"Don't you guys think this guy looks incredibly familiar?"
Traveling always led to interesting encounters. Right now, Ash and the gang were staring blankly at a missing person poster. The face on it was just too familiar.
Looking at that iconic blue hair, Brock muttered, "If I'm not mistaken... this has to be James, right?"
Brock's words seemed to flip a switch. An elderly butler with ears seemingly tuned like radar rushed out of nowhere, Tokyo-drifting a limousine to a halt right in front of them. "You know Young Master James?! ...Wait? Master Ash? Is that you?!"
Ash was taken aback by the old butler's sudden appearance. "Aren't you the old butler for the Sasaki family? What are you doing here?"
The Sasaki family was one of Ash's business partners. The head of the household, Mr. Sasaki, and his wife were generally good people, if a bit eccentric. Because of their frequent collaborations, Ash's relationship with the family was actually quite strong.
The reason the old butler addressed Ash as "Master Ash" instead of "Young Master" was because Ash was a self-made entrepreneur; calling him "Young Master" would be a slight to his status.
Though surprised to see Ash, the butler asked anxiously, "Master Ash, do you know where Young Master James is?"
Ash looked at the younger version of James on the poster, thought for a second, and said, "Well... the guy I met isn't exactly the age on this poster..."
"Then it must be him! Oh God! Thank you! Master Ash, please, accompany me to the estate for a chat! We have crucial matters we need to discuss with you!"
Seeing the butler so agitated, Ash exchanged glances with the others and nodded. "Alright. It's been a long time since I've seen Uncle and Auntie Sasaki anyway."
"Thank you so much! Please, get in the car!"
Ash, his companions, and their Pokémon piled into the extended limousine. Shortly after they drove off, Team Rocket—who had been secretly tailing Ash's group—stepped out of the shadows and looked at the missing person poster.
James stared at the poster and sighed heavily. It looked like he couldn't hide this time. Jessie and Meowth stared at the childhood photo of James, then slowly turned their gazes to him. "So... James, do you have anything you want to share with the class?"
"No... I have no idea what this is about!" Catching their creepy glares, James tried to make one last desperate struggle. But Jessie and Meowth weren't buying a word of it. They grabbed him by the arms.
"Let's go! We're checking this out!"
"No! Please! Have mercy! I really don't want to go!" James's pleading fell on deaf ears. Jessie and Meowth's sinister smiles made it clear they were far too interested in this juicy drama!
Meanwhile, inside the limo, Ash was sipping black coffee and explaining his business ties with the Sasaki family to the others. "Uncle and Auntie Sasaki are great people, it's just... well... their personalities are..."
Ash glanced at the old butler and didn't finish the sentence. The butler didn't mind, smiling instead. "It's fine. The Master and Madam do have rather... optimistic personalities. But Master Ash, have you started traveling again?"
"Yeah. Traveling is a good thing. Even though I'm a big boss tied down by paperwork, I can't completely abandon the road. So, I gave myself a vacation."
"Psy!" (Is that tasty?)
As Ash talked, Psyduck silently stared at the black coffee in Ash's hand. Knowing his duck perfectly, Ash chuckled. "Open wide."
"Psy!" After pouring some coffee into Psyduck's mouth, Ash refilled his cup. He blew on it to cool it down, letting the Eevee tucked inside his jacket lap at it while he continued speaking to the butler. "Plus, this trip is also my way of making a commitment. You know how it is, old man."
Hearing this, the old butler immediately glanced at the hands of Misty, Suzie, and Lara. Seeing the engagement rings on their fingers, a relieved and proud smile spread across his face. "My word. I must offer my utmost congratulations. When the wedding day comes, please be sure to invite this old bag of bones. It would be a terrible slight to miss your wedding, Master Ash."
The butler meant every word. Ash, being a seasoned traditional medical practitioner skilled in various massages and acupressure, had an occupational habit: whenever he saw elderly people suffering from backaches, he would subconsciously offer to massage them. The old butler was one of the many who had benefited from Ash's treatments.
Ash had worked out a knot in his back that had bothered him for ages. The older generation might not say it out loud, but when push came to shove, they fiercely supported Ash. Even the notoriously grumpy Agatha, who loathed Professor Oak due to old grudges, could only silently pat Ash's head and mutter, "What a shame that old Oak found you first."
There was simply nothing to criticize about Ash. If Agatha had to pick a flaw, it was only his womanizing tendencies. At any other time, when Agatha lectured him, Ash would sit perfectly still, acting the part of the attentive student, even brewing a pot of hot coffee for her to sip while she scolded him. What more could Agatha say? She just ended up teaching him special training methods for Arbok.
Despite awakening his past life's memories, Ash didn't suffer from some chuunibyou power-trip delusion. That wasn't his style. At most, he just used his past knowledge to ruthlessly make a fortune. Towards the elderly, he held no arrogance. He was a reincarnated soul, sure, but his physical age was what it was, and his mental age just served as a reminder to work hard early on.
"Master Ash, you really know how to put Ms. Delia's mind at ease, taking the initiative like this. If only Young Master James could be more like you, the Master and Madam wouldn't have..." The old butler wiped away a tear. Ash, Pikachu, and Blissey just stared at him with utterly deadpan expressions. Ash even calmly pulled out a slice of honey cake and handed it to Bewear and Stufful. "Anyone else want some honey cake?"
Brock watched Ash, feeling a bit speechless. Wasn't Ash being a bit disrespectful? Misty, Suzie, and Lara, however, sensed that something was fishy. After all, they understood Ash's character intimately by now.
"Old man..." Ash sighed, thinking of the Sasaki parents' personalities. "We've known each other for a long time. Do you honestly think I don't know exactly what kind of people Uncle and Auntie Sasaki are?"
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
100 power stones.
5 new reviews.