"Ash!!!"
Just as everyone was enjoying Brock's barbecue skills, a mature woman in her early thirties suddenly rushed over and pulled Ash into a tight hug.
Ash's mother—Delia Ketchum.
Sam recognized her instantly.
He had to admit that Delia had taken very good care of herself. Even though her son was already this old, her figure was still… exceptionally eye-catching.
What am I thinking?!
Sam snapped himself back to reality and immediately forced those thoughts out of his mind. Delia was Ash's mother. A friend's mother was absolutely off-limits.
…Though her figure really was impressive.
"Ash, Gary, long time no see!" Delia said cheerfully. "Have you caught any rare Pokémon?"
The arrival of another familiar figure finally pulled Sam completely out of his wandering thoughts.
"Professor Oak!"
Professor Oak stepped forward with a smile. "You're here too, Sam? What a coincidence. All of our Trainers from Pallet Town have gathered today."
"All of them?" Sam asked, slightly confused.
If he remembered correctly, the girl who chose Charmander—Stephanie—had also set out on a journey.
Seeing Sam's confusion, Professor Oak sighed with some regret.
"Stephanie has given up on becoming a Pokémon Trainer. It's such a pity. That child had great potential."
So Stephanie really had quit.
Giving up wasn't necessarily a bad thing. While being a Pokémon Trainer carried prestige, the path itself was extremely difficult—collecting Badges, training Pokémon, constantly challenging stronger opponents. If someone couldn't persevere, quitting was a perfectly reasonable choice.
After hearing this, Ash and Gary both fell silent. As fellow Trainers from Pallet Town, they naturally felt a twinge of sadness.
"All right, cheer up," Professor Oak said warmly. "You two need to work hard and not embarrass Pallet Town."
"Don't worry, Professor (Grandpa)!"
"We'll definitely become great Trainers!"
Ash and Gary spoke at the same time, then burst out laughing.
Even as rivals, they still had an incredible tacit understanding.
After meeting Professor Oak and Delia, Sam couldn't help feeling a little curious.
Back in his previous life, many Pokémon fans joked about Professor Oak and Delia having an ambiguous relationship. Seeing them in person now, Sam observed quietly for a while and quickly confirmed that those rumors were nonsense.
Their relationship was nothing more than that of longtime neighbors.
In fact, Professor Oak clearly cared far more about Ash than Delia. The moment he saw Ash, he started asking about his journey, then carefully examined Ash's Pokémon—especially Pikachu. He checked Pikachu inside and out several times before finally feeling at ease.
It was obvious.
It wasn't because of Delia that Professor Oak paid special attention—it was because of Ash.
Old friends, Sam thought. That's the best way to describe it.
Was this the bond that transcended time?
"Sam, where are your Pokémon?" Professor Oak asked with a gentle smile. "Can you show them to me?"
He had heard a lot about Sam from Gary. His ambitious grandson regarded Sam as his greatest rival. If not for Sam, Gary probably wouldn't have matured so quickly—and might still be driving a sports car around flirting with girls.
Sam hesitated.
After all, the origins of Tyranitar and Gengar weren't easy to explain.
"It's fine if it's inconvenient," Professor Oak said magnanimously.
Everyone had their own secrets, and his relationship with Sam wasn't as close as it was with Ash or Gary. Such caution was understandable.
"It's okay, Professor Oak."
After thinking for a moment, Sam decided to summon all his Pokémon.
Professor Oak's character was trustworthy. Even if he noticed something unusual, he wouldn't spread it carelessly.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
One by one, Sam's Pokémon appeared.
Ash, Gary, Misty, and Brock stared without blinking. This was the first time they had seen all of Sam's Pokémon at once.
Ivysaur was familiar—Professor Oak immediately recognized it as the Pokémon Sam had obtained from him.
Clefairy, Charmeleon, and Scyther were clearly well cared for, but they didn't draw too much of Oak's attention. With his experience, seeing rare Pokémon wasn't unusual.
The ones that truly caught his eye were—
Tyranitar
and
Gengar.
-----------Author---------------
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