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If Yellow wanted to see more Pokémon, it meant she was taking a different path than Ash and his friends.
If their routes had overlapped, they would have had a reason to travel together. But since Ash and the others were heading to Viridian City—and they had just departed from there not long ago—they had to go separate ways.
Yellow felt a little disappointed that she hadn't met Ash and his friends earlier, but after everything they'd been through together, she didn't feel too sad anymore.
"That's right! Just be careful traveling on your own, okay?" Ash nodded slightly after hearing her decision, though he didn't feel overly reluctant to part ways.
Although they had only known each other for one day, they were still friends. Ash felt that even though the world was vast, Trainers often had similar goals and destinations.
So in reality, their community was quite small. Since everyone was a Trainer, there would definitely be chances to meet again in the future.
Just like Gary and Green—even though they traveled separately, they still had opportunities to cross paths again.
"Don't worry! As long as I have Chuchu and the others with me, I'll be just fine. See you next time! Take care of yourselves, Ash, Misty, and Brock!"
Yellow nodded confidently and then said goodbye to the three of them sincerely. Although they hadn't known each other very long, Ash and his friends were the first companions she had met after leaving Viridian City.
Especially Ash—he had not only saved her but also taught her so much. She truly cherished this friendship.
"You too, Yellow!" Misty responded warmly.
"Here! I packed a lunch box for you. Please accept it!"
Brock spoke up and pulled out a cloth-wrapped lunch box, handing it to Yellow. Knowing they would be parting ways, he had prepared this meal for her journey.
"May I really take this?"
"Of course! It's no trouble at all!"
"Thank you so much!" Seeing Brock's thoughtful gesture, Yellow felt even more touched. She thanked him sincerely and accepted the lunch box.
Chuchu also said a reluctant goodbye to Pikachu. However, Pikachu didn't quite pick up on Chuchu's deeper emotions and thought it was just a regular farewell between friends.
"Well then, we'll be going now!"
After their goodbyes, Ash spoke up, and the three of them turned to leave. Yellow remained where she was, waving to them even though they had turned around and couldn't see her anymore.
"Pika-pi~~"
Chuchu stood beside Yellow, watching the three people and Pikachu disappear into the distance. Her ears drooped slightly with sadness.
Seeing this, Yellow knelt down, embraced Chuchu gently, and spoke comfortingly.
"You're sad about leaving Pikachu, aren't you? It's okay! We'll definitely meet again, and when we do, Ash will be so surprised by how much we've grown!"
Yellow understood that Chuchu felt reluctant to part, and she could sense that Chuchu's feelings mirrored her own. But now, she wasn't feeling disappointed anymore—just determined.
"Pika-pi!!"
Chuchu perked up and nodded seriously after hearing Yellow's encouraging words. She jumped up onto Yellow's shoulders, and Yellow turned to face the opposite direction from where Ash and the others had gone.
"Let's go! We have to work hard too!"
"Pika-pi!!"
As they walked, Yellow chatted with Chuchu, though most of their conversation revolved around things related to Ash and their brief time together.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ash's group continued their journey. They weren't far from leaving Viridian Forest now. After about one morning of travel, the three finally arrived back at Viridian City.
"We're back here again! It looks just the same as before!"
As soon as they entered Viridian City, Misty hugged Togepi and ran ahead excitedly. Because so many memorable things had happened in Viridian City, she still had vivid memories of this place.
Viridian City wasn't a massive metropolis like Celadon City or Saffron City, but it had a different atmosphere compared to those larger cities.
It was also the starting point for many Kanto Trainers. Even Trainers who weren't from Pallet Town often had to travel to Pallet Town at the beginning of their journey to receive their starter Pokémon from Professor Oak.
Most Trainers passed through this city early in their adventures. It was a city full of energy and new beginnings.
"So, where are we heading next?" Brock asked as they walked down the street.
"Let's go to the Pokémon Center first!" Ash replied with a smile after hearing the question.
Although his Pokémon were in good condition, Ash wanted to be cautious and have them checked thoroughly before challenging the Viridian Gym.
"Sounds good!"
After confirming their destination, the three of them quickly made their way to the Pokémon Center. Just as they reached the entrance, they saw a familiar figure walking out. The person was also slightly surprised when he spotted Ash.
"Gary?" Ash spoke up instinctively after recognizing him.
"Oh, it's you, Ash! You're making good time! You've already challenged the Viridian Gym, right?"
The person was none other than Gary Oak. Surprisingly, Gary was traveling alone this time. He must have left Celadon City quite quickly for them to run into him here already.
"Not yet. Have you challenged it?"
Ash responded honestly. Unlike in his earlier days, he wasn't interested in getting into meaningless arguments with Gary anymore.
"Not yet, but it doesn't really matter to me whether I challenge it or not. I've already collected ten Badges."
Gary smiled proudly after speaking, and seeing Ash gave him the perfect opportunity to show off a little.
"Ten?!" Misty and Brock were genuinely surprised. Eight Badges were enough to qualify for the Pokémon League Conference, but Gary had already collected ten.
Although having ten Badges wouldn't provide any special advantages at the Conference, being able to collect more Badges than required did demonstrate a Trainer's strength and dedication.
"As long as you're not exhausted!" Ash responded, spreading his hands casually after hearing this.
Collecting many Badges was indeed impressive and showed strength, but the most important goal was actually winning the League competition itself.
Even if someone collected a hundred Badges, it would be meaningless if they couldn't win the tournament. It would just be a waste of valuable training time.
For Ash, if he had that much extra time, he'd rather spend it training and bonding with his Pokémon.
Seeing Ash's indifferent expression, Gary felt momentarily speechless and simply decided to stop trying to one-up him.
"Whatever. I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you. I need to continue expanding my Badge collection record! See you later!"
With that, Gary walked past the three of them, waved coolly over his shoulder, and left.
Watching Gary depart, Ash suddenly thought of something after a moment. When he tried to call out, Gary had already disappeared from view. Seeing this, Ash frowned slightly and looked in the direction Gary had gone, silently hoping that everything would be alright for his rival.