Misty:
"Hey Ash, earlier I asked you for advice about choosing my starter Pokémon. You recommended Squirtle, Poliwag, Staryu, and Seel.
"Since I really love all Water-type Pokémon, I was torn for the past two days. But in the end, I finally made up my mind—I chose Staryu as my starter Pokémon."
Ash:
"Mm-hmm, Staryu is a very good choice. Once it evolves into Starmie, it gains the Psychic typing. For a trainer like you, Misty, who focuses on mastering a single type, that's extremely important."
Seeing that Misty had taken his advice, Ash nodded in satisfaction.
Speaking of which, in the original timeline, when the former Ash first met Misty, she already had Goldeen and Staryu by her side.
As for whether Goldeen or Staryu was her true starter Pokémon, the canon never clearly stated it.
But in Ash's view, Staryu was far more suitable as a starter Pokémon for focused training.
If nothing else, Staryu could operate on land—Goldeen couldn't.
Of course, any Pokémon had the potential to be trained well. Ultimately, it depended on the trainer's ability.
Whether it was Goldeen or even Spearow—Pokémon considered "unpopular"—as long as they were trained properly, they could still grow into extremely powerful battlers.
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Cerulean City · Cerulean Gym
"Ash, didn't you say before that once I chose my starter Pokémon, you'd help my Pokémon learn a move?"
"But I haven't decided which move Staryu should learn yet. Do you have any good suggestions?"
In a room decorated with posters of Water-type Pokémon and filled with Pokémon plushies, the girl sat at her desk, typing on her laptop as she asked Ash for advice.
Ash replied almost immediately:
"For Staryu's development, when it comes to its skill framework, I personally consider Recover, Aqua Ring, Light Screen, and Reflect to be its absolute core moves.
"As for offensive and control moves, those can be added later through normal progression.
So I'd strongly recommend these four core skills. What do you think, Misty?"
"Two recovery moves and two defensive moves?" Misty replied.
"These really are Staryu's core skills. My Staryu's Ability is Natural Cure, so if I make good use of switching tactics, it'll be an absolute nightmare for opponents."
As the future heir of the Cerulean Gym—and someone aiming to become the world's greatest Water-type Pokémon Master—Misty had a very deep understanding of Water-type Pokémon training.
Hearing Ash's recommendation, her eyes immediately lit up.
"Well… Ash, you originally promised to help my Pokémon learn one move."
"But Recover, Aqua Ring, Light Screen, and Reflect are all core skills for Staryu, and the earlier it learns them, the better."
"If I relied on natural level-up learning or TMs, I don't even know how much effort it would take. Only you, Ash, can use your psychic abilities to help Staryu master them all in the shortest time."
"So… could I ask you to help my Staryu learn all four of these moves at once? Please~"
She added a pitiful little emoji at the end of her message.
"All four at once?" Ash replied.
"That's fine. You know the address of my Poké Ball transfer machine, right? Just send Staryu over tomorrow."
Ash agreed without much hesitation.
In the original story, companions like Brock, Misty, Tracey, May, Dawn, Iris, Cilan…
Ash naturally felt a deep sense of goodwill toward them.
Even though he hadn't officially met them all yet, the familiarity born from knowing the original story made him instinctively regard them as friends.
And when it came to friends, Ash was always generous.
If he had the ability to help, he would never refuse.
"Thank you so much, Ash~! (^)/"
Misty was overjoyed. She hugged the Psyduck plushie in her arms and rubbed it enthusiastically.
"Then, Ash, how much will it cost to help Staryu learn Recover, Aqua Ring, Light Screen, and Reflect? I'll transfer the money to you right away."
"No need. No money," Ash replied quickly.
"When I use psychic powers to help Pokémon learn moves, the cost is minimal—just some time and a bit of energy."
"I'll help Staryu learn all four moves for free."
Even though they hadn't officially met yet, since he already regarded Misty as a friend, Ash naturally wouldn't charge her.
Just like with Gary, Green, Serena, Tierno, Trevor, Shauna, and even Jeanette—who temporarily teamed up with Tierno after Chloe withdrew from the summer camp—whenever they asked Ash to help their Pokémon learn moves, he always did it for free.
As for the other summer camp students?
That was a different story—at best, they got a 10% "friendship discount."
Other than family and friends, no one could obtain anything from Ash without paying a price.
"No, that won't do," Misty replied firmly.
"Ash, you run an online shop. Charging for move-learning services is completely reasonable."
"Your shop is insanely popular—there are millions of trainers lining up just to get a slot. The fact that you're even letting me cut the line already makes me incredibly grateful."
"I can't just take advantage of you for free. If I did, I wouldn't even dare ask you for help again in the future."
She was adamant—she didn't want to seem like the kind of girl who took advantage of others, nor did she want to leave a bad impression in Ash's eyes.
"…This…"
Hearing Misty's resolute stance, Ash was momentarily at a loss for words.
"You don't have to worry," Misty added with a grin.
"I'm from the Cerulean Gym. The League allocates a large budget to Gyms every year, and Cerulean City's annual tax revenue also assigns a portion directly to our Gym."
"In short—I'm not short on money."
She said it lightly, like a true little rich girl.
"—Hiss!!"
Ash sucked in a sharp breath.
"Pokémon Gyms are that profitable?" he couldn't help but ask in disbelief.
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T/N:
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