Ash, a boy who set out from the pure‑white town of Pallet Town.
"He really has grown a lot. And that expression～ not bad at all."
Damian carefully studied the black‑haired boy in the middle of the trio not far away.
That boundless energy, that excited, curious look of someone stepping into a brand‑new world—it was all way too familiar.
Especially with that Pikachu on his shoulder.
Pure nostalgia.
"What a shame. I wonder if Ash ever came back into the spotlight later on."
With genuine interest, Damian let his gaze sweep over the two "OG sidekicks" flanking Ash—Misty and Brock.
From the "Original Series" that started in 2017 in his previous life to "Journeys," which finished in 2023, Ash's partners had changed again and again.
But Misty and Brock were undoubtedly the most unforgettable pair—especially Brock, who stuck with him all the way until the end of the Sinnoh journey.
"Woooah!!! What is that Pokémon? It looks so freakin' cool!"
All of a sudden, Ash seemed to spot something, his eyes lighting up as he bolted straight toward Damian's direction.
Damian tilted his head slightly.
Ash had stopped right in front of Armored Mewtwo, gushing with over‑the‑top exclamations.
"So cool, so cool!! This thing's insanely cool!"
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu also let out an adorable little cry of surprise.
Armored Mewtwo's face was completely hidden under its helmet; through the visor you could only faintly see its eerie purple eyes.
That didn't make it any less impressive—if anything, it only added a layer of mystery to Armored Mewtwo.
"Ash!!"
Ash's sudden "solo charge" clearly left Misty speechless.
She and Brock hurried after him.
"Huh? Why isn't there any data?"
Ash took out his Pokédex, hoping to look up info on this high‑tech, metal‑looking Pokémon.
But seeing "No data available" appear on the screen left him a bit stunned.
Armored Mewtwo glanced at Ash and the Pikachu on his shoulder.
Ash was whatever—but Pikachu happened to lock eyes with Armored Mewtwo for a split second.
In an instant, all its fur stood on end, its body going stiff.
A cold, primal sense of dread made Pikachu almost unconsciously want to discharge on the spot.
This thing was super dangerous!!
Pikachu forcibly held back that instinctive reaction, screaming warnings at itself in its heart.
"That's Mewtwo. It hasn't been recorded in the Pokédex yet, so it won't show up if you search for it."
A gentle boy's voice drifted over.
Only then did the three of them notice the boy in white standing beside Armored Mewtwo.
"What a gorgeous guy."
"Mewtwo? Is that a newly discovered Pokémon?"
Two completely different thoughts popped up in Misty and Brock's minds at the same time.
"It's called Mewtwo? Even the name is super cool!"
Ash was still as fired‑up as ever, his tone overflowing with excitement.
"Right? You've got good taste. I think Mewtwo looks awesome too."
Damian nodded in satisfaction.
To be fair, if you ignored its size, Armored Mewtwo really did look like a Gundam—domineering and stunning at once.
"Um, is Mewtwo your Pokémon?"
"Yeah. It's a very important partner of mine."
Damian smiled as he answered.
Behind the visor, Armored Mewtwo's eyes flickered faintly.
It didn't say anything—but it quietly accepted Damian's words.
"That's so cool! But I've got one too. This is Pikachu—my most important partner!"
Ash flashed a huge, sunny grin as he proudly introduced his closest companion.
"Pikachu～!"
Pikachu very cooperatively waved its little paw at Damian.
Yeah, it really didn't want to make eye contact with Armored Mewtwo again.
"Such an adorable Pikachu."
Damian reached out and rubbed Pikachu's little head.
The feel of its fur was honestly great.
Pikachu blinked and didn't shy away.
The scent and aura coming off this guy made it feel very comfortable.
"Hehe～"
Damian's words made the still‑very‑simple Ash rub his nose in delight.
As long as you like Pikachu too, that makes us friends already!
So Ash immediately introduced himself to Damian without hesitation.
"Hi! I'm Ash from Pallet Town. I'm traveling right now with the Indigo Plateau Conference as my goal—but my dream is to become the strongest Pokémon Master!"
"Hi, I'm Misty～"
"My name's Brock."
Misty and Brock followed right after.
"I'm Damian. Nice to meet you all."
Damian replied politely, his gentle voice very easy on the ears.
Combined with his handsome face and clean, composed vibe, he left a fantastic first impression.
Take Misty, for example—
Yeah, she was already wondering what she should name her future kids with Damian.
No, no, focus! I can't get addicted to pretty boys. I'm the girl who's gonna save Cerulean Gym!
But the moment she looked at Damian's warm, smiling face again, Misty's cheeks started turning red.
Aaaaah! How can this guy match her taste this perfectly?!
"Damian… I knew it, you are that Damian!"
The moment Brock heard Damian introduce himself, he immediately remembered.
His always‑squinted eyes were trying as hard as they could to open wider.
"Eh? Brock, you know Damian?"
Misty froze.
"Of course I do. Damian's last year's Indigo Plateau Conference Champion.
And he steamrolled his way through the whole thing—it was a huge sensation for a while."
Brock gave Misty a strange look.
He could understand Ash being oblivious, but Misty too? Did she just never go online?
Damian had used a single Annihilape from start to finish, solo‑wiping everyone else like they were NPCs.
His name had been all over the Indigo League's official forums for quite some time.
"That guy was Damian?"
Misty blinked, then it hit her too.
At the end of last year, her three sisters had spent ages chattering on and on about their new "man crush"—the winner of the Indigo Plateau Conference.
But back then, Misty had been completely focused on reviving Cerulean Gym's former glory, pouring herself into special training with her Pokémon.
She really hadn't paid any attention to that stuff.
"Huh?! Damian, you're last year's Indigo Plateau Conference Champion?"
Ash's eyes lit up instantly.
That part he understood.
"Yeah. But the opponents in my bracket weren't that strong, honestly—it was kinda boring."
Damian chuckled softly.
The Indigo League still hadn't made his connection to Team Rocket public—probably for a reason.
His performance last year had been so over the top that his popularity was much higher than they'd expected.
If a newly risen star like that suddenly turned out to be a member of Team Rocket, that wouldn't exactly be great PR for the Indigo League.
"Awesome～! I'm gonna win the Indigo Plateau Conference this year too!"
Ash was fired up.
"Tch～ Ash, you're not even gonna be Red's opponent at this rate."
Misty curled her lip.
"Misty, c'mon! Even if it's big bro Red, I'm not gonna lose!"
Ash protested loudly.
Damian raised a brow.
Now that was an interesting name to hear.
And besides…
"Damian."
Armored Mewtwo's hoarse Telepathy echoed in Damian's mind.
"Yeah?"
"That human has a very special, burning aura on him.
The owner of that aura is strong."
Armored Mewtwo was talking about Ash.
"Oh?"
For Armored Mewtwo to describe something as "strong" at this point…
Just what kind of Pokémon could it be?
~~~
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