"So, Ash, you fought back so forcefully just now, but then you let that woman leave in the end. Won't that leave us with trouble later? What if she comes back for revenge?"
Tierno and the others looked at Ash with worried expressions.
As Ash's close friends, this was arguably the first time they had personally experienced the kind of pressure Ash faced as a genius celebrity Trainer who constantly attracted attention and admiration.
"Ash, why don't we go to the Officer Jenny police station and report what happened? We can tell Officer Jenny everything. Otherwise, that woman could attack us again at any time. This is terrifying. It makes it impossible to feel safe."
Clemont also looked at Ash with concern, clearly worried that Ash might face retaliation later.
However, after hearing this, Ash shook his head.
He knew that Clemont and the others were genuinely worried about him and cared about him.
But they didn't truly understand organizations like Team Rocket and Team Flare. They had never dealt with such forces themselves, so their understanding of the situation was inevitably somewhat idealistic.
In simple terms, they were overestimating the power of justice and light while underestimating the strength of evil and darkness.
Officer Jenny and the local police station weren't nearly as powerful or influential as they imagined.
And Team Flare was not an organization that could be dealt with so easily.
At least in this matter, Officer Jenny wouldn't be able to provide much practical help.
"Underground criminal organizations like these have deeply rooted networks and countless layers of protection and concealment. Unless there is absolute evidence, unless the League finds the right opportunity, and unless it is prepared to mobilize substantial forces, it is basically impossible to shake their foundations."
"If we go to Officer Jenny over such a minor unpleasant incident, we might actually provoke them and force both sides into complete opposition."
"If you strike a snake without killing it, and it later decides to retaliate without restraint, that's when things become truly troublesome."
"I'm not from Kalos. I'll only be staying here for a while before eventually returning to Kanto. If I provoke these local powers, I'm worried they might turn their attention toward all of you."
"You're all friends I treasure deeply. I can't allow you to be placed in danger."
"Besides, this whole incident happened because of me. They were targeting me in the first place."
Ash paused before reassuring them.
"But you don't need to worry. This isn't my first time dealing with people and organizations like this. I understand their personalities, their habits, and their usual methods of operation very well."
"In today's battle, I also showed them enough of my strength to make them wary and prevent them from acting recklessly."
"At the same time, I gave Lysandre and Team Flare room to back down and resolve the situation."
"So, if my judgment is correct, I believe they'll send someone to contact me again very soon, apologize, and bring a gift."
Ash looked at the worried expressions of the girls and his close friends surrounding him and patiently explained.
"Really?"
"The organization behind that woman won't come after us for revenge? Instead, they'll come over to apologize and give us a gift?"
"…"
"…"
After hearing Ash's words, everyone was more or less skeptical.
Clemont and Bonnie, in particular, were younger and had spent much of their lives staying at home rather than going out. Their faces were practically filled with disbelief.
"Don't worry. Trust me."
Ash gave everyone a confident smile.
After that, he didn't say anything more.
By then, Ash had already arrived at Lumiose City's Pokémon Breeding Street, so he led everyone into the bustling district and began shopping.
Originally, his visit to Professor Sycamore's research institute that day had simply been intended to use his knowledge of Mega Evolution to earn Sycamore a significant favor and establish a valuable connection with him.
Ash had never expected that he would ultimately leave Professor Sycamore's laboratory with a Shiny Fennekin possessing extraordinary potential.
At this point, the Pokémon on Ash's first and second teams were already capable of standing on their own.
Even Venusaur, the later addition to his third team, had already matured into a formidable battler.
There was still room for improvement in their training, of course, but their development could now proceed steadily and systematically. Ash no longer needed to invest enormous amounts of time and energy into personally overseeing every aspect of their growth.
And with the Beedrill Egg still requiring a long time before it could hatch, Ash had already begun considering whether he should capture and raise another new Pokémon.
The previous day, during Wikstrom's Knight's Way promotional tour, Ash had seen just how powerful Aegislash was.
That had suddenly given him the idea of capturing and raising a Ghost-type Pokémon.
Of course, he still hadn't made up his mind.
After all, according to the original anime's storyline, when he eventually traveled through Kanto, his former self would encounter and capture a Gengar at Professor Sakuragi's research institute in Vermilion City.
That Gengar had excellent personality and strength, yet, like his future Charizard, had once been abandoned by its Trainer.
There was also an old, dilapidated tower between Saffron City and Lavender Town where his former self had encountered several lively and mischievous Ghost-type Pokémon.
And in the anime's Maiden's Peak storyline, his former self had even encountered a "thousand-year-old gastly" capable of transforming into a human form.
Because of all these future encounters, Ash had always had an interest in raising a Ghost-type Pokémon.
After careful consideration, he had even planned to make his tenth Pokémon a Gengar with the potential for both Mega Evolution and Gigantamax.
However, once he eventually began his journey, he was likely to encounter quite a few unusual Gengar.
Ash didn't want to repeatedly capture the same species of Pokémon.
Therefore, he still hadn't completely decided whether he should capture Gengar now.
As for choosing a new Pokémon, Ash had one major requirement.
Its type couldn't overlap with the types already represented among his main Pokémon.
In particular, it absolutely couldn't be Water-type.
He already had far too many Water-type Pokémon.
His next Pokémon had to possess a type that was currently missing from his lineup.
And Fennekin, as one of Kalos's Fire-type starters, would eventually evolve into Braixen and then Delphox, both of which had distinctly humanoid forms.
Without a doubt, Fennekin's typing and abilities made it fully worthy of being raised as one of Ash's ace Pokémon.
And the fact that it was a Shiny Pokémon with monstrous potential only made it more exceptional.
It could be said that capturing the little Fennekin had been completely unexpected for Ash.
But he was extremely satisfied with the result.
"Oh, right, Serena."
Ash turned toward the girl beside him.
"Your starter Pokémon was also Fennekin, wasn't it?"
"When it comes to Fennekin, what kinds of daily necessities does it need? And how should I take care of one properly?"
"You'll have to teach me some of your experience."
After arriving at Pokémon Breeding Street and seeing the dazzling array of shops and products surrounding them, Ash smiled and turned to Serena.
The unpleasant events from earlier—the battle in the park, Celosia, Team Flare, and everything else—seemed to have been completely pushed to the back of his mind.
At this moment, he was no longer thinking about any of it.
"Mhm! (^^)"
Serena happily nodded when Ash asked for her advice.
"As for how to take care of Fennekin, we can talk about all of that slowly after we get back."
"But since we're here at Pokémon Breeding Street to buy daily necessities for your little Fennekin, the first thing we should get is a good brush for grooming its fur."
Serena spoke confidently and enthusiastically, clearly delighted to finally have a chance to share her experience with Ash.