"Drowzee, return to your Poké Ball for now."
After finishing copying Drowzee's skills, Ash recalled it back into its Poké Ball.
Whenever customers' Pokémon were delivered, aside from copying their moves at the very beginning and feeding them three times a day, Ash generally didn't keep those Pokémon outside for long.
There were two reasons for this.
First, he didn't want people—or Pokémon—to learn too many details about how he helped Pokémon learn skills.
The fewer outsiders knew, the safer the secret of his Ascension Trainer System would remain.
But the second reason was far more important.
Ash didn't want to form emotional bonds with these Pokémon.
They belonged to other Trainers.
They weren't his—and never would be.
Even forming a tiny attachment would make parting painful when it came time to send them back. And while that pain wouldn't solve anything, over time, repeated separations would inevitably dull his heart.
Eventually, he might begin to treat Pokémon as mere commodities.
Ash didn't want to become that kind of person.
Not only because he himself rejected that future—but also because if he truly turned cold-hearted, he would never again be able to maintain a pure heart, nor continue cultivating himself through healing wild Pokémon.
If this was a business of skill learning, then skills alone should be the focus.
Pokémon should never be reduced to tools within a profit-driven relationship.
That was Ash's principle.
----
Late into the night, Ash lay on his bed and practiced Aura Powers meditation for a while before drifting into deep sleep.
Pidgey perched beside his pillow in a small nest it had made.
Pichu lay sprawled across Ash's chest.
Frogadier leaned against the window frame, eyes closed.
Rotom controlled the circuitry and turned off the lights.
The room sank into quiet darkness.
Outside, the autumn night sky glittered with countless stars—
like fine grains of silver sand spilled across the Milky Way, slanted over the deep blue heavens.
"Ugh… so tired. I finally replied to everything," Rotom muttered to itself while inhabiting the computer.
"I really thought teaching Magikarp Tackle wouldn't be anything special… who knew business would be this crazy?"
"By the time I finished responding to all the customer messages and inquiries, it was already deep into the night… I should sleep too."
Just as Rotom was about to power down—
One of the five Poké Balls placed in the box on Ash's desk suddenly shook.
Click.
One Poké Ball opened.
A beam of red light spilled onto the floor and condensed into the form of a Drowzee.
"…Huh?"
"Why did Drowzee come out on its own?"
Rotom watched curiously, pretending nothing was wrong.
But Rotom wasn't naïve.
Sensing something abnormal in Drowzee's behavior, it stayed silent, dimmed the monitor, and quietly observed.
Then—
What happened next made Rotom's circuits spike in shock.
Drowzee began walking toward the bed where Ash slept.
As a Ghost-type Pokémon, Rotom possessed night vision.
Drowzee's half-lidded eyes were fixed on Ash.
They were filled with malice.
Tap.
Szzzt…
Szzzt…
"Frogadier—wake up! Ash is in danger!"
Rotom could no longer stay calm.
It immediately restored power, flooding the room with light, and fired two electric shocks at the same time—
One struck straight at Drowzee.
The other hit Frogadier, who had been sleeping by the window.
"Drow—zee!!"
Drowzee had just been about to cast Hypnosis, intending to implant a powerful suggestion—
"Leave Pallet Town."
But the sudden light blinded it.
Before it could react, Rotom's electric attack struck from behind, sending Drowzee crashing to the floor, limbs numb.
"Frogadier!!"
On the other side of the room, Frogadier was jolted awake by the shock and nearly toppled out the window.
But as Ash's strongest combatant, it stabilized instantly—
just in time to hear Rotom's warning and see Drowzee half-kneeling on the ground.
"Frogadier!"
With lightning-fast reflexes, Frogadier hurled two clumps of Frubbles, gluing Drowzee's feet firmly to the floor.
However, Drowzee was a Psychic-type Pokémon.
Having its limbs restrained didn't significantly hinder its ability to fight.
And its level was clearly higher than Frogadier's.
If the battle dragged on, Frogadier—whose combat experience still wasn't fully honed—might not be able to win.
Just as Drowzee began gathering psychic energy to counterattack—
Bang!
Another Poké Ball beside Ash's pillow burst open.
A massive orange silhouette appeared in the room, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure—
like an abyss opening beneath one's feet.
Drowzee froze.
The psychic energy it was gathering instantly collapsed.
Its body slammed flat against the floor, cold sweat pouring down its back, every instinct screaming danger.
It felt as if making even the slightest move would cost it its life.
"Rooaaar…"
Frogadier stared, stunned.
"Frogadier… Rotom, what happened?" it asked urgently.
"Isn't this Drowzee one of the Pokémon sent over by the shop after dinner?"
"Rotom… I was replying to customer messages really late," Rotom explained quickly.
"I was just about to sleep when Drowzee came out on its own and tried to attack Ash. That's why I woke you up."
After the earlier encounters with Team Rocket, although Ash had kept the danger hidden from his mother, Rotom and Frogadier both knew the truth.
Seeing this Drowzee suppressed under the terrifying aura of Charizard, their thoughts immediately went to the same conclusion.
Team Rocket.
"Rotom… what should we do now?" Frogadier asked grimly.
"Dispose of this Drowzee?"
"Frogadier…" Rotom hesitated.
"Let's wake Ash first. He should decide what to do himself."
"Rotom… alright."
Ash was the kind of person who wouldn't wake even if thunder struck.
Rotom knew this very well.
And so—
Before Pichu ever evolved into Pikachu,
Ash's first electric shock experience was claimed by Rotom.
"Ahhh—!!"
"…Aahhh!!"
"Pichu—Pichu!!"
"Pidgey—Pidgey!!"
"Rotom! Why are you electrocuting me in the middle of the night?!"
Jolted awake from deep sleep, Ash asked miserably, his resentment practically overflowing.
--------------
T/N:
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