He blinked, snapping back to reality. "Sorry, just thinking about why I'm picking Squirtle."
"And?" Delia teased, stretching the word.
"Squirtle will give me an advantage against Brock in Pewter City. His Rock-types will be weak against Water moves," he said. "And when I get to Cerulean City, I won't disadvantage when I face the Sensational Sisters water Pokémon."
Delia tilted her head. "When did you become so... calculated about all this?"
Ash shrugged, avoiding her eyes. "I've been thinkng about it a lot this week."
Ever since he woke up in this world he had been creating a plan. The thought of 'Canon Ash's' journey made him want to punch something. He might be Ash Ketchum now, but that didn't mean he had to follow the same path. He'd spent years watching 'Canon Ash' stumble his way through victory after unearned victory, carried by the sheer power of plot convenience.
Well, fuck all that.
Why would he play along with the script? Because it worked in the anime? Because 'Canon Ash' and Pikachu became best friends forever? That was a different story, with a different protagonist—one who was fine waiting decades to win a Pokémon League.
I'm going to do things different, Ash thought. No Pikachu. No pussy-footing around. No pity badges. No resets. Just pure, focused progression toward becoming the very best, like no one ever was.
"More orange juice, sweetie?" Delia asked, reaching across the table with the pitcher.
"No thanks," Ash said, shoveling the last of his pancakes into his mouth and stood up. "I really need to get to the lab now."
"Oh?" Delia's expression fell. "Already?"
"Yeah, I don't want to be late," he said. "Professor Oak said to be there at 8:00 sharp, and I want first pick of the starters." What he didn't add was that Gary Oak would probably be there early too, the smug prick. In the anime, Gary had shown up and taken Squirtle before Ash even arrived. Not this time.
Delia sighed, rising from her seat and gathering the plates. "Make sure you come back here and say goodbye before you leave. I'll have your backpack ready."
"I will," Ash promised and stepped outside into the crisp Pallet Town morning. The air felt cleaner here than in his previous life, carrying the scent of wildflowers and distant forest. It was exactly how he'd always imagined this world would smell.
He couldn't help the grin that crept onto his face.
The walk to Oak's lab took less than fifteen minutes, the white building standing proudly on the small hill overlooking Pallet Town with a windmill and vast fields behind it where Pokémon roamed freely. But as Ash approached, he started hearing chanting.
"GARY, GARY, HE'S OUR MAN! IF HE CAN'T DO IT, NO ONE CAN!"
Gary Oak was standing at the entrance of the lab, and he wasn't alone. He had literal harem of cheerleaders hanging off him like ornaments on a Christmas tree. This was the kind of shit he'd started hating about the show. While 'Canon Ash' had been stuck with Misty and her constant bitching about her bike, Gary got to parade around with a personal cheering squad full of women who looked like they'd stepped out of his teenage wet dreams.
"Well, well, well," Gary sneered as Ash approached, his arm casually draped around the waist of a blonde whose skirt might as well have been a belt. "Look who decided to show up. Ashy-boy, I'm surprised you even bothered. Everyone knows you don't stand a chance against me."
The cheerleaders giggled on cue, batting their eyelashes at Gary like he was God's gift rather than a dickhead who hadn't even gotten his first Pokémon yet.
Where did he even find girls like that? Ash wondered staring at the group of at six stunningly beautiful women in criminally short cheerleading skirts cheered for Gary, pom-poms waving as they chanted his name. Each and every one looked like they'd stepped out of a magazine, all long legs, perky asses and big tits barely contained by their tight tops. He'd been in Pallet Town for a week now and he hadn't seen them before.
It was bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit. The kind of cosmic unfairness that made him want to rage at whatever deity designed this world. Gary hadn't done a damn thing to earn this. Hell, neither of them had even started their journeys yet, and this prick was already living like a Pokémon rockstar.
"What are you staring at, Ashy-boy?" Gary called out with that infuriating smirk as one particularly busty redhead pressing herself against Gary's side, her breasts practically spilling out of her tight top. "Jealous you'll be traveling all alone while I've got... company?" He squeezed the red head's waist, making her giggle and press closer to him.
"Fuck you, Gary."
Gary's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Nervous about getting your ass kicked later?"
"The only thing I'm nervous about is catching your cheerleaders' STDs just by standing downwind," Ash shot back. He wasn't usually this much of an asshole, but something about Gary brought out the worst in him.
The cheerleaders gasped, and Gary looked shocked. Like he couldn't believe Ash Ketchum, nice and sweet Delia Ketchum's son had just said such a thing.
"What did you just say?"
Ash bit back another retort. He wasn't here for this shit. He had a plan, and getting into a dick-measuring contest with Gary Oak wasn't part of it.