After the somewhat disappointing encounter with A.J.—who turned out to be more of a big fish in a small pond than a true Beast Master—the trio continued their journey. However, they soon found themselves walking into a thick, unnatural blanket of white mist.
"That's weird. I don't remember there being a fog advisory for this area," Ash muttered. "Meowth, check the weather report."
"On it, Boss! Let's see... Nya?! The report says it's clear skies all around us. This fog has to be caused by a Pokémon or some experimental tech."
Ash looked around, squinting through the haze. A sense of deja vu washed over him. "I don't know why, but this place feels incredibly familiar..."
"Familiar? I thought this was your first real journey," Misty noted, looking puzzled.
"It is, but maybe I've been near here before?" As Ash pondered, Meowth pointed a furry paw forward.
"Boss, look! People, nya!"
Through the mist, they saw a group of students holding candles. They were surrounding a boy on a treadmill, peppered him with rapid-fire questions about Pokémon statistics. Ash saw their uniforms and it finally clicked.
"I remember now! Pikachu, Meowth, Chansey—do you guys recognize this place? It's the Pokémon Technical Institute!"
"Oh! I remember now, Boss! This is where we did that 'study abroad' stint, nya!"
"Pika-pi!" / "Lucky!"
As it turned out, Ash was something of a local legend at the institute. While the anime version of these students were arrogant snobs, the elite students here were far more disciplined. When Ash approached, a student who was acting as a proctor turned around.
"Excuse me, are you lost? If so, please wait until—" He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he took in Ash's appearance. "Wait... the Chansey, the Pikachu on the shoulder, the talking Meowth... and now a Ralts too? You're Ash!"
The treadmill stopped. The candles flickered. Every student in the vicinity immediately swarmed him.
"Ash! It really is you!"
"The legend of the Pokémon Tech! Every class still studies your battle recordings!"
Ash laughed, a bit embarrassed. "I didn't think you guys would still remember me."
"How could we forget? We just heard from our families that you helped Master Lorelei's Lapras ascend to the Champion grade! That's unbelievable!"
Ash smiled and gave them a piece of advice. "Theory is important, guys, but don't get buried in the data. If you don't build a bond with your Pokémon and train their physical limits, all the theory in the world won't save you from a level-gap suppression. Pokémon aren't just numbers."
"Yes, sir! You've already proven that with your results. We're definitely not going to stay stuck in our old ways!"
Misty and Brock watched the harmonious scene in shock. "I guess true elites aren't actually stuck-up," Misty whispered. "They're just hyper-focused."
"So, what brings you back? We heard you finally started your official circuit," A red-haired boy asked.
"Just passing through. Figured I'd stop by and pay my respects."
"That's perfect! Master Lorelei is actually here right now, along with Giselle."
"Lorelei's still here? Good. I have something for her."
The students led the trio into the main building. There, they found Lorelei talking to a beautiful girl with long, dark hair.
"Lorelei! Fancy meeting you—" Ash stopped, staring at the girl next to her. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. "Yuuto Seidai! Since when did you change your name to Giselle? Hahaha! I can't! It's too much! Did you finally realize your old name sounded like a snack?!"
The girl, Giselle (formerly Yuuto Seidai), turned bright red with rage. "What do you mean, a snack?! It was a perfectly fine name until you named your new ice cream flavor 'The Seidai Sundae'! I'm going to call my best friend right now and tell her to come put you in your place!"
She started dialing a number. Ash caught a glimpse of the contact name starting with "Cy—" and his face went pale.
"Wait! My bad! I'm sorry! Don't tell Cynthia where I am! She's a grown woman; let her learn to be independent without hunting me down!"
Giselle smugly put her phone away.
"Boss, you're such a coward." Meowth teased.
"Pika-pi!" (Yeah, what are you scared of? Just marry her!)
"Lucky!" (Just go for the 'A' button attack!)
"You guys don't understand... she's terrifying..." Ash muttered.
Lorelei watched the banter with a playful smile. "I heard you had something for me?"
Ash turned serious. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a large, heavy glass jar. "Release your Lapras."
Lorelei complied, and the massive, regal Pokémon appeared in the center of the room, immediately nudging Ash affectionately.
"Her aura is powerful, but it's still fluctuating," Ash observed. "The jump to Champion grade is a massive strain on the body. She needs a stabilizer."
He opened the jar and pulled out a single, beautifully wrapped piece of candy. The second the wrapper was touched, an incredible, sweet aroma filled the room.
"Laaa!" Lapras's eyes sparkled with intense craving.
"Is that..." Giselle and Lorelei leaned in. They had heard rumors that Ash could synthesize high-purity Rare Candies, but they had never seen one like this.
"Meow, look at that quality... I haven't had one of those in ages," Meowth drooled. Pikachu and Chansey both nodded solemnly; they had clearly been spoiled with these before.
"Open up," Ash said.
Lapras opened her mouth, and Ash tossed the candy in. As she chewed, a soft, golden light emanated from her body. The turbulent energy around her smoothed out instantly, her aura becoming as calm and deep as the ocean itself. Her rank was now perfectly stabilized.
"Unbelievable," Lorelei whispered. "You really are full of surprises, Ash."
Ash patted Meowth's head. "Don't worry, Meowth. Once you officially hit the Champion grade, I'll give you one too. These are best used for stabilizing evolution."
"I'm holdin' you to that, Boss!"