Although Ash possessed Aura Power, which allowed him to sense emotions and even hear the thoughts of others, he had never used this ability on his family or close friends.
At most, he would only use Aura briefly when meeting someone for the first time—or if he ever sensed that a friendship might be turning sour—to check whether the other person harbored any ill intent.
Aside from that, he would never pry into the minds of people close to him.
"...Ash…"
At the entrance of the Pokémon Center, the girl stood quietly, watching the figure of Ash riding away on his bicycle.
Even after he disappeared into the distance—
She remained there for a long time, unwilling to turn back inside.
…
On the road leading out of Viridian City, near the outskirts highway, Ash met up with Gary again.
Gary handed over several bags of snacks.
Ash distributed them to the Pokémon riding along with him—
Pikachu sitting in the front basket of the bike,
Frogadier perched on the back seat,
and Pidgeotto and Fearow circling overhead.
The Pokémon happily munched away on their snacks while the two Trainers pedaled their bicycles like hardworking rickshaw drivers, heading back toward Pallet Town.
After a while, Gary suddenly asked curiously:
"By the way, Ash—once you save up the 500,000 Poké Dollars from the City Arena prize money, which item are you planning to buy with the first discount?"
Ash answered calmly.
"My initial plan included Light Ball, Quick Claw, Sharp Beak, and Scope Lens."
"Light Ball will be for Pikachu."
"The other three are all meant for Fearow."
"At my current level of strength, I'm already considered pretty strong among Trainers my age—and even among some Trainers who have already started their journeys."
"So instead of raising my team's overall power evenly, what I need most right now is a Pokémon that can truly carry the banner."
"Fearow just evolved and is only LV.30. It has barely entered my main ace lineup, but it still isn't quite strong enough to be the centerpiece."
"Right now, Pikachu is my strongest Pokémon, so the first item I buy will be Light Ball."
"After that, I'll keep grinding battles in the City Arena, earning money and improving my record."
"If I can reach three-star rank quickly, saving up three million Poké Dollars over four years to buy the remaining three items isn't impossible."
Ash finished explaining before asking:
"What about you, Gary? What item are you planning to buy first?"
Gary replied immediately.
"Same strategy as you—focus on strengthening my strongest starter."
"So I'm planning to buy Mystic Water to boost Wartortle's Water-type moves."
-----
After leaving Viridian Forest, the sky outside had grown dark.
Large bright stars dotted the night sky like pearls scattered across black velvet.
Gary rode his bicycle back home.
Ash, however, stored his bicycle away and turned toward the wild grasslands of Dashiwan Valley.
The wild Pokémon population in Viridian Forest was massive.
Just one afternoon without visiting—
And many injured Pokémon had already gathered at Dashiwan Valley seeking treatment again.
Dashiwan Valley Clinic: 16 Pokémon
Stone Bridge Clinic: 19 Pokémon
Viridian Power: LV.40 → LV.41
Although the third clinic hadn't officially opened yet, Ash had been doing his internship at the Viridian City Pokémon Center these past few days.
In just the two-hour emergency room shift, he treated more than 50 Pokémon.
That internship was essentially a simplified version of his third clinic.
Adding together the Pokémon treated at all three clinics—
Ash was healing over 200 Pokémon every day.
Naturally, the growth speed of his Viridian Power increased dramatically once again.
Even the mysterious natural will that had once granted Ash the Viridian Blessing probably never imagined he would level up so quickly.
After finishing treatment for all 19 Pokémon at the Stone Bridge Clinic, eighteen of them thanked Ash before diving back into the river and disappearing.
Only one Pokémon remained.
A small blue water Pokémon.
Ash looked toward it and smiled.
"Well, Marill. You've had three days to think about it."
"Have you reached a decision?"
"If you love battling and want to grow stronger by following a promising Trainer, then I can introduce you to a friend of mine—the Gym Leader of the Cerulean Water-type Gym."
"She's a Trainer who specializes in Water-type Pokémon and dreams of becoming the world's greatest Water-type Pokémon Master."
"But if you don't enjoy battling and would rather shine on a beautiful stage, I also know a very talented Pokémon Performer. I could recommend you to her instead."
"So…"
"What's your answer?"
Ash looked at the round-bodied Water Mouse Pokémon floating in the river.
Marill looked up at him.
"Marill~… Lord Ash."
"I want to battle."
"I want to grow stronger."
"If possible… please introduce me to the friend you mentioned—the Trainer who aims to become the world's greatest Water-type Pokémon Master."
In the wild—
Cuteness and beauty had no value at all.
They didn't earn special treatment.
Instead, they often made Pokémon targets for bullying.
Wild Pokémon came from many species, and their sense of beauty varied wildly.
In the world of wild Pokémon—
Cuteness simply didn't exist as a concept.
Marill never thought of itself as particularly cute.
Compared to something meaningless like appearance—
What it truly desired was strength.
Three days ago, when Ash had scolded it near the river mouth while training Magikarp and Feebas, Marill had returned home in tears.
But after reflecting deeply—
It finally faced reality.
Yes.
It wanted to grow stronger.
And Ash was indeed the best Trainer it could follow.
But it also understood something.
It wasn't worthy.
Ash had already said clearly that he currently had too many Water-type Pokémon.
For a long time to come, he wouldn't be catching more Water-types.
Even if he did—
They wouldn't necessarily become his main aces.
After thinking everything through, Marill decided to accept Ash's arrangement.
"I can't follow Ash… and that is indeed a regret."
"But Ash is such an incredible Trainer. Any Trainer he recognizes must be equally amazing."
"If he recommends me to someone like that… that alone is already a huge opportunity."
"What more could I ask for?"
With that thought, the final lingering attachment in Marill's heart quietly disappeared.
Ash smiled gently.
"Don't worry."
"The Trainer I'm recommending you to is someone you'll definitely like."
Hearing that, Marill looked up at him again.
"Marill… Ash."
"Before I go… could you grant me a small wish?"
Ash thought for a moment.
"What kind of wish?"
"If it's something I can do—and not something that would put me in a difficult position—I'll try my best."
Marill spoke softly.
"I want Ash to hold me once."
"I want Ash to capture me with his Poké Ball."
"And I want Ash to personally write my name on the Poké Ball."
"...Is that okay?"
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