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"Are you alright, kid?"
Recognizing Ash, Sato quickly stepped forward to help him up, his expression turning slightly strange as he asked.
Even though he already knew Ash had an unusually resilient body, seeing it up close made him realize he'd still underestimated him.
After taking a weakened Thunder Shock from Pichu, Ash showed no real signs of injury—just a bit of numbness in his body, and that was it.
"I'm fine! Big brother, what's that electric Pokémon on your head just now? It's so cute! Can I pet it?"
Ash quickly waved his hand in reassurance and looked at the Pichu on Sato's head with excitement, then turned to ask eagerly.
"Ash, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Before Sato could reply, Serena—wearing a pink dress—not far behind Ash, ran over and grabbed his hand, her face filled with concern as she questioned him.
'So that little girl is Serena... Now I remember. This is the summer camp hosted by Professor Oak where Ash and Serena first met. Man, this kid's luck with girls is off the charts—already snagged such a pretty admirer!'
Watching the familiar-looking girl fawn over Ash, Sato couldn't help but twitch slightly. But then he quickly recalled who she was and understood why Ash and the rest of the kids were here.
Sure enough, what followed confirmed Sato's thoughts.
"I'm fine, Serena. Look! Isn't that Pokémon on big brother's head super cute? I think I scared it earlier when I suddenly ran out—that's probably why it zapped me."
Ash scratched the back of his head and spoke with a nonchalant tone, before his eyes sparkled again, locking back onto Pichu.
Unfortunately, Pichu didn't share Ash's enthusiasm. In fact, Pichu seemed pretty annoyed by the scruffy, goofy-looking boy.
But when it laid eyes on the pretty Serena, its little eyes turned into hearts, and a delighted smile appeared on its face.
Under Ash's envious gaze, Pichu leapt from Sato's head and landed on Serena's shoulder, rubbing its cheek affectionately against hers.
As a girl, Serena naturally had zero resistance to the adorably cute baby Pokémon. She instantly fell in love with Pichu and hugged it tightly in her arms.
"This little rascal…"
Seeing Pichu so smugly enjoying Serena's soft embrace, Sato felt a vein pop. He was honestly speechless over how this little guy already showed signs of becoming a tiny flirt.
After a few minutes of self-introductions, Sato and the kids were all formally acquainted, and he learned why they'd come to the area.
Ash, being a future Trainer destined to experience countless major events in the Pokémon world, was someone Sato valued quite a bit. Building a good relationship now would definitely pay off down the line.
So, to satisfy the group of overly curious kids, Sato called a pause to his Pokémon's training and let them get to know each other.
Ash and the others had come specifically to see Swampert, so it quickly became the center of attention among the kids.
Swampert had a great temperament and was very gentle with the innocent children, even letting a few of the more mischievous ones climb onto its back to play.
Next in popularity were Bellossom and the shiny Beautifly. Their beautiful appearances made them favorites among the girls, who gathered around them almost immediately.
Bellossom, with her gentle nature, welcomed the children circling her and even offered them some of her nectar to taste.
As for the proud and aloof shiny Beautifly, she couldn't handle the rowdy crowd and simply flew to the top of a tree to escape the chaos.
Miltank was also a huge hit with the kids—mainly because Sato generously allowed her to share some fresh Moomoo Milk with Ash and the others.
As always, appearance mattered. Golbat and Arbok, with their rather fearsome looks, were avoided by all but Ash, who had nerves of steel. The other kids didn't dare go near them.
Naturally, neither the reclusive Golbat nor the innately fierce Arbok cared whether or not the kids liked them. In fact, they seemed to harbor a slight hostility toward them.
Among all of Sato's Pokémon, the most popular by far was the newborn Pichu. Kids naturally loved cute creatures, and no one could resist Pichu's charm.
However, Pichu seemed to have little interest in male humans aside from Sato. He only showed affection toward good-looking girls like Serena.
As a result, Pichu was currently basking in the warm attention of the girls, while also becoming the object of envy for Ash and the other boys.
Roughly twenty minutes passed as the kids played with Sato's Pokémon. Then, a boy with spiky hair arrived, accompanied by an elderly man in a white lab coat and a beautiful young woman who looked around Sato's age.
'Gary and Professor Oak.'
The moment Sato saw the spiky-haired boy and the familiar-looking elder behind him, he immediately recognized who they were. Especially when his eyes landed on Professor Oak—Sato's heart skipped a beat.
"Ash, you idiot! I knew you'd be here! How could you just bring people out here without permission? Grandpa and I were worried sick! Do you even know how dangerous the wild forest is?"
The moment Gary saw Ash, he stormed over and grabbed Ash by the collar, his face red with anger as he shouted.
Faced with Gary's righteous fury, Ash knew he was in the wrong and could only lower his head in shame, muttering a series of "uh-huh, uh-huh" responses in apology.
"Gary, don't be like that—it was us who asked Ash to bring us here."
"Yeah, it's not Ash's fault alone."
"That's right, Ash didn't do anything wrong."
Thankfully, the other kids stood by Ash, especially Serena, who immediately stepped up to defend him.
Still, Gary wasn't ready to let it go. He continued pressing Ash, clearly upset they'd gone to see Swampert without inviting him.
"Ash really is well-liked, and these kids are pretty loyal too."
Watching them speak up for Ash one by one, Sato nodded to himself, impressed. His gaze toward Ash now carried a bit more admiration.
"Ahem, alright, that's enough, Gary. Everyone's safe, and that's what matters. No need to be so angry. Ash, all of you—don't run off without permission again. If something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your parents? If it happens again, I'll send you home early."
Seeing the other children standing up for Ash, Professor Oak's stern expression gradually softened. After clearing his throat a few times, he spoke with deliberate authority toward Gary, Ash, and the others.
"Yes, Grandpa Oak."
"Yes, Grandpa Oak."
"Yes, Grandpa Oak."
The kids who had snuck off all immediately lowered their heads like frightened turtles, promising they'd never run off again.
"Hello, I'm Sato. May I ask, sir, are you the renowned Professor Oak?"
Once Professor Oak finished scolding the children, Sato took the opportunity to step forward respectfully, asking the question even though he already knew the answer.