"Finally back..." Standing at the entrance of Pallet Town, Ash placed one hand on his hip and looked at this familiar place, sighing inwardly.
"Is this Pallet Town? It's such a beautiful place. No wonder Professor Oak chose to establish his research lab here," Brock remarked, taking in the beautiful, quiet town.
Misty seemed a little nervous, as she was about to visit Ash's home for the first time. Although she had spoken to Ash's mother, Delia, many times over the phone, this would be their first in-person meeting.
"Oh? Isn't this Ash?" As they were returning home, a resident of the town, Uncle Yamada, saw the three of them and approached with a surprised look to greet them.
"Uncle Yamada, long time no see," Ash said. He knew this uncle well; in fact, there wasn't a resident in Pallet Town who didn't know him.
"You've grown a lot..." The uncle compared Ash's height to his own. When Ash first embarked on his journey, he only reached the uncle's chest, but after half a year, Ash had grown taller, almost reaching the uncle's shoulders.
"Haha, I'm still a kid, after all. I'll keep growing taller," Ash replied with a smile. He wasn't the "Ash" from the original story, and the timeline here was progressing as well.
"Why are you back now?" the uncle asked curiously.
"I've already obtained eight Badges, and there are still almost two months before the Indigo Plateau Conference. I wanted to come back and prepare," Ash explained.
"Eight Badges already? As expected of the famous genius of our Pallet Town!" The uncle was amazed at Ash's strength. It seemed that Pallet Town would indeed have a powerful Trainer representing them.
After saying goodbye to the uncle, Ash, Brock, and Misty continued walking towards Ash's home. They met several other residents along the way, and everyone greeted Ash warmly.
Brock and Misty realized how popular Ash was in the town; everyone seemed to genuinely like him.
"I'm back!" After a while, the three of them stopped in front of a small house. The house wasn't large, with an upper and lower floor, and a small yard with simple plants—not ornamental flowers, but fruit trees and vegetables.
"It's a beautiful house!" Although the house wasn't big, it exuded a warm and inviting feeling. Misty liked the environment very much and couldn't help but express her admiration.
"Indeed..." Brock observed the fruits and vegetables, noting that the plants were well-maintained and looked healthy.
Ash beckoned the two of them to enter the house. At this time, Delia was likely still working at the ranch, so no one was home.
"Sit down for a moment; I'll clean up the guest room," Ash said, leading them to the living room and pouring them glasses of water. He then prepared to go upstairs to tidy up the guest room.
"We'll go with you!" Misty and Brock stood up quickly. Ash had told them to stay in the living room and rest, but they insisted on helping.
After leaving Pikachu to play with Togepi, Ash and Misty went to tidy up the guest room where she would be staying. Brock, after asking, went directly to the other guest room to clean up.
The guest rooms didn't require much cleaning, as Delia kept the house tidy. Although she might not clean every day, she did so every few days, ensuring there was no dust. All they needed to do was put on fresh sheets and blankets.
"It's getting late. Let's prepare dinner so that when Ash's mom comes back, she can eat right away," Brock suggested after they had finished tidying up and putting away their luggage.
"I'll leave it to you, Brock!" Ash said with a smile.
"You're welcome!" Brock went to the kitchen, looked at the contents of the refrigerator, and asked Ash, "Can I use the vegetables and fruits from the yard?"
"No problem!" Ash responded.
"Great! I'll do my best to make a delicious meal tonight!" Brock exclaimed as he took out ingredients from the refrigerator. Ash also helped in the kitchen.
As for Misty, she took Ash and Brock's Poké Balls, along with Togepi and Pikachu, to the small yard behind the house, released the Pokémon, and prepared their dinner.
After two lively hours, the night began to gradually dim. In the distance, a figure was approaching Ash's house—it was Delia returning home.
Delia seemed to be in a good mood, humming a little song, with a bag hanging on her arm, which contained some meat from the rancher.
But when she saw the lights on in her home, she was taken aback, and the humming stopped, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Is it... Ash?" Delia's eyes welled up, and she walked quickly towards the house. Before she even entered the door, she heard voices coming from inside.
She was familiar with all the voices, and of course, the most familiar one was the voice of her son, Ash.
With trembling hands, Delia took out the key, opened the door hastily, entered the entrance, looked at the three pairs of shoes there, and couldn't help but smile.
As she approached the living room, the voices became clearer and clearer, and Delia could already hear what they were saying.
"Is this the last dish?" It was Ash's voice.
"That's right, this dinner is my masterpiece!" This was Brock's voice.
"I don't think there's much difference from usual; there's just more of it." It was Misty's voice, which Delia recognized.
"You don't understand. Although the style is the same, the taste is different. I have improved these dishes! They are even more delicious than the original!"
"Hey, wait, Togepi, don't jump on it!" Misty's voice exclaimed in panic instead of replying to Brock. Delia could probably imagine the scene, as there was a relatively high shelf in the living room, right next to the TV on the wall.
"Pika..." It seemed that a Pokémon had been brought down, and Pikachu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Honestly, why are you so energetic!" Misty scolded Togepi, but Delia could hear that there was no real anger in her voice.
"Thank you very much for today." Ash's voice sounded again.
"You're welcome, we're partners!" Brock replied.
"That's right!" Misty's voice chimed in.
Hearing this, Delia's smile became relieved and gentle.
Ash...it seems you've made some really good friends.
"I'm back!" Delia took a few steps forward and stood at the door of the living room, looking at the group in the living room, and said with a smile.
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