A cold stare can hide a surprisingly fierce spirit.
"PokemonRehabilitation Center?"
Ash and Serena looked up at the small wooden sign hanging above the building. Then they glanced at each other in confusion.
"What exactly is a rehabilitation center?" Ash asked.
"No idea…" Serena tilted her head. "It sounds like a place where Pokemon recover from injuries."
"Recover…"
Ash scanned the surrounding area.
His sharp eyes quickly noticed something.
Nearly every Pokemonnearby had visible injuries.
Scratches.
Bandages.
Bruises.
Because Ash constantly trained and battled with his Pokémon, he recognized the signs immediately.
These were battle wounds.
Suddenly it clicked.
"This place must treat wild Pokemonthat got hurt fighting."
Even the cutest wild Pokemonwere still wild animals.
They fought for territory.
Food.
Mates.
Every day countless Pokemonwere injured during these struggles.
Without treatment, some might even die.
During their travels, Ash and Serena had already witnessed many such fights.
Whenever Ash encountered one, he usually stepped in.
If mediation worked, great.
If not—
He simply defeated both sides to stop the conflict.
Then he applied medicine afterward.
Over time, this behavior had produced an unexpected result.
Although Ash himself had no idea—
His reputation had quietly spread throughout Viridian Forest.
Among wild Pokémon, he had gained a nickname:
The Monster Wearing Human Skin.
…Ahem.
"You're absolutely right."
A voice suddenly spoke from behind them.
Ash and Serena turned around.
A girl approached while holding an Oddish. Several Pokemonfollowed behind her.
"Sorry for interrupting," she said politely. "I'm the person in charge of this rehabilitation center."
"My name is Cui."
"I'm Ash."
"And I'm Serena."
After brief introductions, Ash asked,
"You run this place all by yourself?"
"Yes," Cui nodded.
She looked slightly nostalgic.
"One day I saw a Rattata badly injured while fighting for food. I bandaged it."
"A few days later, that same Rattata came back and gave me some berries."
"After that, I helped more injured Pokémon."
"And eventually… this place became a recovery center for them."
"That's amazing," Ash said sincerely. "You're an incredible person."
"Thank you," Cui replied politely.
But then she sighed.
"Unfortunately… this place probably won't exist much longer."
"Huh? Why?" Serena asked in surprise. She looked around. "Everything seems fine. Are you running out of money?"
"No," Cui shook her head.
"The problem… is the Pokémon."
"The Pokémon?" Ash and Serena said together.
"Yes."
"This is still the wild after all. Even though I use sprays to repel wild Pokémon, they don't always work."
"Sometimes outside Pokemoncome here and try to claim this territory."
"And they start fighting with the Pokemonthat are recovering here."
"The injured Pokemonnaturally try to defend the place, but they're already wounded. Fighting healthy Pokemonis extremely difficult."
She sighed again.
"My own Pokemonaren't strong enough to stop them either."
Ash frowned.
"That's strange though."
"If that were the case, how did the center operate before?"
"Well…" Cui explained,
"The local Pokemonaround here know me, so they treat this place as a safe zone."
"But the main reason is that a very strong Bulbasaur used to live here."
"It helped drive away intruders."
"Everything was fine…"
Then she shook her head.
"But a few days ago a trainer with a Pikachu caught it."
"After that, everything started falling apart."
"…."
A trainer with a Pikachu.
The description felt dangerously familiar.
Ash thought about it.
Then wisely decided not to ask for further details.
Instead he focused on the problem.
"So basically there are two issues," Ash summarized.
"First, outside Pokemonare trying to take over."
"Second, there's no strong Pokemonhere to protect the place."
"That's about right," Cui nodded.
Seeing Ash thinking seriously, hope appeared in her eyes.
"Do you have an idea?"
"Well… I wouldn't call it a strategy."
Ash suddenly waved his hand confidently.
"The reason this is happening is because the Pokemonhere aren't strong enough, right?"
"So we just need to make them stronger."
"I'll train them!"
"Eh?" Cui blinked.
"You'll train them? Are you sure that's okay?"
"Of course!" Ash proudly opened his jacket.
He revealed two badges.
"The Boulder Badge and the Cascade Badge!"
Seeing the badges, symbols of a Trainer's ability, Cui's doubts faded slightly.
"You do seem capable…"
"Not only that," Ash added proudly.
"My Froakie is really strong too."
He looked down.
"Froakie, help me train these Pokémon!"
"Frog."
Froakie shrugged indifferently.
Training ordinary wild Pokemonwould be nothing more than a few casual swings of his blade.
But suddenly—
"Frog?"
Froakie's eyes locked onto a nearby rock.
More precisely—
The Pokemonsitting on it.
"Froakie, what are you looking at?" Ash asked.
Ash followed his gaze.
On the rock lay a small green Pokemonthat resembled a snake.
"That Pokemonis…"
"I think it's a Snivy from the Unova region," Serena said uncertainly.
"Snivy?"
Ash quickly pulled out his Pokédex.
"Snivy — the Grass Snake Pokémon. Known for its cool and prideful personality. It only shows its cute side to Trainers it trusts. One of the Unova region's starter Pokémon."
"I see," Ash nodded.
"So basically the Unova version of Bulbasaur."
Then he looked at Froakie curiously.
"Froakie, why are you staring at it?"
"…Don't tell me you fell in love?"
"Frog."
Froakie ignored him completely.
His eyes narrowed as he studied Snivy.
As a swordsman without worldly desires, Froakie had no interest in romance.
The reason he stared was simple.
Something about this Snivy felt wrong.
Her aura felt strangely mismatched.
Like hearing the roar of a tiger with your eyes closed—
But when you open them—
You see a tiny house cat.
That kind of contradiction.
"Frog."
Froakie walked toward her.
He didn't bother hiding his footsteps.
The Snivy sunbathing on the rock heard him approaching and turned her head.
Immediately—
Ash saw a pair of cold, proud eyes.
He blinked.
She kind of looks like Froakie used to…
Froakie ignored Ash's wandering thoughts.
He summoned his glowing water blade.
Then pointed it directly at Snivy.
"Frog."
Woman.
Care for a duel?
"…."
Snivy slowly stood up.
Arms crossed.
From her higher position on the rock, she looked down at Froakie with absolute arrogance.
Then she spoke.
"Snivy."
Get lost.
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