"I've captured Lapras!"
"Pika, Pikachu!!"
Ash raised the Pokeball high and struck his signature pose with Pikachu, as Lapras had already been captured into his Pokeball.
Then, Ash used the Pokédex to send Pidgeot and Blastoise back to Oak's Research Institute.
Although the Pokeball couldn't come to him out of thin air, it could be transported back to Oak's Research Institute without any devices. It's a built-in function of the Pokeball, allowing one-way teleportation.
If someday Trainers and their Pokemon could teleport back and forth, exchanging Pokemon would be much easier.
With smartphones emerging, such teleportation functionality is bound to appear soon. Professor Oak said it's already under development.
The reason Ash sent Pidgeot and Blastoise back was simple. After arriving in the Orange Archipelago, he only needed Charizard as a temporary flying Pokemon. For cross-region travel, Pidgeot would be better.
Therefore, Ash decided to send Pidgeot back, and as for Blastoise, now that he had Lapras, he didn't need Blastoise as a 'transport' on the sea.
Blastoise should spend some time in the backyard pondering how to further advance his Aura Power. Although he's found his path and barely kept up with Charizard and the others, it's still not enough.
Divine Power is meant to be superior; merely finding one's path isn't sufficient. Blastoise needs to tirelessly refine it to barely keep up with Charizard and the others.
On the other hand, if a suitable Divine Power for Blastoise could be found, Blastoise might leap over the intermediate stages and catch up to Charizard and the others at the speed of light.
But that's for later. For now, Blastoise should diligently study Aura Power.
After sending the Pokemon back, Ash, Misty, and Serena returned to the Pokemon Center on Penggan Island. Even though Ash had treated Lapras once, he decided to have it checked again at the Pokemon Center for safety.
At this moment, Ash had once again asked Mewtwo to use Superpower to cloak them, though this time without blocking Serena.
Serena sat and curiously glanced around, amazed that people couldn't recognize Ash at all, as if his appearance had changed. Yet in her eyes, Ash looked the same. According to Ash, this was the result created by one of his Pokemon using their Superpower.
This Pokemon is truly powerful.
"Speaking of Serena, how did you recognize me? At that time, I should have been a stranger you'd never met before, right?" Ash asked curiously, while Mewtwo inside the Pokeball perked up, eager to know the reason.
"Because Ash's silhouette resembles Ash~ And such an amazing Pikachu, I believe only Ash's Pikachu can reach that level, so I thought you must be Ash!" Ash's silhouette resembles Ash, which seems like a paradox, but that was indeed the situation.
At that time, Ash didn't look like Ash at all. Being able to recognize Ash from his silhouette shows how familiar Serena is with him.
Though they hadn't met in five years, Serena identified Ash solely based on her initial impression and his appearance on TV. While Pikachu played a role, it's a testament to her profound impression of Ash.
In an instant, Misty realized that this girl, like herself, also likes Ash!
If she didn't have feelings for Ash, it wouldn't be possible to discern him so clearly.
It's quite intriguing. Just after being with Ash, another girl who had liked him since childhood appeared, showing an unusual degree of dedication to him.
On their journey, many girls have had a crush on Ash, even the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, whom Misty felt had a fondness for Ash.
But liking is different. Apart from Misty herself, none truly had romantic feelings; having a crush is not the same as liking someone deeply.
Serena is the first person Misty has seen to openly express fondness for Ash, and it's so evident it nearly spills over, even Ash should notice...
Ash's shocked face.jpg.
He didn't notice at all!!
Misty slightly pursed her lips in exasperation, observing Ash's expression. Clearly, he didn't grasp Serena's emotions; rather, he was shocked by her ability to discern his true identity.
Perhaps, in Ash's view, Serena recognized him because she's truly skilled... Hm, this is indeed something Ash might conclude.
This wooden-headed guy; if Misty didn't confess explicitly, he wouldn't realize for a long time.
For those unfamiliar with Ash, witnessing his behaviors might make them think he's stringing others along, a scoundrel. In fact, he's just a bit dense.
"You're really amazing, Serena! With such keen observational skills, you'll definitely become an incredible Pokemon Trainer!" Ash praised Serena with a thumbs-up.
Serena's initially embarrassed expression froze at Ash's compliment—Wait, can't you hear the subconscious hints in my words?