The grown-up Misty left the audience completely dazed. Who would have thought the feisty little girl from back then would grow up to be so captivating? Of course, this "daze" didn't include Brock or Ash.
For Brock, anyone under eighteen was outside his "strike zone," and for Ash... well, everyone knows his deal. To Ash, Misty was still just the same traveling companion he remembered.
In the Footage—
After a brief chat, Ash learned that Misty was already training her successor. Once the new Gym Leader was ready, she could hand over the Cerulean Gym and enjoy retirement! Retiring at fifteen... sounds reasonable!
"Let's travel together again when that happens!" Ash invited. "Mhm!" Misty agreed without a hint of hesitation. She had been waiting quite a while for those words...
Under Misty's slightly envious gaze, Ash and Chloe left the Gym. On the way, Chloe curiously asked about their relationship.
"We're traveling partners! She's a very close friend who has been with me since the very start!" "I heard that from Brock! I mean... is there nothing else besides being partners?" "Eh? What else could there be? Rivals?"
Chloe: "..." Never mind. She finally realized exactly where Ash's brain was missing a gear.
That girl's eyes were practically overflowing with joy when he invited her. What a dense wooden block...
[Wallace: Classic Ash!]
[Caitlin: Years have passed, he's won a Championship, and his romantic IQ is still zero~]
[Diantha: That's exactly why he's Ash!]
[Sabrina: Ash. Idiot.]
In the Footage—
To prevent a repeat of the incident where Pikachu was injured and he had no backup, Ash began carrying two extra Pokémon from his rotation just in case.
Soon, a new mission arrived. Professor Cerise reported frequent Dynamax phenomena in the Galar region and asked Ash to investigate.
Ash and Chloe boarded a train to Galar. Upon arrival, they immediately encountered a Gigantamax Snorlax blocking the tracks! Unlike regular Dynamax, Gigantamax changed the Pokémon's appearance—Snorlax now had a massive tree with a huge Berry growing on its belly.
Ash tried to move the Snorlax by knocking down the Berry. He sent out Heracross, who used Megahorn to launch the giant fruit into the air, followed by Charizard, who used Dragon Tail to relay it further away.
The sleeping giant followed the scent of food, clearing the tracks.
"Good thing I brought Charizard and Heracross this time!" Ash noted. Though they didn't find the source of the Dynamax energy yet, Chloe captured everything on video for the Professor to analyze.
In the Footage—
After Galar, Ash took Chloe to the Hoenn Region! This wasn't for a mission, but for the Battle Frontier's Flute Cup. Ash, being Ash, signed Chloe up without asking.
"Don't be so grumpy! After the battle, I'll introduce you to an old friend here. She's a Gym Leader's daughter!" "She...?" Chloe's intuition tingled again.
[Lance: Chloe has sensed another disturbance in the Force!]
[May's Dad (Norman): Coming to Hoenn, and the first person you think of is my daughter, May? Not bad!]
[Brandon: He went to the Battle Frontier first, don't flatter yourself!]
In the Footage—
Chloe only had Yamper and had never battled. Ash generously lent her his Heracross, as she felt Charizard looked too fierce to control.
Ash, meanwhile, used Pikachu and... Mr. Mime! The audience was skeptical—could the "housekeeper" Pokémon actually fight?
But Mr. Mime stunned everyone! With a "Focus Exercise" that boosted its evasion to 100%, invisible walls for defense, Focus Punch for melee, and Psychic for range, it swept the first round effortlessly.
[Delia: Oh! My Mimey is so strong?]
[Will: Where did he get that Mr. Mime? It has the power of an Elite Four-level Pokémon! Has it been training in secret?]
[Delia: No, he just does the laundry and cooks dinner at home~][Will: ...]
In the finals, Ash faced Hodge from Lavaridge Town. Hodge's Hariyama was shut down by Mr. Mime, and his Mightyena was crushed by Pikachu.
Ash won the Flute Cup! Surprisingly, the announcers didn't recognize him as the Alola Champion. Alola's fame was still quite niche.
In the Footage—
After the win, Ash took Chloe to the Petalburg Gym to find May.
Unfortunately, Norman told them May was away in the Kalos Region, competing in the Pokémon Showcase (TriPokalon)—a dream-like festival for girls.
May's brother, Max, had finally turned ten and become a trainer! Influenced by Ash, his starter was a Treecko.
On the way back, Ash noticed Chloe's interest in the idea of the Showcase. He began telling her about his previous female companions: Dawn, May, and Serena—all of whom were Top Coordinators or Performers.
[Aria (Kalos Queen): TriPokalons are great! Chloe, I think you'd be a natural. You're adorable, and you don't seem to love the brutality of battling, so performing with Pokémon would be perfect!]
[Chloe: Thank you, Aria. I'll think about it.]
Chloe had realized that while she didn't enjoy the heat of a 1v1 battle, the bond and beauty shown in Showcases made her eyes light up.
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