Lost in his thoughts, a hand suddenly claps on Ash's shoulder: "Hey! What are you doing here?"
The sudden action startles Ash, but he knows who it is from the voice. His face darkens: "Ayumi... are you following me again?!"
He says "again" because this is not the first time she's done this...
This girl seems to be an expert at finding Ash, like a Boltund that can always track its trainer.
"Hehe~ Big Brother Ash, you don't want to make Auntie Delia sad, do you?" Ayumi sticks out her tongue: "If you don't want to get caught, you have to bring me with you~!"
Since Delia and Tsukiko are best friends, Ayumi knows that Delia forbids Ash from taking risks. She even volunteered to help Delia supervise him.
"..." Ash rolls his eyes at her: "Fine, let's go. Don't run off or move around recklessly, or the Beedrill will sting your butt!"
"Don't worry, I'll be a very good girl~!" Ayumi smiles sweetly, grabs Ash's hand, and runs forward: "Let's go~!"
The two of them carefully venture deeper into the forest.
Along the way, they see many common Pokémon, such as Rattata, Oddish, Pidgey, Tangela, Exeggcute, and more.
After passing through a thick patch of bushes, Ash says softly: "We're almost there..."
The next moment, the view opens up into a bright, open plain.
"Is that a... Kangaskhan?!" Ayumi is stunned. Kangaskhan are extremely rare Pokémon that mostly live in protected habitats. She has only ever seen them in books.
Ash smiles and takes out the Pokédex that Oak gave him: "Kangaskhan, the Parent Pokémon. It protects its children by keeping them in its pouch. It will mercilessly attack anyone who harms its child."
"Pika!" A loud cry rings out. A brilliant yellow flash in the middle of the Kangaskhan herd dashes over to Ash in a blur, then skillfully jumps into his arms.
"Hahaha, that tickles, Pikachu, let me go~!" Ash pulls the clingy electric mouse away and gently rubs its head.
That's right, this is the very Pichu he risked his life to protect years ago. It's his first partner from the original story, the "Pika-god" who accompanied him for twenty-five years.
"It's a Pikachu! It's so cute! I want to hold it too~" Ayumi looks envious and reaches out to hug Pikachu.
"Wait! It's dangerous!"
Ash quickly warns her, but Ayumi has already grabbed Pikachu's tail...
The next moment...
"Pika... chu—" Lightning crackles, and currents surge. Both of them turn to charcoal on the spot.
"It's... numb..."
After a long while, they recover. Ash gets an Oran Berry for Pikachu and then tells Ayumi about his past experience.
"No wonder it likes you so much..." Ayumi is surprised that Ash nearly died for Pikachu. For a moment, her gaze toward him holds a strange new meaning.
"Pikachu, will you come with me?" Ash takes out the old, worn Poké Ball from his pocket.
"Pika?" Pikachu tilts its head.
"Yeah... Be my partner and my family, and we'll go and experience the wonders of this world together."
"Pika..." Pikachu shakes its head.
Ash freezes, the light in his eyes quickly dimming: "You won't...?"
"I think it's saying it doesn't want to stay in the ball," Ayumi says hesitantly.
The little mouse nods repeatedly: "Pika!"
"Hehe..." Ash laughs, the momentary gloom vanishing completely: "Just for a second. This will be your spot from now on~"
He says this, patting his shoulder.
"Pika~!" At this, Pikachu's tiny paws press the Poké Ball. It then turns into a red light and gets sucked inside.
"Whir, whir, whir..." The Poké Ball slowly sways on the ground. Ash's heart beats along with it.
"Ding!"
A special sound effect rings out. The surreal feeling of a dream gradually transforms into a sense of joyful, tangible fulfillment.
Ash picks up the Poké Ball. As if his DNA has been activated, he spins in a circle and strikes a pose with his index finger pointing up: "I caught... a Pikachu!!!"
"It's just catching a Pokémon. Why are you so dramatic about it?" Ayumi pouts, her voice a little sour.
Ash laughs and ignores her: "Hehe... Come on out, Pikachu!"
"Pika!" As soon as the little mouse is out, it scurries up to Ash's shoulder. Its movements are so practiced it looks like it's been doing this for two and a half years.
"From now on, I'll be in your care, Pikachu~"
"Pika, Pikachuu!"
After saying goodbye to the Kangaskhan and its child, the two head back toward Pallet Town.
On the way, Ash also gathers some berries.
The system's built-in inventory has a volume of 10 cubic meters. When Ayumi isn't looking, Ash puts some berries in there, at least enough for Pikachu's food supply for a while.
But it seems fate doesn't want them to have a smooth journey back...
"Hurry, keep up! If it gets away, we'll all be punished!"
Quick footsteps approach from the distance. Soon, a team of soldiers in black uniforms appears in their sight.
The large, blood-red 'R' on their uniforms makes their identity clear—Team Rocket!
Ayumi stands there in a daze, and then Ash tackles her into the bushes.
"Mmph..." The girl instinctively tries to make a sound, but Ash quickly covers her mouth with his hand.
"Don't make a sound. They're the evil organization, Team Rocket!"
Ayumi's face is hit with Ash's heavy breath. For a moment, she can't even process what he's saying, only focusing on her racing heart and blushing cheeks.
She wonders if it's her imagination, but she feels Ash looks even more handsome than he did this morning...
Her big eyes narrow, and she seems to be enjoying the feeling of being pinned down...
Ash, however, has no time to enjoy the soft body beneath him. He picks up a stone and throws it into the distance. If he can just lure them away, they can sneak off.
But the sound of the stone hitting the ground never comes. Instead, it hovers strangely in mid-air.
"?" Ash is stunned. What's going on?
The next moment, a pink kitten appears next to the floating stone. With its big eyes, signature cat ears, and long tail, it's the Mythical Pokémon—Mew!
"Mew?" Mew holds up the stone in its hand and gives a humanlike smile.
Then it throws the stone back at Ash...
When Mew appeared, Ash knew that Team Rocket's target must be this cheeky Pokémon.
But why can't you just stay hidden, old-timer?
Fine, if you can't sit still, why are you throwing the stone back at me?
Is this a game?
And why does it have a sonic boom?! Is that a Dark-type move, 'Fling' or something?
Ash doesn't know if it's Fling, but he feels a deep sense of malice...
"Ouch! That hurts..." As if on cue, the stone hits the top of Ayumi's head, and the girl cries out in pain.
The next moment, the Team Rocket soldiers focus their attention on the bush where the two are hiding: "Who's there? Come out!"
Ash gives a miserable look at Mew, who is covering its mouth and giggling. "You've ruined everything!"
"You're looking for the little pink cat, right? It's right there!" Ash stands up abruptly and yells at the soldiers, then grabs Ayumi's hand: "Run!"
This successfully captures the soldiers' attention: "It's Mew! Go, chase it! Arbok, Koffing, attack!"
But just as they let out a sigh of relief and run a few steps, Mew, to Ash's horror, starts to approach them from the distance... It even picks up another stone and throws it at him.
"What the heck! Are you kidding me?!" Ash catches the stone and throws it back.
Mew flips over in the air and uses its tail to flick the stone back again.
It's clear Mew is having fun, but Ash is in agony.
Not only does he have to catch the stones Mew throws at him, but he also has to dodge the attacks of the relentlessly pursuing soldiers...