On Black screen
In the forest outside Pallet Town, Ash was saying goodbye to Mew. After three years together, the two had already become close friends.
"I'm going on a journey, Mew," Ash said with a smile.
Even though it was a farewell, he didn't want it to be too sad.
"Mew~"
Upon learning that Ash and Pikachu were leaving, Mew's soft coos lost their sweetness.
Although it had lived in Pallet Town for four years, Ash and Pikachu were its only true friends. Knowing they were leaving filled Mew with sadness.
Seeing the dejected Mew, Ash couldn't help but feel sympathy.
"How about you come on a journey with us?"
"Mew?"
"Staying in Pallet Town all the time isn't that fun. Don't you want to see other scenery?" Ash tempted it with a grin. "There's a lot of fun stuff out there in the world."
Fun stuff? Mew's eyes brightened slightly—it was clearly tempted.
[Comparison Livestream Chat]
[Diantha: Is Mew really that easy to trick?]
Could he convince Mew to join him with just a few words?
[Cynthia: Easy to trick? You can try it. Mew is a Pokémon that can see into people's hearts.]
If not for the deep trust built over three years, do you think Mew would even bother responding to Ash?
[Lance: If Mew becomes Ash's Pokémon too, won't Ash be invincible?!]
Mew hadn't even joined the team yet, and Ash was already being called a monster by Professor Oak. What would happen once Mew joined?
[Bruno: Lance, your title as Kanto's number one might be in danger. I'd say within a year, Ash could unseat you from the top.]
[Lance: Hmph, don't underestimate me! What about Mew?! Is it shameful to lose to Mew?!]
[Lorelei: To be honest… not really shameful.]
Team Rocket Headquarters
"Mew was just taken away like that?"
Giovanni was speechless.
How much effort had Team Rocket spent just to obtain a single eyelash from Mew? And yet Ash, that brat, had simply taken Mew onto his team—just like that.
Indeed, comparing people only made you angry.
Archer said, "It's fine, Boss. It's just Mew. It can't compare to Team Rocket's greatest creation—Mewtwo."
Mewtwo?
The mention of Mewtwo only made Giovanni's mood worse.
He hadn't even fully explored Mewtwo's potential before it escaped—completely disregarding Team Rocket's "creator." It was simply an ungrateful wretch.
On Black screen live
The first ray of morning sunlight shone through the window. Guided by his biological clock, Ash slowly opened his eyes.
He folded his quilt, brushed his teeth, and washed his face. Once everything was ready, he woke Pikachu.
After saying goodbye to his mother, Delia, Ash made his way to Professor Oak's laboratory.
"Good morning, Professor."
"Good morning, Ash."
Unlike the energetic Ash, Professor Oak looked particularly exhausted today.
He yawned and handed a wrapped package to Ash.
Did a Pokédex really need packaging? Ash, puzzled, opened it carefully.
Inside was a Pokédex, a Poké Ball, and… a blue-patterned egg.
Ash blinked in surprise.
"According to League regulations, only ten-year-old boys and girls can receive a starter Pokémon," Professor Oak explained with a smile. "So the three starters aren't available to you. This egg will be your substitute."
He smiled warmly. "Take good care of it. I went to great lengths to get this for you."
In fact, to obtain this special Pokémon egg, Professor Oak had rushed overnight to Vermilion City, retrieving it personally from the Pokémon Center.
Looking at the professor's dark circles, Ash couldn't help but feel moved.
Though he wasn't good at expressing emotion, he silently etched the kindness in his heart.
[Gary: Damn it! Who's Grandpa's real grandson here?! He treats parallel world Ash better than he treats me!!!]
[Professor Oak: You can remove the words 'I feel like.']
[Ash: Accept your fate, Gary. Who told my parallel world self to be so outstanding?]
[Gary: Oh, ho! What does the Ash from a parallel world have to do with you? Getting cocky now?]
[Steven: Alright, everyone—guess what Pokémon is inside the egg Professor Oak gave Ash.]
[Wallace: Blue patterns… there's a high chance it's a Water-type Pokémon!]
[Roxanne: Could it be Kyogre?]
[Steven: Do you even hear yourself?! If it were Kyogre, not even Professor Oak—heck, not even the League Champion or Nurse Joy—would dare to hand that egg over!]
[Diantha: Honestly, I've never seen a Legendary Pokémon's egg before.]
[Cynthia: If the Pokémon inside is Kyogre, then everyone else might as well give up. Just crown Ash the world's strongest Trainer right now.]
[Leon: Hiss… I'm feeling the pressure already.]
[Lance: I don't even care what Pokémon's in the egg anymore. What I really want to know is—did Ash actually take Mew with him?]
[Bruno: Same here.]
(A/N: Everyone, feel free to guess what Pokémon is inside the egg! And by the way—don't forget to send Power stone, reviews!)