Gary proceeds to taunt Ash for arriving to the ceremony late, and brags about having already received his first Pokémon. When he wakes up, he runs in his pajamas to Professor Oak's laboratory, where Ash runs into his rival and the Professor's grandson, Gary Oak. On the morning of the day that he is supposed to get his first Pokémon, it is revealed that Ash has accidentally broken his alarm clock while dreaming and oversleeps. In the world of Pokémon, people at the age of 10 can get their official license to become Pokémon trainers, and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town is about to receive his very first Pokémon from Professor Oak. 'Pokémon, I Choose You' also took place in Pokémon Journeys the Series: Episode 1: 'Enter Pikachu!'. In 2017, a movie loosely based on this episode, entitled Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! was released. A children's book adaptation of 'Pokémon - I Choose You!' was released in July 1999, and the episode was released on Game Boy Advance Video in 2004. Andrew Wood of The Plain Dealer praised the episode for staying true to the games, but thought it focused too much on the character Ash. Since airing, the episode has received positive reviews from television critics.

Veronica Taylor, who provided the English voice of Ash in this episode, said she enjoyed the script and recording Ash's lines. The script was translated by Paul Taylor. Some graphic sequences involving punching were taken out, including one where Misty slaps Ash on the cheek. Nintendo, which publishes the Pokémon video games, asked for changes to be made to the English adaptation of the episode. Soon, an entire flock of Spearow start chasing them, and Pikachu is the only one able to step in and stop the flock. After many failed attempts at capturing some Pokémon, Ash throws a rock at a Spearow, which gets angry and starts attacking him and Pikachu. In the episode, Ash Ketchum gets his Pokémon journey off to a rough start when he receives his first Pokémon, a reluctant Pikachu. ' Pokémon - I Choose You!' ( ポケモン！きみにきめた！, Pokemon! Kimi ni Kimeta! ) is the first episode of the Pokémon anime series. Ash Ketchum with his newly received Pokémon Pikachu.

I Choose You by Tracey West