Night spread its curtain wide, and countless stars glittered above Pallet Town.
Each speck of starlight was like a string of pearls, set against the deep black-blue sky—clear and flawless, like a young girl's bright eyes, gentle and full of feeling…
By the northern road of the town stood a small house with a red roof and white walls, warm and pastoral in style. In an upstairs room, a short-haired, black-haired boy with a handsome, refined face sat in front of his computer, seriously researching and studying information related to makeup techniques.
"Makeup" refers to the use of cosmetics and tools, following proper steps and techniques, to apply, outline, and refine the face, features, and other parts of the body—
enhancing three-dimensionality, adjusting color and shape, concealing flaws, and bringing out one's spirit, thereby beautifying visual perception.
Makeup can:
• Highlight an individual's natural beauty
• Improve original "shape," "color," and "texture," adding charm and appeal
• Serve as an art form, presenting a visual feast and expressing emotion
It was also important to emphasize that makeup was not exclusive to women, nor was it restricted by gender.
In today's Pokémon world, the frequency of makeup use among men—and even Pokémon themselves—had been steadily increasing. In daily life, appropriate makeup could also be seen as a form of respect for others.
Ash searched up basic definitions of makeup, then watched several videos specifically about makeup for Pokémon. Although he had never been particularly interested in this kind of thing before, for the sake of his Pokémon, he was willing to try many things he normally wouldn't.
After reading through some materials and watching a few videos, Ash gained a rough, preliminary understanding of Pokémon makeup.
Seeing that it was getting late, Ash followed his usual routine—performing a brief Aura Power meditation—then turned off the lights and went to bed.
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The night passed quietly.
Early the next morning—
"Ash, look! My Squirtle evolved into Wartortle!"
As usual, Ash took his Pokémon out for morning training. Normally, Gary would only come over after Ash had trained by the river for a while—but today, Gary arrived unusually early.
When Gary opened his Poké Ball and released a Wartortle, Ash immediately understood. Squirtle had evolved—that explained why Gary had rushed over so early, clearly itching to show off.
"What a shame~" Ash shook his head lightly.
Before he could say much more, Gary—who was walking toward him along the riverbank—caught sight of the adorable Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder.
"Holy—!!"
"Ash, your Pichu evolved too?!"
Seeing Pikachu, Gary's face was filled with shock. His Wartortle instantly stopped feeling impressive.
After all, Gary only had one Pokémon that had evolved to its second stage, while Ash already had Pikachu, Frogadier, and Pidgeotto—each firmly in their second evolution stage.
"Although I didn't bring Pichu with me during the Pokémon Summer Camp, it was still the very first Pokémon I ever caught," Ash said calmly.
"And Pichu evolves through friendship."
"My bond with Pichu doesn't really need explanation, right? Plus, Daisy—gave me the item Soothe Bell. Honestly, it evolving only now is already pretty late."
"Alright, alright, just keep flexing," Gary said sourly.
"Oh right—check out my new Pokémon."
Since showing off Wartortle had failed, Gary opened another Poké Ball and released a Pokémon into the shallow water by the riverbank.
"Splash—!"
Its scales were crimson red, with a golden, three-pronged dorsal fin that looked like a crown resting atop its head.
This energetic Pokémon splashing about in the shallows was none other than the king among Magikarp—Magikarp itself.
"Well? Pretty good, right?" Gary grinned smugly, elbowing Ash.
"I spent ages fishing in the sea south of Pallet Town before finally catching this high-potential Magikarp. Jealous?"
[Pokémon: Magikarp]
Level: LV.7
Potential: Red (Elite)
Moves (Copyable):
• Proficient (1/1000): Splash
Ash scanned it with the system and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Not bad, Gary. This Magikarp's actually pretty solid."
"Of course!" Gary puffed up proudly. "It took me forever to reel it in."
"Oh, right," Ash said with a smile. "I also caught two new Pokémon yesterday. How about you take a look and give me your expert opinion, Mr. Gary Oak?"
"Valor, Lumina—come out and get some fresh air."
Ash opened his Poké Balls and released his two Pokémon.
"Magikarp? Feebas?"
"WHAT—?! WHAT THE HELL?!"
After clearly seeing the two Pokémon Ash released, Gary grabbed Ash by the shoulders and shook him violently.
"Shiny Magikarp! Shiny Feebas! Ash, where the hell did you get Pokémon this rare?!"
His voice was filled with pure envy—like he'd just swallowed an entire crate of lemons.
For Trainers, the appeal of rare and precious Pokémon needed no explanation.
"Man… I'm seriously jealous of you," Gary muttered after hearing Ash explain the origin of the two Shiny Pokémon, smacking his lips in disbelief.
He had come early in the morning planning to show off his Wartortle—only for Ash's Pichu to have evolved.
Then he tried to flex his Magikarp—only to be met with Shiny Magikarp and Shiny Feebas.
Two flex attempts. Two complete failures.
Although Gary was genuinely happy for Ash, the look he gave him now was filled with grievance—like a wronged housewife, brimming with resentment.
"Alright, enough staring," Ash laughed. "I'll help your Magikarp learn Tackle first."
"Hehehe~ o((^v^))o"
The gloomy expression on Gary's face instantly vanished.
While helping Gary's Magikarp learn Tackle, Ash also took the opportunity to teach the move to his own Magikarp, Valor.
In truth, with the system's capabilities, Ash could help Magikarp learn far more than just Tackle—moves like Flail, Bounce, Hydro Pump, and virtually all Water-type and Normal-type moves were possible.
However, to avoid drawing excessive attention and causing too much shock, the skill shop only offered Magikarp learning Tackle.
As for his own Magikarp, Ash naturally planned to teach it many more moves before it evolved into Gyarados. But for now, biting off too much would be counterproductive—so he limited Valor's first move to Tackle.
As for Feebas, since its final evolution, Milotic, was a special-attack-oriented Pokémon, Ash didn't start it with Tackle. Instead, its very first learned move was the foundational Water-type special attack—
Water Gun.
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