Hearing Clarissa's question, Serena immediately perked up as well. Her face filled with curiosity as she looked toward Misty—the oldest of the three girls, yet the one who had been the last to officially enter a relationship with Ash.
"(/ω＼)"
With both Serena and Clarissa staring at her expectantly, Misty, who was usually so cheerful and straightforward, unexpectedly became bashful. A rosy blush spread across her face as she fidgeted shyly.
"Actually, the reason I was able to meet Ash is the same as the reason you two met him. It all started with the Pokémon Summer Camp organized by Professor Oak."
"After something happened at the Summer Camp, television stations began setting up there and broadcasting the event live. I watched the Summer Camp broadcasts every day, and when I saw Ash, I was deeply attracted to him too."
"When I saw how warmhearted and gentle Ash was when he helped you, Serena, I couldn't help feeling incredibly envious. Later, little by little, just like Clarissa, I also began developing feelings for Ash all by myself."
"Of course, at that time, although I had fallen for him, it was only a crush. Especially when the Summer Camp ended and you, Serena, took the initiative to confess to Ash and became his girlfriend, I didn't dare harbor any improper thoughts about him anymore."
"Even though the Pokémon world advocates free love and a strict monogamous marriage system isn't particularly prevalent, I still felt that it would be inappropriate for me to interfere in the relationship between you and Ash."
"Although I still admired Ash deeply in my heart, what I felt toward him at that time was more admiration and worship. I admired how outstanding he was. He had only just obtained his first Pokémon, yet immediately after the Summer Camp ended, he independently founded a Pokémon Skill Online Shop."
"He came from an ordinary commoner's family, but through his own efforts, he obtained his first Pokémon at the age of six, earlier than most people. Then he built his Skill Online Shop from nothing and turned it into a thriving business in an incredibly short amount of time."
"Compared with him, I was the heir to Cerulean Gym. I didn't have to work particularly hard to obtain my first Pokémon from the League for free at the age of six."
"And as the heir to Cerulean Gym, I already had such a large family business behind me, yet I still couldn't accomplish anything nearly as impressive as what Ash had achieved."
"So after Ash opened his Skill Online Shop and I watched its business become more and more prosperous, I both admired him romantically and looked up to him tremendously."
"At that time, Ash and I still had no real connection. That only changed after his Skill Online Shop launched its 'Magikarp + Tackle' skill-learning service, which caused an enormous sensation throughout Kanto's Trainer community."
"When I was little, I once got mischievous and climbed onto the edge of the fountain in a park. There was a Gyarados sleeping there with its mouth wide open, and I actually climbed right inside its mouth while it was napping. Then the Gyarados suddenly closed its mouth…"
"After that incident, I developed an intense fear of Gyarados. Before that, I had loved Water-type Pokémon more than anything, but from then on, Gyarados became the one exception."
"Because I often followed news about Ash, I was also drawn to his hardworking and ambitious nature. And at that exact time, his online shop had launched its 'Magikarp + Tackle' skill-learning service."
"Back then, I thought that I wanted to work as hard as Ash. I wanted to catch a Magikarp and personally raise it into a Gyarados so that I could overcome my fear of Gyarados."
"Of course, there was another little thought behind it as well—I wanted to support Ash's online shop. If I could actually talk to him and get to know him, that would have been even better~"
By the time she reached this point, Misty's face had become bright red with embarrassment.
Seeing that expression on Misty's face, Serena and Clarissa exchanged a smile. Both of them had been drawn to Ash by his brilliance and had eventually fallen in love with him, so they could completely understand why Misty had originally harbored the same kind of thoughts.
"And what happened after that?" Serena and Clarissa asked curiously at the same time.
"After that... I don't know whether it was fate, but I successfully managed to grab one of the first five spots for Ash's 'Magikarp + Tackle' service."
"And what was even more coincidental was that, in the aquarium at the Gym, I happened to choose a Magikarp from among the various ornamental Water-type Pokémon left behind by my deceased parents. It looked healthy and well-developed, so I sent it to Ash to learn Tackle."
"But I never expected that the Magikarp I caught had actually already learned Tackle on its own. After discovering this, Ash took the initiative to contact me through the order information."
"Ash first told me about the situation with the Magikarp. Then he sent the Magikarp back and allowed me to use the skill-learning slot on another Pokémon instead."
"At that time, I hadn't even decided what Pokémon I wanted as my starter yet. Taking advantage of that opportunity to chat with Ash, I told him that I was the heir to Cerulean Gym and humbly asked him for advice about choosing my first Pokémon…"
"And Ash really was just as warmhearted, gentle, and helpful as he had appeared during the television broadcasts. Faced with my questions, he patiently analyzed my situation and gave me his recommendations."
"In the end, I followed Ash's advice and chose to catch a Staryu as my first Pokémon. Then, just as Ash had promised, I used Staryu in place of the Magikarp slot and sent it to his side to learn a new skill."
"That phone call was how I finally got to know Ash. After adding him as a friend on social media, I often asked him for advice about Pokémon training and raising Pokémon."
"And Ash was always incredibly helpful, especially after he learned that I had taken on the responsibility of revitalizing Cerulean Gym despite being so young, and that my dream was to become the world's number-one Water-type Pokémon Breeder."
"Ash greatly admired and respected both my responsibilities and my dream. After that, we often communicated and discussed Pokémon training and raising together…"
"Because we're both Pokémon Trainers, and we're both determined to pursue the path of becoming professional Pokémon Trainers, we had a lot in common. We both had the ambition to become number one in the world, so Ash and I always had plenty to talk about."
"But even then, what I felt toward Ash was still mostly admiration. I kept the romantic feelings in my heart suppressed and never showed them."
"Until one day, Ash encountered a Marill with exceptionally good talent and potential. But by then, he already had three Water-type Pokémon—Greninja, Gyarados, and Milotic."
"Ash had no plans to catch and raise another Water-type Pokémon in the short term, but he also didn't want to let such a talented Marill go to waste. In the end, he decided to catch it and give it to me to raise."
"And it was precisely because of that incident that I could no longer suppress my feelings for Ash."
"Not long afterward, during one of our conversations, I took the initiative and confessed my feelings to Ash."