The shop itself was extremely barebones.
There were only a few scattered shelves, and aside from being crammed full of Clefairy plush dolls, there was nothing else for sale.
The place looked desolate—almost abandoned.
"Hey, hey, hey."
Seeing that the girl in the sunhat was about to fall asleep standing up, Ash reached out and tapped the brim of her hat.
"Wah—!"
The girl jolted upright like she'd been struck by lightning, finally realizing someone had entered the shop.
A wave of emotion surged up in her chest, nearly turning into tears of gratitude.
Then she looked closer.
Her eyes locked onto the boy wearing the red-and-white cap.
She gasped, both hands flying to her cheeks, mouth forming a perfect O.
"W–Wait! Isn't that… a fellow Pallet Town native?!"
Ash was startled by her dramatic reaction, but when he looked carefully—
Yeah.
A familiar face.
Long brown hair, bangs curling slightly to both sides, a cute round face, and bright, expressive eyes filled with pure confusion.
She wore a light-blue tank top and a red pleated skirt—youthful, lively—and looked ready to leap straight at him.
She hadn't seen a living human being in nearly a week.
At this point, even a dog would've gotten a hug.
Ash quickly extended his arm, pressing his palm against her forehead and holding her firmly behind the counter.
"Y–You're… Li–Little Red?" he asked uncertainly.
He remembered her—
Back when he and Gary were happily playing together as kids, this girl from Pallet Town always tried to butt in and ruin their manly friendship.
Women really are troublesome.
"Hey! Hey! Ash!" she protested loudly.
"My name is Blue!"
Pinned down, Blue flailed wildly—and with a chaotic swing, landed a solid punch right on Ash's nose.
"Oof!"
Ash crouched down instantly, clutching his face as his eyes watered.
It wasn't a critical hit—but it definitely connected.
A reunion between fellow townsfolk abroad was always warm and heartfelt.
…Violently so.
Introductions
After things calmed down, Blue removed her sunhat and introduced herself to the others.
"H–Hello everyone! I'm Blue, Ash's cutest Fellow Pallet Town trainer!"
"Oh! I'm Misty, the cutest and most beautiful girl ever," Misty replied smoothly.
"Oh! I'm Brock, the strongest macho man," Brock added.
"…By the way, why are you running a shop here?"
At that, Blue frowned and rubbed her temples, clearly frustrated.
"It all started… with a group of Zubat."
Blue's Tragic Story
Six days ago, Blue had passed through Mt. Moon.
She'd heard that Clefairy, an adorable and mysterious Pokémon, lived here—and naturally, she wanted to catch one.
But no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find a single Clefairy.
"Then I ran into another Fellow Pallet Town trainer on the road… Gary."
Ash instantly snapped to attention.
"What?! That jerk was here too?! Where is he?! I'm gonna duel him!"
He practically sprang to his feet, fighting spirit blazing—he looked one move away from ripping his shirt off.
"Hey, hey, calm down," Blue said, pushing him back into his seat.
Then she stood up instead, clenching her fists.
"If I see him again, I'm the one dueling him first!"
Ash: "?"
Blue explained bitterly:
"He told me Clefairy are kind Pokémon. That if I stayed in Mt. Moon and sincerely fasted and prayed for seven days, a Clefairy would answer the call of the heavens and appear before me."
"…And I believed him."
"He also said I should stay right here, and that he'd go to Pewter City to buy me a bag of oranges."
"…And I believed him again."
"..."
Brock and Misty slowly turned to look at Ash.
This Fellow Pallet Town trainer of yours… isn't very bright, is she?
Honestly, she's kind of like you.
At that moment, Blue suddenly grabbed Ash's hand, eyes blazing with righteous fury.
"Ash! Next time let's ambush Gary! No duels! You hold him down, I'll smash his head with a rock, and then we run away yelling 'Woo woo woo'!"
Ash brushed her hand away with a snort.
"Is that really the best idea women can come up with? How laughable."
Then he pointed decisively.
"Obviously you hold the sack, and I do the smashing!"
Order mattered.
Misty & Brock: "..."
Somehow… the atmosphere felt strangely harmonious now.
Why Blue Is Still Here
After that, Blue temporarily stayed at the Clefairy Shop, fasting and praying devoutly for Clefairy to appear.
The shop's owner was an out-of-town mountaineer.
He had bet his entire fortune on the tourist season, importing a truckload of Clefairy plush toys, hoping to make a killing.
Since he needed someone to mind the shop, he let Blue stay there in exchange.
Then—
The Zubat outbreak happened.
Not a few dozen.
Add another zero.
Tourism instantly collapsed.
Mt. Moon became a danger zone.
The owner went bankrupt—so broke he'd practically sold the clothes off his back.
"So he told me he was going into the mountains to dig up fossils to repay his debts," Blue continued.
"And asked me to watch the shop for a few days."
"…And I believed him."
The three stared at her in silence.
This girl would probably help count the money after being sold.
A walking disaster magnet.
Ash hesitated, wondering if they should just leave—
Bad luck was contagious, after all.
He was still the chosen one.
Couldn't risk becoming unlucky himself.
"So… why are you still here?" Brock asked carefully.
"When the debt collectors come, they might think you're his daughter and drag you off."
"Because tomorrow is the seventh day!" Blue suddenly shouted, standing up again.
She clenched her fists tightly, her cute face filled with defiance against a cruel fate, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
"I've already fasted for six days! If I leave before the seventh, I'll never forgive myself!"
The three: "..."
Is this… craftsmanship spirit?
The Truth Behind the Lie?
"Actually…" Brock said suddenly, opening his eyes,
"What Gary said might not be completely false."
Everyone looked at him.
"Tomorrow is Monday, right? When I was young, I heard that every Monday night, Mt. Moon emits a strange light. That might be when Clefairy appear."
Brock had battled Gary before.
Unlike Ash's wild, improvised fighting style, Gary's training and tactics were refined and methodical.
As the grandson of Professor Oak, Gary had deep roots in Pokémon research.
He probably wasn't making things up completely.
Misty nodded thoughtfully.
"So when Blue arrived, it must've been Tuesday. She missed Monday night, so Gary told her to wait seven days."
Blue nodded furiously, tears streaming down her face.
So it was true.
A Fellow Pallet Town trainer would never lie!
Gary… your life has been spared.
Meanwhile — Cerulean City
Inside an upscale café, a spiky-haired boy leisurely sipped coffee while reading the newspaper.
Crushing the Cerulean Gym without breaking a sweat had put him in a great mood.
Suddenly—
"Achoo!"
Gary sneezed.
"Hmph. Even I can catch a cold now?"
He shook his head, then recalled something from a few days ago and burst out laughing.
"Man, I wonder when that idiot Blue will finally realize I tricked her. Hah! Women's IQ really is just that low!"
They think I'm on the fifth level…
But I'm actually on the first!
"Hahahaha!"
Just then, a word echoed in his mind.
"Idiot."
Gary straightened instantly.
"Hey—Green, you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?"
The conversation flowed smoothly—clearly not their first time communicating.
"I'm just warning you," Green's calm voice replied, carrying an unusual hint of fluctuation.
"If you're going to mess with someone, make it Ash. Do not get involved with Blue anymore."
"Blue? That idiot?" Gary froze.
For someone he considered invincible, Green's tone…
Sounded almost cautious.
"I'm not afraid," Green continued, repeating himself.
"But from that encounter, I could feel it. Blue—that woman—has likely also arrived in this world."
"She's not someone you can afford to provoke."
"…Though I'm not afraid of her either."
Green repeated.
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