Chloe released her partner, and the two ancient Ice-type Pokémon locked eyes for a brief moment before instantly hitting it off, happily playing together in the grass.
"Haha, it looks like these two Pokémon have taken quite a liking to you both. If you don't mind, why don't you take them with you on your journey?"
Ash, who was actively scratching Dracovish behind its massive head, looked up in surprise. "Huh? Are you sure we can?"
He genuinely felt a strong connection with Dracovish, and the Pokémon's immediate, albeit aggressive, enthusiasm upon being born proved that it felt the exact same way.
It felt like a true meeting of fate! But even though they had helped locate the fossils, the actual resurrection work had been performed by the researchers. Technically, they had no claim to ownership unless they offered proper compensation.
Yet, these two scientists… despite being incredibly eccentric, turned out to be genuinely generous people! They were perfectly willing to just hand over the ancient Pokémon.
"Don't worry about it at all! We've already gathered more than enough research data from the revival process, so we've already gained a massive profit from this!"
"Exactly. Even if we kept them, we don't really know how to properly train or raise combat Pokémon…
Looking at you, you seem like an exceptionally powerful trainer, so we feel completely confident entrusting them to your care!" Bray pushed up her glasses, doing her absolute best to hide her lingering shock.
This kid… literally just blocked a Pokémon's move with his bare hand, didn't he? I didn't hallucinate that, right? This wasn't even a question of whether a trainer was strong or not—this boy was a certified monster!
"Haha, in that case, we'd be honored to accept! Dracovish, do you want to come along with me?"
"Muka~" Dracovish's narrow eyes curved into happy little slits as it nodded enthusiastically. It had taken an immediate, immense liking to Ash for no logical reason—just pure, instinctual affection!
Because of that, its absolute favorite activity was playfully gnawing on Ash's head. Thankfully, it kept its jaw pressure gentle this time, otherwise even a Super Pallet Town Native wouldn't have survived the terrifying crushing force.
"Arctozolt, would you like to join my team too?" Chloe asked gently.
Compared to the hyperactive Dracovish, Arctozolt was a bit more reserved and maintained a polite distance at first.
However, after watching Chloe release Amaura to play with it, its affection for her spiked dramatically. When she extended the invitation, Arctozolt agreed without a second thought.
Ash and Chloe exchanged a joyful glance, pulled out empty Poké Balls, and lightly tapped them against their respective new partners. The capsules shook exactly three times before emitting a crisp, satisfying chime, signifying a successful capture!
"Alright! I caught a Dracovish!"
"I… I caught an Arctozolt…"
"Pika-pikachu!"
"Ruuu~"
"Vee-vee!!"
Compared to Ash's booming, energetic declaration, Chloe was understandably a bit shyer. Pikachu and Amaura immediately began celebrating the new additions. Sensing the excitement from inside her Poké Ball, Eevee burst out on her own to join in the festivities!
The lively scene brought a warm smile to Chloe's face. She looked down at Ash's Pikachu, then scooped up her Eevee into her arms.
"Eevee, do you want to stay outside of your Poké Ball all the time, just like Pikachu does?"
"Vee! Vee-vee!!" Eevee nodded vigorously. She didn't particularly care for the cramped confines of a Poké Ball anyway; she much preferred the fresh air, freedom, and most importantly… being able to look at Chloe all the time!
"Hehe, then from now on, you can stay out here with me! Let's see… counting Eevee and Arctozolt, I officially have four Pokémon on my team now, right? Ash, does that mean I can finally…"
Chloe's eyes shone with absolute hope. She couldn't wait to finally enter a Pokémon Contest! From the moment she had first set out on her journey until now, she had finally met the preliminary requirements to enter the competitive stage.
With four partners, she could already start crafting a wide variety of performance combinations!
"Yeah! And it just so happens that I need to head over to the Kalos region tomorrow for some business. Kalos hosts a very similar type of competition called the Pokémon Showcase! It's a spectacular event where trainers and their Pokémon perform together on stage."
"That's the exact competition Serena used to participate in, and I'm absolutely positive you'd love it, Chloe! There's actually a Showcase scheduled in Lumiose City the day after tomorrow, so you could give it a shot!"
A Pokémon Showcase…
Back when Chloe lacked enough Pokémon to enter standard Contests, she hadn't just been sitting around idly; she had done an immense amount of research on various performance venues.
As an event held in similarly high regard to traditional Contests, she was already familiar with the general concept of a Showcase.
But… a Showcase demanded active performance routines from both the Pokémon and the trainer themselves! Would she… really be able to pull that off?
"Hmm… well, the best thing we can do is take action! The Showcase is the day after tomorrow, right? That means I need to start studying up immediately!"
Chloe quickly shook off her self-doubt. Rather than sitting here overthinking things, it was better to just take that first definitive step! Even if she failed… it would still be an incredibly valuable life experience.
"Haha, that's exactly the right spirit! Well… Cara Liss, Bray On, we need to start heading back to Kanto now. The Pewter Gym Leader is still waiting for these fossil photographs and data!"
"OK, OK!" Knowing their exact objective from the start, the researchers didn't try to hold them up. The group said their goodbyes, and everyone headed back toward their respective destinations.
Up on the plane, Ash gazed out the window toward the distant Kalos region, silently thinking to himself: Mewtwo… I wonder how you're doing right now?
...
[Caitlin: I knew it! The powerful ally Ash was planning to look for was Mewtwo all along!]
[Cynthia: Hehe, with the power of Aura, even a massive geographic distance can't break the deep spiritual connection between Mewtwo and Ash.]
[Blaine: You hit the nail on the head… If it's Mewtwo we're talking about, managing a severely weakened, half-powered Eternatus will be an absolute walk in the park!]
[Morty: After all, Mewtwo is a top-tier Legendary capable of achieving Mega Evolution entirely on its own power, possessing the raw strength of a true deity.]
[Wallace: On another note, Chloe is officially entering a Pokémon Showcase! That style of competition is arguably even more cutthroat than a standard Contest. To qualify for the Grand Festival in a Contest, you need to collect five Ribbons. But to enter the Master Class in a Showcase, you strictly need three Princess Keys! The fewer items required to qualify, the greater the competitive difficulty per event. Plus, Showcases require the trainer to actively dance and perform right alongside their Pokémon! Compared to a Contest, the bar for entry is significantly higher…]
[Professor Cerise: Knowing Chloe… I'm sure she'll do absolutely fine! After all, she was practically raised by Ash… well, mentored by him from the very start of her training journey!]
[Wallace: Mentored is definitely the right word… but honestly, Ash has a spectacular track record as a teacher! May was his very first student, after all!]
[Norman: Exactly! My daughter May managed to completely sweep the contest scene under Ash's guidance! Next up is—]
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