Pokemon :An Unexpected Journey

As it was now said, Red was five years old… and although on the outside he was still just a child, on the inside he carried the weight of an existence that didn't entirely belong to him.

He had come to understand that his "Strategist's Eyes" ability wasn't a free gift. It demanded constant training, precise information, and above all, context. Observing wasn't enough—he had to study, practice, compare… and fail. But in his current situation, that was nearly impossible.

How do you train a tactical mind without data? How do you analyze the Pokémon world without access to books, without a Pokédex, without real battles, without resources?

The answer was painful: you can't.

And the biggest obstacle wasn't his age or lack of experience. It was something far more mundane, far more human… poverty.

His family had no money. His mother, Delia, worked miracles with her modest salary at the town's café, but raising two children alone wasn't easy. The debts left behind by his father—that absent ghost no one dared speak of—still haunted them. Some weeks, even buying food was a challenge. Thinking about Pokéballs, battle manuals, or strategy books was simply an unthinkable luxury.

And in this world… becoming a Pokémon Trainer wasn't a free dream. It cost money. A lot of money. The travel, the training, the basic equipment, the Pokémon Center fees for special treatments. Everything revolved around Pokécoins—and Pokécoins revolved around luck, fame, or lineage.

Red had none of that.

He had his mother, who gave him endless love, but couldn't provide the tools.

He had his brother Ash, who lived with an eternal smile, but who still didn't understand the complexity of the world.

And then, a spark lit up in his mind.

Professor Oak.

He was not just a scholar, nor merely the descendant of a legendary lineage—he was the gateway to knowledge, to data, to the experience Red so desperately needed.

Oak's laboratory was a living library. His network, his research, his personal archive… all of it was more valuable than any rare item or powerful Pokémon.

But he couldn't just knock on the door and ask to enter.

He was a five-year-old child. With no important last name. No money. No reputation.

However, there was a crack in the system:

Professor Oak's summer camp.

Each year, the professor organized a special week for the children of Pallet Town. Games, activities, battle simulations, interactions with the lab's Pokémon. Most went for fun. But Red wasn't most children.

He saw that camp as a covert evaluation.

A filter. An opportunity to stand out—not as a future trainer, but as a potential assistant.

Because Oak didn't just train. He observed.

And Red knew, thanks to the system, that the professor accepted promising young helpers for basic tasks: feeding Pokémon, cleaning, organizing files, monitoring behavior… Simple tasks, yes, but with full access to the lab.

Access to information.

Access to books.

Access to knowledge.

Access… to the board.

"If I want to advance, I need resources," he thought. "And if I don't have them, I need to earn them."

So he designed his plan with precision:

— He would attend the camp.

— He would excel at every activity.

— And in the final simulated battle, he would display his strategic talent.

Not to impress.

To be useful.

He knew official sponsorship only happened when kids turned ten. He knew that. But he also knew Oak wasn't a fool. If someone proved their worth—even at age five—he wouldn't let it go unnoticed.

"I don't want a Pokémon.

I want a place beside the data.

I want to be his shadow… until I'm ready to be his equal."

And if the laboratory was his future, then the forest was his training ground for now.

Because there, among tall trees and wild Pokémon, Red had found another source of knowledge: nature unfiltered. No one charged you to watch a fight between a Spearow and a Rattata. No one limited access to a swarm of Caterpies climbing a tree or a Pikachu marking its territory. Every day in the forest was a free class—wild, dangerous… and absolutely priceless.

"The forest is the only place that can't close its doors to me," he whispered one day while noting a Pidgey's flight patterns.

So while the other kids played…

Red learned.

While the others laughed…

Red analyzed.

While the children dreamed of becoming Trainers…

Red was training his mind to conquer a world that didn't yet take him seriously.

And when he finally entered the lab… it wouldn't be as a curious child.

He would enter as a future rival of the greats.

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Chapter 5: Pokémon: Camp Without Limits