[Ding, Skill "Light Screen" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "Reflect" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "Haze" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "U-turn" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "Hurricane" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "Hyper Beam" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "Quick Attack" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "Agility" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "Double Team" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "Aqua Ring" trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding, Skill "Aqua Ring" trained once, proficiency +1]
An hour of training came to an end.
Ash took a white towel from his system inventory and tossed it to Gary to wipe his sweat, then pulled out another one for himself.
No matter when or with whom, the truth about him being a transmigrator—and the existence of the system—was something he could never reveal.
However, the storage ability of the system inventory itself was difficult to completely hide. After all, he used it frequently, and once he officially set out on his journey, the companions by his side would inevitably notice.
So Ash didn't deliberately conceal it. Instead, he explained it to his mother Delia, Professor Oak, Gary, and the others as a newly awakened ability of his psychic powers.
Poké Balls, expandable ultra-space travel backpacks…
In the Pokémon world, spatial technology, energy storage, and the conversion between physical and non-physical matter were already widely applied.
Coupled with the fact that Ash had previously revealed abilities like healing, assisting Pokémon in comprehending moves, and other seemingly miraculous feats, Gary was initially just a little envious when he learned Ash could open a mini storage space with his psychic powers—he wasn't overly shocked.
After bringing the Pokémon back home, breakfast was already prepared.
Salted meat porridge, along with some Japanese-style breakfast pastries—similar to buns, but smooth on the surface without pleats.
Seeing Ash feeding the Pokémon, Delia came out of the kitchen carrying the dishes and said:
"Ash, today your Auntie Miho and I are going to Viridian City to look after the shop. In a couple of days, the flower shop will officially open."
"But before the opening, your Auntie Miho and I need you and Gary to help us with a small favor," she added with a bright smile.
"What kind of favor?" Ash asked curiously.
"Hehe… didn't Miho and I name the flower shop and flower-arranging classroom after you two?"
"So since the shop is about to open, I was thinking—like those celebrity artists on TV—you two could help us take some promotional photos to hang up in the store," Delia said happily.
"Promotional photos? Sure, no problem."
"Mom, once you and Auntie Miho officially open the shop, I can also help promote it on Twitter. My follower count just passed a million, and a lot of my fans are in Viridian City," Ash added.
"Mua~"
Seeing how enthusiastically her son supported her, Delia was overjoyed. She squatted down and kissed Ash on the cheek several times in a row.
"Today, Miho and I will first go check on the shop. If everything's fine, we'll immediately find a photo studio to take pictures of you and Gary."
"Okay—no problem," Ash nodded.
In the past, Delia had devoted herself entirely to housework to raise her son, turning herself into a full-fledged country homemaker.
Now, without the pressure of family responsibilities, she could pursue her own dreams and do what she truly enjoyed.
She was happy—
and seeing his mother so energetic and fulfilled every day made Ash just as happy.
"Ash," Rotom chimed as it floated over while possessing his phone,
"the Kanto Alliance, the Tsuchihara Family, the Tokugawa Family, and the Toyotomi Family have all sent over the first batch of Magikarp."
"Also, all the remaining Magikarp orders from the previous batch of standard web-store requests were completed yesterday. I've received new orders this morning."
"Additionally, a girl from Cerulean City registered under the name Misty has sent over a Staryu. She wants it to learn 'Recover, Aqua Ring, Light Screen, and Reflect' all at once. She said she already talked to you—Rotom!"
"Mm-hmm. For the Magikarp sent by the major families, follow the preset priority and report them to me periodically for skill learning. For standard web-store orders, randomly select one or two Pokémon per day."
"As for Misty, yes, I know about that. Remind me again at noon the day after tomorrow," Ash replied calmly.
Although Misty was a friend and it would be best to help her Staryu learn the moves as early as possible, Ash still needed to avoid appearing too extraordinary.
Even for Misty's Pokémon, he planned to wait two days before completing the move training and sending Staryu back.
Learning four moves in two and a half days was still far shorter than a normal training cycle, but not so outrageous as to draw suspicion. Instead, it would make Misty feel that Ash had truly spent a lot of time and effort helping her Pokémon.
"Ash, who is this girl named Misty?" Delia asked curiously while clearing the table. "I remember you've never been to Cerulean City."
"She's a girl who placed an order at my web store before. Later, because of some order-related issues, we chatted privately a few times. We get along pretty well—just an online friend," Ash replied.
"Oh~ really?" Delia's eyes sparkled with interest.
"Ash, are you sure she's not a new girlfriend? Do you have her photo? Is she pretty? Do you want Mom to help you look into it?"
"No, no—she's really just a normal friend."
"Mom, I'm taking the Pokémon out for training," Ash said quickly, ushering the Pokémon outside and leaving Delia in the living room, murmuring to herself.
"This child… he's definitely feeling guilty. Yes, that must be it."
"What normal boy befriends a girl—especially when he already has a long-distance girlfriend? This Misty girl must be Ash's new girlfriend."
"To think he hasn't even finished being six years old yet and already has two girlfriends—my son really is the best," Delia chuckled inwardly.
Ash brought the Pokémon to the rocky riverbank outside Pallet Town.
"Pikachu, Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Spearow—your morning tasks are the same as before. Focus on mastering the skills you learned this morning."
"Valor, Lumina—come on. I'll take you two out to grind against wild Pokémon and level up."
With just a few words, Ash assigned tasks to the team, then led Magikarp and Feebas away to start their wild training.
The rhythm of growth continued—quietly, steadily, and relentlessly forward.
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T/N:
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