After their battle concluded, Ash and Gary were quickly surrounded by a group of excited children, all eager to ask questions about their match and Pokémon in general.
Once the crowd dispersed, the graduation ceremony came to a close. Ash, alongside Ashly and his mom, made their way to the family restaurant. After leaving Pikachu at Professor Oak's lab to heal, Ash rolled up his sleeves and helped out with the restaurant's evening rush.
After a few hours, Ash excused himself, thanked his mom, and headed back to Professor Oak's lab to pick up his best buddy. The yellow rat was well-rested and full of energy, but the moment they arrived home, Pikachu was sound asleep once again. Ash gently placed Pikachu on his bed and smiled as he watched him for a moment.
Turning his attention away, Ash opened his System Inventory to redeem his newly earned rewards.
[Congratulations! 2000 points, Advanced Knowledge of the Pokémon World's Fruits and Berries, & Advanced Knowledge of Pokémon Food and Grooming successfully redeemed!]
[Please collect the prizes from the system inventory!
Note: Once redeemed, the system inventory cannot be accessed again.]
As soon as the prizes were redeemed, the promised knowledge flowed smoothly into his mind, merging effortlessly with his existing understanding. It didn't feel as overwhelming as he had feared, but instead, it was like a seamless addition to everything he already knew. In an instant, Ash became proficient in identifying and growing fruits and berries, crafting Pokémon food, and providing proper care for his Pokemon.
"Damn, this system is even better than I imagined," Ash muttered under his breath, a grin forming on his face. Feeling encouraged, he decided to take another look through the Pokémart, specifically for more knowledge packs.
Sure enough, the store had a vast selection of packs offering skills and knowledge in all sorts of areas—from advanced battle strategies to specialized techniques for breeding rare Pokémon. What caught Ash off guard was how affordable some of these packs were. He quickly realized that his points could be used wisely to enhance his and his team's skills even further. However, just as he was about to close the system, another idea popped into his head.
With renewed curiosity, Ash searched for some specific equipment, starting with the gear needed for Mega Evolution. Just as he expected, the store had it available for purchase, but the prices were steep.
[Key Stone – 5000 points]
[Mega Stone – 20000 points, per variant]
Ash grimaced at the cost but wasn't entirely surprised. The Mega Stones are rare and Mega Evolutions are powerful additions to anyone's arsenal, so it made sense that the tools needed for it would come with a hefty price tag.
Next, he checked the availability of Z-Move equipment.
[Z-Ring – 5000 points]
[Z-Crystals for each type – 15000 points]
[Specialized Z-Crystals for specific Pokémon – 20000 points]
Z-Moves weren't cheap either. He had briefly considered buying a Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal as a backup but dismissed the idea upon seeing the prices of them. That dream would have to wait for another day.
He continued down the list, checking for Dynamax and Gigantamax equipment.
[Dynamax Band – 20000 points]
Ash sighed again, though he wasn't too disappointed, as he had never planned to do anything with Dynamaxing anytime soon.
Finally, he searched for the tools needed for Terastallization.
[Tera Orb – 20000 points]
The prices were consistent with the others, but Ash had no way to get access to any of these abilities soon. So with another sigh, he closed the Pokémart, lay down on his bed, and allowed his body and mind to rest without any worries for now.
******
The next morning, Ash and Pikachu walked down to the living room, and immediately, something felt off. It was unusually quiet, especially considering what day it was. Ash furrowed his brow, looking around. "Why is it so quiet here... especially today?" he mumbled, scanning the room. "Where's our little troublemaker? Wasn't she supposed to be at Professor Oak's lab by now to get her starter Pokémon?"
Delia, his mom, smiled warmly from the kitchen. "She probably overslept, just like you did when you were supposed to get your first Pokémon," she chuckled. "Can you go wake her up? She wouldn't want to miss this."
"Yeah, sure," Ash said, shaking his head with an amused smile as he headed back upstairs. He stopped outside his sister's room and knocked on the door. "Ashly! Wake up! It's already 9 a.m.!"
No response.
Ash smirked. "Well, I guess you don't want your starter Pokémon after all!"
That got a reaction. Within seconds, he heard shuffling from inside, and soon enough, the door burst open. Ashly stood there in her pajamas, eyes wide with panic. "What time is it!?"
"It's 9 a.m., and you've got exactly one hour before the deadline to pick your starter Pokémon," Ash said, trying to hide his amusement.
"What?!" Ashly screamed. "Thanks for waking me up, but I've gotta get ready!" She slammed the door shut, leaving Ash standing outside, shaking his head with an exasperated smile.
Exactly 45 minutes later, Ashly could be seen sprinting down the road towards Professor Oak's lab, a piece of toast hanging from her mouth, dragging her older brother and his Pikachu behind her.
"Come on, Ash! We're going to be late!" she shouted between bites of her breakfast, her grip firm on her brother's arm as she sped ahead.
They finally arrived at Professor Oak's lab, and Ashly burst through the door, breathless. "Professor!" she called out. "I'm here for my starter Pokémon!"
Professor Oak turned from his work, his face a little tense. "Oh, if it isn't little Ashly," he said with a strained smile. "I'm afraid... well, I'm sorry to say... but you're too late."
Ashly froze, her expression falling. "W-What?" she stammered, her heart sinking. "But I... I still have time, right?" Tears began to well up in her eyes.
Just then, Ash stepped forward. "Actually, Professor, she's not late," he said calmly. "She still has five minutes left."
Oak blinked, caught off guard by Ash's words. He quickly checked the clock. "Ah... you're right, Ash. I didn't see you there," he muttered, trying to cover his awkwardness.
Ashly's face lit up with hope as she turned to Oak, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The professor sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. "I hate to say it, but... I've run out of starter Pokémon."
"What?!" Ashly exclaimed, her voice shaky. "But... but you said..." She trailed off, the tears in her eyes threatening to fall.
"Professor," Ash stepped in again, this time with a more serious tone. "Didn't you know there were five trainers scheduled to receive their starters this year? Why did you only order four?"
Oak looked even more embarrassed, scratching his head. "Well, when I placed the order, I must've miscounted... or forgot about the number of young tranniers. An honest mistake, I swear."
Ash sighed, crossing his arms. "I guess there's nothing we can do about it," he said, watching Oak sigh in relief. But then, Ash added, "Although, I do wonder what might happen if my mom sees her daughter coming home empty-handed, crying, because of a mistake... especially one made by you."
At that, Oak froze. A shiver ran down his spine as he imagined Delia in full 'mama bear' mode, storming into his lab. Most people in Pallet Town saw her as the sweet woman who ran the family restaurant, but there was something more that only he and a handful of people knew, a side of Delia, a facet of her life that even Ash and Ashly were unaware of, a reason that made the prospect of facing her fury even more terrifying to the old professor.
"Let's not involve your mom in this, Ash," Oak stammered, visibly sweating. "I'm sure we can figure something out."
"Fine," Ash said, his tone casual. "But I have a request in return."
"What kind of request?" Oak asked, hoping it was reasonable.
"I want you to allow me to carry more than six Pokémon at once," Ash said.
Oak breathed a sigh of relief, thankful the demand wasn't too outrageous. "Ah, that's it? Well, I suppose that's reasonable. Since you're an experienced trainer, I can allow it, but the limit is twelve Pokémon—that's the maximum allowed by the Pokémon Association."
"Twelve is fine," Ash said with a grin. "It's double what I'm allowed now, so I'm happy."
"Alright then," Oak agreed, typing something into his computer. "Done. You can now carry twelve Pokémon under my authority."
"Perfect," Ash said. "Now, let's fix Ashly's problem." He stepped out to the lab's backyard, returning a few minutes later with an energetic Totodile in his hands. "What do you think, Ashly? Want to take Totodile as your partner?"
Ashly's eyes sparkled with joy. "Totodile!" she shouted, rushing forward to hug the excited Pokémon. She knew this Totodile well, having spent time with all of Ash's Pokémon over the last two years.
"But... isn't he your Pokemon?" she asked, looking up at her brother with concern. "Are you sure it's okay for me to take him?"
"Don't worry," Ash assured her, ruffling her hair. "I asked Totodile first, and he's happy to be your partner." Convincing Totodile had been easy. All of Ash's Pokémon cared deeply about Ashly and saw protecting her as part of their duty. When Totodile found out she'd be joining Ash on his next adventure, he danced around in excitement before biting Ash's hand in joy. "Here's his Pokéball," Ash said, handing her the Lure Ball he had caught Totodile in.
"Thanks, brother! You're the best!" Ashly hugged him tightly before turning to Totodile. "So, buddy, ready to be my partner?" Totodile danced around happily before bumping his head against the Lure Ball, signaling his acceptance. With a bright flash of light, he entered the ball.
"Yes!" Ashly cheered, raising the Pokéball triumphantly in the air. "I got a Totodile!"
After the excitement settled, Ash and Ashly left Professor Oak's lab, much to the professor's relief. The rest of the day, Ash spent teaching Ashly about Pokémon care and giving her tips about Pokémon battles.
******
The next day, Ash woke up early, heading straight to Professor Oak's lab to retrieve two of his Pokémon. Today, he had planned a trip to Saffron City for some shopping, and he wanted to be prepared for the journey ahead. When he returned home, he was surprised to see that Ashly was already awake, sitting at the dining table with Totodile happily perched on her lap, swinging his small legs.
"You're up early," Ash remarked with a smile as he sat down across from her. "That's a sweet sight for sore eyes."
"Yeah, because I never wake up early," Ashly replied, rolling her eyes. "I wasn't going to miss the chance to shop in a big city. I'm almost ready. Just need to change out of these pajamas, and we can head out."
"Sounds good," Ash replied as breakfast was served to them and their Pokémon. Once they had eaten, Ashly dashed off to her room to get changed while Totodile and Pikachu ran outside to play in the yard.
Delia sat down across from Ash, a mug of coffee in hand. "So, Ash, what are you planning to buy today?"
"Well," Ash began, "I initially just wanted to grab a few sets of clothes for my next journey, but after yesterday, I realized I'll need a lot more. Since Brock won't be traveling with me this time, I need to buy accessories for my Pokémon and some supplies to take care of them. I also want to get some berry seeds for a personal project I've been thinking about. Then there are the little things. Overall, it's quite a list."
"I see," Delia smiled thoughtfully, then stood up and disappeared into her room for a moment. When she returned, she placed some extra money in Ash's hand. "Here, take this and make sure to buy something nice for yourself and your sister."
"Mom, it's alright," Ash said, trying to return the money. "I've saved up from my monthly allowance, and you already gave Ashly some money. We'll be fine."
"Ash, don't argue. Just keep the money," Delia shook her head, pressing the money into his hand with a motherly, firm voice. "I can't take care of you while you're on your journey, so this is my way of making sure you have everything you need."
Realizing there was no winning this argument, Ash sighed and accepted the money. Then he immediately stood up and wrapped his mother in a warm hug. "You're the best mom in the world!"
"Of course I am," Delia said with a smile, hugging him back. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have such wonderful children."
Just then, Ashly returned, fully dressed and ready to go, only to find her brother hugging their mom. She raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "Did I miss something?"
"Yeah, your brain," Ash quipped with a chuckle, dodging a playful jab from his sister. "Anyway, if you're ready, we can leave now."
Once outside, Ash released the two Pokémon he had retrieved from Professor Oak's yard that morning: Charizard and Noctowl. Both Pokémon were saddled up and ready for flight.
Honestly, seeing these Pokémon in person made him realize that watching these creatures through mediums like TV or games can never truly capture their scale. When Grey first saw his Pokémon, he was stunned by their size. His Noctowl, for example, appeared small on screen, but in person, this golden bird was a towering six feet tall and could easily carry a small girl like Ashly. And then there was Charizard... yeah, this guy never looked small, either on TV or in real life.
Meanwhile, Charizard huffed in annoyance, sensing that his trainer was thinking something rude about him.
"Noctowl! It's so good to see you again!" Ashly said excitedly, hugging the shiny bird. She then turned to Charizard. "And this is your Charizard? He looks so strong!"
Charizard puffed out his chest with a smug grin, clearly pleased by the praise.
"Don't compliment him too much, or it'll go straight to his head," Ash warned, making Noctowl hoot in agreement. Ignoring Charizard's grumbling, Ash continued, "Alright, let's get going."
Ash helped Ashly get settled on Noctowl, while he climbed onto Charizard's back. Then, with a flap of their powerful wings, they flew off toward Saffron City.
******
Half an hour later, they landed near Saffron City. Ash returned his Pokemon to their respective Pokeballs before entering the bustling city with Ashly by his side.
"So, where are we going first?" Ashly asked, walking alongside her brother.
"We'll hit the mall first. That's where we'll get most of what's on our list," Ash replied. "Then, we'll stop by a plant shop to pick up seeds."
The two siblings walked through the streets of Saffron City, chatting as they went. But suddenly, a voice called out from behind.
"Ash. What a surprise to see you here."
Ash stopped and turned, his body stiffening at the sight of the person behind him. Without thinking, he instinctively moved Ashly behind him.
Standing in front of him was a girl in her late teens with long black hair and stoic pink eyes.
Finding his voice, he replied with a stiff smile, "Yeah, I didn't expect to see you here today either... Sabrina."
To be continued...
******
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