After Ash finished speaking, Professor Sycamore, Sophie, Clarissa Joy, Serena, and the others fell silent.
It wasn't that they thought Ash was being selfish by asking them to keep his abilities secret. Rather, they were shocked to learn that he had actually been targeted for assassination by a criminal organization willing to resort to any means necessary.
Until now, they had only seen the bright side of Ash.
They had seen how, despite his young age, he had achieved one astonishing feat after another. Even after getting to know him personally, they had certainly noticed how hard he worked. However, none of them had ever considered what might lie behind those remarkable achievements.
Only now did they truly realize the pressure Ash had been carrying—and the price he had paid for the brilliant accomplishments that everyone admired.
For a moment, they looked at the cheerful, kindhearted, and easygoing boy standing before them. Their hearts filled with both sympathy and admiration.
As the saying went, opportunities favored those who were prepared, while great achievements often belonged to those who had endured hardships and setbacks.
Behind every successful person was a difficult story—one that ordinary people knew nothing about and might not even have been able to endure themselves.
"Don't worry, Ash. I'm not unreasonable. Regarding the secret of your Psychic abilities, I'll keep my mouth shut and make sure it remains confidential. I won't let anyone outside know about it," Professor Sycamore assured him.
Clemont, Tierno, and the others quickly voiced their own promises as well.
"Don't worry, Ash. Unless you decide someday that you're strong enough to protect yourself and choose to reveal this additional ability on your own, none of us will tell anyone else."
"That's right! You can count on us!"
"Mhm. I trust all of you, of course."
Hearing everyone's assurances, Ash finally broke into a happy smile.
The incident involving the Pokémon Egg's conflicting type genes had been nothing more than an unexpected interruption during their visit to the research institute. Ash's decision to treat the Egg and the subsequent hatching of the Shiny Fennekin had both been completely unexpected.
Nevertheless, he was delighted that his visit to Professor Sycamore's research institute had resulted in him catching such an exceptionally talented Pokémon.
After all, as the levels and abilities of his existing Pokémon continued to mature, they were gradually reaching the point where they could handle battles and other challenges independently. Ash had already been considering adding new Pokémon to his team.
In fact, after participating in Wikstrom's Knight's Trial yesterday afternoon and seeing his Aegislash, Ash had originally planned to catch and raise a Ghost-type Pokémon.
Ghost-type Pokémon were powerful, elusive, and notoriously difficult to deal with. Their abilities made them particularly useful for all sorts of tasks, whether it was hiding in his shadow to protect him or carrying out reconnaissance and infiltration missions.
Therefore, after yesterday's Knight's Trial, Ash had initially planned to catch a Gengar once he returned to Kanto.
Who could have expected that he would end up catching an entirely new Pokémon during today's visit to Professor Sycamore's institute?
It wasn't a Ghost-type, of course.
However, Fire was another type that his current team lacked. As one of the Kalos region's three Fire-type starters, Fennekin already had a fairly respectable base stat total compared with Pokémon as a whole. Its natural potential was far from ordinary.
And Ash's Fennekin was no ordinary specimen. It was a Shiny Pokémon with even greater base stats and talent, putting it on par with pseudo-legendary Pokémon. On top of that, it possessed an innate aptitude for magical cultivation!
Although it wasn't the Ghost-type Pokémon he had originally planned to catch, a Fire-type Pokémon with such extraordinary potential was hardly a disappointing alternative.
With the right training, it would undoubtedly become another formidable trump card in his lineup.
"…"
While Ash was thinking about his newly acquired partner, Sophie had already begun preparing something for the little Fennekin.
Since the Pokémon had only just hatched and had completed its comprehensive health examination, Sophie immediately set about preparing a special diet suitable for a Pokémon in its infancy.
As a researcher who had spent years working closely with Pokémon, Sophie might not have been a professional Pokémon Breeder, but when it came to caring for Pokémon, her expertise was every bit as good as that of a Breeder's. In some areas, she was even more knowledgeable.
Before long, Sophie had prepared a nutritious meal that suited Fennekin's tastes and would also support its growth and development.
Seeing how much the little Fennekin enjoyed the food Sophie had made, Ash specifically asked her for the recipe.
That way, all he would need to do in the future was give the recipe to a Pokémon Breeding shop, and its staff could prepare the same food for Fennekin whenever necessary.
As for what would happen once Fennekin outgrew its infancy, there were two possibilities.
If it still enjoyed the same food and hadn't grown tired of the flavor, they could simply use the existing recipe as a foundation and adjust it to meet its changing nutritional needs.
But if Fennekin eventually became bored with that particular flavor, Ash could ask Nurse Joy to prepare a new recipe.
After all, many members of the Joy family worked as Pokémon Doctors while also taking on the work of Pokémon Breeders as a side profession. Preparing suitable food for Pokémon was hardly a difficult task for them.
[Lumiose City — Team Flare's Underground Secret Base]
"Reporting to Executive Celosia! The boy named Ash whom you ordered us to keep under surveillance has left Professor Sycamore's research institute. He's currently heading in the direction of the Pokémon Breeding Street."
Inside Team Flare's underground secret base in Lumiose City, a staff member dressed in the organization's distinctive fire-red patent-leather uniform hurried into the lounge.
He reported the news to the purple-haired woman named Celosia, who was currently undergoing a skincare treatment.
"Has he finally left Professor Sycamore's research institute? That brat certainly spent a long time in there."
Celosia peeled the facial mask from her face while reclining on the sofa. She stretched lazily, her expression filled with impatience.
"If our leader hadn't repeatedly warned me not to make too much of a fuss, I would have gone straight into Professor Sycamore's institute and dragged that little brat out myself."
The Team Flare member who had come to deliver the report didn't dare respond. He kept his head lowered, not even daring to look directly at Celosia.
"Oh, right. You said that little brat is heading toward the Pokémon Breeding Street, didn't you?"
Celosia rose from the sofa, stretching her body as she spoke. A playful yet unpleasant smile appeared on her face.
"He's kept me waiting for so long. Once I catch up with him, I'll have to teach him a proper lesson."
With that, she swayed her hips and headed straight for the lounge's exit.
The purple-haired woman wasn't merely making empty threats.
As one of Team Flare's five senior Admin Scientists, Celosia possessed strength comparable to that of an Elite Four member. In her eyes, Ash might have some talent as a Pokémon Trainer, but talent was just talent. Faced with overwhelming strength, such potential meant very little.
Just before leaving the lounge, Celosia stopped and turned toward the subordinate behind her.
"Make sure you keep reporting that brat's location to me. I want to know where he is at all times."
"Yes, Executive Celosia!"
The Team Flare member answered respectfully.
…
Originally, Ash had only intended to pay Professor Sycamore's research institute a brief visit. He had planned to finish his visit and leave after spending a little time there.
However, because of Fennekin, he ended up staying until lunchtime and didn't leave until after having lunch at the institute.
"Ash, what are we going to do next?"
After leaving the research institute, Ash and the others walked along the streets of Lumiose City. Clarissa turned toward him and asked curiously.
"Let's head to the Pokémon Breeding Street first. We need to buy some supplies for little Fennekin. Also, Pikachu, Greninja, and the others are running low on food, so we might as well restock while we're there."
Ash explained his plans.
He had originally intended to spend the afternoon training his Pokémon. But with today's unexpected developments, it looked as though that training session would have to be postponed once again.