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Chapter 161 - Chapter 161 ⇾ Arrival at Pallet Town, First Meeting with Ash

Fortunately, others couldn't understand Pokémon language, otherwise the news that Cole could lay eggs would have become common knowledge that morning due to Brionne's loud mouth.

Thanks to the egg provided by Chansey, he had Lopunny use the hotel kitchen to make him a pot of egg fried rice. He also invited Daniel, Valerie, and Keith to join him, and the four of them enjoyed a delicious meal together.

After breakfast, Cole and the others boarded a bus from Celadon and headed toward Pallet Town.

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The bus swayed back and forth for what seemed like ages.

Eventually, Cole was awakened from his drowsy state by the driver shouting:

"We've reached Pallet Town, time to get off!"

At the same time, teacher Victoria began urging them, "Students, gather your belongings and exit the bus in an orderly fashion! Take your time, no pushing."

Cole looked out the window and saw vast stretches of grassland with charming small houses scattered at intervals.

Occasionally, Pidgey would fly across the azure sky, and Butterfree fluttered around the flower beds in front of the houses, giving the entire town a peaceful and leisurely atmosphere.

So this is Pallet Town! The place where the dream begins!

Cole felt excited and quickly grabbed his backpack, ready to get off the bus.

However, at that moment, he suddenly heard arguing from outside. Following the sound, he saw a small stream not far from the bus with a wooden bridge spanning across it.

On the bridge, two little kids were quarreling. One wore a yellow T-shirt, the other a red sleeveless top, both appearing to be about four or five years old.

They were fighting over an old Poké Ball.

"This is mine!"

"No, it's mine!"

"I fished it out of the river!"

"It was clearly caught on my fishing rod."

"Gary, don't be so unreasonable!"

"Me, unreasonable? A mere Ash like you shouldn't be so arrogant!"

...

Oh ho! Cole stuck his head out the window, watching the scene with great interest — he hadn't expected to witness such a classic moment right away.

The two quarreling kids were none other than young Ash and Gary.

During their tug-of-war, the already worn-out Poké Ball split right down the middle, leaving each of them with only half as they fell on their bottoms.

Gary quickly scrambled to his feet, clutching his half of the Poké Ball and pointing at Ash in a rage: "How dare a mere Ash break Master Gary's things! You'll pay for this!"

Ash retorted with his neck stiff, "Who's afraid of you? I'm going to be a Pokémon Master someday!"

Gary scoffed, "A mere Ash dares to talk big? Master Gary is the one who'll become a Pokémon Master."

"It's me!" Ash shouted, his neck still stiff.

"It's Master Gary!" Gary immediately shouted back even louder.

"It's me!"

"It's Master Gary!"

...

The two kids went back and forth like this, trading childish retorts.

{T/N: EP 269, for the ones interested in watching it.}

Cole watched with amusement.

"Cole, get off the bus." Valerie urged loudly, "What are you looking at? It's just two kids fighting!"

Sigh~ What do you know! This is nostalgia!

Cole shook his head and sighed, then turned away from the spectacle, shouldered his backpack, and quickly followed everyone off the bus.

When he looked back again, Gary had already stormed off with his half of the Poké Ball, leaving Ash alone with the other half.

Just then, the kid suddenly looked over and his eyes met Cole's. His eyes lit up, and he ran over quickly.

Ash's short little legs moved so fast, like wheels of fire, and in an instant, he was by Cole's side.

"Big brother, are you a Pokémon trainer?"

Perhaps because Cole was so tall, Ash unconsciously stood on his tiptoes, tilting his neck up when speaking to him.

It was kind of cute.

Seeing Ash looking at him with bright, shining eyes, Cole smiled and answered, "I suppose so. What's your name, little guy? How old are you?"

"I'm Ash, I'm four years old! My goal is to become a Pokémon Master!" Ash said, clenching his fist.

Promising kid, so young yet with clear goals, though I don't think I asked about that!

But Ash is only four years old! That's so young — we're a whole decade apart! By the time he starts his journey, I'll already be twenty!

Just as Cole wanted to chat more with Ash, Valerie started urging him again.

"Cole! Hurry up, everyone's leaving!"

So Cole had to say to the kid, "Well, good luck Ash! Big brother supports you!"

Then he ran toward the group.

Ash waved at his retreating figure, shouting, "Big brother, I'll do my best! Let's have a Pokémon battle someday!"

Cole ran too quickly to hear these last words. He and his classmates, led by Victoria, arrived at Professor Oak's laboratory.

As soon as they arrived, the students began looking around in wonder, because the courtyard was home to many Pokémon rarely seen in Kalos.

{T/N: Just to be clear, they are on another continent. Kalos is in "Europe", being based on France, while Kanto is in Japan.}

"Cole, look! Look! There are so many Poliwag! They're so cute!" Valerie excitedly pointed at the garden pond where a line of Poliwag were jumping into the water one after another.

Keith was also intently watching a group of Exeggutor sunbathing with great interest.

Only Daniel seemed uninterested. Unless it was a Pokémon with the personality of his Furfrou or Tsareena (the evolved form of what was once Bounsweet), nothing could capture his attention.

However, just then, a Jynx slowly wandered past them, and Daniel's demeanor instantly changed.

"Oh~ Cole, I think I'm in love!" Daniel said with an exaggerated expression.

Cole: ???

"What are you talking about?"

Daniel pointed at Jynx's retreating figure with a trembling hand, "Look at that Jynx, so graceful and elegant — that waist, those hips, that flowing golden hair... simply perfect."

Cole: "..."

Valerie: "..."

Keith: "..."

"Are you okay?" Cole looked at Daniel like he was an idiot, "That's a Pokémon!"

Daniel retorted, "How shallow. Indeed, the aesthetic sensibilities of ordinary people are not in tune with those of a genius. My affection for Jynx isn't as superficial as you all think!"

"Then I'd rather be an ordinary person." Valerie said with an eye roll.

Daniel couldn't be bothered to respond to her and continued to stare dreamily at Jynx until she disappeared into the courtyard.

Dude, you're getting more and more perverted!

Shortly after, Cole and the others saw the legendary Professor Oak. He looked almost exactly as Cole had imagined, smiling warmly while chatting with Victoria!

However, after a moment, she suddenly waved toward Cole, "Cole! Come over here for a moment!"

Although Victoria wasn't his homeroom teacher, she was quite familiar with him because he often ranked first in the school in academic subjects, so most teachers knew him.

Cole looked puzzled — why was he suddenly being called?

"Cole, the teacher is calling you!" Keith nudged him.

"Yes, I know. I'll go over."

Saying this, he ran toward Victoria and Professor Oak.

"Professor, Professor Oak!" Cole greeted them both.

"Oh~ So you're Cole!" Professor Oak looked at him with a kindly expression, "I've already heard from Gym Leader Sabrina that you're a Psychic. That's quite rare!"

This was the first time Victoria learned that Cole was a Psychic, and she immediately regretted that such a special talent had entered the Breeding Department rather than their Battle Department!

Cole hadn't expected Sabrina to act so quickly, already speaking with Professor Oak before they arrived in Pallet Town.

"You're too kind, Professor. I merely awakened Psychic powers by chance." He said modestly.

"How you awakened them isn't important. Psychics are extremely rare — if you train well, your future will certainly be promising!" Professor Oak said with a smile, "I already know about your agreement with Sabrina. Being willing to help others without compensation shows you're a good kid."

His first impression of Cole was very favorable.

"Thank you for your praise, Professor."

"Sabrina is waiting for you at my laboratory now. After you finish registration, you can leave with her." Professor Oak added.

Cole nodded in response.

Professor Oak, "Alright, off you go! That's all I wanted to say."

Cole looked at Victoria, who also nodded at him, so he turned and went back to the group.

"Cole, what did the teacher and Professor Oak call you over for?"

As soon as he returned, Daniel approached with a gossipy expression, while Valerie and Keith also looked at him curiously.

"Nothing much, just about that matter with Sabrina." Cole replied.

"Ah~~" Daniel looked disappointed. He avoided that girl at all costs and immediately lost interest.

After Victoria completed their registration, she arranged for Cole and the others to stay in dormitories prepared by Professor Oak. The dormitories were not far from the laboratory, with four people per room.

Cole, Daniel, and Keith were naturally assigned to one room, while Valerie, being a girl, had to be assigned to another dormitory with some female students from the Battle Department.

A student from the Battle Department of their school was also assigned to their room.

This senior was one year ahead of them — a year older than Daniel and Keith, but a year younger than Cole (since Cole had started school more than a year later than others, he was always the oldest in their class).

After entering the room, this senior didn't introduce himself. He simply tossed his luggage onto the bed and started watching Pokémon battle videos on his phone.

Daniel, always sociable, smiled and approached to greet him, "Hello, senior, my name is..."

But before he could finish, he was interrupted by the other person.

"Don't talk to me. I'm not interested in getting to know you!"

He casually glanced at the three of them, his eyes revealing arrogance and disdain, then lowered his head to continue watching videos.

Daniel: ( ╬⊙▂⊙)

Keith: ( •_•)

The senior's rude attitude instantly soured the mood for all three of them.

Daniel almost confronted him, but fortunately, Keith held him back and whispered, "Let it go. If he doesn't want to talk to us, we won't talk to him either!"

Only then did Daniel reluctantly swallow his anger.

After settling into the dormitory, Cole said to the other two, "I need to go meet Sabrina. Wait for me to come back."

Daniel waved his hand, "Go on, go on, come back soon!"

Keith also said, "Be careful."

He understood Cole's abilities better than Daniel did, so he was more at ease.

Walking through the dormitory hallway, Cole saw many students from other regions with their various Pokémon, gathered in small groups. Some were making new friends, while others excitedly discussed the upcoming summer camp. Every face beamed with joy and anticipation.

Indeed, only that strange senior in their dormitory was a mood-dampener; everything else was wonderful.

Cole couldn't help feeling excited too, his steps becoming noticeably lighter.

Following Professor Oak's instructions, he arrived at the laboratory and found Sabrina there, meditating with her eyes closed.

The moment he entered, she suddenly opened her eyes, "You've finally arrived!"

Cole could see the impatience in her eyes.

At that moment, Victoria entered, accompanied by Professor Oak, "Cole, you must be careful on this trip. If you encounter problems you can't solve, remember to call back for help."

As his supervising teacher, she was most concerned about his safety.

"Don't worry, Professor. I won't be reckless. If there's danger, I'll be the first to run away." Cole said with a nod.

He wasn't just saying that.

Victoria nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Sabrina, "Sabrina, please take good care of Cole."

Although this girl was even younger than Cole, her status as a Gym Leader naturally made her seem more reliable in Victoria's eyes.

Sabrina replied impatiently, "Don't worry, I'll ensure his safety. He won't participate in battles; he'll just assist me with his Psychic powers during the sealing. There won't be any accidents!"

Hearing this, Victoria visibly relaxed.

"Are we done? If so, we should get going!" Sabrina stood up and walked straight out.

After saying goodbye to his teacher and Professor Oak, Cole quickly followed.

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Outside the laboratory, Cole asked, "How are we getting to Lavender Town?"

Sabrina glanced at him without saying a word, then whistled.

With a series of thumping sounds, two Dodrio stopped in front of them, both equipped with riding gear, clearly meant to serve as mounts.

"Get on!" Sabrina commanded.

The Dodrio instinctively lowered themselves. After the two had mounted, the birds rose slowly and then began galloping at full speed, racing out of Pallet Town in no time.

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