Professor Oak held the Poké Ball in his hand, his thumb lightly brushing over the cool surface of the button.
All of Ash’s attention was focused on that Poké Ball.
He held his breath, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
“Come out!”
Professor Oak pressed the button.
A dazzling burst of white light shot out from the Poké Ball, arcing through the air before landing on the laboratory table beside him.
The light faded.
A small yellow Pokémon, shaped somewhat like a mouse, appeared on the table.
It had long ears tipped in black, two brown stripes on its back, and a lightning shaped tail that swayed gently behind it.
Ash’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Isn’t this great!” he shouted excitedly, as if he had completely forgotten his earlier disappointment about not having a starter Pokémon.
“By the way, what is this Pokémon called?”
For Ash, who had only seen Pokémon on television and around Pallet Town, this little creature was clearly beyond his knowledge.
“This Pokémon is called Pikachu,” Professor Oak said calmly.
“Pikachu!” Ash happily repeated the name.
Then he stepped forward and gave the little Pokémon on the table a bright smile.
“My name is Ash. Please take care of me from now on!”
After the brief introduction, Ash could not wait any longer.
He reached out, grabbed the clearly unhappy Pikachu, and lifted it high above his head.
Only then did Professor Oak’s unhurried voice drift over.
“Pikachu is an Electric Mouse Pokémon. By nature it is sensitive and cautious, and it dislikes contact with strangers. If a stranger touches it, it will release a powerful electric current to attack and protect itself.”
Ash froze completely upon hearing those words.
The smile that had just formed on his face stiffened, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
Meanwhile, the Pikachu he was holding up was obviously displeased with this sudden embrace.
It frowned, and the electric sacs on its cheeks began crackling as small currents built up.
“Professor Oak… you already knew this, didn’t you?”
Ash’s voice trembled slightly.
He slowly turned his stiff neck to look at Professor Oak.
At that moment, he finally understood why the professor had gone out of his way earlier to get a pair of rubber gloves.
Standing behind him, Professor Oak silently turned his face away.
“What are you talking about? I don’t know anything. As a professor, carrying a pair of rubber gloves is perfectly reasonable, right?”
Even he did not believe the excuse he was giving.
This guy…
As the electricity on Pikachu’s cheeks grew stronger and stronger, Ash closed his eyes in despair.
He gave up resisting entirely and prepared himself to take the attack head on.
Meanwhile, Professor Oak, wearing his rubber gloves, crossed his arms and adopted a posture as if ready to watch a good show.
However, the electric shock they had both expected did not come.
Pikachu, which had already gathered its electricity, suddenly tilted its head.
The current on its cheeks gradually dissipated, and it let out a confused cry.
Even Pikachu itself did not seem to understand why it had canceled the attack.
“Pika?”
Ash and Professor Oak both froze at the same time, blurting out in unison.
“Huh?” ×2
Seeing that Pikachu had given up attacking, the tension in Ash’s heart finally eased.
He let out a long breath, thinking that his sincere friendliness just now must have moved Pikachu.
Now that he felt he had escaped disaster, Ash’s excitement surged back again.
So he once again hugged Pikachu tightly, rubbing his cheek against its fluffy body.
“I knew it! You like me too! Then please take care of me from now on, Pikachu!”
“Pika!”
Pikachu’s nose twitched slightly.
The very next second, a golden electric current far stronger than before burst out from its body, instantly engulfing Ash who was holding it.
“Shocking… shocking… electric… electric…”
Ash’s whole body trembled violently.
Under the blinding light, the outline of his skeleton could even be seen, his hair standing straight up, while incoherent sounds came out of his mouth.
“Wah!”
Startled by the sudden turn of events, Professor Oak hurriedly ducked behind the sturdy laboratory table.
Peeking out from behind it, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he watched the spectacular scene.
“There we go, he finally got shocked. I knew it, there was no way you would get through this without it.”
‘I will never trust you again, Professor Oak!!!’
That was Ash’s final thought before he lost consciousness.
His body was charred black, thin trails of smoke rising from him as he fell stiffly backward onto the ground.
He looked strangely peaceful.
Naturally, the unconscious Ash did not hear that after he fell, another voice quietly sounded within his mind.
“Finally got shocked. Now I feel balanced again. Honestly, if you don’t get hit by Pikachu’s electricity at the start, then it feels like a failure!”
The voice was full of schadenfreude, but soon carried a hint of confusion.
“But speaking of which, what exactly is going on? I actually returned to the beginning, and I’m still inside my own body. What a strange experience…”
“Could it be that even fate could not stand how I was at the start, so it sent me back to help myself grow?”
The voice in Ash’s mind grew more and more puzzled.
However, it did not last long before gradually fading away.
…
Not long after, a completely charred Ash, sporting a perfectly shaped afro hairstyle, followed Professor Oak down the stairs of the laboratory.
At this moment, Delia was already waiting downstairs with a blue travel backpack in her hands.
Several neighbors who had come to watch the excitement stood beside her.
When she saw Ash in such a miserable state, not only did she not show any worry, but instead the corners of her lips lifted into a light laugh.
“Mm, this is exactly how it should be when starting a journey.”
Ash fell silent.
Looking at his mother’s rather satisfied smile, he did not even know where to begin complaining.
“Since when does anyone start their journey like this?”
Delia crossed her arms and replied innocently, “Really? I wonder who that could be. It is so hard to guess.”
Ash once again fell into silence.
Beside them, Professor Oak cleared his throat, breaking the strange atmosphere.
“No matter what, Ash has officially begun his journey.”
He took out several red and white Poké Balls and a Pokédex from the pocket of his white lab coat.
“I almost forgot earlier. These are Poké Balls and a Pokédex for a new trainer. Make sure to keep them safe.”
Ash weakly accepted the Poké Balls and the Pokédex.
He lowered his head and glanced at Pikachu, who was walking by his feet.
Noticing his gaze, Pikachu turned its head away as if to say they were not familiar with each other, its tail swaying impatiently.
Ash rubbed his temples with a sigh.
He had not even officially left Pallet Town yet, so why did he already feel so exhausted?
Oversleeping, a carefree mother, and a partner that refused to even go into a Poké Ball…
Ash suddenly felt like his life was already set.
“Alright, go change your clothes. I have already prepared your luggage,” Delia said as she handed the backpack to him.
Ash forced himself to respond, then went to the laboratory’s restroom to tidy himself up.
After changing into his familiar blue and white jacket and putting on his red and white cap, he finally set off on his journey.
Delia and the neighbors waved goodbye, watching as Ash’s figure disappeared around the bend in the road.
She slowly lowered her arm, covering her face with one hand, her shoulders trembling slightly as if holding back laughter.
What an unexpected turn of events.
She could not help but murmur to herself in her heart.
She had thought that after the Masters Eight finals, she would be preparing to welcome Ash home.
But in the end, she was once again sending him off.
What a strange feeling.
Beside her, Professor Oak also felt a wave of emotion.
I really do feel younger the longer I live.
I never expected my body to be this healthy back then.
Just like that, Delia and Professor Oak exchanged knowing smiles, each carrying their own thoughts.
Then they turned away, one heading back toward home, the other toward the laboratory.
After all, having returned to the past after so long, it was only natural to take the time to revisit old memories.
(End of Chapter)