Professor Oak nodded, but he did not let Ash leave just yet. Instead, he walked with Ash to the door, preparing to see him off. In a way, Ash was his student.

"Be very careful on your journey. The world... it's not as simple as it appears," Professor Oak said after a moment of silence.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, puzzled and serious, sensing that Professor Oak's words carried a weighty and complex message.

"While knowing too much right now might not be good for you, I still feel the need to warn you..." Standing at the doorway, Professor Oak looked earnestly at Ash, "The Pokémon League can't ensure everyone's safety completely; some places remain undeveloped and unknown."

"When traveling, try to stick to the roads established by the Pokémon League as much as possible. Don't venture blindly into deep forests, where the strength of the Pokémon is unknown to anyone!"

"Even trainers at the level of Gym Leaders entering these areas can't be completely sure of their safety, let alone a rookie trainer like you."

"Pika... Pikachu..." Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder, nodded too. It was born in the wild and knew well the dangers hidden there. If it hadn't been for the luck of receiving help from a Kangaskhan, it might have died in some unknown place long ago.

"I understand!" Ash nodded solemnly. He wouldn't recklessly venture into unknown areas until his strength was sufficient.

"Alright, off you go. I believe Gary has been waiting for you for quite some time..." Professor Oak patted Ash's other shoulder and gestured towards Gary waiting at the bottom of the steps, clearly aware of Gary's intentions.

"Gary..." Ash looked down at Gary, nodded slightly, and said goodbye to Professor Oak, "Well then... Professor, I'm off."

"Go on, I have things to attend to. Resolve your matters among yourselves," Professor Oak said with a smile. Though he was curious to see the battle between his grandson and Ash, his busy schedule was a bit regrettable.

Ash bowed slightly to Professor Oak, then turned to face Gary's intense gaze as he walked down the steps to meet him.

"Seems you've already received your starter Pokémon," Gary said, arms crossed in front of his chest as he glanced at Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. His tone carried a hint of arrogance, but his gaze towards Ash was intense, revealing a mix of fervor and a deep seriousness.

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Ever since meeting Ash, the dynamics between them had never been normal. Like destined rivals, Gary always sought to surpass Ash in every aspect.

Yet, Ash's performance had exceeded his expectations. Without the direct guidance of elders that Gary had enjoyed, Ash had come to understand many things even Gary was unaware of. Even his grandfather, who Gary took immense pride in, continually praised Ash, fueling Gary's discontent.

Throughout their long-standing rivalry, while Gary initially had the upper hand due to his family connections and insider knowledge, in the last two years, he had been decidedly outperformed by Ash, a situation Gary was loath to accept.

Now that they were both official trainers, only combat prowess would prove their worth. Defeating Ash in this battle would erase all his previous failures and restore his pride.

"Correct!" Ash nodded. He looked at Pikachu on his shoulder, who then turned to glance at Gary and back at Ash, seeming to understand the relationship between the two.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked slightly, the tense atmosphere igniting a battle spirit within it.

"Pikachu... although this is different from what I envisioned, this battle will undoubtedly be my victory!" Gary pulled out a Poké Ball, pointing it at Ash, "Let's settle this once and for all. This time, I will return all the humiliation back to you!"

Ash was somewhat speechless at Gary's melodramatic declaration, which felt a bit over the top. However, those words also stirred Ash's fighting spirit.

This was his first real battle, and no amount of game battles from his past world could compare to the thrill of commanding a Pokémon in a live fight.

Games are just that—games, comprised of data, through which one can devise various formidable tactics. But this is reality, real combat, and it is not turn-based!

"Go Gary! You're the best, Gary!" Outside the fence, Gary's fan club of girls screamed in excitement upon hearing his declaration. The surrounding townspeople didn't leave either; they too wanted to witness what kind of battle the two new trainers from Pallet Town would present.

"Come on!" Gary turned and walked out the door to the makeshift battle arena that had been cleared outside. It wasn't large—about twenty meters long and five meters wide, as it wasn't a regulation battle arena.

Ash walked to the other end, took a deep breath, and looked at Pikachu on his shoulder, "Pikachu, I'm counting on you for this battle. Although we're not very familiar with each other yet, please trust me!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu nodded vigorously, then leapt from Ash's shoulder to the ground three meters away, landing on all fours in a battle stance.

"Go, my partner, Squirtle!" Gary, seeing this, threw his Poké Ball with force, sending out his chosen starter Pokémon, one of the Kanto starters, Squirtle!

From the opened Poké Ball, a burst of white light emerged and fell to the ground, dispersing to reveal a small figure. It was a small turtle Pokémon with light blue skin encased in a hard shell. The shell was brown on the back and light yellow on the belly.

It had a pair of big purple eyes, a round head, and short limbs, each with three toes, and a small wavy tail on its back.

Squirtle

Type: Water

Category: Tiny Turtle Pokémon

Ability: Torrent; Hidden Ability: Rain Dish

Torrent: When this Pokémon's HP is reduced to one-third or less, the power of Water-type moves increases by 1.5 times.

Level: Initial

"Come on, Ash! I will win this battle!" Gary shouted excitedly, unapologetically taking the initiative, "Squirtle, use Water Gun!"