"Pika~ (^3^)"
"Grren~ (￣︶￣)"
"Pidgeot~"
"Gahyaa~"
"..."
"..."
Watching his Pokémon happily devour their food, Ash finally turned his attention to preparing his own lunch.
Fortunately, his mother had already cooked several dishes before leaving that morning. They were sitting neatly in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap.
All Ash needed to do was cook some rice and reheat the dishes.
Now that he no longer had to take care of the Skill Shop customers' Pokémon, he found himself unexpectedly free after feeding his own team and preparing lunch.
Normally, this was the time of day when he would be rushing around like a spinning top, overwhelmed by dozens of Pokémon and endless responsibilities.
Now?
There was suddenly nothing to do.
The abrupt change actually made him feel a little uncomfortable.
"No."
"I need to get used to this kind of leisurely life as soon as possible."
"I may have been born into an ordinary family in a small town, but someone as outstanding as me definitely isn't destined for a life of hard labor."
"I'm clearly destined to enjoy the blessings of being a boss."
Ash chuckled to himself.
At that moment, Rotom floated over and spoke up.
"Ash, for this afternoon's customer orders, you need to teach the following Pokémon:"
"Teach Ivysaur the move Sunny Day."
"Teach Butterfree the move Quiver Dance."
"Teach Arbok the move Disable."
"Teach Clefable the move Blizzard."
"Teach Venomoth the move Rage Powder."
"And you still need to teach another batch of Magikarp from the Toyotomi Family Tackle before sending them back."
Seeing Ash lounging around with nothing to do, Rotom helpfully reminded him of his pending work.
"Alright."
"Rotom, contact Melanie and have her transfer those Pokémon over."
"OK Rotom (^o^)"
...
A short while later, Ash finished teaching all of the customer Pokémon their requested moves.
Greninja helped return the Poké Balls afterward.
Meanwhile, the rice cooker had finished its job.
Ash opened the refrigerator, took out the dishes his mother had prepared, and reheated them in the kitchen.
After lunch, he tidied everything up, locked the house and the white wooden gate surrounding the yard, then mounted his bicycle and headed toward Viridian City.
Half an hour later, after arriving in the city, he first stopped by his mother's flower shop before making his way to the Viridian Gym to continue his training under his mentor, Giovanni.
Pallet Town was beautiful and peaceful.
However, its facilities simply couldn't compare to those of Viridian City—a first-tier smart ecological city in the Kanto region.
Moreover, Ash already spent most of his time in Viridian City.
His mother's flower shop was here.
Most of his activities were here.
Lately, he had even started considering purchasing property in the city.
After all, money wasn't an issue.
A massive estate might still be out of reach, but a private villa with a spacious courtyard?
That was easily within his budget.
However, the idea was quickly abandoned.
Because Ash suddenly remembered something important.
He was Giovanni's disciple.
Four years from now, Giovanni's true identity would be exposed.
The Pokémon League would strip him of his position as Viridian Gym Leader.
At that point...
As Giovanni's most outstanding student—
As the "Light of Kanto," the League's future Champion, and its number-one young talent—
There was a ninety-nine percent chance the League would appoint him as the next Viridian Gym Leader.
And if he was going to inherit the enormous Viridian Gym someday...
Why bother buying another house?
It wasn't that he couldn't afford it.
It simply wasn't necessary.
...
...
From 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Ash spent an hour training at the Viridian Gym according to the schedule he had arranged with Giovanni.
Afterward, carrying Pikachu in his arms and accompanied by Greninja, he left the Gym.
His afternoon was still packed with work.
First, he needed to conduct his regular livestream clinic.
Second, the first edition of "Ash's Feebas Beauty Guide" had entered pre-sale.
As co-authors, Ash and Green needed to participate in promotional livestreams over the next few days.
Fortunately, the clinic livestream and the sales livestream could be combined into a single broadcast.
That prevented scheduling conflicts and kept things relatively manageable.
"Ring—"
"Hey, Green, have you arrived at the Viridian City Pokémon Center yet?"
While cycling toward the Pokémon Center, Ash used Rotom Phone to call Green.
After all, she was one of the authors and needed to be present for the promotional stream.
"Ash, Gary and I are already at the Pokémon Center."
Since everything had been arranged beforehand, Green had come immediately after lunch.
"Good."
"Then help Clarissa set up the clinic room. Once I arrive, we can start the stream right away."
"Got it~"
After ending the call, Ash continued toward the Pokémon Center with his Pokémon.
The Viridian Gym and Viridian City Pokémon Center were both located downtown.
The distance between them wasn't far.
Within seven or eight minutes, Ash arrived smoothly.
"Ash!"
"Ash!"
"Ash!"
As soon as Ash entered the Pokémon Center carrying Pikachu and accompanied by Greninja, he ran into Green, Gary, and Clarissa, who had just finished preparing the clinic room.
"How's everything looking?" Ash asked.
"All set."
"We placed two phones inside the clinic room exactly as you requested."
"Perfect."
"Since everything's ready, let's start the livestream."
Ash nodded.
The four of them headed toward the clinic room together.
Ordinarily, the clinic livestream only required Ash and Clarissa.
Today, however, Green had joined as an assistant while Gary acted as a moderator and room manager.
"Pikachu, I'll be counting on you today."
Ash carefully placed Pikachu in front of one of the cameras.
He even stacked several books together to create a small platform.
Pikachu sat atop the improvised "chair," leisurely flipping through a copy of the beauty guide.
Compared to trainers shouting things like:
"Family!"
"My brothers!"
"Buy it now!"
"Don't miss out!"
Having a Pokémon handle the product promotion felt far more creative—and far more classy.
Besides, if Ash and Green personally hosted the sales stream together, it would interfere with the clinic broadcast.
But if Pikachu acted as the adorable sales mascot while Green appeared as Ash's assistant during consultations...
Then everyone received screen time.
The product promotion continued.
The clinic remained operational.
And neither side interfered with the other.
A perfect solution.
--------------
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