"Seriously, Giselle, why are you still following us?" Ash asked, looking at the girl who had joined their party ever since leaving the Pokémon Technical Institute. It wasn't that Ash disliked her company, but he was genuinely terrified that Giselle would call her best friend. If that person showed up, Ash wouldn't even have a place to cry.
Giselle caught Ash's wary look and rolled her eyes. "Relax, you miser. I won't call Cynthia over. Honestly, just how scared of her are you?"
Hearing that name, Misty's ears perked up. Who is this Cynthia? Meanwhile, Brock was busy suppressing the urge to sob. Another girl's name. And judging by the context, he had a terrifying suspicion that this Cynthia was also intimately connected to Ash. After the Lorelei incident, Brock no longer believed Ash's claims of being afraid. To Brock, fear was just Ash-speak for she's another one of my fiancées.
"It's not fear, it's a survival instinct!" Ash explained to Giselle, looking exasperated. "Can you imagine how terrifying it is that a woman as capable as Cynthia becomes a complete zero in basic life skills the moment I'm around? She won't even feed herself if I'm not there to cook!"
"No way..." Misty whispered.
"Heh, I'm staying out of this one," Giselle muttered.
What Ash didn't know was that at that very moment, his dear fiancée Elesa was sitting on a plane with Cynthia, chatting and laughing as they flew toward Kanto. Well... laughing might be a strong word for the aura they were projecting.
On the plane:
"Hahaha, honestly," Elesa said, showing off her left hand. "That man just sent the ring out of nowhere. I was so caught off guard that I found myself wearing it before I knew it. Look, it's a diamond with a lightning-bolt pattern~"
Cynthia smiled—a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, congratulations. But when we land, could you lend him to me for a few days? I really miss the way he takes care of me~"
"It's not like I haven't been taken care of by him too~" Elesa countered.
The air in the first-class cabin suddenly became very, very cold.
*
While his doom approached from the sky, Ash's group was trekking toward Vermilion City. Suddenly, Ash stopped dead in his tracks. He began sniffing the air like a Growlithe.
"No way... is that it? Hang on, I need to find something. This is a top-tier medicinal ingredient! Meowth, Pikachu, with me! Chansey, look after the others!" Without waiting for an explanation, Ash bolted into the brush.
He followed the scent to a small, hidden wooden cottage. To the bewilderment of the cottage's owner, Ash immediately dropped to his hands and knees in front of a flowerbed.
"Meowth! Give me the Encyclopedia of Botany!"
"Did ya find something good, Boss?" Meowth asked, handing over the book.
Ash cross-referenced the flower with the text, a look of pure satisfaction on his face. "This is it! This flower is the missing link for the Anti-Toxin Serum! I'm incredibly lucky! Um... excuse me? Ma'am? Do you have any more seeds for this flower? I'd like to purchase them."
The woman standing by the door blinked. "Eh? Seeds for this? I have some, but... who are you?"
"My name is Ash. I'm a Pokémon Trainer, but my side job is being a Pharmacist."
"I see. I'm Melanie," The woman replied, her suspicion softening. Ash's behavior—meticulously observing the plant on his hands and knees—was the hallmark of a dedicated researcher. "I run this cottage to help injured wild Pokémon. If you need the seeds, I can just give them to you."
"No," Ash said firmly. "This flower is too important to me. I must pay for them. Also, I'd like to know your cultivation methods."
"Well, they're quite difficult to grow. That one there is the only survivor..."
As Melanie explained the difficulty of the plant's upkeep, a business idea began to form in Ash's head. "Miss Melanie, are you open to being hired?"
*
By the time Misty, Brock, and Giselle caught up (guided by Ralts's telepathy), they found Ash and Melanie chatting amicably.
"You monster!!" Giselle yelled, assuming the worst.
But before she could launch into a lecture, a massive mechanical roar drowned her out. A giant machine tore through the clearing. Ash, Meowth, and Pikachu shared a look of pure fatigue.
"Here we go again..."
"They're really persistent..."
"Pika-pi..."
Team Rocket descended with their usual flair and their usual motto.
"Hahaha! This time we've got the Ultra-High-Power Vacuum! Launching 'Operation: Pokémon Sweep'!" Meowth (Team Rocket's) hit the switch, and a massive suction force began pulling in the smaller, injured Pokémon in the garden.
"You guys are a persistent headache," Ash sighed. "Everyone, get the smaller Pokémon inside the cottage! Charmander! Pidgeotto! Go!"
"Don't bother, twerp! This machine is reinforced! You're going to pay for all those blast-offs!"
"Bulba! Bulbasaur!"
A wild Bulbasaur suddenly leaped in front of Ash, glaring at the machine. Meowth translated: "Boss, he says he wants to fight alongside us!"
"Fine! Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"
As the sharp leaves spiraled toward the machine, Ash's tactical brain went into overdrive. "Ralts, use Confusion to control the trajectory of the leaves! Pikachu, add Thunderbolt to the mix! Charmander, use Fire Vortex on the leaves! Pidgeotto, use Gust to propel the whole thing!"
"What?!" Team Rocket screamed.
Under Ash's command, the Razor Leaves became a swirling, electrified, flaming tornado. The confusion energy held the mass together while the Gust turned it into a high-speed drill of elemental destruction. It slammed into the vacuum machine, causing a chain reaction that bypassed the reinforcements.
BOOM!
"TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN—!"
*
With the threat gone, Ash pulled out a handful of Rare Candies.
"Great job, everyone. It's time to stabilize your new forms. One for everyone! Meowth, Pikachu, you too. Beedrill, I'll mix yours with honey later. Bulbasaur, you get one for the assist!"
As his team consumed the candies, a series of bright lights filled the clearing.
Pidgeotto had evolved into a majestic Pidgeot, stepping firmly into the Semi-Elite rank.Charmander had evolved into a fierce Charmeleon, reaching the Elite rank.Ralts had evolved into a graceful Kirlia, also hitting the Semi-Elite rank.
Misty and Giselle watched in awe as Ash's team underwent a collective power-up. "He's... he's actually doing it," Giselle whispered. "He's building a team of monsters."
Ash then turned to the wild Bulbasaur. "So, Bulbasaur. You want to see the world? Become my partner."
Bulbasaur looked at Ash, then at the powerful Pokémon around him. He nodded and took a combat stance.
"Charmeleon, you take this one," Ash commanded. "Show our new friend the gap between us. Let him see the peak, so he has something to climb toward. Flamethrower!"
ROAR!
A pillar of crimson flame erupted, instantly overwhelming Bulbasaur. A one-shot K.O.
Ash tossed a Luxury Ball, and the click of the capture was instantaneous. He picked up the ball and smiled. "And that makes one more. I've caught a Bulbasaur!"