The next day at 9:00 AM sharp.
Ash, Brock, and Misty appeared on time at the entrance of the Cerise Laboratory in Vermilion City.
Professor Cerise's laboratory was located within the city.
It was clear that Professor Cerise's side was prepared for the arrival of Ash's group.
The proof was that they weren't stopped by any powerful Pokémon upon entering the laboratory grounds.
...After all, as normal people, Pokémon Professors know how important their research is, so the security is bound to be quite high.
"This is the place." Ash checked the address on his Pokédex, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell.
The door opened almost immediately.
A man in a white lab coat with neat hair and a gentle smile appeared before them.
He pushed up his glasses, his eyes filled with anticipation:
"You must be Ash from Pallet Town, Brock from Pewter City, and Misty from Cerulean City, right?"
"I've been waiting for you. Welcome to my laboratory. I am Cerise."
Professor Cerise looked at the young people before him... they were all energetic and capable kids.
It was just a shame he had arrived in Vermilion City too recently.
He hadn't had enough energy to screen for capable new trainers.
Thinking of this, Professor Cerise actually felt a little conflicted.
But this kind of problem could only be solved with time.
"Professor Cerise, hello. Sorry to bother you," Ash greeted politely.
"Professor Cerise, hello. I'm Misty."
"Professor Cerise, hello. I'm Brock."
Being able to meet the renowned Professor Bill and Professor Cerise from the research world one after the other, Brock and Misty both seemed somewhat excited.
"Don't be so formal, please come in." Professor Cerise stepped aside and ushered the trio into the laboratory.
The interior of the lab was even more spacious and bright.
Various precision instruments and enormous display screens were in operation.
The air was filled with the faint smell of cleaning agents and electronic components.
A few young people in research assistant uniforms were busy at work.
"Chloe, Parker, come here a moment," Professor Cerise called out.
Soon, a girl who looked quiet and well-behaved, holding a Wooloo doll, and a younger boy, curious about everything around him, ran over.
"This is my daughter, Chloe, and my son, Parker," Professor Cerise introduced, then said to the children:
"These are Dad's guests, Trainers Brock and Misty from Pallet Town and nearby cities."
"Hello," Chloe bowed slightly, a little shy.
"You're so cool! Are you from Pallet Town? From Professor Oak's place!" Parker's eyes widened with excitement, his attention focused on Ash.
"Yeah, you know a lot, Parker," Ash replied with a smile.
Chloe looked at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and said softly:
"Your Pikachu is very cute."
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu waved its little paw happily.
Just then.
Another voice came from a nearby lab bench.
It carried a hint of deliberately feigned maturity:
"Hmph, a Trainer from Pallet Town? I'd like to see what you're made of."
Everyone turned to look.
They saw a boy in a black T-shirt leaning against the lab bench with his arms crossed.
He had a confident smile on his lips, and his eyes sized Ash up, as if comparing them.
Chloe added softly:
"Dad, Goh is here too."
The boy named Goh walked forward and, without waiting for Professor Cerise to introduce him, began to speak for himself, his tone somewhat self-important:
"So you're the Professor's special guests for today?"
"I'm Goh."
"Goh from Vermilion City."
"My goal is to catch every Pokémon in the world."
"And the first Pokémon I'm going to catch is Mew!"
Goh seemed to have a strange sense of rivalry towards Ash's group.
It was as if he was worried something of his was about to be taken, so he had to come and declare his claim.
Perhaps he was worried that Professor Cerise's favor would be stolen away?
After all, being able to come and go freely in a Pokémon Professor's laboratory was a sign of being valued.
The average person didn't get such treatment.
"..." Misty frowned slightly, displeased with Goh's attitude of interrupting and boasting.
Brock maintained his gentle smile, but a hint of observation entered his gaze.
Okay, he couldn't see anything.
He really couldn't see any special talent in the kid before him.
Faced with Goh's slightly provocative self-introduction, Ash wasn't angered, merely nodding calmly:
"Oh, hello."
"I'm Ash, from Pallet Town."
"Catching all Pokémon is a grand goal."
His tone was neutral, as if he were just stating a fact, with neither envy nor mockery.
As for this guy named Goh.
...Ash had been wondering what the difference would be between reality and the anime.
Now it seemed he was just as annoying... talking to himself, full of himself.
This placid reaction seemed to surprise Goh.
He had expected the other boy to at least be surprised by his ambitious goal.
Goh paused, trying to regain control of the conversation:
"I heard you've seen Ho-Oh and a Giant Dragonite?"
"You've got some pretty good luck."
...No matter how you look at it, I'm stronger than you, right? Ash looked at Goh. ...Where do you get the nerve to challenge me?
"But real strength is demonstrated through battling and catching."
"You can't get far on luck alone."
The first Pokémon he's going to catch is Mew?
That means you don't even have a Pokémon right now.
Seeing the situation, Professor Cerise quickly stepped in to smooth things over:
"Haha, it's a good thing for young people to be energetic."
"Goh is a very promising Trainer too."
"Ash, you came here this time because of Lt. Surge, right?"
Professor Cerise successfully changed the subject.
The fact was that Lt. Surge was far more important than Goh; this guy wasn't even worth paying attention to.
Ash's attention was immediately pulled back, his expression turning serious:
"Yes, Professor Cerise."
"You must know about the situation at the Pokémon Center. We'd like to learn more about Mr. Surge and the Vermilion Gym."
Ash didn't say he was going to "deal with" Lt. Surge.
That would be completely impossible.
To deal with a Gym Leader like Lt. Surge, you'd need at least a League Inspector to come and have the authority to impeach him.
Not only would they need status, but also strength.
For example, if Pokémon Investigator and League Elite Four member Lance came to inspect the Gym, then Lt. Surge would have no choice but to obey.
It was hilarious; he couldn't win at all.
Seeing Ash completely ignore his provocation and instead start talking about serious matters with the professor, Goh felt ignored and interjected resentfully:
"Gym Leader Surge may be strict, but the strength of his Raichu is undeniable."
"Only a Trainer who passes his test is worthy of the Orange Badge."
"My goal is to earn his recognition as soon as possible!"
His words sounded like he was agreeing with Lt. Surge, but in reality, he was still emphasizing his own abilities and goals.
This time, Ash finally looked him straight in the eye, his gaze sharpening:
"A strict test and abusing power to crush a Trainer's confidence are two different things."
"My friend and his Sandshrew nearly lost all their confidence because of his 'test'."
Ash thought of A.J.
He had been such a promising talent; who knew if Lt. Surge had shattered his mentality.
Ash felt that A.J. would probably recover from this psychological blow.
But it would undoubtedly waste some time.
Goh was taken aback by Ash's suddenly serious aura, and for a moment, he couldn't find the words to retort.
____
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