"Ash, you're back."
"You worked hard today."
The moment she saw Ash returning home with Pikachu and the others, Delia's face immediately lit up with pride and happiness.
Back when Ash's father had left, Delia had been fiercely opposed to Ash becoming a Pokémon Trainer.
She didn't want her son walking down the same uncertain path.
Later, however, after Ash's accident and hospitalization following his fall into the river outside town, she finally realized something important.
Children had lives of their own.
Their own destinies.
Their own dreams.
Even as a mother, she had no right to dictate every aspect of her child's future.
From that day onward, she stopped trying to prevent Ash from pursuing his dream.
And after that...
Everything changed.
First, Ash began attracting attention during Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp.
Then, after the camp ended, his rise became unstoppable.
According to Professor Oak, Ash had already become the Kanto League's number one prospect.
The rumors circulating outside—that he was the future Champion of Kanto—were far from baseless.
Today, Ash was already one of Kanto's most famous young trainers.
His future as a professional trainer was unimaginably bright.
And that wasn't all.
The Skill mastery online store, which had originally been created simply to improve their family's financial situation, had grown into an enormous source of income.
Money flowed in every day.
Just recently, after returning from Cerulean City, Ash had released another publication—
Ash's Feebas Beauty Guide.
Judging from the sales numbers during today's livestream and the overwhelming pre-order demand across major platforms, it was obvious that the book had already generated another substantial fortune.
Back when she finally accepted Ash's dream of becoming a trainer, Delia's greatest concern had always been money.
They were ordinary people.
No powerful family.
No influential connections.
No wealthy background.
Compared to children born into rich households or prestigious clans, Ash started with almost nothing.
She worried that his lack of resources would hold him back.
That one day he would fail to achieve his dream because of circumstances beyond his control.
Yet somehow—
At only six years old, before he had even officially begun his journey, Ash had solved that problem himself.
It filled Delia with immense pride.
But at the same time...
A small sense of helplessness lingered in her heart.
As a mother, she sometimes felt useless.
Her son had already accomplished so much on his own.
Of course, she never showed those feelings.
She didn't want Ash worrying about her.
Nowadays, there was only one thing she believed she could do for her son.
Take care of herself.
Stay healthy.
Avoid becoming a burden.
Allow Ash to pursue his dreams without having to worry about home.
That alone was enough.
Still—
Among all of Ash's achievements, there was one thing Delia appreciated more than anything else.
Not his fame.
Not his success.
Not even the mountains of money he earned.
No.
What made her happiest was something entirely different.
Her son had somehow managed to get three girlfriends.
Serena from Vaniville Town in the Kalos region.
Clarissa Joy, a direct descendant of the Joy family.
And Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader.
Every one of them was beautiful.
Kind.
Strong-willed.
And genuinely good-hearted.
Whenever Delia thought about it, she couldn't help smiling.
Because if there was one thing she'd always worried about, it was Ash's complete lack of awareness when it came to romance.
For years, he'd been denser than a block of wood.
Especially around girls.
Yet somehow, once he finally figured things out, he had become unexpectedly talented in matters of the heart.
As his mother, Delia couldn't have been happier.
After chatting with his mother for a while and spending some time watching television together in the living room, Ash eventually headed upstairs.
Before that, he had already arranged for Melanie to send over another group of Pokémon to learn new skills.
He also took a quick shower and changed into clean clothes.
By the time he finished, it was almost nine o'clock.
Normally, this would have been the time for his nightly Aura meditation.
However, tonight Ash had something else in mind first.
Back in his room, he turned toward Fearow.
"Fearow, it's been quite a while since you fused with the Sharp Beak."
"I think it's about time for your second item fusion."
"GAAAAH?!"
Fearow nearly jumped with excitement.
"Really?!"
"That's great!"
"Finally!"
Among Ash's first-string core Pokémon, Fearow often felt the most pressure.
Pikachu possessed miraculous powers that constantly defied logic.
Greninja had the potential for Bond Evolution.
Its older brother, Pidgeot, had already mastered Mega Evolution.
Meanwhile, Fearow lacked any extraordinary bloodline advantages.
No special abilities.
No unique transformations.
On top of that, it had joined Ash's team later than many of the others, causing it to trail behind in strength.
Fearow usually acted carefree.
But deep down?
It definitely cared.
Its teammates worked unbelievably hard.
And no matter how hard it pushed itself, catching up felt incredibly difficult.
Especially now.
Shiny Gyarados and Shiny Milotic from the second team were rapidly growing stronger.
Bulbasaur, whom Ash clearly valued highly, had also joined the team.
The pressure was real.
Fortunately, Ash had always treated it exceptionally well.
He never played favorites during training.
In fact, if anything, he invested even more effort into Fearow than many of the others.
Ash had spent millions purchasing six separate items specifically for Fearow.
And he fused them without the slightest hesitation, almost as casually as consuming ordinary items.
The previous fusion with Sharp Beak had significantly enhanced Fearow's Flying-type abilities.
Its strength had improved.
Its talent had improved.
Its potential had improved.
The gap between itself and Pokémon like Pikachu, Greninja, and Pidgeot had narrowed substantially.
And now—
The second fusion was finally here.
Perhaps this would be another step toward catching up with its teammates.
Ash sat down beside Fearow.
"The six items I bought for you focus on strengthening three main areas."
"Your eyesight."
"Your talons."
"And your beak."
"Sharp Beak enhanced your beak, so following a gradual progression, I think it's time to strengthen either your claws or your vision."
Ash looked at Fearow.
"Which item would you like to fuse next?"
Fearow didn't hesitate.
It knew every item Ash had prepared.
It knew exactly what each one did.
"GAAH!"
"I want the Scope Lens!"
Its answer was immediate.
"With it, I'll be able to spot opponents' weaknesses more easily."
"And I'll have a much higher chance of striking vital points."
"Scope Lens, huh?"
Ash nodded.
"Good choice."
To him, any of the six items would have been valuable.
Each one enhanced a specific body part while also providing additional benefits.
Some improved attack speed and initiative.
Others increased move accuracy.
Some created flinching effects.
Others boosted critical-hit rates or improved weak-point targeting.
Every one of them was powerful.
Every one offered substantial improvements.
But for Fearow—
A Pokémon whose entire fighting style revolved around speed, precision, and exploiting openings—
Scope Lens was undoubtedly the most beneficial option available right now.
It would sharpen Fearow's vision.
Increase its ability to identify flaws in an opponent's defense.
And dramatically improve its chances of landing critical strikes.
For a swift aerial hunter like Fearow—
There was hardly a more perfect choice.
The next stage of Fearow's evolution was about to begin.