Time passed in the blink of an eye.
During these days, Delia would send Ash almost daily to invite Cole for dinner, consistently showing concern for his wellbeing. This gradually eliminated the awkwardness he felt after reuniting with family. His relationship with Delia and Ash grew increasingly harmonious.
Ash especially loved spending time with his uncle. Cole would show him Pokémon, teach him extensive Pokémon knowledge, and demonstrate how to interact with them and command them in battle.
Ash had a natural talent for gaining Pokémon's affection. After just several days together, he and Pikachu had become inseparable best friends, eating and sleeping together.
On this day, after their outdoor activities ended, Cole and Daniel walked back to the dormitory together. As they reached the entrance, they spotted Ash and Pikachu waiting at the door.
"Your little nephew is here for you again." Daniel said with a smile, nudging Cole, "You two chat, we'll head in first!"
With that, he quickly pulled Keith inside the dormitory.
After several days of processing everything, Cole had fully accepted having new family members and no longer hid his relationship with Ash from his friends.
Upon learning that he had found his relatives, Daniel, Keith, and Valerie were all genuinely happy for him and offered their sincere congratulations.
Moreover, after confirming that Cole was Red's younger brother, Professor Oak's attitude toward him had become notably friendlier, often showing concern for his wellbeing.
The Oak family and the Ketchum family had known each other for many years, maintaining a close relationship — otherwise Professor Oak wouldn't have taken such good care of Ash and Delia.
"Uncle!" Seeing him return, Ash waved happily. After spending time together, he had finally stopped addressing Cole incorrectly.
"Pika!"
Pikachu at Ash's feet also grinned and waved, perfectly mimicking Ash's movements.
Cole walked over with a smile, "Did you come looking for me?"
Ash grinned, showing his big white teeth, "Mom asked me to invite you for a picnic tomorrow."
Since tomorrow was Cole's day off, Delia had sent Ash to ask. She was truly putting in effort to build their relationship.
Cole found himself in a dilemma, "Well... I already made plans to meet some friends tomorrow..."
Though he'd been in Kanto for over twenty days, he still hadn't met with Kiara and Sara. They had arranged to meet tomorrow. The two girls were studying in Celadon City, not far from Pallet Town where he was staying.
They had already set the meeting place.
Hearing this, Ash casually suggested, "Why doesn't uncle just invite your friends to join us?"
"Pika~ Pika~" — That's right, that's right.
Pikachu nodded in agreement.
Hmm~ That does make sense.
"Alright, let's go talk to your mom about it." Cole said.
"Yay, let's go home!" Ash cheered.
"Pika!"
Pikachu jumped into Cole's arms in a flash.
And so the uncle-nephew pair took Pikachu and headed home together.
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When Cole arrived at Ash's house, he told Delia about his prior arrangements with his friends and asked if she would like to join them for a picnic elsewhere. She readily agreed.
Because she had to take care of Ash, Delia rarely left Pallet Town, so she was looking forward to having a picnic outside of town.
When she learned that both of his friends were girls, Delia asked with a mischievous expression, "Could one of them be little brother-in-law's girlfriend? Or perhaps... both of them?"
Cole looked exasperated, "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about! Kiara and Sara are purely just friends, and they're both much older than me!"
"Oh? They're not?" Delia looked disappointed, "Your older brother was already dating me at your age. Little brother-in-law needs to step up his game! Age isn't an issue."
Cole: ...
After finalizing plans with Delia, he called Kiara and Sara to inform them. It was only then that they learned he had found his relatives in Kanto. They were both happy for him and agreed to join Delia and Ash for the picnic.
For Kiara and Sara, the schedule barely changed since Cole and Delia set the picnic location at the same place where he had originally arranged to meet them.
That place was chosen by Sara.
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The next day, Cole, Delia, and Ash packed their things, brought along the necessary picnic equipment, and took a car to nearby Cerulean City. From there, they boarded a boat to Veilshore Town.
{T/N: The town name is original, since the place where they are doesn't have a canon name. You'll understand at the end.}
This location near Saffron City was where Cole had arranged to meet Kiara and Sara. They had chosen this spot because Kiara mentioned that today was the town's annual Summer Festival, making it a lively and great place to visit.
As the ferry approached Veilshore's pier, Cole and his companions witnessed a bustling scene. The dock teemed with tourists coming and going, while residents busily prepared for the festival.
"Wow, so many people!" Ash exclaimed, with Pikachu perched on his head as he leaned over the ship's railing.
"Pika pi!"
Pikachu looked equally amazed; it had never seen such a crowd before.
Seeing this, Delia quickly gave both of them a gentle smack on the head, "Don't stick your heads out, it's dangerous!"
Ash and Pikachu promptly retreated from the railing, rubbing their heads.
After disembarking, Delia asked Cole, "Did you arrange a meeting place with your friends?"
Cole replied, "At the entrance of the Pokémon Center."
"Where is the Pokémon Center in Veilshore? We should hurry over — your friends might already be waiting, and being late is very impolite." Delia quickly took out her navigator and began looking up the location.
At that moment, Ash suddenly pointed to the other side of the dock, "Mom, Uncle, look, there's a very pretty big sister looking at us!"
Cole and Delia looked in the direction he was pointing, but they only saw a group of Machoke carrying cargo. There was no pretty big sister anywhere.
Delia said irritably, "What do you know about pretty big sisters!"
Ash pouted, "But I really saw her. Pikachu, did you see her?"
"Pika pi?" — I didn't see anyone~
Pikachu tilted its head, looking confused.
Everyone dismissed it as Ash's imagination and continued on their way. Following the navigator's directions, they soon found the Pokémon Center.
Since Kiara and Sara hadn't arrived yet, they sat down at the entrance to rest.
Suddenly, a short, white-haired old lady appeared before them. She leaned on a cane and stared at them intently.
Both Ash and Pikachu jumped at her unexpected appearance.
"Wow! Mom, there's a dried-up kappa looking at us!"
"Pika pi!" — There's a monster!
The old lady's eyes narrowed with anger, "What nonsense are you saying! How dare you disrespect an elder like that! I'll curse you!"
Delia quickly stepped in with an apology.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am, this child really has no filter!" She shot Ash a stern look, "Apologize to the old lady right now."
"I'm sorry..."
"Pika pi~" — Sorry~
Both Ash and Pikachu hung their heads in shame as they apologized.
"Hmph hmph~~" The old lady snorted coldly, then looked at Cole and said, "You must beware of beautiful women today, or you'll surely meet with disaster!"
Cole: ...
Delia, however, responded with a coy expression, "Oh my, granny, I wouldn't do anything dangerous to my brother-in-law!"
The old lady glanced at her, "I'm talking about eighteen-year-old young ladies!"
Delia: (°д°) I'm forever eighteen!
With that, the old lady slowly shuffled away.
"How absurd!" Delia fumed at the old lady's words.
Cole and the others waited for about half an hour before Kiara and Sara finally arrived together.
Delia greeted the two girls enthusiastically, "Are you my brother-in-law's friends? My goodness, you're both so beautiful — I've never seen such pretty girls before."
At this moment, Cole really wanted to ask her: So which one of them is prettier?
He quickly made the introductions, "This is my sister-in-law Delia, and this is my nephew Ash."
"And Pikachu too!" Seeing that Cole hadn't mentioned Pikachu, Ash immediately lifted it above his head.
"Pika~ Pika~" — Me too, me too!
"Yes, yes, and Pikachu too. Sorry I forgot to introduce you." Cole scratched Pikachu under the chin.
"Pika~~~Pi~"
Pikachu closed its eyes in contentment.
"Nice to meet you, Sister Delia, Ash, and Pikachu too."
The two girls greeted everyone warmly.
Since the festival hadn't started yet, the group found a place to sit together and chat.
Delia was quite the chatterbox. Despite having little in common with Kiara and Sara, her exceptional social skills kept the conversation flowing lively between them.
Her whimsical personality allowed her to maintain dialogue even when they clearly weren't on the same wavelength. Somehow, she always managed to bridge these gaps with remarkable ease.
At noon, the Veilshore Summer Festival officially began, and the group eagerly set out to explore the shrine festivities.
Cole released all his Pokémon so they could enjoy the festive atmosphere alongside everyone else.
Following his example, Kiara and Sara released their Pokémon too.
Ash was thrilled to see so many Pokémon at once. Within minutes, he had befriended them all and appointed himself their leader, guiding them through shopping, eating, and playing — while Cole trailed behind, wallet constantly open.
During their festival tour, they ran into the old lady again.
"Young man, would you like your fortune told? My divinations are very accurate, you know." The old lady beckoned to him.
"No thanks, I don't have anything I want divined." Cole replied with a shake of his head.
The old lady's face immediately soured, "What an unappreciative little brat!"
Sara, however, found herself curious about the fortune-telling. She crouched down in front of the old lady's divination stand and asked, "Granny, can you tell me what place I'll get in this year's League tournament?"
The granny promptly extended her withered arm, "That'll be P$500, pay first, then I'll divine."
Without hesitation, Sara pulled out a handful of bills and placed them in the old lady's palm.
Pocketing the money with evident satisfaction, the old lady took out a staff and tapped Sara in various places. She closed her eyes and muttered incantations, her expression solemn and focused.
After what seemed like ages, she finally opened her eyes and fixed her gaze intently on the girl.
"Well? Well? Did I become the champion?" Sara asked anxiously.
"First place." The old lady said unhurriedly.
"Really?"
Sara was overjoyed, but the next words immediately crushed her excitement.
"First place from the bottom!"
Fuming, Sara dragged Cole and the others away.
"What a scam! As if I could ever come in last place! What a joke!" She complained as they walked.
As they continued, they came upon a shrine with a stage set up. A middle-aged man was addressing a crowd of attentive spectators.
"What's going on over there?" Cole asked curiously.
"You don't know?" Sara replied, surprised, "The shrine is telling visitors about the legend of Maiden's Peak that has been passed down for generations."
"Maiden's Peak?" Cole was stunned; the name sounded strangely familiar.
"It's right there!" Kiara pointed to a strait in front of the shrine. On its edge stood a tall stone statue of a maiden facing the sea, "Legend has it that two thousand years ago, a beautiful maiden lived here. She had a lover who sailed off to war and never returned. The maiden loved him so deeply that she waited by the sea day after day until finally she turned into a stone statue."
Sara explained the story of Maiden's Peak to everyone else.
"The festival we're attending commemorates this maiden. You came all the way here without knowing that?" Kiara looked at him incredulously.
Cole was speechless. He had just realized what this place was — wasn't this where Ash and his friends would encounter that thousand-year-old talking Gastly in the future?
He now strongly suspected that the old lady who had scammed them was actually that Gastly.
To preserve the maiden's story, Gastly would visit Maiden's Peak during each Summer Festival to create supernatural legends. This spread the tale to more people, hoping the maiden's lover's spirit would learn of her story and return to find her.
Cole turned around to look for the old lady. Sure enough, both she and her fortune-telling stand had completely vanished.
The Gastly's illusion was remarkably powerful — even Cole's Psychic Power couldn't penetrate it, suggesting its strength had reached a truly terrifying level.
Worthy of a thousand-year-old Gastly, no... whether it was even a real Gastly might be a mystery.