Ash and his group struggled through a sparsely populated forest, where the grass beneath their feet grew higher than their waists.
The air was filled with the mixed scent of soil and green grass, and every now and then, a few low cries from Pokémon could be heard.
After walking for who knew how long, their view suddenly opened up, and a small pool of water appeared before them.
The three decided to sit on a nearby rock and rest.
Misty’s eyes suddenly lit up when she saw a round, plump Oddish making its way to the edge of the pool.
“So cute!
All right, I’ll catch it.
Go, Starmie!” Misty excitedly pulled out a Poké Ball, ready to attack the Oddish.
Although Oddish was not a Water-type Pokémon, Misty had never been able to resist cute Pokémon, so she wanted to catch it.
Just then, Ash reacted quickly and grabbed her wrist.
“Wait, Misty.
You can’t.”
“Why not?” Misty pouted.
“Because there’s a Pokémon sanctuary nearby.
The Pokémon here are all injured or abandoned Pokémon, so the Pokémon in this area aren’t allowed to be caught,” Ash explained patiently, his eyes serious and firm.
“Huh?
Is that so?
All right.” After hearing that, Misty put away her Poké Ball with some disappointment.
She looked at the Oddish and still felt a little reluctant to let it go.
Ash smiled, then released Ivysaur.
The moment Ivysaur came out and saw this familiar place, as well as the familiar Oddish in front of it, its eyes immediately lit up.
It cried excitedly, “Ivysaur!
Ivysaur!” and then ran over.
“Oddish!”
Oddish quickly reacted too.
This was Bulbasaur, the good friend it had once played with.
It happily jumped up, waving its leaves as it welcomed Ivysaur.
The two Pokémon let out cheerful cries, expressing how much they had missed each other after being apart.
Sunlight slipped through the gaps between the leaves, scattering tiny patches of light and shadow.
Ivysaur and Oddish led the way in front, while Ash and the others followed behind.
The ground beneath their feet was soft, releasing the fresh scent of soil.
Occasionally, they could see a few Rattata darting through the grass.
As Ash walked, he thought about Team Rocket.
He understood those three far too well.
Wherever there were Pokémon, there was a chance they would show up and cause trouble.
It had been the same in the original story.
Thinking of that, he silently clenched his fist, a trace of determination flashing through his eyes.
So he opened the system exchange interface.
He quickly brought up the interface, his eyes rapidly searching through various items.
At last, an item called the “Round-and-Round Space Cube” caught his attention.
After placing the cube down, the surrounding space will form a twisting maze that makes it impossible to leave.
Seeing that description, the corner of Ash’s mouth lifted slightly, revealing a sly smile.
“This is perfect.
I’ll use it to give Team Rocket a little trouble.”
He exchanged for the item.
A cube about the size of a longan appeared in his pocket.
It felt slightly cool to the touch, but it seemed to carry the hope of making Team Rocket retreat in defeat.
He activated the Aura power within his body.
An invisible yet powerful force spread through the air like a fine net, sharply catching nearby presences.
Soon, a familiar and annoying Aura signature appeared in his perception.
The fluctuations carried Jessie’s flamboyance, James’s laziness, and Meowth’s cleverness.
“There they are.” A faint smile curved Ash’s lips as he opened his eyes, a flash of resolve passing through them.
He looked in the direction of the Team Rocket trio using his psychic power.
When he finally saw those three familiar figures, they were sneakily looking around.
Ash quickly took out the Space Cube.
The runes on its surface instantly lit up, spreading circles of soft light.
While no one was paying attention, he used his psychic power to launch the cube in Team Rocket’s direction.
The cube streaked through the air like a meteor, flying toward the Team Rocket trio.
It spun in midair, its light growing brighter and brighter.
When it landed on the ground near Team Rocket, a strange wave of energy rapidly spread outward with the cube at its center.
At a glance, nothing seemed to have changed.
But those three were probably going to exhaust themselves here.
…
Meanwhile, Ash and the others continued talking as their view suddenly opened up.
Ahead of them was a lively green meadow, with wooden cabins arranged neatly across it.
Pokémon hopped, strolled, and played between the cabins.
Ivysaur and Oddish were so excited that their eyes shone.
After letting out several cheerful cries, they sped up and ran toward the center of the Pokémon sanctuary.
Ash looked at their disappearing figures, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
Back then, Ash had met the kindhearted Melanie and taken Bulbasaur with him.
The story of how Melanie had opened this Pokémon sanctuary alone on this land to care for Pokémon with wounded bodies or hearts had deeply touched Ash.
So Ash had reported Melanie’s situation to the League without hesitation.
After all, it was not easy at all for one young woman to shoulder such a heavy responsibility alone.
Ash had wanted to fight for more help for Melanie and the Pokémon sanctuary.
After the League learned about the situation, they praised Melanie’s kindness highly.
Soon, a series of support actions were put into motion.
Not only did they build more comfortable wooden cabins for the sanctuary, giving the Pokémon warmer homes, they also allocated special funds and provided a lot of advanced equipment for Pokémon treatment and care.
Looking at the completely renewed Pokémon sanctuary before him, Ash’s eyes were full of admiration.
“I really didn’t expect this place to change so much.
Melanie must be really happy.”
“Oh~ So Melanie is here.” Misty’s gaze suddenly became dangerous.
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, carrying a barely noticeable hint of “killing intent,” and she crossed her arms over her chest.
Ash’s body stiffened, and his heart skipped a beat.
Not good.
Misty was clearly about to get jealous again.
He secretly glanced at Misty and saw her eyes fixed straight ahead, as though searching for the person named Melanie.
Just then, a gentle young woman walked out of one of the wooden cabins.
She had long, dark blue hair tied with a beige bow that swayed lightly with her steps.
Her pink short-sleeved shirt made her skin look as fair as snow, while her red overall shorts added a bit of playful cuteness.
She looked warm and charming, with a faint smile on her face like spring sunlight.
“Ash!” Melanie spotted Ash at once, and the smile on her face became even brighter.
She quickly walked toward them, her eyes full of surprise and joy.
“Melanie, long time no see.
The Pokémon sanctuary has changed so much.” Ash hurriedly greeted her with a smile on his face, though he was a little nervous inside and secretly watched Misty’s reaction.
Misty looked at Melanie as she approached.
She forced out a smile, and a complicated emotion flashed through her eyes before quickly returning to normal.
“Hello.
I’m Misty, Ash’s traveling companion.”
Melanie paused slightly, then gave a friendly smile as well.
“Hello, Misty.
Nice to meet you.”
Brock’s eyes instantly turned into hearts.
A dazzling smile spread across his face, and he rushed in front of Melanie in one stride, looking at her with lovestruck admiration.
“Miss Melanie, hello.
My humble name is Brock.
May I invite you for some tea, a chat, and perhaps a discussion about caring for Pokémon?”
Melanie was caught off guard by Brock’s sudden enthusiasm and showed a polite smile.
“Ah, well, thank you, Mr.
Brock, but I still need to care for the Pokémon right now, so I may not have much time.
I’m very sorry.”
Brock was instantly sunk.
Seeing Brock’s lovestruck behavior, Misty could not help rolling her eyes.
She crossed her arms and let out a soft snort.
“Brock, can you show a little self-respect?
You turn into this every time you see a pretty girl.”
“Ivysaur!”
Ivysaur ran over, its leaves swaying lightly with each step.
Its eyes were full of affection as it rushed straight toward Melanie.
“Ah!
You’re Bulbasaur.
You’ve evolved into Ivysaur!
Looks like you’ve worked very hard,” Melanie exclaimed in surprise.
She crouched down and gently stroked Ivysaur’s head, her face full of a warm smile.
Ivysaur comfortably narrowed its eyes and let out a satisfied cry, rubbing its head against Melanie’s palm every now and then.
Seeing this heartwarming scene, Ash smiled and said, “That’s right, Melanie.
Ivysaur has worked very hard.”
Melanie looked up at Ash, her eyes full of gratitude.
“Thank you, Ash.
You gave Ivysaur so many chances to grow.”
Brock stared at Melanie’s gentle appearance from the side and fell into another daze, muttering, “Miss Melanie is so gentle.
I want to be gently patted too…”
Misty glanced at Brock and grabbed his ear.
“All right, enough of that.
Stop thinking about weird things.”
“Melanie, you’ve taken such good care of the Pokémon sanctuary.
Melanie stood up, a faint blush on her face as she said somewhat shyly, “That’s also thanks to your and the League’s help, as well as everyone’s concern.
As long as the Pokémon can live happily here, I’m satisfied.”
Sunlight spilled through the gaps between the leaves, scattering tiny patches of light and shadow over Melanie’s face, making her cheeks look even redder.
She lightly bit her lip, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Her eyes were full of gratitude and shyness as she looked at Ash and said softly, “Ash, I really don’t know how to thank you.”
Ash scratched his head and gave a bright smile.
“Melanie, don’t say that.
It’s not all because of me.
The League helped a lot too.
Besides, I’m happy that the Pokémon here can live better lives.”
Melanie gently shook her head, and the gratitude in her eyes did not lessen at all.
“But if you hadn’t told the League about me, the Pokémon sanctuary wouldn’t have changed this much, and the Pokémon here wouldn’t be receiving better care.
I’ll always remember what you’ve done for me and the sanctuary.”
Misty watched the two of them from the side, feeling sour and tight inside.
She lightly coughed, stepped forward, and wrapped her arm around Ash’s.
There was a slightly forced smile on her face.
“All right, Ash only did what he should have done.”
Only then did Melanie notice Misty’s gesture.
The blush on her face deepened, and she lowered her head in slight panic.
“S-sorry.
I didn’t mean to…”
Ash laughed awkwardly and tried to ease the delicate atmosphere.
“Haha, Misty is just like that.
We’re all friends.”
…
Melanie hosted the three of them at the Pokémon sanctuary for one night.
The next morning, gentle sunlight fell over the Pokémon sanctuary, coating everything in a warm golden glow.
Ash, Misty, and Brock packed their bags and prepared to continue their journey.
Melanie stood at the entrance of the Pokémon sanctuary, reluctance in her eyes.
She lightly bit her lip, hands folded in front of her.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and looked at Ash.
“Ash, thank you so much.”
Ash smiled and scratched his head, showing a mouthful of white teeth.
“No need to thank me, Melanie.
We’ll come back again if we get the chance.”
Melanie nodded lightly, then suddenly gathered her courage and quickly kissed Ash on the cheek.
Her movement was very quick.
After kissing him, her face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple.
“Thank you, Ash,” Melanie said very softly.
After speaking, she lowered her head, not daring to look into Ash’s eyes.
Ash was left a little flustered by the sudden gesture, and his cheeks also turned slightly red.
He opened his mouth and was just about to say something when he heard Misty cough lightly beside him.
Misty had her arms crossed, and the smile on her face was a little stiff.
A trace of displeasure flashed through her eyes.
“All right, it’s getting late.
We should set off.”
Only then did Melanie lift her head and look at Misty.
“Okay, Misty.
Be careful on the road.”
“Oddish!” Oddish cried a few times from the side, as though echoing Melanie’s words.
Ash smiled helplessly and waved at Melanie.
“Then we’re leaving, Melanie.
Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.” Melanie waved as well, watching them leave.
Ash’s group of three walked farther and farther along the path, and the outline of the Pokémon sanctuary gradually blurred behind them.
Misty walked in front, her steps a little quick.
Ash and Brock hurriedly sped up to follow her.
…
As for the Team Rocket trio…
After spending the entire night walking in circles, they had long since lost their usual arrogance.
Jessie’s hair was a mess.
Her carefully styled hair now looked like a chicken nest, and several leaves were stuck to her face.
James’s eyes were full of exhaustion and dejection.
His steps were unsteady, as if he might fall at any moment.
Meowth looked even more pitiful.
His fur was messy, his tail drooped, and he weakly followed behind the two.
“What a nasty feeling, meow—”