"Huh?!"
Hearing Clarissa's words, Ash froze completely. His mind blanked, and for several long seconds, he couldn't process anything at all.
By the time he finally snapped back to reality and looked up again, the girl—flushed with embarrassment—had already disappeared into the Pokémon Center.
Gone.
Just like that.
Ash instinctively took a step forward, wanting to chase after her, to stop her and ask everything clearly.
What was her true identity?
Why, from the moment they met a month ago—and throughout all that time training together—had she never mentioned something this important?
Why, after being rejected once, did she not resent him… but instead grow even closer to him, her feelings deepening day by day?
And even if she didn't blame him… how could he be sure the elders of the Joy family wouldn't?
His thoughts tangled into a storm.
"The Viridian Power is a gift from nature… it can't be inherited."
"That was the very reason they valued me."
"Now that I've lost that 'bargaining chip'… why would the Joy family agree to let me be with her?"
Ash clenched his fists slightly, his brows furrowing.
"Just like I said before… if Clarissa were an ordinary member of the Joy family, maybe this could work."
"But her identity is clearly not ordinary."
"I don't have the Viridian Power as leverage… and I already rejected their proposal once…"
He exhaled slowly, feeling the weight pressing down on his chest.
"Our path… should only get harder from here."
"So why… why did she say so confidently that her family wouldn't object?"
"…Why?"
The entrance of the Pokémon Center stood silent before him.
No trace of her remained.
Ash stood there for a long time, unable to move.
He wanted to go in—wanted to find her and ask everything—but the memory of her blushing face, her hurried escape… stopped him.
It would be too abrupt.
"…I'll ask her tomorrow," he murmured at last.
"When I come for clinic hours… I'll find a chance."
With that, he turned and walked away, his mind still full of unanswered questions.
—
What Ash didn't know…
Was that on the second floor of the Pokémon Center, by a softly lit office window, a girl had been quietly watching him the whole time.
Her small figure leaned slightly forward, peeking out.
When she saw him standing there, lost in thought, unable to move, her heart filled with sweetness.
But when she saw him turn away instead of coming inside—
A flicker of disappointment surfaced.
Moments ago, she had hoped he wouldn't come.
Now that he didn't…
She couldn't help but feel a little let down.
Girls' hearts were like that—contradictory, delicate, impossible to fully understand.
—
Meanwhile, Ash rode his bicycle through the night, still deep in thought.
Uncertainty lingered in his heart about his future with Clarissa.
If the elders of the Joy family knew what he was worrying about right now…
They would probably laugh and scold him:
"For such a smart kid, how can you be so clueless at a time like this?"
The Joy family, as a neutral clan, never formed political marriages with other great families.
If a Joy girl fell in love with someone from another family, she would have to leave the Joy family to be with him.
In fact, Joy girls usually chose their partners from ordinary, clean-background civilian Trainers they met while working at Pokémon Centers.
No matter how high Clarissa's status was, her future husband would still be a commoner.
And Ash?
Even if his Viridian Power couldn't be inherited—
He was still a genius Trainer personally recognized by the League.
A once-in-a-generation prodigy, evaluated by Professor Oak as having "100% Champion potential."
To the Joy family, he was a treasure—a son-in-law they could only dream of.
And beyond the Viridian Power…
He also possessed Aura Power, which could heal mental conditions—and that could be inherited.
If anything, the Joy family feared losing him to other powerful families.
Clarissa, as the daughter of the Joy family's matriarch—the cherished jewel of the Kanto Joy family—
Knew all of this.
That was why she had spoken with such certainty.
But Ash… was still in the dark.
Love had a way of making even the smartest people overthink—and miss the obvious.
—
After leaving the Pokémon Center, Ash cycled toward Lilac Street on the Second Ring Road, where his mother and Mihoko ran their flower shop.
By the time he arrived, the evening flower-arranging class had just ended. The shop was being cleaned, and the shutters were about to come down.
"Mom! Aunt Mihoko!" Ash called out as he rolled to a stop.
"Ash~!"
"Oh, Ash, you're still out this late?" Mihoko asked with a smile.
"Yeah," Ash replied. "The clinic opened today, and there were a lot of patients. Things ran a bit late. After dinner, I walked Clarissa back to the Pokémon Center, then thought I'd come check on the shop before heading home."
"I see…" Mihoko nodded, her expression softening. "You must've worked really hard today. Your mom and I were watching your live broadcast the whole afternoon—we felt so bad seeing you so busy."
Then, as if recalling something, she narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at him curiously.
"But speaking of that Joy girl… what's going on between you two?"
Ash blinked.
"You rejected the marriage proposal before, right? But the way you two interacted today… it looked like you're already dating."
"Huh?!"
Ash froze again.
He had expected teasing.
He had even prepared to brush it off.
But Mihoko clearly knew far more than he imagined.
"You… knew about the marriage proposal?" Ash asked, eyes wide. "And you already knew Clarissa is the girl I rejected?"
"Of course I knew," Mihoko said casually, as if it were nothing.
"Daisy told me about the Joy family approaching you ages ago."
"And Clarissa? She's the heir of the Joy family. Her mother, Elena Joy, and I are close friends. Of course I know about your engagement."
She tilted her head, looking at him with mild surprise.
"What? You've been training together at the Pokémon Center for over a month…"
"And you still didn't know who she was?"
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