When Serena had first eaten Ash's cooking, she hadn't thought much of it.
She just felt an overwhelming sense of comfort wash through her body — so soothing that she nearly let out a small cry of pleasure.
At the time, Ash hadn't commented, and Serena had assumed nothing was strange about her reaction.
But now, watching Misty's flushed face and dazed expression as she ate...
Serena finally understood.
Her own posture, her expression, the sounds she'd made it all came flooding back in horrifying detail.
This wasn't just embarrassing.
This was social annihilation!
Misty, meanwhile, was having a similar realization.
She nearly dropped her spoon, wondering if Ash had secretly spiked the food!
For a long, awkward moment, neither of them dared to take another bite.
Ash coughed lightly.
"Ahem. Don't worry, it's normal. That's just a reaction people have the first time they eat my cooking."
He gestured toward Pikachu, who was quietly eating tomato and egg noodles with a tiny spoon.
"If you don't believe me, ask Pikachu."
Pikachu nodded without looking up, cheeks puffed with noodles.
Ash smiled faintly.
"My food removes fatigue from the body. You both haven't eaten much these past few days.
Misty especially. That's why your reactions are exaggerated. After a couple more meals, it won't happen again."
Serena and Misty looked at each other, cheeks still pink, but finally resumed eating.
To be fair, the embarrassment didn't matter.
Ash's food was simply too delicious.
And in truth, it wasn't a side effect — it was pure culinary skill.
The taste was so divine their bodies couldn't help but react.
Lunch soon came to an end.
Ash packed up the leftovers and walked a short distance away to dispose of them.
But before he could toss them out, something rustled in the tall grass.
A Caterpie crawled out, its large eyes fixed directly on the food in Ash's hand.
"Pika!"
Pikachu immediately stepped forward, sparks crackling across his cheeks.
But the Caterpie didn't seem afraid.
It stopped a few feet away, staring hungrily at the leftovers.
Ash tilted his head curiously.
"Well, that's interesting... It ignored the Repel spray completely, and it's not even scared of people. That's rare."
He crouched down, eyes narrowing slightly as he activated his Entry System.
[Name]: Caterpie
[Gender]: Male
[Trainer]: None
[Type]: Bug
[Level]: Novice – Intermediate
[Ability]: Run Away
[Moves]: String Shot, Tackle
[Talent]: Gym-tier
[Entries]:
[Break Out of the Cocoon and Become a Butterfly] (Red)
[King of Insects] (Orange)
[Gigantamax Potential] (Purple)
[Break Out of the Cocoon and Become a Butterfly] (Red):
After evolving into Butterfree, there is a 90% chance of upgrading Talent to Elite-tier, and a small chance to reach Champion-tier.
[King of Insects] (Orange):
A Bug King born among tens of thousands. Increases the power of Bug-type moves by 20%, and reduces incoming damage from Bug-type weaknesses by 30%.
[Gigantamax Potential] (Purple):
When Gigantamaxing, this Pokémon will take on its Gigantamax form.
Ash's eyes widened slightly.
A Gym-level Caterpie with three entries — and the weakest one was purple?
That was unheard of.
He'd seen hundreds of Caterpie before — maybe even eight hundred.
And not once had he found one with more than a single blue entry.
But this one...
This Caterpie had a red, orange, and purple entry all at once.
"This is unreal," Ash muttered under his breath.
He didn't care about numbers — the quality of entries was everything.
With his system, he could add new entries later.
But attributes like these? Those couldn't be manufactured.
This Caterpie's entries were perfect — especially the red one.
A Caterpie with Gym-tier talent was already one in a million.
But with [Break Out of the Cocoon and Become a Butterfly], its growth potential skyrocketed.
Once it evolved, it would almost certainly reach Elite-tier talent — maybe even Champion-tier if luck favored him.
That was no ordinary bug Pokémon anymore.
"Who would've thought…" Ash smiled faintly. "A future Champion-tier Butterfree hiding out here."
If he hadn't come across it, the Caterpie might have lived and died without ever unlocking its potential.
But under his guidance...
He was looking at a guaranteed future Elite Pokémon.
Ash crouched down, smiling warmly.
"Caterpie, you want this food, right?"
The Caterpie nodded eagerly, antennae twitching.
"Well then, how about becoming my Pokémon? You can eat as much as you want."
The Caterpie tilted its head, thought for a few seconds, then nodded again.
"Good choice."
Ash pulled out an empty Poké Ball and tossed it gently.
It struck Caterpie, sucked it inside, and shook three times.
Click!
Capture complete.
The entire exchange took less than two minutes.
Serena and Misty stared blankly.
Did they just witness Ash recruit a Pokémon through… food bribery?
Froakie had defeated dozens of strong opponents before, some of them rarer and stronger than Caterpie and Ash hadn't tried to catch a single one.
But now, with just a leftover lunch and a few words, he had a new team member.
The two girls exchanged glances, speechless.
Ash just smiled to himself.
He could already see it — a Butterfree with Champion-tier potential spreading its wings under the sunlight.
Caterpie might look weak now…
but someday, it would break its cocoon and soar above them all.
(End of the chapter)