"Knock, knock, knock."
Ash lightly knocked on the front door.
The door opened, but instead of his mother, a pink, clown-like Pokémon appeared in the doorway.
Ash froze.
He lifted his head and glanced at the house behind it.
"This is my house, right?" he muttered. "Since when did my house get a Mr. Mime?"
"Mimey?"
The Mr. Mime tilted its head as well, staring back at Ash with equal confusion.
"Mr. Mime, who is it?"
As human and Pokémon stared at each other in an awkward standoff, a familiar voice rang out from inside the house.
Ash's eyes lit up instantly.
"Mom, it's me, Ash!"
"Huh? Ash?!"
A flurry of footsteps followed, along with the sound of hurried movement. The next moment, Delia rushed into view, and before Ash could say another word, he was pulled into a tight, warm embrace.
"You child… you finally remembered to come home!" Delia said, her voice trembling slightly. "Do you have any idea how long your mom hasn't seen you?!"
Ash felt her arms tighten around him.
It was only natural. Since he was little, Ash had never been away from home for this long. Several months had passed, and aside from a brief encounter at the beach, they hadn't seen each other face to face at all.
Mostly, it had been video calls.
For Ash himself, the feeling wasn't quite as intense. His days on the road were always full, and whenever he had time, he could call or see his mother through a screen.
But Delia was different.
Still, Ash smiled helplessly and said, "Didn't I call you a lot? Even if video calls were fewer, I still called at least once a week, right?"
"You still have the nerve to say that?" Delia immediately let go of him and glared. "I told you to video-call me as soon as you reached the next city, but you forgot every single time! What kind of memory is that?!"
When she mentioned it, her frustration bubbled up again.
She had reminded him clearly. Called his phone. Told him to video-call.
And what did Ash do?
Let it go in one ear and out the other.
Sometimes more than a week would pass before he called again.
If she hadn't been able to check her phone and confirm that he was safe, she might have worried herself sick.
"Ahem… I just forgot," Ash said weakly. "Traveling is really busy, you know!"
"No matter how busy you are, you still have to call!" Delia scolded. "Look at Gary, he comes back to see Professor Oak all the time! And you? You haven't been home once in over three months!"
Ash rolled his eyes.
He could beat Gary in almost everything, but when it came to going home…
"He drives a sports car everywhere," Ash retorted. "I walk on my own two legs! How am I supposed to come back all the time?!"
"Can't you take a taxi?!"
"That defeats the purpose of traveling!"
"You..!"
Delia was left speechless for a moment.
But as she looked at Ash standing there, arguing with her just like before, her heart quietly softened.
This was what it felt like to have her child home again, bickering, noisy, but full of warmth and life.
Ash cleared his throat and stepped aside slightly.
"Mom, these are Misty and Brock. You've met them before. They'll be staying with us for a while to train with me for the Indigo Plateau Conference."
Delia had met them back in Laramie, so they weren't strangers.
Seeing the two of them, she immediately smiled.
"Of course. Come in, both of you."
Misty and Brock stepped inside, taking a look around.
Ash's house was simple, so ordinary that there wasn't the slightest trace of wealth or extravagance.
That such an unassuming home had produced a Trainer like Ash was genuinely surprising.
They had always known Ash wasn't some rich kid, but this was… simpler than expected.
"Make yourselves at home~" Delia said cheerfully. Then she turned to Mr. Mime, who was wearing an apron and mopping the floor nearby. "Mr. Mime, could you go buy some groceries? I'll need pork, beef, shrimp…"
"Mimey!"
Mr. Mime obediently put down the mop, took the money, and headed out.
Delia, meanwhile, went to the table and poured tea for Misty and Brock.
"Here, have some tea."
"You're too kind, Auntie!"
"Yes, yes, we couldn't possibly trouble you like this!"
They quickly accepted the cups, thanking her politely.
Ash, on the other hand, flopped down onto the sofa without ceremony, grabbed a cup of water, and gulped it down in one go.
Pikachu followed suit.
"Pika—!"
The moment it swallowed, Pikachu stuck out its tongue, hopping slightly from the heat.
Togepi, sitting beside him, immediately copied the action. She stuck out her tiny tongue and took a tentative lick.
The next second, her little face scrunched up into a dramatic grimace.
The bitterness of the tea was clearly far too much for her.
"Togeee…"
"Slow down, Pikachu, and Ash, why are you drinking so fast?" Delia frowned slightly, her voice carrying both concern and mild reproach. "It's freshly brewed tea. Don't you feel how hot it is?"
Drinking tea that hot so quickly was dangerous.
"It's fine, it's fine," Ash said casually. "Feels just right. Don't worry, Mom, your son's basically Superman."
Misty and Brock exchanged glances.
Honestly, Auntie, your son really is something like a Superman.That temperature really was nothing to him.
"More importantly," Ash continued, curiosity flickering in his eyes, "what's the deal with that Mr. Mime? Did you catch a Pokémon, Mom?"
His mother was famously someone who didn't keep Pokémon at all. She'd mentioned before that she once had Pokémon, but because of certain past events, she no longer did.
So the sudden appearance of a Mr. Mime in her house felt… strange.
"You mean Mimey?" Delia said with a smile. "He suddenly showed up at our doorstep one day, so I took him in."
"At the time, that poor child was injured all over and clearly starving. I couldn't just leave him there, so I brought him inside and made him something to eat."
"After he recovered a bit, I took him to Professor Oak so he could be properly treated. And after that, he just stayed."
She chuckled softly.
"He helps with housework, grocery shopping, even cooking sometimes. He's very capable, almost like having another son at home."
Delia's expression was filled with genuine affection.
Having Mimey around had made the once-quiet house feel lively again, and she could relax much more knowing she wasn't alone.
Ash couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Psychic-type Pokémon were extremely rare in Kanto. He'd traveled for months without encountering a single Mr. Mime, yet his mother found one without even leaving home.
And not just any Mr. Mime.
This one had impressive aptitude, two A-rank talents, with the rest at B or C level. Among Mr. Mime, it could be considered outstanding.
'Like mother, like son, huh?'
Maybe his own luck really did come from Delia.
"When Mimey comes back, I'll thank him properly," Ash said. "For keeping you company and helping around the house."
"Mm~ Mimey is much more reliable than you, Ash," Delia replied with a smile.
Ash rolled his eyes.
Praise the Pokémon all you want, but was it really necessary to drag your own son down with it?
Though, if he was being honest, she wasn't wrong.
Half an hour later, Mr. Mime returned with the groceries.
Delia and Brock headed into the kitchen to start cooking. Ash originally tried to help, but the kitchen quickly became too crowded, so he was kicked back out to the living room.
He sat down with Misty and turned on the TV.
At that moment, the news was broadcasting a special report on the Viridian Gym incident.
The summary was blunt and explosive:
Viridian Gym Leader Giovanni had been exposed as the true leader of Team Rocket. Upon confirmation by the Kanto Elite Four, an immediate suppression operation was launched. Although Giovanni ultimately escaped, the Alliance had obtained numerous Team Rocket coordinates and would begin dismantling their known bases one by one.
"This is going to be a huge shock to the entire Kanto region," Misty said softly, watching the composed anchor on-screen. "Especially for the people of Viridian City."
Giovanni had been a symbol, an idol among Gym Leaders, a point of pride for Kanto, and someone deeply admired by the citizens of Viridian City.
Now, with his true identity revealed, all of that would shatter overnight.
For many people, it would feel like betrayal on a personal level.
"There's nothing that can be done," Ash said quietly, shaking his head. "Giovanni was never a good person to begin with. This was bound to happen sooner or later."
"It's better that everything came to light now," he added, "rather than later, when his influence would've sunk even deeper."
In Ash's opinion, the League should never have concealed Giovanni's identity in the first place.
Why allow the leader of Team Rocket to openly serve as a Kanto Gym Leader, worse, to grow into Kanto's strongest Gym Leader?
Yes, in the early stages, it did benefit Kanto. Giovanni's presence boosted morale and raised the overall combat strength of the region's Gym Leaders.
But now that the truth had come to light, the consequences were devastating.
The morale of the entire Kanto region had been crushed.
Unless someone emerged who could truly replace Giovanni, someone capable of dispelling the shadow he left behind, absorbing his former reputation, and becoming Kanto's new pillar, this downward spiral would be impossible to stop.
And how difficult would it be for such a person to appear?
They would need overwhelming strength, widespread recognition, impeccable character, zero scandals, and the ability to inspire people during the region's darkest hour.
In short, an all-rounder.
If someone like that truly existed, they wouldn't merely stop Kanto's decline. They would lead Kanto to soar, pushing it straight to the top and turning it into the strongest League in the world.
At present, only one person fit that description.
A man who, through his own strength, drove the rise of an entire region and elevated a League from the bottom to the summit.
Leon of the Galar Region, the universally acknowledged strongest Trainer in the world.
"Forget it," Misty said, shaking her head. "That's the League's problem. Let's focus on the Indigo Plateau Conference instead."
Giovanni had already been defeated by Ash. There was no point dwelling on him any longer. What mattered now was Ash's future.
"How to deal with the Indigo Plateau Conference?" Ash said casually. "Simple, win it. I'm definitely taking the Champion title."
He spoke as if the result were already decided.
And his confidence wasn't baseless. With his current strength, unless he ran into an Elite or Champion level Trainer, surprises were virtually impossible.
If someone who had traveled for two full years and reached Elite/Champion level really did appear, Ash would admit defeat without complaint. Even with all his advantages, he couldn't compare to a monster like that.
But such a situation was almost impossible.
"Still, don't be careless," Misty reminded him gently. "Gary said there are Trainers with over a year and a half of experience entering this year's Indigo Plateau Conference."
Normally, Trainers with that much experience wouldn't bother with the Indigo Plateau Conference, it offered them little challenge or growth.
Unless they were deliberately coming back to crush rookies, there was almost no incentive.
Yet this year was different.
For reasons unknown, at least five Trainers with over a year and a half of experience were participating, and that was only based on Gary's information. The real number could be even higher.
Even though Ash stood far above most competitors, complacency was not an option.
"Don't worry," Ash replied confidently. "By the time the Conference starts, I'll be even stronger than I am now. Just watch, I'll win the Indigo Plateau Conference Champion title, end of story."
Seeing his confidence, a subtle ripple passed through Misty's heart.
Compared to the Ash she first met, he had changed immensely. Stronger. More composed. More confident...and somehow, more attractive.
"Training starts tomorrow," Ash continued, completely unaware of her thoughts. "You and Brock will spar with me. I've already drafted a training plan, take a look and see if anything needs adjusting."
He picked up a pen and began writing on a sheet of white paper. His handwriting was crooked and messy, but Misty could still make sense of it.
"This won't work," she said, pointing. "The rest intervals here are too short, you need more recovery time. And here, Lucario and Primeape would be better training as a pair…"
In the kitchen, Delia and Brock were busy cooking.
In the living room, Ash and Misty leaned close together, discussing and revising the training plan for the next two months.
The entire house was filled with warmth and harmony.
...
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