"Fletchling, come out!"
"Come out, Flabébé!"
The moment they spotted Ash—the one who had come up with the brilliant idea—Gary and Green couldn't hold back their excitement any longer. They immediately tossed their Poké Balls, releasing the Pokémon they had just captured.
"Chirp~!"
"Fla-bebe~!"
With two flashes of light, the pair of Kalos-native Pokémon appeared before Ash. One was the regional bird of Kalos, Fletchling, while the other was the beloved fairy flower Pokémon, Flabébé.
Ash's eyes lit up with delight as he looked at them. "System, scan their data."
"Scanning… please wait…"
[Pokémon: Fletchling]
Level: LV.14
Type: Normal / Flying
Nature: Clever, Brave
Ability: Gale Wings
Potential: Red (Elite)
Moves (Copyable):
"Proficient": Peck, Quick Attack, Ember
"Skilled": Growl
"Novice": Flail
[Pokémon: Flabébé · Blue Flower]
Level: LV.12
Type: Fairy
Nature: Cheerful
Ability: Flower Veil
Potential: Green (Above Average)
Moves (Copyable):
"Skilled": Tackle, Vine Whip, Fairy Wind
"Novice": Lucky Chant
With just a glance, Ash fully understood their condition.
Gary's Fletchling was impressive—its level was solid, its hidden ability Gale Wings gave it tremendous speed advantage, and its Red-tier potential was already on par with starter Pokémon distributed by the League.
Green's Flabébé was slightly less gifted, but a Green potential was still quite decent among wild Pokémon. Besides, since Green aimed to become a Pokémon Breeder, she didn't demand top-tier talent.
And more importantly…
"Fletchling, Flabébé—I'm Ash, a good friend of your trainers. Let's all get along from now on."
As he spoke, Ash activated his Viridian power's natural affinity. While gently patting their heads, he subtly infused a trace of his cleansing energy into their bodies.
No matter their starting potential, with enough nurturing… improvement was inevitable.
"Pika~ ^o^!"
"Gre-ninja~!"
Perched on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu and Greninja also greeted the newcomers warmly.
"Chirp~"
"Fla-bebe ~"
Feeling Ash's gentle aura, the two Pokémon quickly relaxed. Instead of being wary, they showed immediate friendliness.
"Wait—Gary, Green, put them back into their Poké Balls for now," Ash suddenly said, glancing around.
The Pokémon Center was crowded, and remembering his patent idea, he realized this wasn't the place to be careless.
"Oh—okay."
Both of them quickly recalled their Pokémon, then looked at Ash curiously.
Ash pulled them aside to a quieter corner and briefly explained his thoughts about patenting the "remote capture method."
"I see… Don't worry, Ash," Green said seriously. "Until your patent is secured, we won't casually show them around or tell anyone about this idea."
"Yeah, I trust you," Ash nodded. These two were his childhood friends—he knew their character well.
Gary added, "We've already succeeded in capturing Fletchling and Flabébé. Next, we're heading into the wild to help Tierno find Poliwag, Trevor find Sandshrew, and Shauna find Caterpie. I'll remind them to keep this confidential too."
"Perfect." Ash smiled in satisfaction.
"I still have clinic duties to handle, so I won't join you. I'll have Pidgeot and Fearow accompany you—they'll help with scouting and keep you safe."
With that, Ash used his aura to call down his flying Pokémon from above Viridian City.
Soon, Pidgeot and Fearow swooped down to the entrance of the Pokémon Center.
"Alright, we're off!" Gary and Green hopped onto their bikes and sped toward the outskirts, full of excitement.
Watching them disappear into the distance, Ash finally turned back inside with Pikachu, Greninja, and Rotom.
"Ash~"
Hearing from the front desk that he had arrived, Clarissa Joy hurried over, her face lighting up with joy.
"Clarissa~" Ash greeted her with a bright, warm smile. Compared to before, there was no longer any hesitation or distance between them. After last night's heartfelt conversation, everything felt more natural.
"I got this for you." Ash took out a carefully wrapped bouquet of roses and handed it to her.
He had picked them up earlier from his mother Delia Ketchum's flower shop.
After officially becoming a couple, this was different from before. No more yellow roses symbolizing friendship—this time, it was a bouquet of roses, representing love and devotion.
It wasn't overly bold like a grand romantic gesture—but just enough to say everything.
And Clarissa understood instantly.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks, like soft pink clouds blooming across the sky. Her eyes grew gentle, filled with sweetness as she looked at him.
"Ah~ so now that you have a girlfriend, you've forgotten your me, huh? No flowers for me anymore?" teased the receptionist, Kinsey Joy, with a playful grin.
"Cousin, you—!" Clarissa immediately flushed even deeper.
"Haha… how could I forget you, Kinsey?" Ash chuckled and pulled out another bouquet—this time a fragrant arrangement of lilies—and handed it to her.
"Now that's more like it." Kinsey Joy accepted it with a satisfied smile.
Between quiet romance, playful teasing, and the budding of new opportunities, Ash's life was steadily moving forward—both in love and in ambition.
....
PokePals's Note:
From the latest comments, I understand that many readers feel the pacing of this fanfic has been somewhat slow. Thank you all for your patience and support. I'll do my best to begin Ash's journey as soon as possible and pick up the pace moving forward.
In the meantime, feel free to check out my latest Pokémon fanfic release and read it alongside this story!
✦ Pokémon: Endless Genesis of the Chosen One ✦
It's published under my secondary Webnovel account: MPHFics.
Feel free to read both stories in parallel, and I hope you enjoy it!