After the morning's wild battles and training grind, Pichu's newly learned moves—Sweet Kiss and Nuzzle—had both been pushed from Novice to Skilled proficiency.
As for Frogadier, its core Water-type output move, Water Shuriken, had officially advanced from Skilled to Proficient.
"Good work, you two," Ash said with a smile. "We're having extra rations for lunch today."
After praising his partners, Ash led them back toward home.
-----
On the riverbank outside Pallet Town, Gary was still training Eevee and Squirtle.
At first, being ordered by his grandfather to train alongside Ash had made Gary resistant. But after two consecutive days of training, he realized—much to his own surprise—that he had started to enjoy this simple yet fulfilling routine.
Watching his Pokémon steadily grow stronger through training gave him an undeniable sense of achievement.
"Hey, Ash!" Gary called out with a grin when he saw Ash returning from the grassy flats.
"You went off to treat wild Pokémon again, didn't you?"
"Yep."
"By the way," Ash added, "since Squirtle and Eevee are just starting structured training, make sure you control the intensity properly. Don't push them too hard and end up leaving hidden injuries."
"And don't focus only on skill training and physical conditioning. You should also take them out to fight wild Pokémon now and then."
"That'll improve their real combat experience and help them level up."
"After all, both levels and actual battle ability are important for Pokémon."
Gary listened carefully, his expression turning thoughtful.
"When I went to Dashiwan Valley this morning to treat nearby wild Pokémon," Ash continued,
"I noticed that the grassy flats outside town are home to a lot of small wild Pokémon."
"It's harvest season right now. That area borders the town's farmland, so Pokémon like Rattata often sneak in every day to steal crops."
"If you take Squirtle and Eevee there for real combat training, you'll also be helping the uncles and elders in town protect their harvest. Two birds with one stone."
"I see…" Gary nodded.
"Then how about this—let's alternate our training schedules."
"When you're focusing on skill training for Pichu and Frogadier, I'll take Squirtle and Eevee to the grassy flats for real battles."
"And when I'm doing skill training, you can take Pichu and Frogadier out for wild battles. What do you think?"
"Hmm…"
Ash thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's a great idea. Let's do it your way."
Then he added, "When you're grinding wild battles, remember to bring some Oran Berries. Don't just defeat wild Pokémon and leave them injured."
"Got it!"
-----
By midday, villagers who had been working the fields began heading home with hoes on their shoulders and baskets on their backs.
Passing by the river outside town, Ash stopped to treat a few Water-type Pokémon gathered beneath the stone bridge.
There were only a handful, so his Viridian Blessing didn't level up this time—but Ash felt no disappointment.
Just that morning alone, he had successfully established two free-clinic routes:
the Stone Bridge and Dashiwan Valley.
In half a day, he had treated over a 100 injured wild Pokémon.
His Viridian Blessing had surged from LV.17 → LV.22, rising a full 5 levels.
Ash was already very satisfied with that pace.
-----
When he returned home, the courtyard was piled high with freshly harvested corn. There was still some left on the hillside, meaning his mother hadn't finished yet.
Seeing this, Ash first rinsed the rice and set it cooking. Then he filled feeding trays with Pokémon food for Pichu and Frogadier.
After that, he put on a straw hat and spread the corn cobs out in the yard to dry.
Whether in his previous life or this one, it was nearly impossible for ordinary farmers to make big money just growing grain—especially for a single woman like Delia Ketchum.
To save up for Ash's starter Pokémon tax, she had endured years of hardship.
But now, things were different.
Ash already had his own Pokémon.
His Trainer talent had drawn the attention of the Kanto League.
And he was earning a stable, high income from his skill-learning online shop.
Once this year's harvest was done, life wouldn't need to be so exhausting anymore.
Thinking of that, Delia—carrying a basket of corn along the dirt road back into town—wore a bright, relieved smile.
"Son…"
Seeing Ash in the yard wearing a straw hat and helping to dry the corn, Delia's face lit up with happiness.
"Mom, slow down—I'll help you with that."
"Hungry?" Delia asked, wiping sweat from her forehead after unloading the basket.
"I'll make lunch right away."
"You should rest for a bit first," Ash replied.
"I already started the rice. You can just stir-fry some dishes later."
"Oh, right—Aunt Miho sent over two watermelons yesterday. I put them in the fridge. Go grab one and cool off."
Air conditioning plus watermelon—once the heat subsided, Delia headed back into the kitchen to cook, while Ash released the Pokémon entrusted to his shop and fed them.
-----
The shop had officially opened at 12:00 noon yesterday, and a full day had passed.
Five orders had already been completed in the morning. Ash didn't plan to keep the remaining Pokémon waiting too long.
Following his original plan of batch returns, after feeding the remaining Pokémon, he selected seven of them and helped them learn their required moves.
[Ding! Ivysaur learned Giga Drain!!]
[Ding! Butterfree learned Safeguard!!]
[Ding! Haunter learned Shadow Punch!!]
[Ding! Sandslash learned Sand Tomb!!]
[Ding! Nidorina learned Venoshock!!]
…
[Ding! Poké Coin Pay—Payment received: 8,250 Poké Dollars]
[Ding! Poké Coin Pay—Payment received: 3,850 Poké Dollars]
[Ding! Poké Coin Pay—Payment received: 4,000 Poké Dollars]
[Ding! Poké Coin Pay—Payment received: 3,850 Poké Dollars]
[Ding! Poké Coin Pay—Payment received: 7,150 Poké Dollars]
…
"All right, you've all finished learning your moves," Ash said with a smile.
"I'll be sending you back to your Trainers now."
"As for the remaining eight—don't worry. By evening, at least half of you should be done. By tomorrow morning at the latest, everyone will be returned."
"Chi—chi~"
"Squeak—squeak~"
"Woo—ho~"
Ash recalled the seven Pokémon into their Poké Balls and sent them back using the Poké Ball transfer machine.
"Rotom, mark these seven orders as completed in the shop backend. Then @notify the customers in the fan group and ask for reviews."
"Roger—Rotom!!"
The gears of Ash's growing strength—
both as a Trainer and as a healer—
continued to turn smoothly forward.
--------------
T/N:
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