The shop was incredibly bare-bones, featuring only a few lonely display shelves. Aside from a dense mountain of stuffed Clefairy dolls, there wasn't a single other item in sight. The place looked utterly deserted.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Seeing the girl in the sun hat practically drifting into dreamland, Ash reached over and rapped on the brim of her hat.
"Whoa!"
The girl jolted awake as if she'd been electrocuted. When she realized she actually had customers, a wave of emotion surged through her, nearly turning into tears. But when she focused on the boy in the red-and-white cap, she gasped, her mouth forming a perfect 'O'.
"Wait—isn't this my favorite neighbor?!"
Ash flinched at her sudden outburst. When he looked closer, he recognized the face: long brown hair curling around a cute, round "bun" face. This was Azure, another kid from Pallet Town. Her eyes were currently wide with a mix of shock and total confusion.
Wearing a light blue tank top and a long red skirt, she looked vibrant and pretty. She looked like she was about to tackle Ash with a hug. She hadn't seen a living soul in nearly a week; at this point, she'd probably hug a passing Rattata just to feel human again.
Ash quickly extended his palm and shoved her forehead back, pinning her behind the counter.
"Is that... Little Red?"
He remembered clearly: back when he and Gary were kids, there was always this one girl trying to butt into their games and ruin their "manly" friendship. Women, Ash thought, are nothing but trouble.
"Hey! Ash! My name is Azure, you jerk!"
The pinned girl flailed her arms, accidentally landing a wild punch square on Ash's nose. Ash sat on the floor, clutching his face as the sting brought tears to his eyes. A reunion between fellow villagers in a foreign land was truly a "striking" and "warm" affair.
After the "friendly" greeting, Azure took off her hat and introduced herself to the others.
"Hello everyone! I'm Azure, Ash's cutest neighbor ever!"
"Hi, I'm Misty. Also the cutest beautiful girl in the world."
"I'm Brock, the strongest man. So... why are you running a shop in the middle of a mountain?"
Azure's expression soured instantly. She rubbed her temples, her face twisting with frustration. Clearly, the story of how she ended up here was a sore spot.
"It all started with a swarm of Zubats..."
Six days ago, Azure had arrived at Mt. Moon. Legend said Clefairies lived here, and she wanted one. After hours of fruitless searching, she ran into another neighbor: Gary Oak.
Hearing Gary's name, Ash stood up so fast his chair nearly flipped. His fighting spirit flared as if he were about to rip his shirt off. "What?! Gary's at Mt. Moon too? Where is he? I need to challenge him right now!"
"Uh, calm down. Gary's long gone."
Azure pushed him back into his seat, then she was the one who stood up, fists clenched. "Next time I see him, I'm the one who's challenging him first!"
Ash: "?"
Azure explained indignantly: "He told me Clefairies are holy Pokémon. He said if I prayed and stayed vegetarian for seven days at Mt. Moon, they'd answer the call from heaven and meet me. And I believed him."
"Then he told me to stay put while he went to Pewter City to buy me a bag of oranges. And I believed him again..."
"..."
Brock and Misty looked at Ash with pitying eyes. Your neighbor's IQ seems to be on exactly the same level as yours.
Azure grabbed Ash's hand, looking dead serious. "Ash, next time let's just jump Gary. No fair fights. You throw a sack over his head, I'll hit him with a rock, and then we just run away like maniacs!"
"What kind of plan is that? Ridiculous!" Ash shook her hand off and barked, "Obviously, I'm the one who hits him with the rock, and you throw the sack. Get the order right!"
Misty and Brock: "..." (Their energy was disturbingly synchronized).
Azure explained that the shop owner was a hiker who went bankrupt after a massive Zubat swarm—one with an extra zero on the headcount—scared away all the tourists. He'd lost everything, down to his underwear. He'd tricked Azure into watching the store while he went "fossil hunting" to pay off his debts.
"So he asked me to watch the store. And I believed him again."
The Trio: "..." (This girl would probably count the money for the person who sold her).
Ash was ready to leave to avoid catching her bad luck, but Brock spoke up. "Tomorrow is Monday. Legend says every Monday night, mysterious lights appear at Mt. Moon and Clefairies come out. Maybe Gary wasn't entirely lying."
Misty added, "That's right. You arrived on Tuesday, so you just missed the window. Gary probably meant you had to wait until the next Monday."
Azure's eyes welled up as she nodded frantically. "I knew it! Neighbors don't lie to each other! Gary, you just earned yourself a stay of execution."
Meanwhile, in a luxury cafe in Cerulean City.
A teenager with spiky hair was sipping coffee and reading the paper. Effortlessly sweeping the Cerulean Gym had him in a great mood. Suddenly, Gary Oak sneezed loudly.
"Tch, I guess even a genius can catch a cold."
He shook his head, remembering his prank from a few days ago. "I wonder if that idiot Azure has realized I was messing with her yet. Hahaha, a woman's IQ is just... tragic!"
He thought he was on Level Five. In reality, he was still on Level One.
Just then, a voice echoed in his mind: "Idiot."
"Hey! Green big bro, you're awfully grumpy today," Gary retorted.
Green warned him: "I'm only telling you this once. Mess with Ash all you want, but stay away from Azure. More specifically, stay away from the soul named Blue inside her. She is someone you absolutely cannot afford to offend."
"Blue? That airhead?" Gary was stunned. Green was invincible in his eyes, yet he sounded wary of this Blue soul.
Green repeated: "I'm not afraid, but I can feel it... that woman is Blue. She's not someone you want to mess with."