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The distance between Viridian City and Pallet Town wasn't far. A small forest was all that separated the two, and for the average person traveling on foot, it would take just a day or two to reach.
Of course, if one were fleeing for their life like Ash, chased by a flock of Spearow, they might just make it in less than a day. (People from Pallet Town really are built different.)
Just like in the anime, this little forest housed a small flock of Pidgey and a small flock of Spearow.
However, since neither group had produced evolved Pokémon like Pidgeot or Fearow yet, they remained more or less evenly matched.
Though there were occasional skirmishes, neither side could overpower the other, so they coexisted—reluctantly—in the same patch of forest, minding their own business.
Pallet Town was just a quiet, remote little town in the Kanto region. But for some reason—maybe it was just a lucky place—every generation of Trainers from Pallet Town ended up becoming some of the most famous powerhouses in Kanto.
In fact, since the founding of the Kanto League, nearly every Champion of the region had hailed from Pallet Town. Because of this, people in Kanto respectfully referred to it as the "Champion's Town."
Currently, the world-renowned Pokémon Professor Oak resided in Pallet Town.
In his youth, Professor Oak had also been a renowned Trainer in the Kanto region—and yes, he had even been Champion-level.
These days, he lived year-round in Pallet Town, mentoring each new generation of Trainers and distributing the regional starter Pokémon to them.
(Note: Only three Trainers are chosen to represent Pallet Town each generation. Ash was an exception—just goes to show how influential Gramps really is. Again, this isn't strictly canon)
And since these starter Pokémon came directly from a world-class expert like Professor Oak, it went without saying that their potential was exceptionally high.
This was one of the main reasons why Trainers from Pallet Town were always so strong.
With a reputation like that, plus having Professor Oak personally train the town's children, it was no wonder that people across the region wanted to move there.
Unfortunately, outsiders weren't allowed to settle in Pallet Town. Marrying into the town was acceptable, but forcibly moving there? That would get you "escorted" out by the powerful Trainers who lived there.
They didn't call it the Champion's Town for nothing. The town was home to many Elite Four-level Trainers—and more than a few Elite-level ones, too.
In addition to "Champion's Town," Pallet Town was also known as the "Pristine Town." Its residents absolutely refused to let outsiders "pollute" their home.
Although outsiders couldn't gain residency, they were still desperate for a chance to be mentored by Professor Oak. Rumor had it that anyone who trained under him would go on to achieve great success.
And the rumors were true—Professor Oak was a globally recognized authority on Pokémon, and his teaching ability was second to none. Many of his students had gone on to become famous Pokémon Professors themselves.
As a result, many people with wealth and influence tried to curry favor with him, hoping he would train their children.
For his part, Professor Oak was happy to accept these "gifts," both to fund his research (and feed the many Pokémon left in his care over the years) and to help train future generations of Trainers.
And thus, the annual Professor Oak Summer Camp was born.
Now, in the heat of summer, it was once again time for the annual Professor Oak Summer Camp. As always, the event was held in the forest between Viridian City and Pallet Town, where many low-level wild Pokémon lived.
When Sato left the Viridian Gym, it was already past 3 PM. By the time he exited the city, it was after 4. Riding his Acro bike through the forest for nearly two hours, the western sky was beginning to glow with sunset hues.
Since it was getting late, Sato decided to stop and set up camp in the forest. Naturally, when camping outdoors, the most important thing was to find a spot near a water source.
Thanks to Golbat, Sato quickly found a small lake nestled within the woods. At that time, many wild Pokémon had gathered around the lake to drink, but their presence was quickly disrupted by Sato's arrival.
In an instant, all the wild Pokémon by the lakeside scattered and vanished.
Still, while most wild Pokémon in this little forest would flee at the sight of humans, a few didn't. Some would actually charge in to attack without hesitation.
This time, the troublemaker was a forest bully common in these parts—Ursaring. This particular Ursaring was level 32, which made it something of a tyrant in this low-level forest.
Maybe it had gotten too used to bossing others around, but even after spotting Sato's Golbat, Bellossom, Arbok, and Swampert, it still charged in aggressively.
"How dumb. Swampert, don't hit it too hard—just smack it away. Then go gather some firewood with the others. We'll be ready to eat soon."
Seeing the Ursaring rush over to deliver itself like a side dish, Sato casually patted Swampert's arm and turned to give instructions to the rest of his team. He didn't bother to watch, already knowing what the outcome would be.
Swampert nodded, stepped forward to intercept Ursaring, and the other Pokémon fanned out to search for dry wood nearby.
A moment later, a loud BANG!! echoed through the woods.
Ursaring was sent flying by a single Hammer Arm from Swampert. Its massive body soared over the entire lake and crashed into several trees on the far shore, snapping them clean in half.
Luckily, Swampert had held back a bit. Ursaring wasn't knocked out—just bruised—and quickly scrambled to its feet before fleeing in a panic.
Meanwhile, perched in a nearby tree, two young boys were spying on the lakeside scene with binoculars.
The two kids, around six or seven years old, had wide eyes and stunned faces as they witnessed Ursaring being launched like a rag doll.
"Whoa~~ that was awesome, Gary! Did you see that? That big blue Pokémon just punched that mean Ursaring that was chasing us and sent it flying!"
The boy in red and white lowered his binoculars and turned to the boy next to him, who was wearing a green shirt.
"You dummy, Ash! That Pokémon is called Swampert, not 'big blue Pokémon.' It's one of the starter Pokémon from the Hoenn region! Didn't Grandpa teach us that already? You were probably asleep again!"
Gary rolled his eyes and replied in a smug and condescending tone.
"Oh, so it's a Swampert? Wow, what a strong Pokémon! Hey.. wait, you're the one that's a dummy! I already knew it, I just forgot for a second!"
Ash's face turned red with embarrassment as he shouted back at Gary, who'd just called him an idiot.
"Heh~"
Gary's smugness only grew when he saw Ash's flustered face.