EP001

***Pokémon - I Choose You!*** is an episode from Indigo League. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 1, 1997, and in the United States on September 8, 1998.

It is the very first episode of the Pokémon anime series, and by extension, the debut episode of Gary Oak.

## Events

While running late to receive his first Pokémon from Professor Oak, Ash quite literally bumps into Gary outside the laboratory. He's in the middle of speaking to a large crowd of people, and is also accompanied by a group of cheerleaders.

Gary yells at Ash to watch where he's going, but soon notices who it is, and subsequently taunts him for being late, informing him that he already got his first Pokémon before he even showed up. The crowd cheers Gary on, and he thanks them, promising that he'll become a Pokémon Master soon enough. Ash asks him which Pokémon it was that he chose, but is only told it's none of his business, because if he'd made it earlier, he would have seen it for himself.

Gary triumphantly finishes his speech and exits, waving his farewell as he's driven off in his red car - much to Ash's irritation.

## Quotes

* *"You must be Ash. Better late than never, I guess. At least you get the chance to meet me!"*
* *"Mister Gary to you! Show some respect!"*
* *"Well, Ash, you snooze, you lose, and you're way behind right from the start. I've got a Pokémon, and you don't!"*
* *"Thank you all for this great honor! I promise you that I will become a Pokémon Master, and make the town of Pallet known all 'round the world!"*
* *"None of your business! If you showed up on time, you would have seen that I got the best Pokémon from Professor Oak. It's good to have a grandfather in the Pokémon business, isn't it?"*
* *"Thank you for coming to see history in the making! Now, I, Gary Oak, am off to learn the ways of the Pokémon Trainer!"*

## Trivia

* In this episode, Gary introduces himself to Ash as if it was the first time they had met. This is later contradicted by several episodes that imply they had *already* known each other for a long time by this point - in *The Ties That Bind*, Ash reminisces on a day soon before their Pokémon journeys in which they fought over a Poké Ball, and in *Lights, Camerupt, Action!*, there is a flashback sequence showing a much younger Ash and Gary watching a movie together.
	+ The argument could be made that Gary was simply being sarcastic in his greeting here, in his usual manner of teasing Ash early on - though this has never been outright confirmed directly.
* 268 episodes later, in *The Ties That Bind*, it's finally revealed that the Pokémon that Gary received was Squirtle, and it had since evolved into Blastoise. Ironically, Ash's first choice of starter Pokémon (had he not been late) was going to be Squirtle as well.
	+ However, Gary's Squirtle can retroactively be seen in *Challenge of the Samurai*, when Samurai is reflecting on the other three Trainers from Pallet Town who had battled him before Ash came along. However, it was not disclosed here who the starter belonged to at the time.
	+ Furthermore, it's also implied Gary took Squirtle in *Here Comes the Squirtle Squad*, as Ash remarks that with his *very own* Squirtle, he can beat Gary. Gary himself also makes a very brief cameo appearance in that episode.
* The events of this episode were redrawn in a flashback sequence in JN068.
	+ In this episode, Professor Oak only arrives after Gary has already left in his car. In JN068's interpretation, however, shows Oak already standing there as Ash is still speaking with Gary.
		- Some fans have mentioned that this could merely be due to the event being recounted from Ash's memory - he didn't notice Professor Oak approach him from behind until he turned around, so in Ash's memory of the event, he could have been there the whole time. Of course, this is only speculation, and was likely unintended.
* This episode marks the first time that Gary calls Ash a "loser", which would go on to become a running joke throughout the first season.
* Gary is onscreen for exactly 54 seconds in this episode.