Pallet Town was a small suburban town where everyone knew each other. The houses were modest, mostly made of wood or brick, and all looked alike, except perhaps for the professor's. It was the only large house in town, and it even had his name written in large letters on the front: "Professor Oak's House." His house was as eccentric as he was.

Ash walked through the town's streets, which were practically empty. Occasionally, there was one or two passers-by, but most of the time, the streets were desolated. He scanned left and right, obviously searching for something or someone.

Which one could it be? he wondered. He seemed desperately searching for something.

Turn right after the flower house, the flower house, the flower house... but they're all flower houses. Damn, that'll teach me to ask an old man for directions. I don't think he could've pointed to his own house if I had asked, Ash sighed and stopped.

"Where could that damn Pokémon shop be?"

"Hey, psss, psss, over here, kid."

Ash, surprised, turned his head towards the noise. Someone was motioning for him to come over. It was a young man. He looked to be in his twenties. He wore gray pants and a beige shirt under a large black coat. He looked decidedly shady.

Ash continued to stare at the man, puzzled. Should he approach? The man kept calling and waving at him. He could hear him shouting from afar: "Hey, you over there..."

Despite his suspicious appearance, the young man didn't look threatening. He was quite thin and not very tall. And even if he became threatening, Ash had a way to calm him down.

"Hey, kid! You're looking for the Pokémon shop, right?" the young man asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, I am, but how did you know?" Ash asked, surprised.

"Oh, it's simple. You're a Pokémon trainer, so it's logical that you're looking for the Pokémon shop."

"Yes, but how did you know I was a Pokémon trainer?" Ash asked. "Were you spying on me?" he continued suspiciously.

"No, of course not. To tell you the truth, I heard you earlier, and that's how I knew you were looking for the Pokémon shop. As for being a trainer, I just guessed. There's a good chance you're a Pokémon trainer if you're looking for the Pokémon shop," the young man replied with an ounce of pride in his eyes.

"Oh, okay... but wait, how did you hear me if you weren't spying on me?" Ash asked, even more suspicious than before.

The young man raised his hand as an answer, then pointed to the left, then to the right. "You know the area is deserted, right? It's just you and me on this road, and you can hear everything that's said, everything."

Ash scanned the surroundings. Indeed, the young man was right; the area was void of people. There was nothing but tall grass as far as the eye could see along the path. They were the only two on this road.

Ash looked at the young man again. He wasn't convinced; his response seemed plausible and logical. But if he was telling the truth, what was he doing on a deserted road, "spying" on people? He definitely seemed shady.

"If I called you," the young man continued in a darker tone, "it was to show you this." The young man, his face darkened, plunged his thin hand into his large coat. This sudden move made Ash jump. Immediately, he hurriedly pulled a taser from his pocket.

"What are you hiding in your coat? Show me your hand, I want to see it," he yelled in a panic.

The young man didn't stop; he frantically searched inside the coat pocket as if trying to reach an object buried deep within. His face grew darker, and Ash's words no longer reached him. He was almost there; he could feel the object brushing his fingers. Just a bit more, and "there," the young man finally pulled out the desired object.

"A potion?" Ash said, completely stunned.

"Here, take this potion, boy," the young man said, a wide smile spreading across his face. "I work at the Pokémon shop. We sell great items there, you should come by."

"Hahaha, you'll laugh, but I thought you were going to pull out something weird just now," Ash said, smiling embarrassed, with one hand on his head and the taser still in the other.

"Actually, if you want to know, you're the one who pulled out something weird," the vendor said, pointing at the taser.

"Hmm?" Ash said. He had forgotten for a moment that he was still holding the taser.

"Oh, this? It's nothing. But rather, tell me why you're giving me this potion, and for free."

The young vendor, eyes closed, began to chuckle softly. "It's a strategy, my friend, a strategy."

"A... strategy? Like a 100% discount?"

The vendor shook his head. "No, no, you're missing the point. Look around you," he said, crossing his arms.

"There are tall grasses everywhere. Several wild Pokémon nest here. If I'm stationed here, it's not by chance; it was meticulously calculated. This road is taken by all trainers heading to the next city, Viridian. And since most aren't well-prepared, I give them a potion. But as usual, it's not enough, and the trainer loses their battle most of the time. With one or more of their Pokémon out of service, they rush to the shop themselves without me having to say a word. Effective, right?"

"Wait a minute, you're saying you give them a test potion and once they're hooked, you fleece them? You know, dealers do the same thing."

The vendor shook his head again. "No, no, it's targeted marketing. It's a very effective tactic, and besides, we're not fleecing them, it's more... a matter of supply and demand."

"Yeah, but in this case, you're the one creating the demand," Ash said.

"Hmm, if you want, but I'm not doing anything illegal in the end, as long as everyone finds their advantage."

"Yeah, well, whatever. So, if you work at the Pokémon shop, can you tell me where it is?"

"Of course, it's just over there, taking a right after the flower house."

Ash frowned in anger, giving the young man a burning look. That was the last straw. It seemed the whole town had agreed to mess with him.

"Listen," he said calmly, "I've been wandering in this ghost town for an hour already, so YOU'RE NOT GOING TO PISS ME OFF, AND YOU'RE GOING TO SHOW ME WHERE THAT DAMN POKÉMON SHOP IS AND THAT DAMN FLOWER HOUSE TOO, WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!" he shouted, waving his taser near the young man's face. He was red with anger.

"Okay, okay, listen to me, my good boy..." the vendor stammered, fearfully.

"Huh?" Ash interrupted, giving him a dark look.

"Uh, I mean, my good sir, the Pokémon shop is right there," the vendor said, pointing to a building in the distance behind Ash.

Ash turned around and finally saw the building he was looking for. How had he missed it? It was so gigantic. It even had "Poké Mall" written in large letters on the front.

"Oh, so it was there," Ash said, embarrassed. He blushed with shame at the thought that the young employee would take him for a real impulsive idiot.

"Yes, it was there," the vendor said, nodding.

"All right, you know what?" Ash continued.

"No, I don't," the vendor said, a bit confused.

"I'm going to take your potion and leave you to your business."

"That's a good idea, sir. Have a good day, sir," he said, waving goodbye with a silly smile on his face.

The Pokémon shop was an imposing building. It wasn't a huge skyscraper, but still, it was quite large. How had Ash missed it all this time?

Ash pushed the glass door and entered the shop. It was quite lively. There were many people, long aisles with shelves full of potions, Pokéballs, Antifreeze, and other items...

"Welcome to our Pokémon shop. How can I help you?" said the vendor on the left, behind his counter. He was wearing a black shirt with a Pokéball design topped with a blue apron.

"Yes, hello. I would like to know how much you would give me for this."

Ash pulled the potion from his pocket and placed it on the table. The vendor took it and examined it skeptically.

"Hmm, initially, I could only offer you 30 Pokédollars for it. But..." The vendor paused and looked more closely. "Actually, I can only offer you 10. This one has been used."

"What? No, I'm not talking about the contents, but the container. Look at the label more closely, it's a rare model," exclaimed Ash.

He was confident; he knew he could fetch a good price for it. He had already checked the prices online before coming. He possessed an item of great value, coveted by the greatest collectors. If the vendor didn't realize it, it was his loss.

"Hmmm... indeed, the label seems out of the ordinary," he said, placing the potion on the large wooden counter.

"But the best I could probably do would be... Let me see, 100 Pokédollars? I could even go up to 150, for the inconvenience."

"Excuse me?" Ash replied, offended.

"No, it's the potion with the upside-down label from Uncle Duck. It must be worth at least 10,000 Pokédollars."

"10,000 Pokédollars, is that right?" questioned the vendor, clasping his hands. "You know what, I'll call an expert who knows about this."

The vendor took out his phone from under his apron and dialed a number.

"Yes, it's me. There's a young boy at the shop. According to him, he has in his possession the potion with the upside-down label. Yes, that's right... Can you come to the shop? Okay, see you soon."

The vendor hung up and turned his face back to Ash. "He'll be here soon," he said with a smile.

Ash didn't respond; he silently stared at the vendor. He was a bit worried. He didn't know if it was the vendor's smiling face or the fact that he seemed to know the only expert in town on old Pokémon potions with an upside-down label, but he wasn't as confident as before.

The wait wasn't long. Indeed, a minute after the call, a man entered the shop through the service door. It almost seemed like he had been waiting right there, behind the door, all this time.

He was a middle-aged man, with gray hair, a mustache, and round glasses. He wore a colonial hat, like those of ancient explorers. They even said they were the first Pokémon trainers.

With determined steps, he approached the counter and addressed the vendor. "So, this is the famous potion?" he asked, pointing his finger at the potion placed on the counter.

"Yes, this is it. And I called you so you could give me your opinion, to tell you the truth."

The expert stared at the potion for a moment, then turned to Ash. He fixed him for a moment, then resumed examining the potion more closely.

"Oh!" he suddenly exclaimed.

His face was pale, his eyes wide open, his mouth agape seemed to say "oh shit, I can't believe my eyes," at least that's what Ash imagined in his head seeing how amazed the old man was.

"Oh my shit, I can't believe my eyes," he finally said. The phrase itself seemed to shock the vendor more than the actual reason behind this "oh shit, I can't believe my eyes."

It must be said that only something extraordinary could have made this "oh my shit, I can't believe my eyes" come out of the mouth of a man of his age.

"What's gotten into you, Archibald? This is the first time I've seen you like this. It must be a very big deal for you to come to say "oh my god, I can't believe my eyes," thought the vendor as he stared alternately at Ash and the old expert.

I wonder where this little snot has been able to dig up this potion. Whatever, it will soon be mine, and at a more than mouth-watering price, word of a pokemart vendor .

A smirk was forming on the vendor's face. His attitude suggested that in his mind, he was already rubbing his hands, delighted with this juicy deal that he was soon going to conclude.

"So, Arch, what's your opinion?" the vendor hurried to ask. Impatience was evident in his eyes.

"I must attest that we have here a unique piece. This is indeed the potion with the upside-down label," he said, staring at the potion.

"Here, if you look more closely at the label, you'll see a printing defect. Look closer at the face of the PokéCorp founder. In fact, if you're not blind, you'll see that the image is upside-down, which makes it look like a duck with a blonde tuft on its head. Proof of a printing error that could only have been made by the hands of a man underpaid and seriously lacking in sleep due to hard work in the factories of Uncle Duck. There is no doubt, this potion is completely authentic."

Ash and the vendor hung on Archibald's words. He seemed to know much more about this company than others. Wait, underpaid men and lack of sleep? What kind of shady company is this? Ash wondered.

"You see, I was right about their authenticity," declared Ash.

"Hmm... Yes, of course. And how much are you offering? Still sticking to your 10,000 Pokédollars?" asked the vendor.

"Yes, well no. Now that the expert has just confirmed its authenticity, I would say 20,000 Pokédollars instead," replied Ash with a smile.

The deal was in the bag now that the expert had authenticated the potion; he could get much more for it.

"Well, I'll offer you 2,000," the vendor continued, his face dull, emotionless.

"What?" Ash replied, outraged.

"But come on, the old man, I mean the expert, just authenticated the potion right now."

"Yes, but understand me, this potion is indeed rare, but it's not brand new anymore. I'll have to refurbish it and also get it certified by a rating company, not to mention I have to pay the fees for good old Arch. All of this costs money. And that's not counting that I might not find a buyer. I also need to make profit."

Ash was displeased. He was burning inside. He only wanted one thing: to take his potion and try another shop. But he couldn't, he needed that money, especially since it was the only PokéMart in town, and to get to the one in viridian, he had to pass through the route with tall grass teeming with wild Pokémon.

"Alright, I understand that as the boss, you have obligations, but I won't go lower than 18,000 Pokédollars."

"18,000? That seems fair. But you know what would be even fairer? 4,000 Pokédollars."

"What, are you serious? Okay, 16,000 then."

The vendor smiled. Very well, the negotiation can now begin.

"6,000," the vendor proposed.

"14,000," Ash countered.

"8,000," the vendor continued. He crossed his arms and remained serene.

"12,000, and I won't go lower," Ash declared, determined.

"Let's be realistic, I think we should stop here. I can go up to 9,000, but that's my final price," the vendor continued, his face resolved. He wouldn't offer more.

Ash gritted his teeth. He wanted to continue negotiations, but the determined look on the vendor's face marked the end of the negotiations.

"Alright, I'll accept 9,000, but," he turned away from the vendor to look at the shelves, "however, I'll take 1,000 Pokédollars worth of those Pokémon potions. I won't accept anything less."

The vendor smiled. "That works for me," he said, taking money out of his register to hand it to Ash.

"But tell me, young man, aren't you Ash Ketchum?" he added, smiling warmly.

"How do you know my name?" asked Ash, confused.

"Come on, everyone knows you in town. You're the only kid who hasn't gone Pokémon hunting. It's a small town here, you know."

"Yeah, I guess," Ash replied without paying attention to the vendor's remark.

"I have a package here intended for Professor Oak. Would you mind delivering it to him?"

The vendor bent down behind the counter and pulled out a large cardboard box. He placed it on his counter, still smiling. Ash stared at the box and then at the vendor's face. He really didn't want to be a delivery boy, and the vendor's insistent, almost forced smile indicated that he didn't want to be a delivery boy either.

"Alright, I'll deliver it," Ash sighed.

"9,000, huh? Well, whatever, it would have been just as ridiculous if the kid had plucked you," the old Archibald said.

"Yes, it was a tough negotiation, but I'm sure I got a good deal. 20,000 Pokédollars? No, I could get 50,000, maybe even more," the vendor laughed heartily.

A tough negotiation? I don't think so. But still, this kid has piqued my curiosity. Where could he have found this potion? ...That trace on the cap, only he could have done that... unless... no, it's not possible, thought the old man, staring at the door, his expression worried.

"Professor, are you there? I have your package with me," Ash groped his way through the room, carrying the professor's package in his arms. The package was so large that it prevented him from seeing in front of him.

The box, despite its size, didn't seem to weigh more than one would suggest by its large size. So it was without too much effort that he placed it on the big table.

Ash straightened up. The professor was right in front of him, on the other side of the table. He hadn't noticed him when he entered. Turning his gaze to the left, he noticed another person he hadn't noticed either.

"Blue?" Ash asked, surprised.

Blue stood near the left corner of the table. His arms were crossed and his gaze was cold. He paid no attention to Ash's remark. He was just there, silently staring at the professor.

"Ah, thank you very much, my little Ash," said the professor as he unpacked his package. "They finally finished my Pokéball."

"Wait, do you mean there was only one Pokéball in that box?" Ash exclaimed, annoyed.

"Now that you mention it, Ash, indeed this box is way too big. Pokezon should stop packaging Pokéballs in a one-meter cardboard."

"Gramps, stop beating around the bush and tell me why you called me," grumbled Blue, still with his arms crossed.

"Well, listen boys, I have a favor to ask you. There's my greatest invention on this desk: the Pokédex. It records information on encountered or captured Pokémon."

"Is that your greatest invention, professor? An encyclopedia? That's it?" Ash asked. He seemed disappointed even though he didn't expect anything at first.

"No, no, Ash, that's not all. And now stop interrupting me, if you please. Where was I? Oh yes, it's also integrated with a Qualcomm 6G++ chip to capture photoluminescent and electromagnetic waves. It also has photosensitive sensors, a century-long battery life, a satellite location system, and an integrated AI system."

The professor picked up one of the tablets on his table. "Let me show you instead. Okay, Pokégogol, tell me what type of Pokémon Squirtle?"

"Here are results on the types of skirts," a digital voice said, seemingly coming from the tablet the professor was holding.

"You see, it works!" exclaimed the enthusiastic professor.

"No, it doesn't work, it's not even what you asked for," Ash said.

"No need to dwell on details. It's just a test version. Most of the time, it'll be very useful to you. Here."

The professor handed the two Pokédexes to Ash and Blue, who both took them with apprehension. Did they really need these gadgets?

"Creating a guide on the Pokémon of the entire world is my dream," said the professor, holding both of them by the shoulder. "But as you can see, I'm far too old for that now. That's why I'm entrusting my quest to you, the younger generation..." he continued, walking alongside the two young boys, whose confused faces shifted from the Pokédex to the professor's face.

"...But you, you are young and full of life. Finish what I couldn't accomplish. Your great Pokémon quest begins now. Go on, off you go!" No sooner had the professor finished his sentence than he pushed the two boys out of the laboratory and closed the door behind them.

Ash, looking lost, stared at the Pokédex he held in his hands. What had just happened? he wondered. Was that the famous speech from the professor that was supposed to kick off his new Pokémon adventure? It was quick and disappointing, a bit like a first sexual experience.

"Don't think that just because you beat me last time, it's over. Far from it," shouted Blue, pointing at Ash. His expression was fierce.

Oh, look, he found his voice again. That reassures me somewhat; it means his little depression has passed, thought Ash, staring at Blue.

"Next time, I'll be the one to win," Blue added before disappearing into the wild.

Ash, now alone on the doorstep of Professor Oak's lab, didn't understand what had just happened to him (as usual). That's it, he was a Pokémon trainer now. But had this status really changed anything? He was still the same ignorant boy. Except now, in addition to knowing more about Pokémon, he would also have to figure out how the gadget he had just received worked. The adventure was off to a great start.