After a week of relentless training, Ash finally begins to close the distance—not just with his Pokémon, but with the path ahead.
After a full week of intense training, the results were… impressive.
Ash could now barely keep up with Froakie's speed.
To be fair, it wasn't that Mimikyu hadn't improved. In fact, Mimikyu had made significant progress as well.
It was just that compared to Ash's growth…
Mimikyu's improvement looked almost ordinary.
Even Froakie had begun to suspect that Ash might actually be some kind of 6V human-shaped Pokémon.
His physical ability was absurd.
And—
The feeling when striking him during training was just too good.
So good that Froakie occasionally found itself wondering whether Ash should become its Trainer…
Or its permanent human training dummy.
…Of course, Froakie was just joking.
Probably.
Setting that aside, after a week of training, Mimikyu had indeed grown stronger.
But the biggest change was Ash himself.
Through constant sparring and training, he felt that his connection with both Mimikyu and Froakie had deepened. He could better understand their feelings and instincts, and during battles it often felt like their thoughts were syncing together.
The clearest example of this—
"Mimikyu, use Double Team!"
"Froakie, use Growl!"
"Hold on, Mimikyu—now use Shadow Sneak!"
"Froakie, dodge with Bounce!"
That's right.
Ash was currently directing a mock battle between Mimikyu and Froakie.
More importantly—
After a week of training, Froakie had finally begun to acknowledge Ash.
Ash could actually command it now.
Well…
Not always.
There were still moments when Froakie ignored orders completely.
But compared to before—when it refused to listen at all—this was a huge leap forward.
Now it was simply a matter of polishing his command ability with steady practice.
And honestly, Ash could feel his improvement.
At the very least, battles were starting to feel natural.
"Froa!"
The fight in the clearing had become extremely intense.
Froakie's voice echoed through the field—
But its body was nowhere to be seen.
Facing this overwhelming speed, Mimikyu chose patience.
It created multiple Double Team copies, increasing its margin for error while carefully observing the battlefield.
During the past week, Mimikyu had gained something extremely valuable—
Sharper vision.
If it could see the attack…
Then it still had a chance to turn things around.
Finally—
In a fleeting instant—
Mimikyu noticed Froakie slowing slightly during a turning movement.
Now!
Its eyes flashed.
"Shadow Sneak!"
Mimikyu's shadow suddenly surged forward along the ground toward Froakie.
Froakie glanced down at its own shadow with clear disdain.
Shadow Sneak might be labeled a priority move—
But priority only mattered when speed was lacking.
If you were fast enough—
Priority meant nothing.
In the world of combat—
Speed reigned supreme.
Whoosh!
With incredible flexibility and agility, Froakie slipped away unharmed.
At the same time, it drew its glowing blade and sliced cleanly through the approaching shadow.
"Now, Mimikyu—Wood Hammer!"
"Mimi!"
At that exact moment, Mimikyu's voice came from above.
Froakie looked up.
Mimikyu was already descending from the air, its tail transformed into a massive hammer.
Shadow Sneak had only been bait.
The real attack was Wood Hammer.
"Froa."
Froakie's eyes showed brief surprise.
Then calm returned.
Not bad.
But it's still too early to defeat me.
"Froakie—Quick Attack!"
"Froa!"
Light flashed around Froakie's body.
Its already absurd speed skyrocketed even further.
Mimikyu couldn't even see how Froakie disappeared.
The next moment—
A glowing blade rested in front of its face.
Behind it, Froakie spoke calmly.
"Froa."
The battle is decided.
As soon as the words were spoken, Froakie's cold aura faded.
The light blade vanished.
The frog Pokemonreturned to its usual relaxed demeanor.
"Mimikyu, are you okay?"
Ash jogged over immediately.
After confirming that Mimikyu was still energetic, he turned toward Froakie with bright admiration.
"You're really amazing, Froakie."
"Froa."
Froakie remained unmoved by the praise.
Arms behind its back, it maintained the posture of a master.
Wasn't that obvious?
Then—
"Grrrr…"
Ash's stomach growled loudly.
A moment later—
"Mimi…"
"Froa…"
Both Pokémon's stomachs followed.
Ash laughed awkwardly.
"Looks like we're all hungry."
He rubbed his stomach.
"Come on, Froakie. Mimikyu. Let's find some berries."
"Mimi."
"Froa."
Rustle.
Suddenly, the bushes nearby shook.
All three of them turned at the exact same moment.
A girl with short brown hair and a red sun hat stepped out from the bushes.
"Um… I saw your battle and came over to take a look."
She looked a little embarrassed.
"I've actually been lost in this forest for about a week…"
"Oh! You're lost too?" Ash said brightly, immediately pointing down a path. "If you head that way, you should reach the road."
Right then—
"Grrrr…"
Ash's stomach roared again.
He clutched it.
"I'm starving…"
"You haven't eaten yet?" the girl asked in surprise.
"Not really," Ash admitted sheepishly. "We've been training the whole time."
Just as he was about to say goodbye and search for berries—
The girl suddenly spoke.
"If you don't mind… would you like to have lunch together?"
"Huh? You haven't eaten either?"
"I was just about to." She sighed lightly. "I've been trying so hard to find my way out that I never stopped to eat."
She smiled politely.
"I'm Serena, by the way. I'm from the Kalos region. I came to Kanto to participate in a PokemonShowcase."
"I'm Ash, from Pallet Town. My goal is to become a Pokemon Master."
Ash thought for a moment.
"Kalos… I feel like I've heard that name somewhere…"
"Froa."
Froakie stared at him in disbelief.
Then—
It leapt up.
Spun.
And kicked Ash square in the cheek.
SMACK!
The move was super effective.
"Oh! Right!" Ash suddenly shouted, cheeks swollen. "Froakie is from the Kalos region!"
"…Are you okay?" Serena asked nervously.
"It's fine," Ash said casually. "This kind of injury goes away in a few minutes."
"…In a few minutes…"
Serena stared at him.
She had the strange feeling she had just met someone extraordinary.
"Grrrrrr…"
Ash's stomach interrupted again—louder than ever.
His limbs were starting to feel weak.
"I really need to eat something… I'm about to collapse!"
"Wait a moment."
Serena removed her backpack and searched through it before pulling out a small box.
"Here. I made these myself."
She opened it.
Inside were eight cream puffs.
Ash's eyes lit up.
"Wow—thank you so much!"
He took the box gratefully.
Then immediately divided the food.
He took two for himself and gave the rest to his Pokémon.
"Froakie, Mimikyu—split the rest."
"Let's eat!"
He bit into one.
His eyes widened instantly.
"Whoa! These are amazing!"
"Mimi!"
"Froa."
Mimikyu bounced happily while Froakie gave a small approving nod.
Soon all the cream puffs were gone.
"That was incredible," Ash said with satisfaction. "I haven't eaten anything this good in a week."
Just as he was about to say goodbye—
"Grrrrrr…"
His stomach growled again.
Even louder.
"…."
Silence fell.
Serena covered her mouth, laughing softly.
"Well… eight cream puffs probably weren't enough."
She smiled warmly.
"Let's just have lunch together."
Ash scratched his head awkwardly.
"…I guess I'll take you up on that."
...
Soon they began preparing lunch together.
Well—
Mostly Serena cooked.
Ash mostly handed her spoons and ingredients.
The moment Serena realized Ash couldn't even tell the difference between sugar and flour…
She finally understood why he survived on berries.
In some ways—
Ash lived more like a Pokemonthan an actual human.
Eventually, a delicious meal was ready.
As they ate, the two gradually became more familiar with each other.
"So you visited Pallet Town when you were younger?" Ash asked.
Serena nodded.
"That's part of why I came to Kanto."
She hesitated slightly.
"I also came to see a friend."
"A friend?"
"His name is Goh. He lives in Pallet Town too. We met at Professor Oak's PokemonSummer Camp."
"Summer Camp…"
Ash frowned.
"That sounds familiar…"
"It was organized by Professor Oak," Serena explained. "All the kids from Pallet Town were there."
"…Oh."
Ash scratched his head.
"I didn't go."
"I was camping in Viridian Forest at the time."
Serena blinked.
"You skipped Professor Oak's camp to camp alone in Viridian Forest?"
"Yeah. I was looking for a rare Pokémon."
Ash suddenly froze.
"…Wait."
What Pokemonwas it?
He clearly remembered meeting it.
He had even asked its name.
But…
No matter how hard he tried—
He couldn't remember.
Meanwhile, Serena continued reminiscing.
"I actually got lost during that camp," she said softly. "I was really scared."
"Goh helped me find my way out of the forest."
"That's how we became friends."
"I see…"
Ash replied absentmindedly.
Because his thoughts were elsewhere.
That Pokémon.
What was it?
He remembered its playful smile.
Its floating body.
But the name wouldn't come.
"What was it…"
Just as he was about to give up—
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed from the river downstream.
Black smoke rose into the sky.
Then an angry voice shouted:
"Who are you people?! Mew belongs to Team Rocket! Get lost!"
"Mew…"
Ash murmured.
Then suddenly—
His eyes widened.
"That's it!"
He slammed his hands on the table and jumped to his feet.
"The PokemonI met back then—"
"It was Mew!"
Ash excitedly turned to Serena.
But in the next second—
Both of them froze.
Then slowly turned toward the river.
"…Mew?!"
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