"Hey, Ash, you actually recognize this Pokémon!" Professor Oak looked surprised after hearing Ash say Pikachu's name.
Even though he had taught everyone in the town a lot of basic Pokémon knowledge and explained most of the Pokémon from the Kanto Region, who was Ash?
Forever at the bottom of the class! He hardly ever focused on his studies!
One has to admit, Ash's love and passion for Pokémon were unmatched by anyone of his age, but when it came to knowledge... it was pretty pathetic.
So now, Ash being able to recognize Pikachu was indeed quite a rare occurrence.
With a word of praise from Professor Oak, Ash's face lit up with pride. He puffed out his chest, and his nose seemed to grow: "Of course, it's Pikachu! I naturally know it! It's definitely a powerful Pokémon! If I have this Pokémon as my Starter, becoming a Champion in the future is a sure thing!"
Professor Oak looked at Ash as if watching an idiot, hesitated for a moment, and still didn't tell Ash that Pikachu was just a common Pokémon in the Kanto Region.
It seems like Ash knows Pikachu indeed, but the information he knows must not be much, otherwise how could he say something like that?
Upon hearing Ash's words, even Pikachu, who wasn't particularly fond of humans, developed a slight fondness for Ash.
After all, it's rare to find someone who considers Pikachu to be a strong Pokémon...
"Alright, since you have no objections to Pikachu, take these and head out." Professor Oak handed a Pokedex and a few Pokeballs to Ash.
Ash casually put the items in his pocket, then squatted down in front of Pikachu, affectionately rubbing its head and saying, "Please take care of me from now on, Pikachu... Aaaaah!!"
Before Ash could enjoy the softness of Pikachu's fur, Pikachu's expression changed, and some golden sparks began to dance on its body.
"Pika—chu!!"
The massive voltage coursed through Ash, making his whole body go numb, and his pajamas turned black under the high-voltage shock.
Under the high-voltage shock, they became charred.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, this Pikachu has some personality issues. It's quite unruly, doesn't like staying in a Pokeball, and is very resistant to unfamiliar Trainers. It's pretty much my problematic student, and quite a match for you." Professor Oak said belatedly, seeing Ash electrocuted.
"Why didn't... you say so earlier..." Ash breathed out a puff of black smoke, collapsing onto the ground.
If not for his body being far more resilient than the average person, he might have ended up in the hospital from that shock!
Though there had been a minor incident, it did not deter Ash's determination to choose Pikachu as his Starter Pokémon.
Definitely not because he had no other choice.
After leaving some parting advice for Ash on his journey, Professor Oak went back to his research.
After Ash went outside, Professor Oak immediately put down his research, walked over to the collection area, and took out a painting. In the painting, a youth was energetically commanding an electric mouse, battling head-on with the legendary Suicune.
...
Outside, Ash said his goodbyes to the townsfolk who came to see him off, among them Delia, who handed him a Space Backpack specially bought for his journey, packed with many daily essentials.
Soon after, Ash, under Delia's slightly worried yet blessing gaze, began his walk out of Pallet Town. However, with him wearing rubber gloves and dragging Pikachu behind him, the somewhat heavy farewell took on a humorous touch.
Not long after, Ash had already walked out of Pallet Town, and along the way, he took the chance to change out of his singed pajamas.
There he was, wearing the red-and-white cap he earned after sending a thousand mails to the Pokémon League, a blue jacket, and light-colored jeans, now looking somewhat like a spirited youth.
After finally dragging Pikachu into the wild, Ash attempted a few times to communicate with Pikachu, but Pikachu had no interest in responding to him.
Though Ash's initial words did give Pikachu a bit of a good impression, it couldn't change the fact that Pikachu didn't like humans and wanted to be independent.
Helpless, Ash opened the chat group in his mind to seek advice from his 'senior' selves.
[Ash: Fellow greats, I've gotten my Starter Pokemon, but it seems not to be very obedient... were your Pikachu like this at the beginning too?]
[Champion Ash: More or less. I also went through quite a bit before finally building a deep friendship with my Pikachu.]
[Breeder Ash: Not me. Since I always wanted to become a Breeder, by the time I started my journey, I already had quite decent cultivation skills. Then I made some Pokémon food and easily won over Pikachu. So, newbie, become a Breeder! It has so many benefits!]
[Aura Guardian Ash: Dude, you're tricking people into your profession again. Give it up, most 'me's' would choose more Pokémon battles, don't know how you ended up pursuing breeding.]
[Breeder Ash: What's wrong with breeding! Breeding can also raise powerful Pokémon, alright! Despite having a Breeder's position in our world, not many can beat me in Pokémon battles!]
[Ash: Umm... can we hold off the job discussion for now? So how should I get Pikachu to obey me? Even when I talk, it ignores me; when I feed it, it eats and then turns its back on me. This is really hard to handle.]
Ash stopped the ongoing job discussion in the group and redirected the topic back on track.
The focus being how to successfully get Pikachu to listen to him.
[Champion Ash: No rush, Pikachu and I... or rather you, are deeply intertwined by destiny. It won't be long before you experience something that progresses the bond between you and Pikachu. More on this later, but I said I'd tell you about this chat group after you receive your Starter Pokémon, which I can do now.]
[Ash: Uh... does this group have any functions besides letting me chat with other versions of me?]
[Champion Ash: Yes, and the functions are quite useful to you. First, look at the top right corner of the chat group page to see if there's a light spot. Use your mind to click on it.]
Following Champion Ash's prompt, Ash shifted his attention to the upper right corner of the chat group within his mind.
Indeed, just as Champion Ash mentioned, a light spot was visible. Unhesitatingly, Ash used his thoughts to click on it...