Ever since becoming famous at Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp, Ash's popularity had only continued to skyrocket.
Between the Skill Shop, the Online Clinic, and his increasingly astonishing achievements—
His fame had grown larger and larger.
And so had his fanbase.
However—
Unlike fans in Viridian City, who frequently ran into him at Delia's flower shop, the food streets, the Pokémon supply district, the Pokémon Center, or the city battle arena—
Fans from other cities across Kanto rarely had the opportunity to see him in person.
Because of distance and geography, most people had only ever seen Ash online or on television.
So after hearing that he would be coming to Cerulean City to participate in the Water-type Pokémon Beauty Contest—
A huge number of fans and trainers had deliberately traveled here just for him.
And now—
Seeing him in person for the first time—
Watching him up close—
Naturally made them overwhelmingly excited.
Some were even borderline hysterical.
After all—
Current-day Ash was more popular than even top-tier celebrities.
At least within Kanto—
That was unquestionably true.
—
Night deepened.
The sea breeze gradually turned colder.
The moon hung high in the sky while sparse stars flickered quietly overhead.
Ash and the others had spent the entire day busy training Pokémon in the morning, traveling to Cerulean City in the afternoon, then sightseeing and socializing after arrival.
By the time dinner and evening shopping ended—
Everyone was exhausted.
So the group finally headed toward the seaside Purple Pearl Intercontinental Hotel.
Although Cerulean Gym also had guest rooms—
They couldn't compare to the luxurious ocean-view presidential suites of a five-star hotel.
More importantly—
After learning that the Purple Pearl Intercontinental Hotel was one of the most famous luxury hotels in all of Kanto…
Ash finally gained a much clearer understanding of Misty's earlier words:
"My sisters might not have trainer talent, but they're pretty good at business."
That statement had been an understatement.
—
After checking into the hotel—
Misty and her three sisters chatted briefly with everyone before returning to Cerulean Gym.
Tomorrow was the official opening day of the Cerulean Water-type Pokémon Beauty Contest.
As the organizers, the four sisters would undoubtedly be extremely busy.
Especially Misty herself—
Who still had to participate as a contestant on top of everything else.
Meanwhile—
After settling into the luxurious suite, Ash and the others took showers and changed into comfortable clothes before gathering in the living room.
And there—
Ash began preparing for something even more important.
A presentation.
A presentation that could potentially change the Pokémon world itself.
—
A week earlier—
After watching Pidgeot Mega Evolve and sweep through opponents one-versus-two, Ash had once again passionately preached the greatness of Flying-type Pokémon to Gary.
Afterward, Gary expressed interest in catching a Fletchling from the Kalos region.
And Ash casually suggested an idea:
Why not have Pokémon transported to Vaniville Town first—
Then ask Tierno, Trevor, or Shauna to guide the target Pokémon into position—
While Gary remotely commanded the battle and capture process through live video communication.
At first—
It was just a spontaneous idea.
But after experimenting—
And seeing Gary, Green, Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna all successfully capture Pokémon through this method—
Ash immediately realized something enormous.
Different regions housed completely different Pokémon species.
And because of geographic limitations—
Obtaining Pokémon from other regions was incredibly difficult.
But precisely because of that—
Exotic regional Pokémon were highly sought after.
Which meant—
There was an enormous hidden market demand.
The concept of "cross-regional remote Pokémon capture" wasn't just an interesting idea anymore.
It was the key to an entirely new industry.
A true blue-ocean market.
Ash instantly recognized its massive economic value.
However—
Despite discovering this opportunity—
Ash had no intention of personally building a commercial empire around it.
His dream was to become a Pokémon Master.
Not a businessman.
He simply didn't have the time or energy to manage such a massive enterprise.
But at the same time—
As the creator of the concept and the first person to recognize its value—
There was no way he would simply hand it away for free.
So—
The best option was obvious:
Patent it.
Then quietly collect licensing fees forever.
Even if the royalty income represented only a tiny fraction of the industry's total value—
It would still be astronomical.
And most importantly—
Effortless.
Once Ash decided something—
He acted immediately.
Over the past week, he had gathered data, organized case studies, refined the framework, and officially submitted a patent application to the Kanto League's Intellectual Property and Patent Bureau.
Ash himself spent two and a half days preparing and expanding the proposal.
Meanwhile—
The League spent another two days coordinating with other regional Leagues to search global patent databases and ensure there were no conflicts or duplicate claims.
And today—
The application had finally passed its preliminary review.
All that remained—
Was the final defense presentation.
If the final review passed—
Ash would officially receive the patent certification.
—
At this moment—
Inside the luxurious hotel suite living room—
Rotom had possessed the giant liquid crystal television mounted on the wall.
Using communication signals, it connected directly to a conference room within the Kanto League Intellectual Property Bureau.
A remote video conference had officially begun.
Ash sat calmly on the sofa as the lead presenter.
Gary, Green, and Clarissa sat beside him as assistant presenters.
Everyone looked unusually serious.
Then—
An elderly man on the conference screen adjusted his glasses and spoke slowly.
"Ash…"
"Although you are currently the League's number one priority talent, and many departments have already granted you exceptional permissions…"
"The field of intellectual property protection and patent certification remains one of the most strictly regulated sectors in the entire Pokémon world."
"I've carefully reviewed the materials you submitted."
"And I must say…"
The old man's eyes shone with genuine admiration.
"You truly are a genius."
"Remote Pokémon Capture is a revolutionary concept."
"And just as you described in your proposal…"
"It opens the door to an unimaginably vast blue-ocean industry."
"The economic value, commercial potential, and societal significance of this patent are enormous."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"While it may not rival the invention of the Poké Ball itself…"
"Its significance is already comparable to the invention of the Pokémon Transfer System."
"Once this patent is officially approved and promoted…"
"It will absolutely create a massive sensation."
"It will greatly accelerate commercial development, societal advancement, and even the evolution of the Pokémon trainer profession itself."
"It won't merely create a new market…"
His voice gradually grew more solemn.
"It will usher the entire Pokémon world into a brand-new era."
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals