"Mr. Ash, I'm one of your biggest fans! Could you please sign my Poké Ball?"
"Mr. Ash, I've been supporting you too! Could I take a picture with you?"
"Of course," Ash replied with a smile. "No problem."
Since the two security guards turned out to be genuine fans, Ash readily agreed.
Using a permanent marker, he signed both of their Poké Balls before taking photos with each of them.
"Thank you, Mr. Ash! Please, everyone, come inside!"
Having finally gotten what they wanted, the two guards looked so excited they were practically trembling with happiness.
As the group entered the Pokémon Fan Club, Lily couldn't help laughing.
"Ash, your popularity is unbelievable. It feels like everyone in Kanto is your fan these days."
"You're not doing too badly yourself, Lily," Ash replied with a grin. "Everywhere we went in Cerulean City, people were greeting you enthusiastically. You looked just like a celebrity."
"Haha! Really?" Lily's eyes immediately curved into happy crescents.
"Eh!? Is that Ash!?"
"Which Ash?"
"Who else could it be? Ash from Pallet Town! The one who won the Water Pokémon Beauty Contest two days ago with a perfect score!"
"Holy crap! Mr. Ash is here at our Pokémon Fan Club!"
"Where? Where?"
"I'm a huge Ash fan! I've always wanted his autograph on my Poké Ball!"
"Me too! Me too!"
"I think Ash just headed toward the battle arena."
"The battle arena? Got it, I'm going right now!"
"Wait for me!"
"Me too!"
"Move, move! Don't block the way!"
...
...
As more and more club members spotted Ash after he entered the Pokémon Fan Club, the entire building gradually descended into chaos.
The atmosphere became increasingly lively.
No—
"lively" wasn't enough to describe it.
The entire club had exploded into excitement.
Ash and his group had barely finished touring a few sections before arriving at the club's battle arena.
The moment they stepped inside, they found themselves completely surrounded.
Members who had rushed over after hearing the news formed a dense crowd around them, every face filled with excitement.
"Mr. Ash, I'm your fan! Can I take a picture with you?"
"Mr. Ash, could you sign my Poké Ball?"
"Me too! Me too! Could you sign my phone case?"
"Mr. Ash, can you sign the back of my T-shirt?"
"Mr. Ash, thank you! My Sandslash suffered from chronic trench claw syndrome for years. I booked an appointment through your online clinic and sent it over. You healed it instantly with your psychic powers. Thank you so much!"
"Mr. Ash, I want my Magikarp to learn Tackle, but your Skill Disc online store is too popular! My reservation got pushed all the way into next year. Is there any chance I could cut in line?"
"Mr. Ash—"
"Mr. Ash—"
"Mr. Ash!"
...
...
Just moments ago, Lily had been teasing him about his popularity.
Ash hadn't expected that after entering the Pokémon Fan Club, he would encounter so many fans all at once.
Looking at the crowd pressing in from every direction, he couldn't help twitching at the corner of his mouth.
It was obvious.
If he didn't satisfy these people, there was no chance he would be able to leave anytime soon.
With no other option, Ash released a gentle wave of Aura Force, creating a repelling airflow that prevented the crowd from getting too close.
At the same time, he accepted Poké Balls, markers, phone cases, T-shirts, and whatever else was thrust into his hands.
One by one, he signed them all.
He also patiently posed for photographs with everyone.
As for those wanting to jump the queue for skill training through his online Skill Disc store, there weren't too many of them, so Ash agreed.
He instructed them to contact his assistant Rotom through the store's private messaging system.
Others had brought Pokémon suffering from stubborn illnesses and chronic injuries.
Ash didn't refuse them either.
Right there on the spot, he demonstrated his miraculous healing abilities, instantly curing ailments that had troubled trainers for years.
The scene only made the crowd even more excited.
...
"Mr. Ash."
A somewhat nervous voice suddenly called out.
Ash turned and saw a teenage boy standing in front of him.
The boy looked hesitant, but there was determination in his eyes.
"Mr. Ash, I own a Muk."
"Back then, I accidentally fell into a mud pit. Muk was the one who saved me."
"After that, I caught it and it became my partner."
"But my family, classmates, and even friends here at the club all say Muk has no future."
"They say it can never become truly powerful."
"They keep telling me to release it, or at least stop investing so many resources into it as my main Pokémon."
The boy lowered his head briefly before continuing.
"But I really like Muk."
"Our relationship is very good."
"When I first caught it, we made a promise."
"We said that one day we'd become stronger together and challenge the League Conference side by side."
The boy looked up at Ash.
His expression was full of hope.
"Mr. Ash, many of your Pokémon started out ordinary."
"Pidgeot, Fearow, Pikachu, Magikarp... they were all considered average at first."
"But under your training, they eventually became incredibly powerful."
"Could you give me some advice?"
"About how I should train and develop my Muk?"
The boy's voice carried a pleading tone.
Clearly, he had gathered all his courage just to ask this question.
"Muk, huh..."
Ash fell into thought.
In the original anime timeline, when his predecessor had passed through the Gringey City Power Plant during the Kanto journey, he had caught a Muk there.
Later, during the Indigo League Conference, when facing Jeanette Fisher's terrifying Bellsprout, even Pikachu had been defeated by that absurdly powerful Pokémon.
In the end, it was Muk that had stepped onto the battlefield and defeated the frightening Bellsprout.
Type advantages had certainly played a role.
But even so, it proved one thing.
Muk was strong.
Very strong.
And it possessed tremendous training potential.
Unfortunately, aside from that one appearance during the Indigo League, the original Ash had largely left Muk at Professor Oak's Laboratory to gather dust.
Of course, many of the Pokémon his predecessor had caught received similar treatment.
Most had eventually retired peacefully at Oak's Laboratory.
But now that Ash had inherited this life and truly become part of this world, he couldn't help imagining the situation differently.
If he were to catch a Muk now...
How would he train it?
What development path would he design for it?
How would he unlock its full potential?
After pondering for a moment, Ash finally spoke.
"First of all, there's one thing you need to understand."
He looked directly at the young trainer.
"There are no weak Pokémon in this world."
"There are only weak Trainers."
The entire battle arena fell quiet.
Many nearby club members unconsciously stopped what they were doing and began listening.
"Pokémon are extraordinary lifeforms."
"They possess all kinds of incredible supernatural abilities."
"You could even say that every Pokémon is a superpowered being."
"It's true that different species have different levels of innate talent and base stats."
"But compared to humans, their potential is virtually limitless."
"As long as we understand a Pokémon's characteristics and find the correct way to nurture it, any Pokémon can become incredibly powerful."
Ash paused briefly before smiling.
"And that 'any Pokémon' naturally includes Muk."
Looking at the humble young trainer who had sincerely come seeking guidance, Ash gave his answer with complete seriousness.
Because this was the most important prerequisite of all.
Before discussing training methods...
A Trainer first had to believe in their Pokémon.