After wandering around with his four Pokémon all morning, Tetsuya found a remote spot in a small forest to rest at noon. Beneath the warm sunshine and gentle breeze, everything felt exceptionally refreshing.
After lunch, Tetsuya gradually drifted off to sleep.
He did not know how long he had been asleep before a sudden scream woke him up.
His four Pokémon had all been resting as well. Golurk and Houndoom were still lying there asleep, but Skorupi and the four-headed Weezing were nowhere to be seen.
Following the sound, he found Skorupi causing trouble all over the place, while Weezing stayed close behind, afraid that something might happen to it.
In front of them, beside a tree, a little girl had fallen to the ground and was crying loudly.
She was probably one of the children attending this summer camp. Just as Tetsuya was about to step forward, a little boy entered his field of vision.
"What's wrong!?" The little boy asked.
The little girl cried as she said, "Sob… L-Look, those two Pokémon are so scary… They frightened me, and I fell down. It really hurts, uwaaa! "
The little boy also noticed Skorupi and the four-headed Weezing. Instead of being frightened by Weezing's unusual appearance or Skorupi's distinctive coloration, he became unusually excited and said, "But they're really cute~!"
The little boy wore a light-colored tank top and gray shorts. He had stylishly spiky hair, looked about four or five years old, and was overflowing with energy.
Tetsuya recognized him immediately…
He was the protagonist of the Pokémon world, Ash freaking Ketchum!
As everyone knows, Ash Ketchum loved every Pokémon. Without the slightest trace of caution, he ran straight toward Skorupi and Weezing.
"Watch out-!"
Tetsuya had just been about to stop him. After all, Skorupi and Weezing had strong defensive instincts. Charging at them so recklessly could easily make them mistake Ash for an enemy.
If anything happened to Ash… would it affect this world?
Will Mew appear?
Maybe Arceus?
Or maybe Ho-oh?
After all, Ash had saved this world many times!
In the end, however, Tetsuya's worries proved unnecessary. Not only did Skorupi and Weezing refrain from attacking Ash, but under his gentle touch they actually became remarkably… docile?
Tetsuya found it utterly unbelievable!
Did this boy really have some sort of special power? Or perhaps Ash Ketchum's pure and innocent heart was something Pokémon could truly sense.
"Seeeee!? Aren't they adorable? Hehehe~" Ash said.
After calming Skorupi and Weezing, Ash walked over to the little girl, took out the handkerchief Delia had given him, and handed it to her so she could wipe the dirt off herself. Then he said, "You should never give up until the very end!"
The little girl stared blankly at Ash, nodded, and said, "…My name is Serena. What… what's your name?"
"My name is Ash Ketchum! My goal is to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master! How do you feel now, Serena?" Ash Ketchum's self-introduction always included his dream.
"I feel much better," Serena replied.
At that moment, Tetsuya walked over with a warm smile. "I'm sorry. My Pokémon frightened you. Are you all right?"
Serena shook her head and said, "I'm fine now…"
"Hey! Are these two your Pokémon? I've never seen either of them before. This one looks like, eh… Weezing! But it doesn't quite look like one. And I've really never seen that one before!" Ash asked.
"Oh, this one is Skorupi. It's a Pokémon from the Sinnoh Region. As for this one, you could say it's also a Weezing."
Naturally, Tetsuya's explanation was not enough to satisfy "Ash Ketchum".
After Ash continued asking questions, Tetsuya told him what types Skorupi and the four-headed Weezing were, what kinds of moves they could use, and even demonstrated each move one by one.
"You're amazing! Once I turn ten, I'll get my first Pokémon. Then I'll definitely defeat you and become the world's greatest Pokémon Master!" Ash declared confidently.
Tetsuya could only smile. There was no point arguing with such a young child. However, in his previous life, Ash had indeed been far stronger than he ever was and had truly become one of the greatest Pokémon Trainers in the world.
Thinking back, when he himself had been thirteen in his previous life, his strength had been completely insignificant…
"Mm, what an ambitious dream… How about this? I'll give you a Poké Ball. I hope you become a Trainer as soon as possible!" After speaking, Tetsuya took an empty Poké Ball from his backpack and handed it to Ash.
Ash treasured it as though it were priceless!
Holding the Poké Ball with both hands, he repeatedly thanked Tetsuya before excitedly running off into the distance.
'He simply ran off…'
Leaving Serena behind all by herself, of course.
At that moment, Serena stood up and watched Ash's departing figure, a different kind of feeling beginning to take root in her heart.
"Thank you, sir. May I ask what your name is?" Serena asked.
"Tetsuya."
"Un… I hope both of you will remember me. I'm leaving now." After saying that, Serena also departed.
Tetsuya smiled faintly. Serena's words were certainly quite meaningful.
---◓---
Today happened to be the final day of the summer camp, and Ash returned home. Since Tetsuya wanted a place to stay, when he returned to Delia's home once again, he naturally brought some gifts for them.
Seeing Tetsuya again, Ash was naturally overjoyed, as he was still playing with the Poké Ball in his hands. Delia, being as hospitable as ever, busied herself preparing dinner.
Ash kept Tetsuya talking about stories from his travels until it was time to sleep.
'Who would have thought… someone like me, talking to someone like Ash until he fell asleep.'
---◓---
The next day, many Trainers had already appeared throughout the streets of Pallet Town. Naturally, they had all come for Professor Oak's lecture.
Whenever Pokémon Trainers met, the first thing they naturally did was battle, so the Central Plaza of Pallet Town and the grassy hills behind the town were filled with Trainers engaged in battles.
Pallet Town was livelier today than a bustling marketplace. Ash was so excited that he wanted to watch every single battle, running everywhere to see them all.
"If you keep watching them like this, won't you get exhausted? Besides, it's impossible to see every Pokémon battle," Tetsuya said.
Ash lowered his head and said, "Eh, you're right."
"But I've got a good idea," Tetsuya said.
Ash immediately perked up and asked, "What idea!?"
"Let's head to the hills behind town. I'll put up a challenge under the name of the "strongest Pokémon Trainer". I think every Trainer will want to challenge me, right? That way, you'll get to watch most of their battles without having to run all over the place," Tetsuya said.
Come what may, Tetsuya was no longer particularly worried about the Shadow Team; after all, he was already in Kanto, and it was only a matter of time before they were completely wiped out.
Ash clapped his hands and said, "That's great! I'll spread the word! I can even get all my friends to help!"
"Mm, that would be perfect."
Afterward, Tetsuya and Ash headed to the grassy hills behind Pallet Town, where many Trainers were already battling. After searching for quite some time, they finally found an open area.
Tetsuya immediately sent out Houndoom.
"Use Howl."
As soon as Houndoom appeared, it let out a howl that that even Mew would heard, loud enough for nearly all of Pallet Town to hear!