He doesn't recognize this Pokémon!
"This should be your Pokémon, right? It's our first meeting, why would you think I know your Pokémon?" If we're talking about Ash's most famous Pokémon, it would be Charizard, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur.
Because these three Pokémon fought in the live broadcast of the entire league, defeating Elite-level Pokémon and beating Elite Trainer Koga.
Though the Shiny Gardevoir is stunning and incredibly rare, it has never been seen by the public, so it's no wonder he doesn't recognize it.
"You don't recognize it... then do you by any chance have a Ralts Poke Egg?"
"A Ralts Poke Egg? How could I have..." Blaine trailed off, his expression suddenly froze.
A Ralts Poke Egg, could it be that...
"Come in and talk." Blaine looked around, then opened the door, letting Ash and the others into the house.
No matter if anyone is around, the following words shouldn't be said casually in a public place.
Once Ash and the others entered through the door, Blaine nodded at Magmar, which promptly nodded back at Blaine, then disappeared from sight to continue hiding and guarding the small house.
…
The interior of the house was plain and simple, just a basic home interior. However, small as it was, it was fully equipped; there was a kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, and the like, making it more than enough for one person to live here.
Ash and the others were led by Blaine to the table in the living room; he then went to brew a pot of tea before sitting down opposite Ash and the others, taking off his sunglasses.
"Do you recognize this look of mine?"
The three of them closely examined Blaine's appearance, then looked at each other, all shaking their heads.
Brock felt vaguely familiar, but couldn't recall where he'd seen him before, as if it was a distant memory.
"My name is Blaine. You probably know this name, right?"
"Blaine?!!!" The three exclaimed in unison upon hearing Blaine's self-introduction.
They never expected that the Blaine they were looking for since arriving on Cinnabar Island would appear in front of them like this!
For a moment, Misty and Brock both looked at Ash with strange eyes, even Ash himself looked incredibly bewildered.
What did Professor Oak say before? He said that he might bump into Blaine while wandering on the street.
Ash never took it seriously; he had good luck, but not so good that he could randomly run into the person that the league tried so hard to find.
Yet reality often shows its magical side, and he'd really run into Blaine!
Running into him was one thing, but the fact that the person happened to have a connection to Gardevoir allowed Ash to lock onto his Aura and trace it back here. Without such a coincidence, they probably wouldn't be sitting here face to face with Blaine.
"Looks like this old man still has some reputation. You've come to Cinnabar Island to challenge the Cinnabar Gym, right?" Blaine directly guessed the purpose of Ash and the others coming to Cinnabar Island.
"How did you know? Couldn't we have just come to Cinnabar Island for sightseeing?" Misty asked curiously.
"That's a matter of experience, this old man still has some eye for things." Blaine said calmly, as someone well-versed with life's experiences, many things can be seen through at a glance.
"We did come to challenge the Cinnabar Gym, but upon arrival, we couldn't find you, Blaine. So we were about to just enjoy the sights of Cinnabar Island, but then we happened to run into Blaine on the road." Ash marveled at the mysterious nature of fate; to be able to meet Blaine was indeed destiny.
"It seems like we were quite fated... Let's not talk about the Gym challenge for now, let's discuss the Ralts Poke Egg you mentioned. Why do you know I once had a Ralts Poke Egg?"
"Because Gardevoir sensed a familiar aura from you, like one sensed during the Poke Egg phase. This means you were already by her side when she was in the Poke Egg, and for quite some time too, or else it wouldn't be possible for Gardevoir to feel familiar with your aura during the Poke Egg phase."
Hearing this, Blaine looked towards Gardevoir with undeniable amazement in his eyes.
"Where did you get your Gardevoir from?"
"Found her."
"Found her?!" Blaine looked at Ash with a 'are you kidding me' expression.
"I really found her, and it wasn't long after I started my journey. We stumbled upon her at Moon Mountain..." Ash recounted the entire process of finding Ralts in detail. The more Blaine listened, the stranger he found it.
This could really happen! If Ash wasn't just making up a reason, then his luck is truly unparalleled.
Moreover, the most striking thing is, a made-up reason might sound more plausible than the real one, and because what Ash said was so unbelievable, Blaine believed Ash's story was true since reality often exceeds fiction in absurdity...
"So, Blaine, the Poke Egg indeed was with you before, right?" After telling all that, Ash wanted this confirmation.
Blaine silently nodded: "Yes, that Poke Egg was indeed with me, but since you already have it and hatched it, why cling to its past origin?"
"The reason... isn't it more clear to you, Blaine? What exactly did you do to Gardevoir, or rather, to that Poke Egg? Will Gardevoir have problems in the future? If there are issues, how should they be resolved? That's why I am so persistent in finding Gardevoir's original source."
Ash's words took Brock and Misty by surprise, the former couldn't help but say: "Ash, what's wrong with Gardevoir? She hasn't had any issues all this time!"
"Gardevoir's talent is quite unusual, not something a regular Pokémon can possess. You saw Charizard's progress, right? It has something that boosts its Speed so quickly, but Gardevoir, through sheer talent, almost matches Charizard's speed of progress, isn't that strange?"
Faced with Ash's retort, both shook their heads, leaving Ash's words hanging mid-sentence.
"Wait, why aren't you reacting normally?! Do you think Gardevoir's progression is average?"
"Compared to regular Pokémon, it's definitely abnormal, but isn't there an even more extraordinary one in your team?" Misty shrugged, glancing at Pikachu on the table munching on snacks.
Gardevoir's progression speed is indeed swift, on par with Charizard, enhanced by a Rainbow Wing, but Ash's Pikachu's progression is even more freakish!
Pikachu is now at the Professional Peak level, though it's been stuck at this level for about half a month, prior to that, its rapid growth during the Professional Level left Misty and Brock both in awe.
Is this a rate of progression a Pikachu should have?
"Ahem, let's get back to the serious talk, Pikachu is different!" Ash argued logically.
His Pikachu has always been quite unusual, with a six-A grade qualification progressing faster than the six-S Gardevoir, that is strange, but a certain expert in Pikachu's special community has already hinted that Ash will naturally find out the reason behind Pikachu's rapid growth in the future.
Ash trusts this 'self' in the community a lot, so now he only needs to address any future issues Gardevoir might encounter.
"If I am not mistaken, your Gardevoir not only levels up quickly but also has an astonishing talent for learning various moves, learning many moves it normally couldn't, right?" Blaine suddenly said.
"Yes, Gardevoir currently has seventeen different attribute moves." Ash nodded and admitted.
Blaine supported his chin with both hands, looking serious: "I see, I never thought the experiment would really succeed, besides Mewtwo, this is the second successful specimen... but unlike Mewtwo, who started with limitless power, she seems to have begun from scratch..."