"Pikachu…"
"Our future will be as vast as this ocean."
Ash looked far into the distance, toward where the lake broadened out into the sea.
The ocean was endless.
Their future should be the same.
"Pika…?" Pikachu stared at the lake, then followed Ash's gaze toward the hazy line of the horizon—that was where the sea began.
What is "the sea," exactly?
Right now, Pikachu couldn't really grasp it.
All it understood was: a very, very big patch of water.
Which wasn't wrong… just not very poetic.
The sea breeze from Cerulean's coast blew through the park, salty and damp, lifting the stray strands of hair on Ash's forehead.
He stood there, watching sunlight glitter on the surface of the lake like scattered gold—
For a long time.
Then he slowly turned around.
Because Meowth had arrived.
Ash met the cat's uneasy eyes. His expression didn't change much; he simply said, calmly:
"Alright, Meowth."
"You're free."
Enticement by loosening the leash?
Seven captures, seven releases?
…He didn't really care what you called it.
Letting Meowth stay with Team Rocket might give him a useful piece on the board later.
Ash was wary of Team Rocket.
Honestly, he was wary of every villainous group in this world.
These people had a habit of causing massive problems. You couldn't afford to ignore them.
"Huh?" Meowth's head snapped up, green eyes wide.
"F-free, nya?"
It thought it had misheard.
This human, who'd gone out of his way to catch it, who'd helped it learn Swift—
Was just… letting it go?
Just like that?
No strings attached?
Wouldn't that mean he got nothing out of it?
And what about Giovanni's orders?
Meowth suddenly felt torn in half.
Who was it supposed to listen to?
Giovanni?
Or Ash?
The two "missions" didn't line up.
…And the moment Meowth started thinking that way, Ash's goal was already half achieved.
"Stick around near the station," Ash said, tone still mild, like this whole matter was just a minor errand. "Someone will come bail Jessie and James out."
He paused, and his gaze just happened to sweep across Meowth's eyes, still round with shock.
After all… those two weren't ordinary grunts.
Ash remembered that Jessie's mother had been a high-ranking Rocket once, and James's family…
"Super-rich" didn't even begin to cover it.
Maybe this world's details were different, but the pattern would be the same.
Once he'd said his piece, Ash didn't look at the stunned Meowth again.
He tugged the brim of his cap down and turned toward the Cerulean Gym.
"Pika?" Pikachu hopped lightly onto his shoulder.
It glanced back at Meowth still frozen by the phone booth, stiff as a statue—
Then turned back and gently patted Ash's cheek with a paw, letting out a soft questioning sound.
—We're just letting it go?
—Partner?
—What if it runs? Or brings people back to cause trouble?
Ash didn't break stride.
"Pikachu, you remember their bounty, right?" he asked, tickling under Pikachu's chin with a fingertip.
"Pika…?" Pikachu tilted its head, thinking.
"Twenty thousand each," Ash said, voice calm, like he was going over simple arithmetic. "At that level, they're not serious criminals. More like problem kids with their names pinned to a board."
"The truly dangerous ones? Add another zero and that's still on the low side."
"And if someone can pull them out of jail easily…" His eyes sharpened just a fraction. "What does that tell you?"
"Pika…" Pikachu nodded, then hesitated, still a bit lost.
Ash chuckled and spelled it out:
"It means whoever's behind them doesn't care about this kind of small screw-up. They might even enjoy watching them 'stay active.'"
"Keeping Meowth, keeping Jessie and James, gets us that forty thousand up front. No extra benefit—just a higher chance of attracting the wrong kind of attention."
"The kind that really causes trouble."
"But if we 'let them go'…"
"Everything goes back to normal."
"What they plan or do after that has nothing to do with us."
Ash lowered his voice.
"Partner."
"We're not strong enough yet."
"At the very least, we need to reach the level of an Indigo League Champion—
before we have the right to meddle in these things."
Clearing eight Gyms and winning the regional Conference made you top-tier among ordinary Trainers—about Gym Leader level.
But beyond that, there was no clear, official path.
After eight badges, every Trainer was on their own.
"So let's work for that, partner."
"One day, they'll move based on our expressions—"
"And we won't have to waste time guessing what they're thinking."
Ash wasn't about to play the naïve protagonist.
He might act a little chuuni sometimes—he did get powers and cross into another world, after all—
But he wasn't stupid.
He was Ash.
Not an idiot.
You had to be very clear about that.
"Compared to a resentful prisoner who might stab us in the back at any moment…"
Ash was certain of one thing: Meowth was not a simple Pokémon.
It was deeply adapted to human society, with a lot going on behind its eyes.
…And its bond with Jessie and James was real.
Their friendship, at least, was genuine.
"A 'free' Meowth, one who's conflicted, maybe even a little… grateful—"
"That's far more valuable to us."
"And besides, I'm sure…"
Ash glanced back one last time toward the park.
Meowth still stood exactly where they'd left it, a small, solitary figure in the open space, staring in the direction Ash had disappeared.
"It'll come find us again."
"After all, I promised to 'make up' its missed battle lessons, didn't I?"
Ash's tone made it sound like everything was already in the palm of his hand.
Ninety-nine percent of Pokémon in this world craved strength.
And the image Ash had carved into Meowth's mind—
Was of someone who could give it that strength.
"Pika!" Pikachu blinked, then suddenly smacked its own forehead with a paw.
—So that's the plan!
—Partner, you're sneaky!
—…But I like it~
"Pika~ pika~" Pikachu rubbed its cheeks against Ash's neck.
"That's not called 'sneaky,' Pikachu," Ash corrected with a grin.
"That's called 'sustainable exploitation of available resources.'"
"Let's go."
He didn't say more—just picked up his pace.
"To Cerulean Gym."
"Let's see what kind of 'welcome ceremony' Misty has in store for us."
"Partner~"
"Think you want to spar with her?"
Honestly, he kind of wanted to see an Electric vs. Water match~~
"Pika…?" Pikachu looked unsure too.
Their shadows stretched out in the sunlight, long and thin, pointing toward the blue Gym shrouded in mist.
Far behind them, in the park—
Meowth was still standing there.
The sea breeze tugged at its fur.
Ash's final words—"Someone will come bail them out"—echoed in its head over and over.
It stared at the direction he had walked away, green eyes full of a tangle of emotion it couldn't name.
That boy…
Just how much did he know?
And what exactly…
Did he want?
For the first time, Meowth realized that so-called "freedom"—
Was more unsettling than being confined inside a Poké Ball.
The more it thought about it, the more its head hurt.
"What am I supposed to do, nya…"
…
…
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