"Haa… I like her, but I'm afraid I can't let you upload that battle to the internet, at least not for now," I said.
Naria looked at me disappointed.
"Can I know why?" she asked.
"Because of the Pokémon I used. As you may have noticed, I have two quite special Pokémon that I still don't want anyone to know about," I said.
"Will you use them in the Pokémon League?" Naria asked again.
"That's right, but I don't want anyone to know anything about them until then," I nodded.
It could cause a completely unnecessary commotion, so I don't want anyone to know until then. After all, as a Pokémon Trainer, I can't afford to hide my Pokémon forever. I know using Mew in battle can be dangerous, but it's something I have to do. I need to show the world the difference between me and average trainers. Besides, I don't want to spend my life hiding my Pokémon.
"Wow…" Naria said, looking down.
It even looked like tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.
"Brother… can't she really? She's making me feel bad and I really like her…" Molly said.
Molly looked at me with that puppy-dog eyes look that always makes me give in.
"Ugh… fine, you can upload my battle to the internet," I said.
"Really?!" Naria exclaimed with a radiant smile.
From being on the verge of tears to being extremely happy. How is it possible for her to change her mood so quickly?
"Yes, but only my battle with Venusaur and the moment of its evolution. That's all I can offer you," I nodded.
Anything beyond that is impossible.
"That works for me! It's a very good start!" Naria said with a smile.
"I'm glad for you, Sister Naria," Molly said.
"Yes, thank you very much too!" Naria nodded.
Without Molly, it wouldn't have been possible for Ash to give her permission.
"Ahem. Do you want anything else?" I asked.
I really want to register for the Pokémon League as soon as possible.
"Yes. Could I take a photo with you? Handsome guys always attract girls. I'll gain a lot of followers if I post a picture with you," Naria said.
"… Alright, I guess a photo isn't bad," I nodded.
By the way, I forgot to mention that Pikachu had gone with the girls, so currently it was just Molly and me. Apparently she had grown very fond of Celia for some reason, because it only took one question from her for Pikachu to go with her. Seriously. Doesn't she remember that I'm her trainer?
"Can I be in the photo too?" Molly asked.
"Of course! Cute girls are welcome too!" Naria nodded.
Such a cute little girl like Molly and such a handsome and attractive guy like Ash… they would surely help her gain a lot of followers.
With that said, the three of us took a photo striking some fun poses.
"I don't want to sound rude, but we really have to go," I said with a smile.
"No problem, thank you very much and good luck in the Pokémon League. I'll definitely go in person and cheer you on!" Naria said.
"Oh, I'd love that," I nodded.
Having a beautiful girl cheer for you always brightens your day.
The truth is we were already about to head to the Pokémon Center because we were taking quite a while and the others might get worried, but just as we were about to leave…
"Sorry! I know I'm being very rude, but… can I ask you one last favor?" Naria asked.
She knew Ash had already done her several favors, so she hesitated to ask for this one, but it was actually very important and she couldn't just let it pass.
"What do you want?" I asked.
If she hadn't turned out to be a beautiful girl, I would have already started getting annoyed. Luckily, not only is she a beautiful girl, but she's also Naria, a future famous streamer who will be recognized throughout the entire Pokémon world just like Iono… or at least that's what I think. Since the Pokémon Legends Z-A game only took place in one city instead of an entire region, the game didn't show many fans, although I suppose that was due to the console and game limitations, as well as the fact that The Pokémon Company isn't a company that likes to spend a lot of money. But back to the topic, it's likely that even if it wasn't explained in the game, Naria is a world-class streamer, the game just didn't do her justice. That's why getting on good terms with a future famous streamer… was definitely an advantage I planned to take.
"Can I… ask for your Smart Rotom number?" she asked shyly.
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Ah, yes, but it's only to let you know if your video and photos become popular, and I don't rule out the possibility of doing more! Ah, well, I mean, if you can… If not, it's okay. You can pretend I didn't say anything. It was silly anyway!" Naria said quickly.
She didn't even give me time to respond…
"Sure, write down my number," I nodded.
Upon hearing that, Naria looked at me.
"Really?" Naria asked hopefully.
"Very seriously. Why wouldn't I give my Smart Rotom number to such a beautiful girl like you?" I nodded.
"B-Beautiful!? Me?" Naria said with a shy expression.
Her face blushed and she started feeling hot while her heart beat strongly.
Seeing this, Molly puffed out her cheeks and pinched Ash's waist, clearly displeased.
"Ouch. Why did you do that?" I asked.
"And what about me?" Molly asked with a frown.
She was clearly jealous that her brother had called another girl beautiful in front of her.
"Obviously my Molly is the most beautiful girl in the world!" I said hurriedly.
"Hehe," Molly said contentedly while Ash stroked her small head.
Women's jealousy is terrible no matter the age. It's better not to make them angry if I can avoid it.
Anyway, after that I simply gave Naria my Smart Rotom number and we said goodbye to her.
{Note: Asking for your Smart Rotom number is the same as asking for your phone number. I decided to change this to give the story a more… immersive touch and I think it turned out quite well.}
After saying goodbye to Naria, we quickly headed to the Pokémon Center. There, attending behind the counter, was a Nurse Joy whom I recognized as Celeste's aunt. How do I know if all Nurse Joys look the same? Even I don't know, I just do.
"Ash! What a pleasant surprise! I was already waiting for you!" Celeste's aunt said.
"Hello. I guess you already know why I'm here," I said.
"Of course. I imagine you've won the eighth badge and you've come to register for the Pokémon League. Am I wrong?" she said.
"Not at all. I just won the badge and came straight here with my sister," I said while pointing at Molly, who barely reached the counter.
"Oh. Is this precious little girl your little sister?" Celeste's aunt asked curiously.
"I'm Molly, nice to meet you!" Molly said.
As she said that, she clung to my arm.
"Nice to meet you, little Molly!" she said.
Then she turned her gaze toward me.
"By the way. Where's Celeste and the others?" she asked.
"Well… Celeste's grandmother had to act as referee due to various issues and her back hurt a little when she left the Gym, so she went home. Celeste and the others accompanied her. Only Molly wanted to come with me," I explained.
"That's right! Molly won't separate from her brother while she can!" Molly nodded.
Being with her brother is the only thing she wants.
"Oh, then I guess I'll see her later. Are you planning to stay a few days?" she asked.
"We were planning to spend the rest of the day here and then go back to Pallet Town tomorrow," I said.
That's what we had planned for a while and not something I just made up.
"I see. I suppose you'll be busy training for the Pokémon League during these last weeks," Celeste's aunt said.
"That's right, and in the meantime I'll spend a little more time with the girls and my little sister," I nodded.
There's time for everything. Besides, it's not like I'm going to train 24 hours a day. Everything in excess is bad.
"Yes! Molly won't separate from her brother for even a second!" Molly nodded.
She had wanted to spend time with her brother for a long time, but since her brother was a Pokémon Trainer and was traveling around the region, she hadn't spent much time with him since they moved to Pallet Town. Molly understood that her brother's dream was to become the best Pokémon Trainer in the world and that for that he would have to travel through numerous regions, challenging the strongest trainers to finally be crowned the best Pokémon Trainer, a Pokémon Master. But deep inside she couldn't help but want her brother to stay in Pallet Town forever and spend as much time as possible with her. That's why, when her brother said he was going to spend a month in Pallet Town, she planned a lot of things to do with her brother, wishing that day would finally come. So when she heard that Ash was going to Viridian City to get his last badge, she hurried to insist to her mother to go see her brother. Viridian City was the closest city to Pallet Town, only 1 hour by car, so after taking a taxi they arrived quickly. Since she knew her brother would return to Pallet Town as soon as he won his last badge, she wanted to be with him from then on, without losing a single minute. She also wanted to see how strong her brother was. She wanted to see his battle against the last Gym Leader live and in person. She wanted to see her brother come out victorious.
To no one's surprise, her brother won the badge very easily, defeating the Gym Leader in very little time and earning the badge that would allow him to participate in the Pokémon League — which Molly was sure her brother would win. She had no doubt about it. After all, she was the one who loved her brother the most and his biggest fan.
"I'm glad," Celeste's aunt nodded with a smile.
Then she looked at me.
"By the way, before we continue talking, I'll register you for the Pokémon League," Celeste's aunt said.
Even though Gym Leaders give you the badges in person, the truth is they are just decoration. The reality is that when you win, the Gym Leader registers in the Pokémon League app that you have defeated them, thus preventing someone who bought the badges by other means from participating in the Pokémon League.
Celeste's aunt began typing something on the computer she had beside her, a computer similar to an Apple from my previous life.
"Perfect. Miss Miyamoto has just registered in the app that you have won her badge and indeed you already possess the 8 badges. With that said, there is only one last step left: registering the Pokémon you will use," Celeste's aunt said.
Unlike in the anime or the games where you could use whatever Pokémon you wanted, here in the real world you had to register all the Pokémon you intended to use. Of course there are no restrictions — you can register as many as you want, but you must register them. The reason? I have no idea, but it was part of the rules so I had to do it.
"For more privacy you can come here and enter them yourself," Celeste's aunt said.
{Note: Since it's tedious to keep writing "Celeste's aunt," her aunt will now be called Emma. And yes, I know they are all called Joy, but no one ever said if those are their names or surnames, so in this fic "Joy" will be the surname and not the name.}
With that said, I brought Molly with me and registered all the Pokémon I would use in the Pokémon League, but there was a small problem: I couldn't register the Crystal Onix.
To understand this, we must keep in mind that the Pokémon League database contains the data and names of all Pokémon discovered to date, from weak Pokémon like Magikarp to major Legendaries like, for example, Lugia. But undiscovered Pokémon or variants of the same Pokémon that had not yet been discovered or registered were not in the database and therefore could not be registered.
"Mmm, Crystal Onix… What kind of Pokémon is that?" Emma asked curiously.
"It's a variant of Onix that I found by chance. We don't fully understand it yet, but this variant is Water and Ice type. You could say it's something like the difference between a normal Vulpix and an Alolan Vulpix," I said.
"Mmm, interesting," Emma said.