Gary, Serena, and Ash—who was still in his blue pajamas with messy bed hair—stepped out of Professor Oak's lab and into the warm morning sunlight.
Ash was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he clutched the Poké Ball in his hand. His face lit up with enthusiasm, eyes sparkling.
"Alright, let's see our Pokémon!" he said excitedly.
Without wasting a second, he pressed the button on his Poké Ball. With a click, the sphere opened and a flash of red energy shot out. The light condensed on the ground, forming into a small, yellow creature with pointed ears and a lightning bolt-shaped tail—Pikachu.
Ash's face lit up with pure joy. "Hi, Pikachu! We're gonna be best friends!" he exclaimed as he bent down and eagerly scooped Pikachu into his arms. "We'll become the best partners and one day become Pokémon Masters—!"
But before Ash could finish his speech, sparks danced around Pikachu's cheeks.
"Pika… CHUUUU!"
A jolt of electricity burst from Pikachu's tiny body, engulfing Ash in a flash of yellow lightning. He screamed, his body shaking comically as crackling electricity surged through him.
When the sparks finally died down, Ash was left standing dazed, his hair frizzed up and pointing in every direction like a spiky bush. His skin was lightly singed, comically blackened like he had been through an explosion.
He blinked once before collapsing backwards with a cartoonish thud, twitching on the ground with wide, swirling eyes.
"Owwwww…"
Gary burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "Pfft—haha! Wow, that didn't take long!"
Serena, meanwhile, gasped and looked at her own Poké Ball with concern. Her hands tightened around it. "I-Is that… normal?" she asked hesitantly. "What if Eevee shocks me too?"
Pikachu turned away from Ash with a grumpy huff, folding its little arms and puffing its cheeks in defiance.
Wiping a tear of laughter from his eye, Gary reached for his own Poké Ball and pressed the button. A second beam of red light flashed out onto the grass.
A long, elegant serpentine figure formed on the ground—Dratini.
The little dragon-type opened its bright, expressive eyes, blinking up at the boy before it. Its smooth blue scales glistened in the morning sun, and a soft, almost melodic sound escaped its mouth: "Woooo~"
Gary knelt down to Dratini's level, his expression shifting from amusement to calm sincerity.
"Hey there, Dratini," he said softly. "I'm your trainer now. I'll take care of you, alright? The two of us… we're going to become the strongest Dragon-type duo in the whole world."
Dratini tilted its head for a moment, then gave a cheerful cry as it slithered forward and affectionately rubbed its head against Gary's outstretched hand. Its skin was cool and smooth to the touch, and its movement was gentle, almost cat-like in affection.
Gary smiled warmly, stroking its head. "You're adorable," he chuckled. Carefully, he lifted the small dragon into his arms and placed it on his shoulder. Dratini comfortably curled around his neck like a scarf, content and trusting.
Serena's expression softened at the sight. The fear in her eyes faded, replaced with a tentative hope.
Seeing that Gary had bonded so smoothly with his Pokémon gave her courage. She took a deep breath, then clicked the button on her own Poké Ball.
Out came a tiny, brown-furred Pokémon with large ears and a fluffy tail—Eevee.
The little creature looked around, its ears twitching as it took in its surroundings. Its bright brown eyes soon landed on Serena.
Following Gary's lead, Serena knelt down to Eevee's level and smiled. "Hi, Eevee. I'm your trainer now," she said gently. "I promise to take care of you and be your friend. We'll grow together—okay?"
Eevee's ears perked up, and after a moment of sniffing the air, it let out a cheerful cry. "EeVOI~!"
With a small hop, Eevee launched itself into Serena's arms.
"Ah!" Serena caught it instinctively, laughing with delight as the little Pokémon snuggled into her chest. She hugged it close, feeling its soft fur against her cheek. "You're so cute!"
Gary looked over and grinned. "Looks like you two already hit it off."
Serena glanced at him, beaming, her cheeks tinged with a soft pink. "Thanks, Gary… Watching you helped."
Ash, meanwhile, was still lying on the ground with cartoonish tears welling up in his eyes. "W-Why is Pikachu not like them…" he moaned pitifully.
Pikachu, sitting beside him, simply crossed its arms and turned away with a haughty hmph.
---
As Gary, Serena, and Ash—who still had his cartoonishly spiked hair from Pikachu's shock—made their way down the steps of Professor Oak's lab, they were suddenly greeted by Ash's mom.
She rushed over with a bag in her hands and immediately began fussing over her son.
"Oh, Ash! You forgot your bag again! Honestly, what would you do without me?" she said as she handed it over.
Before Ash could respond, she launched into a full-blown lecture. "Make sure you eat properly, brush your teeth, change your underwear regularly—and please, no sleeping in trees again!"
Gary, watching the scene unfold, gave a small sigh. He knew from experience that Ash's mom could go on for quite a while.
He leaned toward Ash. "This is probably gonna take you an hour to get out of. Serena and I are heading out—we're parting ways here."
Ash looked up from his mother's endless list of advice and called out, "I'll see you at the Indigo League, Gary! I'm gonna beat you there, just wait!"
Gary didn't turn around. He simply raised his fist in the air with a confident smirk—his way of saying goodbye.
Serena, walking a few steps behind Gary, turned and gave Ash a gentle wave before hurrying to catch up with him.
---
Serena and Gary made their way through Route 1, walking side by side along the winding path. The trees rustled softly in the breeze, and the sounds of distant Pokémon calls echoed around them. Serena, cradling Eevee in her arms, glanced sideways at Gary and felt her cheeks warm with a faint blush. Her dream journey—traveling with her longtime crush—had finally begun.
Gary, on the other hand, walked with quiet focus. Dratini rested comfortably on his shoulder, its slender body curling slightly as it looked around the route with wide, curious eyes. Gary was busy fiddling with his Pokédex, flipping it open and tapping through the interface until he reached the scan function. Holding it up, he scanned his Dratini, and soon, information appeared on the screen.
[Name: Dratini, the Dragon Pokémon
Description: Dratini continually molts and sloughs off its old skin. It does so because the life energy within its body steadily builds to reach uncontrollable levels.
Type: Dragon
Ability: Marvel Scale
Gender: Male
Moves: Leer, Wrap, Twister, Aqua Jet, Extreme Speed, Mist, Supersonic]
Gary raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his expression. "Eight moves, huh?" he muttered to himself.
It was impressive—most Pokémon didn't start out with such a wide range of abilities. But then he recalled something important. This Dratini was likely the child of his grandpa's Dragonite—a champion-level Pokémon known to give even legendary Pokémon a run for their money. Not only that, but Gary also remembered that Dragonite's mate had been a Garchomp.
With those kinds of genes, it made sense. No wonder his Dratini was born strong.