Cole slowly spread his Psychic Power throughout the forest, carefully searching for Ash.
While he couldn't locate Ash, he spotted a flock of Spearow attacking a Pikachu. The Pikachu lay unconscious and badly injured, yet the Spearow continued their relentless assault.
Cole used his Psychic Power to track the scene, severely punished the Spearow with his psychic abilities, then retrieved the unconscious Pikachu.
After examining it, he sighed with relief. Despite the little yellow creature's numerous wounds, none posed a threat to its life.
He took out an energy-replenishing berry, used his Psychic Power to squeeze it into juice, and carefully fed it drop by drop into Pikachu's mouth.
Though unconscious, the Pikachu instinctively swallowed the juice. As the liquid reached its stomach, its sickly appearance began to improve.
Next, Cole had Bayleef use Heal Pulse to treat Pikachu's wounds.
While examining Pikachu's injuries, however, he discovered something astonishing: this Pikachu's internal energy circuits were unusually complex — even more intricate than his mom's.
Could a Pikachu naturally have such energy circuits? Surely even pseudo-legendary Pokémon wouldn't possess more complex circuits than this?
Of course, Cole had never actually examined a pseudo-legendary's energy circuits, but he knew ordinary Pikachu certainly wouldn't have such intricate energy pathways.
A sudden thought struck him — could this possibly be Ash's future Pikachu?
This was truly... fate!
The Pikachu God lived up to its reputation, possessing such intricate energy circuits. No wonder it had such extraordinary growth potential.
With the unconscious Pikachu in his arms, Cole continued his search for Ash.
Finally, he got a lead from a nearby Pidgey that had spotted the boy yesterday evening.
Following the Pidgey's guidance, Cole found the pit where Ash had rescued the Bellsprout. He then learned about the Bellsprout's dwelling from a Rattata nearby, ultimately locating Ash in a tree hollow.
Cole's arrival startled the vigilant Bellsprout, which protectively gathered around Ash, fearing this stranger might harm him.
Cole quickly reassured them, "I'm not a bad person. Ash didn't return home last night, and his mother is very worried, so I came to find him."
The Bellsprout eyed him suspiciously.
"What's going on?" Ash finally stirred, rubbing his eyes and mumbling sleepily.
"Ash!" Cole called out.
Hearing his voice, Ash jolted awake, "Big brother?"
"You're finally awake!" Cole said with a sigh.
"Why is big brother here?" Ash asked, confused.
"You have the nerve to ask! You didn't go home last night, and your mom is worried sick!"
"Oh no, Mom!" Hearing this, Ash suddenly realized he was in trouble. He tried to stand up quickly but hit his head on the tree hollow, clutching his head in pain.
Cole pulled him out of the tree hollow, "Let's hurry back. Your mom is still in the forest looking for you!"
"Mm-hmm~" Ash nodded repeatedly, then reluctantly said goodbye to the Bellsprout, "Goodbye, Bellsprout. Take care of yourselves."
The Bellsprout, equally teary-eyed, bid farewell to him.
Ash's affinity with Pokémon was undeniably strong. After just one night together, he had completely won the trust of the Bellsprout.
This must be what they call the heart of a child!
Cole smiled and asked, "You really like Pokémon that much?"
"Mm-hmm~" Ash nodded enthusiastically, "I love Pokémon more than anything! I'll definitely become a Pokémon Master in the future!"
Cole ruffled his hair, "Not bad, you've got ambition. But becoming a Pokémon Master isn't easy — you'll have to work hard!"
At this point, Ash noticed the Pikachu in Cole's arms and asked curiously, "What Pokémon is this?"
"It's called Pikachu, also known as the Electric Mouse Pokémon. It's an Electric-type."
"Pikachu!" Ash repeated the name, "It seems hurt."
"I found it in the forest. It was attacked by Spearow, so it's injured." Cole explained.
"Is it going to be okay?" Ash asked anxiously.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine. I've already treated its wounds."
"That's good." Ash sighed with relief.
Seeing how concerned he was about Pikachu, Cole asked, "Since you like Pikachu so much, how about I entrust it to your care?"
Hearing this, Ash's eyes immediately lit up, "Really?"
"Of course! But you need to get your mom's permission!" Cole said.
Children under ten who want to keep Pokémon must have parental approval. At this point, the child's possession of a Pokémon isn't called capturing, but guardianship.
Cole brought Ash to Delia. She first hugged her son and cried for a while, then, catching the kid off guard, raised her hand and spanked him hard.
"This is for being naughty, for running around outside, for not coming home all night..."
Smack, Smack, Smack—
The sound of spanking echoed through the forest, accompanied by Ash's heart-wrenching cries.
Cole watched from the side without intervening. Mischievous kids needed to be disciplined.
Besides, a childhood without being spanked by parents was incomplete!
On the way back, Ash sobbed while asking his mother, "Mom... hiccup can I... hiccup keep the Pikachu... hiccup that big brother has... hiccup…"
Delia was furious, "You still dare to make requests?"
"But... hiccup but~ hiccup…" Ash shrank his neck, tears welling in his eyes.
Cole leaned over and whispered in Delia's ear.
"Sister Delia, Ash went to the forest because he was chasing Pokémon. He loves them so much that you can't stop him. Instead of letting him get into such dangerous situations again, why not let him keep a Pokémon? Better to guide than to block."
After hearing his words, Delia pondered, then said to Ash's delight, "Alright, I agree to let you keep Pikachu. But since you've decided to keep it, you must take good care of it, understand?"
"Understood!" Ash broke into a smile through his tears and loudly promised his mother.
But because he spoke with too much force and excitement, snot suddenly shot out of his nose.
Cole and Delia quickly jumped away from him in disgust.
"Hehehe~~" Ash wiped his nose with his clothes and grinned sheepishly at them.
"Ash!!!" Delia exploded in anger, "How many times have I told you not to wipe your nose with your clothes!"
Hearing this, Ash froze, then took off running, with his mother transforming into a raging Pyroar as she chased after him.
And so, the three of them left the forest amidst their playful banter.
To thank Cole for helping find Ash, Delia enthusiastically invited him to their home. Unable to refuse, he agreed.
Seeing it was almost noon, Delia went to the kitchen to prepare lunch and insisted that Cole stay to eat before leaving. He offered to help, but she wouldn't allow it, saying he should go play with Ash while she handled everything.
With no choice, Cole released his Lopunny to help Delia.
When he arrived at Ash's room, he found the boy enthusiastically setting up a new bed for Pikachu.
The room was full of toys, including a toy bed perfect for Pikachu to sleep in. Though it was a toy, it was crafted with remarkable realism and detail.
Ash took out the toy bed, put sheets on it, added a blanket and pillow, then carefully placed the still-unconscious Pikachu on it.
"Pikachu, get some good rest!" Ash whispered.
Seeing this, Cole said, "Pikachu is a very shy Pokémon that becomes timid around strangers. You'll need to be patient when getting to know it."
With a confident expression, Ash replied, "Don't worry, big brother. I'm sure Pikachu and I will become good friends."
Cole didn't respond, 'I don't doubt you'll become good friends with Pikachu, but if you could be a bit more careful, you might get electrocuted less often.'
Oh well, Super Rookie isn't afraid of electric shocks anyway!
Soon, Delia and Lopunny finished preparing lunch.
Delia called Cole to the table, "Cole, your Lopunny is amazing. It's even better at cooking than I am."
"Really? Better than Mom's cooking?" Ash jumped to the table and immediately grabbed an unfamiliar piece of food from the plate, stuffing it into his mouth.
"No manners!" Delia gave him a hard slap.
"Hehe~~" Ash chewed while laughing, "There's no one else here! It's delicious, really delicious, but I still think Mom's cooking is the best."
Delia glared at him.
"Eat more, don't be shy, make yourself at home!" During the meal, Delia kept putting food on Cole's plate.
Seeing him eating happily, she smiled warmly.
As she watched, Delia suddenly said, "I don't know why, but you look somehow familiar to me!"
Cole smiled and said, "Maybe I just have a common face?"
Impossible, I'm stunningly handsome!
At this moment, Ash suddenly raised his hand and exclaimed, "I know, I know!"
"What do you know?" Delia asked with an exasperated expression.
"I just know!" With that, Ash jumped off his chair and ran toward her room.
"Hey! Why are you running into my room?" Delia called after him helplessly.
Ash quickly returned with a picture frame in his hand. He placed it on the table and pointed at one of the people in the photo, saying, "Mom, doesn't he look similar?"
Cole examined the frame and saw it was a family photo.
The image showed four people: a young couple standing side by side, clearly husband and wife. In front of them stood a boy with a bright smile, while the wife held a baby in her arms.
The person Ash was pointing to was the husband. Looking closer, Cole realized he shared at least a 50-60% resemblance with the man in the photo.
Delia looked at the photo, then at Cole, her expression suddenly growing serious. She grabbed the frame and repeatedly compared him to the man in the image.
"No way, could it be such a coincidence?" Delia muttered.
Cole's heart skipped a beat as he asked, "Sister Delia, who are the people in this photo?"
Delia held the photo facing him and explained, "This is my father-in-law and mother-in-law. This boy is Ash's father when he was young, and this baby... is Ash's father's younger brother — Ash's uncle."
Cole: ...
No way...
"What happened to Ash's uncle?" Cole asked hesitantly.
"Missing…" Delia sighed deeply, "Over ten years ago, my in-laws took their younger son on a boat trip. They were attacked by powerful wild Pokémon during the journey, and the entire ship sank. Since then, my in-laws and brother-in-law have all been missing."
After saying this, Delia looked at Cole with hopeful eyes.
"Cole, may I ask about... your parents?"
Cole gave a bitter smile, "I don't know who my biological parents are. I was found and raised on an island by my adoptive mother, who is a Gardevoir."
"Really?!" Delia's eyes widened as she became even more convinced of her suspicion.
At this moment, she desperately wanted to share this news with her husband.
Since the disappearance of her in-laws and brother-in-law, her husband had become like a different person, even losing his smile. Only she knew how much effort he had put into searching for his parents and brother.
To hide his grief, her husband never mentioned his family at home. All their photos had been put away — to the point that Ash had never even seen what his grandparents and uncle looked like.
Wait a minute, how did Ash know where this photo was hidden? This naughty child must have been rummaging through the house again!
But she'd let it go for today; the matter of finding her brother-in-law was more important!
Ash didn't realize he'd escaped a beating. He looked between his mom and Cole, not understanding what they were talking about.
Grandparents-in-law, brother-in-law... the adult world was so complicated!
Ash's father had been away on a mission for almost two years and hadn't returned. Delia couldn't contact him at the moment, which made her increasingly anxious.
Wait! DNA testing!
They could do a DNA test. Although Ash's father wasn't home, Ash was here. If they could prove Cole and Ash were related, wouldn't Cole's identity become clear?
"Cole, would you be willing to take a DNA test with Ash?" Delia asked hesitantly.
"Of course!" Cole readily agreed.
What he didn't know was that the location where his senior had summoned him to the Pokémon world was in Kanto, which explained why Gardevoir had been waiting in Viridian Forest.
✲✲✲
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