An elderly man riding on a Dragonite flew over from the other side of the bushes, carrying two children with him.
"Goh, are you alright?" Professor Oak dismounted from Dragonite's broad back, then carefully helped Ash and Serena, who were seated on the Dragon-type Pokémon, down to the ground.
"Wow, it's the real deal!" The Dragonite, with its plump orange body and small wings, was one of Jack's favorite Pokémon species.
"Melo—" (He doesn't even know Dragonite's ability, yet he claims to like it. Hmph, typical.)
Jack was once again caught off guard by Meltan's insight into his shallow knowledge, and he scratched his head in embarrassment.
Species: Dragonite
Type: Dragon/Flying
Ability: Multiscale
Known Moves: Hyper Beam, Dragon Dance, Rain Dance, Outrage, ExtremeSpeed, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Thunder Wave, Dragon Pulse...
Base Stats: 600 (HP: 91; Attack: 134; Defense: 95; Special Attack: 100; Special Defense: 100; Speed: 80)
Current Mood: Happy (Helped Professor Oak find people)
Physical Condition: Perfect
Friendship: 20
"So many moves! And such high base stats!"
"I'm fine, but he hit me!" Goh pointed accusingly at Jack, putting on a wronged expression.
Jack, who was still stunned by Dragonite's impressive stat panel, was suddenly blindsided by Goh's accusation, leaving him completely bewildered.
"You were the one who provoked the Beedrill! We saved you, and not only did you fail to thank us, but you also tried to touch Meltan without my permission or Meltan's consent! You're being completely unreasonable!"
Jack had truly never encountered such an annoying child before.
"You are... Jack?" Professor Oak looked up and spoke thoughtfully.
"Professor Oak, you know me?"
Professor Oak, famous throughout the Kanto region and having appeared numerous times in the Pokémon anime, was naturally recognized by Jack immediately. And the two children standing behind the professor must be Ash and Serena.
Such an important encounter was actually being disrupted by the bratty Goh. Jack's good mood was completely ruined.
"This is your grandfather's ranch. He told me this ranch was left for his grandson, Jack, so I guessed you must be him."
Although Professor Oak was elderly, he was certainly no pushover. The attack marks scattered on the ground and the fainted Beedrill nearby already proved Jack's account of events. He was now attempting to soothe Jack's emotions with his calm demeanor.
"Goh, was Jack wrong in what he said?"
Goh stammered, unable to produce a coherent response for quite some time.
"When you've done something wrong, you should apologize."
Professor Oak could naturally deduce that the two symmetrical bumps on Goh's face were likely from Jack and his Pokémon. However, that minor pain was nothing compared to being attacked by an entire swarm of Beedrill. He couldn't allow the child to grow up spoiled—a lesson needed to be taught!
"I'm sorry," Goh muttered reluctantly.
He didn't want to apologize at all, but with several pairs of eyes staring at him expectantly, he could only force himself to say the words to Jack.
"Next time you do that, Meltan's attack won't be aimed at the sky," Jack warned while holding Meltan protectively.
The half-meter-tall Meltan occupied nearly one-third of Jack's small frame. I'll let you off the hook for Professor Oak's sake, Jack thought to himself.
On his first day in the Pokémon world, Jack didn't want to spend it being angry.
"Jack, why don't you come back to the camp with us? I have something to give you." Professor Oak extended an invitation with a kind smile.
Jack glanced at the somewhat dilapidated ranch behind him, then thought about Professor Oak's backyard, which supposedly occupied dozens of acres and housed countless Pokémon.
"Okay!"
The camp was quite a distance from the ranch, so Professor Oak summoned another Pokémon—a Charizard—to assist with transportation.
Dragonite's experience in carrying passengers for flight was far superior to Charizard's, so the Dragon-type took Jack, Meltan, Ash, and Serena (three people and one Pokémon) for the journey. Professor Oak, meanwhile, flew with Goh on Charizard.
"Mew~"
Just as Jack was about to climb onto Dragonite, he thought he heard a cat-like cry.
"Meltan, did you hear anything just now?"
"Melo—" (I didn't hear anything, Jack. Are you imagining things?)
Meltan shook its hexagonal head, the yellow metal rings rotating freely on its liquid metallic body.
"Maybe it was just my imagination," Jack dismissed the thought.
Jack and Meltan settled at the very back of Dragonite's broad back. This first experience of flying on a Pokémon kept Jack in a state of excitement throughout the entire journey.
"Wow! This feeling is incredible!"
"Right? Pokémon are simply the best creatures in the world!"
The two boys fully enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing across their faces as Dragonite soared through the sky.
Serena, nursing an injured leg, sat carefully in the middle position, while Ash, positioned at the front, nearly fell backward into Serena's arms while enthusiastically stretching his arms wide.
"Ash, you need to be more careful!" Serena said, her cheeks flushing pink.
"I know, I know!"
"I'm Jack, and this is my partner, Meltan!"
"Melo—"
Jack introduced himself to the two children sitting in front of him, and Meltan, cradled in Jack's arms, also offered a friendly greeting.
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and my dream is to become a Pokémon Master!" Ash declared with his characteristic enthusiasm.
"Pallet Town..." Serena murmured softly, as if the name held special meaning for her.
"How about you?" Ash, being characteristically straightforward, turned his head and asked Serena with a bright smile.
"I'm Serena from the Kalos region." Serena spoke shyly, presenting a complete contrast to Ash's boisterous personality.
Jack held Meltan a bit tighter. Indeed, these were the Ash and Serena from the Pokémon world—just as upright, passionate, and innocent as they appeared in the anime!
Dragonite flew remarkably fast, returning from the ranch to the camp in less than five or six minutes despite the considerable distance.
All the children attending the summer camp had already gathered at the campsite, preparing to depart.
"This year's summer camp ends here. We'll see you all next time!"
"Okay! Goodbye, Professor Oak!"
The children were successively picked up by their parents, and even that annoying Goh had already departed with his family.
"Ash, goodbye!" Serena waved enthusiastically, bidding farewell to Ash with clear reluctance in her eyes.
Serena was returning to the Kalos region with her mother, Grace.
"Ash, won't you miss her?"
Jack watched as Serena's figure disappeared from sight. Meanwhile, Ash didn't show even a hint of sadness on his face. On the other side, Jack could see that Serena's eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
"The world is so big—we'll meet again someday," Ash said with simple optimism.
"But if you exchanged contact information, you could talk to her again as soon as tomorrow," Jack pointed out practically.
Jack remembered that video phones existed in the Pokémon world for communication between trainers. Although he didn't know exactly when they were introduced, surely they could exchange contact information somehow.
"Oh, right!" Ash suddenly realized, his eyes widening. "Serena, wait a minute!"
The impulsive Ash immediately started running after Serena, but just as he was about to chase her down, Professor Oak's Dragonite reached out with one large arm and forcibly pulled Ash back.
"┗|｀O′|┛ Oww~~~"
He got caught.
"Actually, you could just ask Professor Oak for her contact information later," Jack suggested, watching the scene with amusement.
Jack observed the young Ash, whose behavior matched the anime perfectly—impulsive, reckless, yet overflowing with passion and sincerity.
"Jack, this is something your grandfather left behind for you." Professor Oak presented a wrapped gift box with both hands.
Jack accepted the item from Professor Oak with surprise and curiosity. Is this the beginner's package? he wondered.