The mischievous girl in front of them was named Ayumi.
She wasn’t the little girl from a certain detective world, but the female protagonist from the Let’s Go, Pikachu!
/ Eevee!
games.
Unlike the others, Ayumi had only moved to Pallet Town within the past two years, living there with her mature and beautiful mother, Teiko.
Perhaps because their homes were relatively close, Hanako and Teiko had become good friends.
As a result, compared with the other three, Ayumi and Ash had the closest relationship, and she would occasionally glance at him curiously as they walked.
“Hey, Ash, why do I feel like you’ve gotten more handsome?”
Ash turned his head and found Ayumi looking at him with a mischievous smile.
He stiffened slightly.
“It’s your imagination…”
Ayumi pouted.
“Hmph… Stingy. Did you secretly start using Aunt Hanako’s skincare products?”
“…”
Ash didn’t know how to respond.
“Hmm? You’re acting strange~”
Ayumi leaned closer with a suspicious expression.
“No… not at all…”
Ash was about to explain, but Gary suddenly interrupted them.
“They’re here! They’re here! Those are the starter Pokémon’s Poké Balls!”
The three of them turned down the corridor.
Two boys were already waiting there, and Professor Oak walked over while pushing a small cart.
Red was dressed in red sportswear, with messy black hair, fair skin, and a confident expression.
Green looked remarkably similar to Gary.
He was cool and handsome, with a somewhat aloof demeanor.
“Yo! Red, and Cousin Green!” Gary greeted them first.
Green was Gary’s cousin.
As a trainer in the special manga, his specialty was Pokémon training, a talent he had truly inherited from Professor Oak.
Red was the genius boy of Pallet Town.
As a battler, his specialty was combat.
Since childhood, he had obtained his first Pokémon, Poliwhirl, from the pond, and he had never lost a battle, large or small, within the town.
Seeing Ash and the others approach, both boys nodded in acknowledgment.
However, their expectant gazes were mostly directed toward Professor Oak’s small cart.
Professor Oak looked apologetic.
“Sorry, everyone. I’m afraid I can’t give out Pokémon today.”
“Huh? Why?”
Except for Ash, whose expression remained calm because he wasn’t eligible to receive one yet, everyone else exclaimed in surprise.
“Because Squirtle’s Poké Ball was stolen. I even searched for it personally, but I couldn’t find it…”
Professor Oak sighed helplessly.
“If I can’t find it, I’ll have to apply to the League for another suitable Pokémon.”
Ash suddenly remembered a powerful hurricane that had swept through Pallet Town when he was two years old.
At the time, a child from one of the local families had disappeared.
Combining that memory with the mysterious disappearance of Squirtle, Ash’s thoughts stirred slightly.
Could that be you, Blue?
“Ahhh, why… Of all Pokémon, why did that thief have to steal Squirtle?”
Gary looked frustrated.
He had already decided that Squirtle would be his first partner.
Ash glanced around.
There were five other people present.
So who had stolen the Poké Ball?
“Because we need to cooperate with Jenny’s investigation, the other prepared Pokémon cannot be shown to everyone for now.”
Professor Oak took several small red devices from the cart.
“This is the newly developed Pokédex. By scanning a Pokémon, you can obtain information about it. It can also serve as proof that someone is a registered Trainer.”
He distributed the Pokédexes to everyone.
When he reached Ash, Professor Oak smiled and handed one to him as well.
“Professor Oak, this…” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Ash was slightly confused.
He shouldn’t have the qualifications to receive one.
“Take it. I made it myself, after all.”
The old professor winked at him.
“I can only help you this much. The rest is up to you.”
“Mm…”
Ash didn’t refuse.
This Pokédex was actually much more valuable to him than an ordinary item.
With it, he could enjoy many of the privileges granted to registered Trainers by the League and avoid various inconveniences during his journey.
After agreeing to officially distribute the initial partners three days later, everyone bid farewell.
Just as Ash was about to leave, Professor Oak called out to him.
“Professor, are you looking for me?”
“Come. Help me distribute these Berries to the Pokémon around the manor. And take these cans of Moomoo Milk as well.”
“Okay.”
During the past few years, Professor Oak had often asked Ash to help with various tasks around the manor.
Calling them jobs was somewhat of an exaggeration.
Most were simple chores.
Afterward, Oak would usually give Ash some Berries, Moomoo Milk, or other supplies as a small reward.
In reality, it was another way of quietly supporting the boy.
For this sensible young man, Oak had always shown him a little extra care, just as he had with the Pokédex.
As for the exact reason…
Perhaps only Professor Oak himself knew.
“How is it? Do you need my help choosing your first Pokémon?”
The old man and the young man continued working while Professor Oak casually asked the question.
“No need.”
Ash smiled confidently.
“Maybe I’ll capture my first partner even earlier than Gary.”
Oak looked at Ash’s confident expression and nodded slightly.
“Is that so? That’s good…”
After declining Professor Oak’s invitation to eat instant noodles for lunch, Ash left the laboratory carrying a carton of Moomoo Milk.
Hanako didn’t eat lunch at home.
Ash normally prepared something simple for himself, but today he planned to complete his main quest first.
He placed the Moomoo Milk into his system Backpack and headed toward the back mountain.
After he had gone some distance, Ayumi emerged from behind a tree.
She rested her chin on her hand and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
“Hmm… Aunt Hanako was right after all…”
“Hehe, I caught him.”
She then quietly followed after him.
Walking through the mountains in the afternoon, Ash listened to the sound of flowing water and birdsong while taking in the scent of flowers.
The peaceful scenery relaxed him.
Before coming to this world, he had been content with an ordinary life.
But after arriving here, everything had become something worth pursuing.
“I wonder how she’s doing…”
This was a place Ash often visited.
At this moment, he gently ran his fingers over the rough texture of a tree trunk.
Faint words were still visible there.
Ash, Daisuki da yo~
I like Ash so much…
Ash’s expression softened.
His thoughts drifted back to a summer camp from several years ago.
It had been a special training camp for Trainers.
Even though everyone had gone there to learn and train, the trip had felt like a refreshing break from their usual routines.
And that was where Ash had met Serena.
She had sapphire-blue eyes and long, light-brown hair.
Because Serena had been reluctant to attend the camp in the first place, she initially seemed somewhat out of place among the other participants.
Not long after the camp began, she became separated from the others while exploring the woods. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
The nervous girl was startled when a Poliwag suddenly appeared in front of her.
She lost her balance and fell, scraping her knee.
Ash, who had been nearby, quickly came over.
“Are you okay? My name is Ash. What’s yours?”
The girl’s eyes were still wet with tears.
“I-I’m Serena… My knee hurts…”
Ash crouched down and examined the injury.
“Don’t worry. It’s just a scrape.”
He took out a handkerchief and carefully wrapped it around the injured knee.
“It’ll be fine. Just take it easy for a while.”
“Mm.”
Serena gradually calmed down.
Ash finished securing the makeshift bandage and stood up.
“Try standing.”
He offered his hand.
“Come on.”
Serena hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in his.
Ash helped her back to her feet.
She was still a little unsteady, so he supported her until she regained her balance.
“See? You’re okay.”
Ash gave her an encouraging smile.
“You just need to be a little stronger.”
Serena nodded.
“Thank you, Ash.”
“Let’s head back. Everyone must be looking for you.”
“Okay…”
From that day onward, Serena gradually became more familiar with Ash.
The two participated in various summer camp activities together.
They pitched tents, cooked meals, picked fruit, and took part in orienteering exercises.
Because there weren’t enough individual tents, several campers occasionally had to share larger sleeping tents under the camp’s supervision.
Thinking about those days, Ash couldn’t help but smile.
They had been simple times.
But they had also become precious memories.
Goodbyes were always difficult.
On the day before the camp ended, Serena pulled Ash back toward the same tree where they had first met.
She had carved a message into the bark.
“Ash, why did you write it like that?”
“Oh, in my hometown, ‘Daisuki da yo’ means ‘take care.'”
“Okay, then I’ll write it too!”
Serena smiled and began carefully carving the same phrase beneath his.
When she finished the final stroke, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Ash couldn’t help laughing.
“Actually… it means ‘I like you very much.'”
“Ah?!”
Serena froze.
Her face immediately turned bright red.
“Th-then it’s too late for me to change it…”
Her voice became quieter.
“Forget it… Let it stay.”
There was a shy smile on her face.
Later, Serena boarded the bus heading toward the airport.
Ash also managed to get a textbook from Gary’s older sister, Nanami, and gave it to Serena as a parting gift.
Serena, in return, never returned the handkerchief Ash had used to bandage her knee.
Since then, both of them had carried a small but meaningful memory of each other.
Ash looked at the words on the tree one last time before continuing deeper into the mountain.