue.
And he had used the system’s cheat function to adjust its EVs, IVs, Nature, and Ability to perfection.
At that moment, the egg suddenly began trembling violently.
Blue light shone through the tiny cracks, drawing both Pikachu and Eevee over in curiosity.
“It’s hatching!” Leaf exclaimed.
Blue held her breath as pieces of eggshell peeled away.
A wet baby Squirtle poked its head out, and the moment its round eyes met hers, it let out a soft, childish “Squirtle.”
“So cute!” Blue’s eyes reddened slightly as she carefully held the hatchling in her arms.
Sunlight passed through the glass windows of the research lab, scattering mottled light and shadow across the floor.
Leaf and Blue stood side by side, one gently stroking Bulbasaur, the other playing with the newly hatched Squirtle.
Originally, Leaf and Blue had invited Ash to travel with them.
But Ash still politely declined.
After all, the path he was going to walk was probably a little different.
Because of that, Leaf and Blue still felt a little disappointed.
Then the two of them held hands and set off together.
Watching their figures gradually disappear hand in hand, Ash felt a trace of melancholy in his heart.
But soon, he pulled himself together and turned toward home.
He left Kangaskhan at home to keep his mother company.
Over the years, Ash had discovered that Delia and Kangaskhan’s mother had a very good relationship.
The two mothers could be said to get along perfectly.
As the sun set, Ash carried his pack and set out on his own adventure with Pikachu, Eevee, Dratini, and the three starters.
At that moment, Ash also received his congratulatory reward for becoming a Trainer.
[Congratulations, host, on becoming a Trainer.
The system presents the following congratulatory rewards: Pokémon Data Scanner and Ability Stacking Cheat Code.]
The scanner’s appearance could be imagined as similar to Lolo’s scanner from RoboWarriors.
[Pokémon Data Scanner: allows you to visually scan all of a Pokémon’s data.]
[Ability Stacking Cheat Code: allows you to stack a new Ability on top of a Pokémon’s original Ability.]
So he placed the scanner on his left ear and scanned Pikachu and Eevee.
First came a 3D scan of Pikachu.
Then its information appeared.
[Pokémon: Pikachu]
[Gender: Male]
[Type: Electric]
[Introduction: A Mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pichu.
It has small electric sacs on both cheeks and releases electricity when it senses danger.]
[Base Stat Total: 430]
[Ability: Static — Its body carries static electricity, which may paralyze opponents that make contact with it.]
[Hidden Ability: Lightning Rod — Draws Electric-type moves to itself.
It takes no damage from them and instead raises its Special Attack.]
[Current Strength: Late Gym Level]
[Potential: ???]
[Moves: Growl; Thunder Shock; Tail Whip; Quick Attack; Double Kick; Double Team; Thunder Wave; Light Screen; Thunderbolt; Slam; Agility; Rain Dance; Thunder; Thunder Punch; Headbutt; Dig; Reflect; Protect; Iron Tail; Grass Knot; Surf; Charge Beam]
[Status: Healthy]
Beside it was a hexagonal IV distribution chart.
However, Ash had modified it with a cheat code.
All of its IVs were at the maximum value, forming a perfect hexagon.
[Pokémon: Eevee]
[Gender: Female]
[Type: Normal]
[Ability: Adaptability — Moves of the same type as the user are increased in power.]
[Hidden Ability: Protean — Changes the user’s type to match the move it uses.]
[Introduction: The Evolution Pokémon.
Due to its unstable genetic makeup, it has many possible evolutions, though its population is very small.]
[Base Stat Total: 435]
[Current Strength: Late Gym Level]
[Potential: ???]
[Moves: Tackle; Growl; Tail Whip; Quick Attack; Double Kick; Sand Attack; Bite; Swift; Take Down; Double-Edge; Helping Hand; Protect; Iron Tail; Shadow Ball; Substitute; Dig; Bouncy Bubble; Buzzy Buzz; Sizzly Slide; Sappy Seed; Freezy Frost; Sparkly Swirl]
[Status: Healthy]
When Ash saw the words “Protean” appear before his eyes, his pupils contracted sharply.
That was an Ability that should never appear on an Eevee.
It seemed that this Eevee of his still had quite a few secrets hidden within it.