"Bulbasaur~"
As soon as Bulbasaur emerged from its Poké Ball, it noticed the massive crowd around them and immediately grew nervous again. Two vines shot out and wrapped around Ash's wrist, while its body instinctively shrank behind him for protection.
"Bulbasaur, don't be afraid. You've got all of us with you."
"You won't be battling in today's match. Just focus on watching everyone compete. But you do need to get used to this environment. One day, you'll be battling in the City Arena yourself."
Ash gently reassured it.
"Bulba, Bulba~"
Bulbasaur nodded, and the tension on its face eased slightly.
"Oh, right, Clarissa. Why don't you let Oddish come out too?"
"Oddish is even shyer than Bulbasaur. If it wants to become a capable doctor that can stand on its own one day, being too afraid of people won't do."
"Okay!"
Clarissa readily agreed.
Just like Ash, she released the Pokémon she had only recently caught.
"Pop!"
"Oddish!!"
Oddish was naturally timid and shy. The moment it emerged from its Poké Ball and saw the crowd surrounding them, it became incredibly nervous.
No one was even looking at it.
Yet it still felt overwhelmed.
However, the moment Oddish appeared, something unexpectedly heartwarming happened.
"Bulba, Bulba~"
The Bulbasaur that had been hiding behind Ash moments ago suddenly stepped forward.
One of the vines wrapped around Ash's wrist loosened and gently patted Oddish on the head.
It was comforting it.
"Oddish, Oddish~"
The moment it saw a familiar face, Oddish's panic instantly subsided.
As though it had suddenly found a source of strength and security.
Seeing this scene, both Ash and Clarissa couldn't help smiling.
But their smiles carried different meanings.
Clarissa looked at her shy Oddish with the expression of a delighted mother.
Ash, meanwhile, looked at Bulbasaur with open admiration.
...
There was a saying from Ash's previous life:
"When poor, cultivate yourself. When prosperous, help the world."
But Bulbasaur seemed different.
Even when it barely had enough courage for itself, it still shared that courage with others.
As a wild Pokémon that had spent its entire life living far away from human society, Bulbasaur was just as nervous and uncomfortable here as Oddish.
And yet—
The moment it saw Oddish trembling in fear, it chose to step forward.
Even though it was scared itself.
Even though it didn't have much courage to spare.
It still shared what little courage and strength it possessed.
That sense of responsibility and dependability was something Ash deeply admired.
Respected, even.
It moved him so much that he felt he had learned something from Bulbasaur.
After all, many humans couldn't display this level of responsibility.
Looking back, Ash finally understood why the system had described Bulbasaur's personality as:
Strong Sense of Justice
Strong Sense of Responsibility
The former hadn't revealed itself clearly yet.
But the latter?
It was on full display right now.
Many people viewed an excessive sense of justice or responsibility as troublesome traits.
Things that only brought hardship upon oneself.
But Ash thought differently.
To him, these qualities were precious.
Leaving aside questions of morality and nobility, justice and responsibility were forms of mental strength.
And mental strength was incredibly powerful.
As a wielder of Aura, Ash understood that better than anyone.
People—or Pokémon—with strong hearts were more likely to develop the mindset of a true powerhouse.
And more likely to become truly strong.
"Bulbasaur is really reliable."
Ash and Clarissa exchanged smiles and spoke almost simultaneously.
Though the meaning behind their words differed slightly, the sentiment was exactly the same.
"Bulba, Bulba~"
Hearing the praise, a faint blush appeared on Bulbasaur's cheeks.
...
After resting for a while in Arena No. 7's competitor waiting area, Gary and Green were called up before Ash and Clarissa.
Gary sent out his starter Pokémon, Wartortle.
Green continued training her Dedenne.
As for the recently caught Flabébé, there was no rush.
The combination of Wartortle + Dedenne was incredibly aggressive in doubles battles.
Water and Electric attacks complemented each other perfectly.
Although their opponents weren't weak, they eventually collapsed under Gary and Green's relentless offensive pressure.
Soon afterward, the two returned victorious to the waiting area.
Ash and Clarissa had registered at the same time as them.
No sooner had Gary and Green sat down than a staff member appeared at the doorway.
"Mr. Ash, Miss Clarissa Joy, it's your turn. Please prepare to enter the arena."
"Okay."
The two responded simultaneously and stood up.
"Ash, Clarissa, good luck!"
Gary and Green cheered them on.
"We'll do our best."
Clarissa nodded confidently.
Ever since Happiny evolved into Chansey, its Attack stat was still laughably low.
But its HP and stamina had increased dramatically.
Although it wasn't yet as absurdly durable as a fully evolved Blissey, Chansey at its current stage could already be described as a walking tank.
And as a support Pokémon with phenomenal healing capabilities, Chansey was a monster in doubles battles.
It could absorb damage for allies.
Heal allies.
And completely control the tempo of a fight.
Back when Ash and Clarissa first teamed up for doubles matches, Ash had basically been carrying her.
Clarissa had often felt like dead weight.
But now things were completely different.
With Chansey on the field, Clarissa had become a genuine support specialist.
A teammate whose presence had a massive impact on victory.
If Ash's original chance of winning a battle was 100%—
Then adding Clarissa's Chansey boosted it to 200%.
Ash was already ridiculously strong.
Now he had a top-tier support partner.
How exactly was he supposed to lose?
"Don't worry."
"Even though this is Valor's first official City Arena match after evolving, he's no rookie."
"He's one of the core members of my second-string team, carefully trained from the ground up."
"And this battle also has Chansey supporting us."
"You know better than anyone how absurd Chansey's tanking and healing abilities are, Gary."
"So this match is already ours."
Ash waved casually, confidence overflowing from every word.
After exchanging encouraging glances with Clarissa, the two turned and headed toward the player entrance.
Behind them, Gary remained seated, holding a familiar glass fish tank.
His gaze fell upon the Magikarp swimming inside.
A look of longing filled his face.
"Magikarp..."
"Oh, Magikarp..."
"When are you finally going to evolve?"
"I really want the day to come when we can stand side by side and battle together in the City Arena."
Gary stared at the vacant-eyed Magikarp floating in the tank and sighed wistfully.
After Ash's Magikarp evolved, Gary had immediately claimed Ash's old glass fish tank for his own Magikarp.
According to Gary, he wanted his Magikarp to absorb some of that "dragon luck."
Whether it worked or not remained to be seen.
But judging by the hopeful expression on Gary's face, he clearly believed in it.
And perhaps, somewhere deep down, he was already imagining the day his own Magikarp would finally spread its wings and become a mighty Gyarados.