There were very few people in the world who could make Sato set off immediately with just a single phone call, and among that small group, Professor Oak was the one whose words Sato obeyed without hesitation.
This time, it was Professor Oak who urgently summoned Sato back to Kanto, and there were two reasons for it.
The first was that the Dratini Egg was on the verge of hatching. During this final incubation period, Sato needed to successfully bond with the baby Dratini. If he missed this critical window, earning Dratini's wholehearted loyalty afterward would become much more difficult.
The second matter concerned the Celebi clone.
Blaine truly lived up to his reputation as one of the world's foremost Pokémon geneticists. Using his advanced genetic engineering techniques, he had successfully halted the clone's rapid aging.
However, the Celebi clone's consciousness still had not awakened.
Now that the research period Professor Oak had granted Blaine had expired, the Celebi clone had been returned to Professor Oak.
Professor Oak told Sato that he might have a way to awaken the clone. One of the main reasons he had called Sato back to Kanto was to have him try awakening the Celebi clone using his method.
To return to Kanto as quickly as possible, Sato spent League contribution points to rent a Pidgeot from a Trainer in Fallarbor Town. Thanks to Pidgeot's speed, it took him only half a day to travel from Fallarbor Town back to Slateport City.
From there, he boarded the earliest available flight to Saffron City in Kanto.
By the time Sato arrived in Saffron City, it was already the following morning.
After arriving, he once again spent a few League contribution points to rent another Pidgeot from a local Trainer before flying straight toward Pallet Town.
At around five o'clock that afternoon, Sato finally arrived.
Naturally, he had returned in his original appearance.
Coincidentally, just as he entered the village, he ran into two familiar faces—or rather, two young boys who were in the middle of a fierce argument.
The pair, on the verge of coming to blows, were none other than Ash and Gary, the inseparable rivals.
Apparently, they had somehow caught a wild Magikarp together and were now arguing over who it belonged to.
"You idiot, Ash! I was the one who hooked this Magikarp! As the young master of the Oak family, I order you to hand it over immediately!"
Gary raised his fishing rod proudly, putting on the airs of a young master as he arrogantly barked at Ash.
"Hmph! Says the guy whose fishing line snapped halfway through! You've got some nerve claiming it's yours. I caught the Magikarp with my net, so it's obviously mine!"
Ash, being as straightforward as ever, didn't care in the slightest about Gary's family background. Without giving Gary any face, he confidently shot back.
Having his embarrassing mistake exposed, Gary flew into a rage and lunged forward to snatch the Magikarp away.
Ash refused to back down, and the two immediately started wrestling right at the village entrance.
"Hey, if you two don't stop soon, the Magikarp is going to get away."
Sato watched the two fighting with an amused smile instead of stopping them.
Only when the Magikarp had wriggled free of the net and was about to flop back into a nearby irrigation ditch did he finally remind them.
The moment they heard the Magikarp was escaping, Ash and Gary—both already sporting bruises and swollen faces—immediately stopped fighting.
Acting in perfect sync, they grabbed the fishing net together and caught the escaping Magikarp once more.
But the instant they had secured it, they glared at each other again and resumed arguing over who owned it.
For a while, they completely forgot that Sato was even standing beside them.
"If you want to decide who gets the Magikarp, that's easy."
"Just have a Pokémon battle."
Eventually, Sato couldn't bear watching any longer and spoke up again.
"I don't have any Pokémon!" ×2
The next second, Ash and Gary turned toward Sato simultaneously and shouted in perfect unison.
Both wore equally resentful expressions.
As expected of someone who absolutely adored Pokémon, Ash's attention was quickly drawn to the Pikachu resting on Sato's shoulder.
As for Sato himself...
...Ash unconsciously ignored him.
"Wow! A Pikachu! It's so cute!"
He hurried over to Sato and circled around Pikachu excitedly before reaching out, unable to resist petting it.
Pikachu's personality hadn't changed at all.
Other than Sato, he had an intense dislike of any male human approaching him.
So when Ash reached out...
A mischievous grin immediately spread across Pikachu's tiny face.
"Ah! You're Big Brother Sato! I'm Ash!"
"That Pikachu... it evolved from the Pichu back then, didn't it? That's amazing! It evolved!"
Just then, Ash seemed to recall a rather unpleasant memory. His hand froze halfway before touching Pikachu.
His attention shifted to Sato instead.
After looking him up and down several times, he finally recognized him and immediately greeted him happily.
"Hmph. Earlier you said we should settle the Magikarp's ownership with a Pokémon battle."
"Does that mean you're willing to lend us Pokémon?"
Gary had actually recognized Sato earlier than Ash.
Ever since his sister Daisy had been defeated by Sato, Gary had remembered him very clearly.
However, because of his stubbornly prideful personality, he hadn't wanted to acknowledge him immediately.
Now that Ash had exposed Sato's identity, Gary finally asked his question.
"Really?"
"Big Brother Sato is going to lend us Pokémon?"
"That's awesome!"
"I've always dreamed of commanding Pokémon in battle!"
"Hurry, Big Brother Sato! I can't wait anymore!"
Before Sato could even answer, Ash had already accepted it as fact. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he repeatedly urged Sato to lend him a Pokémon.
Although Gary remained silent, he stared fixedly at Sato. His expression made it obvious that he was equally eager.
Originally, Sato had intended to take the two boys to Professor Oak's laboratory and let Professor Oak lend them Pokémon instead.
But after hearing what they said—and seeing those expectant looks—
...he found himself unable to refuse.
Both boys possessed extraordinary potential. Making friends with them while they were still young certainly wasn't a bad idea.
"Here's how we'll do it."
"Poliwhirl and Lotad. You can each choose one."
After thinking for a moment, Sato released his Poliwhirl—which had recently evolved successfully—and Lotad.
He then explained each Pokémon's typing, Ability, and known moves before letting the boys make their choice.
As expected of Professor Oak's grandson, Gary already possessed an impressive amount of Pokémon knowledge despite his young age.
Without any hesitation, he chose Lotad.
First come, first served.
Ash could only take the remaining Poliwhirl.
However, true to his reputation as someone who never cared about type disadvantages, Ash paid no attention whatsoever to Gary choosing the more favorable Pokémon.
Instead, he happily chatted with Poliwhirl as if they had already become friends.
"Alright."
"Now that you've both chosen your Pokémon, it's time to pick the battlefield."
"I'll decide. We'll use that grassy area over there beside the irrigation ditch."
After selecting the battlefield, Sato stepped aside to act as the referee.
"Water Gun, Poliwhirl!"
"Razor Leaf, Lotad!"
Soon, Ash and Gary stood facing each other across the irrigation ditch.
The moment Sato gave the signal, both boys simultaneously issued their first commands to their Pokémon.