"Hikari, you have to find an opportunity to go for him, understand?" Before parting, Zoey shouted to Hikari.
"Mhm, I... I'll try~" Hikari was unaccustomed to the other being so blunt and could only nod shyly in agreement.
That same day, after a very short lunch break, Hikari and Zoey bid a simple farewell and continued on their journey towards Hearthome City.
However, along the way, Ash seemed a bit sullen.
"Ash, what's wrong with you?"
Because of Zoey's advice, Hikari had been quietly observing Ash along the way, only to find his expression seemed off, as if filled with annoyance.
This situation also drew the attention of Brock and Pikachu nearby, three pairs of eyes now fixed on Ash.
"It's nothing, I just accidentally gave a bit more of the other Pokémon's stuff to Charizard~"
He gave a casual reason, indicating they needn't worry.
"Oh!"
Hearing this, the two didn't pay it much mind, treating it as a minor matter.
Little did they know, Ash's annoyance hadn't diminished in the slightest.
"Sigh, shouldn't have gotten carried away! Should have saved money too!"
Although each Pokémon had learned quite a few new moves, some of them actually didn't require TMs; they could have taught each other through their innate talents.
After all, excluding the Tauros herd, there were still nearly 20 Pokémon in the ranch. If each Pokémon was equipped with one item, that would easily cost twenty thousand.
And if you factor in TMs... well, the Veteran Wild Pokémon Hunter would have to make a comeback, and even bring along a few new ones.
After some deep contemplation in his heart, he immediately decided on a plan, arranging the fates of Charizard, Sceptile, and the other Pokémon upon reaching Hearthome City.
Barely dispelling the gloom, he strode forward with Hikari and Brock.
But luck didn't seem to be on their side today. While passing through a dark, dense forest, the sky unexpectedly began to pour with an eerie downpour.
Forcing them to run desperately, searching for a place to take shelter from the rain.
They happened upon a Pokémon Center that looked old and worn. The three hurriedly rushed inside to escape the rain.
"Oh no, oh no, my shoes are all soggy~" Hikari lowered her head, looking at her wet pink shoes, and couldn't help but complain.
"It's okay, at least our bodies didn't get wet. That's the silver lining in this misfortune!" Brock was quite relieved to find no trace of wetness on his clothes.
"What's even more coincidental is, the moment we arrived at the Pokémon Center, the rain just stopped!" Ash, noticing the situation, pointed it out to the two.
"Huh~" Hikari followed Ash's gaze and saw it was exactly as he said. "Then what should we do? Should we keep going?"
"Since we're already here, why not go inside the Pokémon Center and have a look, maybe rest a bit~"
This is probably just an excuse to see Nurse Nurse Joy!
Ash and Hikari exchanged a glance, instantly reaching a silent understanding.
But they didn't refuse either and could only slowly walk inside.
However, Ash, observing the surroundings, felt an extra layer of caution within.
Because everything had happened too conveniently. If not for his Aura not sensing anything unusual yet, he would have already released Charizard and the others.
"Nurse Nurse Joy, my name is Brock. Today, I have come to..."
When the two entered the lobby, they found Brock already holding Nurse Nurse Joy's fair hand, enacting his usual confession routine.
"Honestly, Brock, you're at it again~"
Hikari closed her eyes, unable to bear watching the scene of Brock getting his kidney snatched by Croagunk.
But after a good while, she realized the expected scream didn't come. Opening her eyes, she found a completely infatuated Brock and a Nurse Nurse Joy who didn't seem to mind at all.
Nurse Nurse Joy had actually agreed to Brock's request to become his other half, and, adding to the drama, a Jenny appeared, creating a scene of two women serving one husband.
"N-no... impossible~" Hikari covered her mouth in disbelief, unable to accept the sight before her.
"Pikachu~"
Pikachu covered its red cheek pouches, unable to believe that this man who had been rejected hundreds of times had actually found a partner!!!
"That's right, all of this is fake~"
Using his Aura to sense, nothing seemed amiss on the surface, but he couldn't feel the Aura of either Nurse Nurse Joy or Jenny.
This meant these two were fake; everything around them was merely an illusion.
"Hehehe, Ash, how could this possibly be fake!"
Brock, immersed in his blissful haven, had long lost any semblance of a brain, only knowing to enjoy his threesome with the Nurse Nurse Joy and Jenny before him.
"The Aura is with me~"
Knowing everything around him was an illusion, he immediately activated his Aura power, preparing to see through it all.
But after just a short while, Ash opened his eyes again.
"What's wrong, Ash~"
Hikari was a bit puzzled. When did Ash become so fast? Finding the culprit in an instant.
"Nothing, because I can't use my Aura power. We must have been pulled into a Dream World by some Pokémon, and the culprit is hiding within it!"
"Ah, then what do we do!" Hikari fearfully moved closer to Ash, nervously scanning the surroundings.
Ash, holding her small hand to comfort her while observing everything, finally focused his attention on Brock, who was enjoying his blissful haven.
No wonder the diligent and responsible Croagunk hadn't reacted; it was because the other party had plunged the three of them into a Dream World.
Suddenly, after pondering for a long time, Ash suddenly shouted: "Pikachu, Thunderbolt~"
The sudden command left Pikachu somewhat confused. It looked around in puzzlement but found no trace of an enemy.
Finally, it could only look at Ash and ask doubtfully: "Pika pi~ (Ash, who is it?)"
"Target, Brock~" Tightening his grip on the somewhat shy girl's hand, Ash stared unblinkingly at the dazed Brock.
"Pika~ (Really?)"
Pikachu found it hard to believe it had to attack its recently sympathetic good brother and couldn't help but ask again.
"That's right~"
Receiving the confirmed signal, Pikachu hesitated no longer. Electric sparks surged fiercely on its cheeks as it prepared to release a powerful current to wake its good brother Brock up.
To ensure it could wake Brock, Pikachu even kept accumulating electricity, preparing for a big one.
"Stop, Pikachu! You can't treat poor Brock like that~"
Just as it was about to fire, a familiar voice came, making Pikachu forcibly halt the Thunderbolt it was about to unleash.
"Pika pika chu~"
Pikachu cried out in disbelief. The owner of the voice that stopped it was actually that girl wearing hot pants, showing her navel, with a side ponytail — Kasumi.
"That's right, Pikachu mustn't turn bad!"
Beside Kasumi stood another girl wearing dark blue shorts, topped with an extremely tight white miniskirt, a red top that still couldn't conceal her ample figure.
The Hoenn Dancer with a red headband bearing a white Poké Ball pattern on her head — Haruka.