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The Next Day
Early the next morning, everyone got up bright and early. After having breakfast at the Pokémon Center, they were ready to set off again.
But just as they had finished packing their luggage and arrived at the entrance of the Pokémon Center, they saw a luxury car parked in front of the building.
When Ash and the others came out, the car door opened simultaneously. President Silph and his assistant Officer Jenny stepped out of the car under the protection of bodyguards, followed by Erika.
"Ash, I really want to thank you this time!"
President Silph and Erika were present in person to express their gratitude to Ash. It could be said that Ash single-handedly saved the entire Silph Company.
Therefore, President Silph was extremely grateful to Ash. Knowing that Ash and the others were leaving today, President Silph had come personally to express his appreciation.
"You're too kind. I'm really sorry about the Master Ball!" Ash responded with a hint of apology.
Although President Silph had already entrusted him with the Master Ball at that time, it was, after all, their company's years of hard work.
"Hahaha! It doesn't matter. I entrusted the Master Ball to you, so of course you had the right to decide what to do with it. Destroying the Master Ball may have been the best outcome!"
President Silph didn't mind at all. Although the Master Ball manufacturing process was difficult, it wasn't impossible for them to recreate it.
He had thought it through very clearly—he wouldn't deliberately manufacture Master Balls in the future, and the original plan for mass production had been completely abandoned.
"Thank you!" Ash responded politely.
"You're welcome, and to show my gratitude for how you saved our people, please accept this!"
President Silph raised his hand to signal, and Jenny beside him took out a black card with the Silph Company logo printed on it.
"This is the VIP card for our Silph Company. With it, you can enjoy maximum discounts at Silph Company locations everywhere."
It was clear that President Silph was being very sincere. This kind of treatment wasn't available to just anyone.
"Please accept it, Ash!" Erika said at the same time.
"Then I won't be shy about accepting it!" Ash wasn't being pretentious. As a Trainer, expenses weren't small, and with this card, he could save a lot of money in the future.
"Also... ahem..." After seeing Ash accept the card, President Silph coughed slightly, then looked around and whispered into Ash's ear.
"Are you willing to date our Erika with marriage in mind? If you get married, you'll be the chairman of Silph Company from now on!"
"?!"
Although it was whispered in Ash's ear, everyone standing around heard it clearly, and Ash's eyes widened in shock.
"Dad, what are you saying?!"
Erika's face turned bright red instantly. She admitted that because Ash had saved her father and protected Celadon Gym last time, she was deeply impressed by him and had developed good feelings toward him.
But it wasn't to the extent her father was suggesting, and certainly not in front of so many people.
When Brock heard this, he was immediately devastated. Why wasn't he so lucky? If someone really married Erika, they'd become the son-in-law of Silph Company.
It could be said they wouldn't need to struggle for the rest of their life. Green looked at Ash's shocked expression and snickered a little mischievously.
Misty's face showed a bit of panic, and she looked at Ash carefully, as if she was afraid he might agree.
No one could resist a girl like Erika, who had both good looks and an excellent family background. At least Brock beside them couldn't refuse such an offer.
Sabrina narrowed her eyes and stared at President Silph coldly, barely hiding her desire to turn him into a doll with her psychic powers.
"Uh... Regarding that, my current goal is to become a Pokémon Master. I don't have any plans in that area for the time being. Thank you for your kindness!"
Although Silph Company was really attractive, and Erika was indeed a wonderful person, Ash really didn't have romantic feelings for her.
It wasn't about plans—it was just that he had no romantic feelings toward Erika. They were just friends who knew each other, and dating and marriage were far too premature to consider.
"I see! What a shame!"
Actually, President Silph had seen that Ash had saved them and felt that this young man was very reliable, so as a father, he had subconsciously brought it up.
But after all, the decision was still in Ash's hands. Although he was a little disappointed, since Ash had declined, he could only let it go.
Listening to Ash's response, Misty and the others around him, who all had different thoughts about the situation, breathed a sigh of relief. To avoid further embarrassment, Ash didn't continue the conversation.
Instead, they said goodbye to Erika and the others, and then the group headed to the station. When they arrived at the station, everyone was ready to go to different destinations.
Green was going back to Pallet Town, Sabrina was returning to Saffron City, and Ash, Misty, and Brock were heading to Cerulean City.
So they were going to separate again here. Sabrina was the first to say goodbye to everyone, and she and Ash walked ahead together. Green couldn't help but comment while watching this scene.
"Ash is really popular!" Green looked at the two people in front talking and laughing together with a knowing smile.
"Lucky him!" Brock looked envious and jealous, while Misty appeared angry and sulky.
Chatting all the way, they saw Sabrina off on the train to Saffron City, and then Green also waited for the train she needed to take.
"Then let's say goodbye here!" Ash and the other two said to Green.
"Yeah! See you next time! By the way, Ash, I have something for you!"
Green also said goodbye to the three of them. Then Green seemed to remember something, put down her backpack, and took out a heavy-looking object from it.
It looked like a metallic coating. From the outside, it gave off a solid and heavy feeling, though it appeared quite ordinary.
"This is... a Metal Coat?"
Ash looked at the item in Green's hand and recognized it immediately. This thing was called a Metal Coat, and it was a special item. Like an Electirizer, this item was a special tool that could help certain Pokémon evolve.
And this Metal Coat—Ash remembered that when he had wanted to infiltrate Silph Company, Green had grabbed this item, causing a commotion, and had used the chaos to sneak into the floors controlled by Team Rocket.