After earning the Beacon Badge in Sunyshore City, Ash now had all eight Sinnoh Gym Badges required to participate in the Lily of the Valley Conference.
Their next destination was the Lakeside Resort, the site of the Grand Festival for Pokémon Contests.
Today, the group arrived at a small town en route.
"Ash and Pikachu really are amazing! But we'll be fine too—at the Lakeside Resort, during the Grand Festival, I'll definitely come out on top!"
"Piplup-pip!"
As Dawn finished her confident declaration, the group decided to eat at a restaurant today instead of cooking for themselves—their food supplies had mostly run out.
"Wow! So cute!"
Just then, a teenage boy suddenly appeared ahead of them, his eyes sparkling with admiration as he looked toward Ash and Dawn.
"Pipipipip~!"
Piplup proudly responded to Dawn's earlier cheer.
But the boy wasn't looking at Piplup—his gaze was fixed on Pikachu.
"This Pikachu is just the cutest! I really love Pikachu. One day, I'll definitely catch one for myself!"
Piplup: …
Wait—he wasn't talking about me?
Piplup froze on the spot, petrified.
How could this happen?
It had already begun to blush shyly after being complimented… only to realize the praise wasn't for it at all!
"Pika~!"
Pikachu sheepishly scratched its cheek with its paw.
"You guys are awesome. My name is Roland."
The boy finally remembered to introduce himself.
Ash tilted his head slightly, thinking.
This event… feels familiar?
He couldn't quite recall the details, but he was pretty sure this was somehow connected to Granny Bertha, one of the Sinnoh Elite Four.
And as soon as Bertha came to mind, so did Professor Oak…
Ahem. Rumor had it that Granny Bertha and Professor Oak were very close back in their youth…
"I actually have a Pokémon, but I haven't officially caught it yet. Granny Bertha said I'd have to wait until I turn 16 and become a licensed Trainer before I can catch it. It's a Magby. There's a new daycare that opened in town—they said they could evolve my Magby in just two hours! So I left it there."
Roland said it with a bright, innocent smile.
Even Dawn frowned a little.
Two hours to evolve?
That definitely didn't sound right.
The group headed toward the so-called daycare—only to find it already shut down and abandoned.
Roland immediately realized… he'd been tricked.
Before he could even begin crying, a woman in her sixties or seventies slowly walked over.
"Granny Bertha… I'm sorry… I lost Magby…"
Magby had been entrusted to Roland by Bertha.
"You don't need to apologize to me," Bertha said kindly. "You need to apologize to your Magby. When we make mistakes, we must be brave enough to take responsibility—and when needed, it's okay to ask for help from friends. Didn't you just make some new ones?"
Bertha's words were full of meaning.
Roland looked at Ash and his friends, eyes full of hope.
Dawn and Anabel immediately nodded. Of course they'd help.
Ash didn't object either—he figured this was the kind of thing that didn't take much effort, and helping out was the right thing to do.
And if this smelled like a scam…
Then there was only one likely culprit: Team Rocket.
Ash had his suspicions already, but he didn't say anything yet.
Instead, he activated his Aura powers.
Buzz!
A five-kilometer radius lit up within his mind.
He instantly locked onto three familiar presences.
He already knew exactly where those three were.
But with Granny Bertha present, he couldn't just blurt it out like that.
So Ash summoned Lucario.
"Lucario, you should be familiar with Magby's aura, right? Try sensing it. It should be with three other auras."
"Luca!"
Lucario nodded, focused for a few seconds… and then pointed in a certain direction.
Bertha observed quietly and nodded to herself. This Ash… was methodical, composed, and efficient.
Did she already know him?
Not exactly.
She was about to retire soon, after all.
But her old friend, Professor Carolina, had asked her for a favor: if she happened to encounter a young Trainer named Ash, she should observe him closely.
"For my granddaughter's future," Carolina had said.
That granddaughter… was none other than Cynthia.
And so Bertha began to pay attention.
She was a master at reading people.
Carolina hadn't told her to evaluate Ash's battle power—just to quietly assess how Ash treated people and handled things.
And Bertha took this task quite seriously.
"Roland," she said gently, "once you become a Trainer, remember—never panic in difficult situations. Panic solves nothing. What matters is knowing how to make use of everything around you, to help you solve the problem."
Ash added casually as they walked, "That's right. If you want to be a Trainer, don't just rely on strength. You have to rely on your brain, too."
Just a few words. Nothing big. But Roland took them like golden treasures, nodding with serious determination.
Bertha, walking nearby, gave a subtle approving nod.
Following Lucario's guidance, the group soon located the ones behind the scam.
As expected—Team Rocket.
They'd disguised themselves, once again, as caretakers at a fake daycare, tricking unsuspecting Trainers.
Ash didn't bother stepping in.
Instead, Anabel's Stantler and Dawn's Piplup made short work of Jessie, James, and Meowth—blasting them into the sky.
Team Rocket was sent flying once again.
And Roland was joyfully reunited with his Magby.
Seeing Roland tearfully hugging his Pokémon, both Dawn and Anabel smiled with warm satisfaction.
Bertha had watched the entire episode quietly, like an unseen guardian.
And so, after saying their goodbyes, Ash and the others continued their journey toward the Lakeside Resort.
At no point did Bertha reveal that she was one of the Elite Four.
And Ash never brought it up either.
Later, Bertha stood alone on a high point of the town, watching Ash's group disappear into the horizon.
Only after a long pause did she dial a number.
The call connected—it was Professor Carolina.
"I've observed Ash for a while now," said Bertha. "He's an exceptional young man. Thoughtful, decisive, and level-headed in how he handles people and challenges. Honestly… you old fox, are you really trying to match Ash and Cynthia?"
Professor Carolina burst out laughing on the other end.
"We're both old ladies now—don't tease me! My granddaughter is amazing, no doubt. And she's already at the age where she should be thinking about relationships. But I won't let just anyone through the gate. Her future partner has to be exceptional. Really exceptional! Anyway, I'll ask her how she feels. And this upcoming Lily of the Valley Conference—sounds like the perfect opportunity for fate to work its magic!"
Little did Cynthia know…
Her grandmother was already planning her love life.
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: p@treon.com/PokePals