Chapter 40

"Congratulations on the win." Misty smiled at Ash and said. "You have a really stubborn and strong Pokemon on your Team."

"Thanks!" Ash embarrassedly scratched the back of his head.

Flabebe and Pikachu greeted each other, and then Ash started telling them about his adventures.

They sat down at a table in the lounge, and Anira joined them after she and Bliss had helped Flaaffy.

"That was tiring!" She complained before she unreservedly sat down on Aizen's lap, leaving the chair for Brock to sit on. "Bliss was adamant about helping all the Pokemon in the training ground."

"She is a good soul. And she loves you a lot." Brock commented appreciatively.

Leaf was still a little uncomfortable about his presence, but Misty didn't seem to mind it.

"I am Brock." He introduced himself to Leaf, Misty, and Aizen. "Ash's travelling partner."

"It's nice to meet you! My name is Aizen, and this is my little sister, Anira." Aizen smiled and shook his hand while Anira nodded to him. "Ash told us how you two met. And that you dream of becoming a renowned Pokemon Breeder."

"Yes." Brock nodded.

"Have you taken the Breeder's Exam?" Misty curiously asked.

"Not yet." Brock shook his head. "I did not travel in the last 4 years after my exit from the Quarter-Finals of Indigo Conference, so I still lack a good number of Positive Stars." He informed them. "Can't take the exams without them, but I have my Silver Perk as I served at Pewter Gym as an interim Gym Leader to lend a hand to my father."

"What's the plan now?" Aizen asked.

"Ash needs a lot of help so that he can go far in the Indigo Conference, and a companion to travel with. So, I am tagging with him." Brock smiled. "I don't know how he managed to pass his License Test."

"Hey!" Ash complained, and it made everyone at the table laugh.

"I want to explore the world for now. And maybe take part in Pokemon Contests in some Region. Lots of famous Pokemon Breeders are also top Pokemon Coordinators."

"True. Pokemon Contests not only focus on your artistic work and duelling capabilities but also on Pokemon health and bond with the Trainer." Aizen nodded his head. "Breeder's Exam won't be easy though. You should really start working on it if you haven't already."

"I have." Brock smiled at him. "Spent the last three years preparing for it. Hopefully, I will make it. Have you taken it?"

"Brother passed it with flying colours." Anira smiled and answered on his behalf.

"You are a Pokemon Breeder?" Brock asked in surprise.

"I can work as one, yes." Aizen nodded. "But I don't have a lot of interest in that field. I took the Exam because it was necessary for the Golden Perks on my License."

Brock nodded to his words and curiously looked at the silver fox in his arms. And suddenly, his mouth comically opened.

"Is that..."

"Yes. A shiny Eevee." Aizen chuckled at the excitement reflecting on Brock's face.

"That's a treasure!"

"Rinko is a treasure." Anira nodded to Brock's words, and Misty and Leaf nodded to her words.

"What's so special about a Shiny?" Ash curiously asked.

Even his Pikachu looked at him in disbelief.

"Ash..." Brock sounded very serious. "Do you know what a Shiny Pokemon is?"

"Don't they just have a different colour scheme?" Ash frowned and said.

They could not refute his words since he was mostly correct. But it was rare for someone to not hold Shiny Pokemon as treasures.

"Do you know how many Shiny Eevee are out there?" Anira smiled at him and asked.

"A few?" He guessed.

"In the last hundred years, only five Shiny Eevee have been recorded. And Rinko is the fifth." She proudly informed him. "Though they are only considered to have a different colour scheme, Shiny Pokemon are extremely rare. Eevee are one of the few species that do not have more than 10 Shiny versions recorded in the last hundred years, so they are rare among the Shinies as well."

She could have told him that Shiny Pokemon were twice the fast learners compared to their species, making them more talented and stronger, but she would never reveal that. It would cause a lot of trouble in the world.

"I see." He did not seem convinced to see the Shinies as treasures, and no one bothered to change his point of view.

"He looks to be in perfect health," Brock commented on Rinko.

"Thank you!" Aizen smiled at him.

"Aizen!" Ash suddenly called him out.

"Yes?" He hoped that it was not about challenging him to a battle. He was just not in the mood.

"How many badges have you won?" Ash looked ready to show off even before Aizen answered him.

"Only one. I won my Cascade Badge, and now I am here for the Might Badge." He answered with a smile. "How many have you got?"

"Four!" Ash took out a Badge Case and opened it before he showed them to Aizen and the girls. "Boulder Badge, Cascade Badge, Thunder Badge, and Might Badge!"

"That's nice." Aizen nodded after seeing the badges. "So, you have been to Vermilion City."

"Yes." Ash nodded. "I thought I could challenge the Saffron Gym, but it only accepts Challengers with 5+ Gym Badges. So I headed to Vermilion City. It was a tough battle, but Pikachu made it."

"Pika pi." The yellow mouse happily nodded.

"Found my Charmeleon, Bulbasaur, and Primeape on my way there."

"How many Pokemon do you have now?" Leaf curiously asked.

"I have 9. Pikachu, Fearow, Pidgeotto, Kingler, Bulbasaur, Charmeleon, Primeape, Pinsir, and Graveler."

"What happened to your Metapod?" Misty asked.

"We found a colony of Butterfree in their mating season, and I decided to set Butterfree free to search for a mate." He smiled and answered.

"That's nice." Misty nodded and Leaf agreed with her as well.

"How many Pokemon do you have now?" Ash excitedly asked Leaf.

"I have seven... and soon this Egg will hatch into a Staryu." She smiled and wrapped her arms around the Incubator. "You already know Flabebe. I have a Weepinbell, Gloom, Pidgeotto, Pichu, Nidoran, and Exeggutor."

"Awesome!" He smiled brightly and looked at Aizen.

"I have caught 7 Pokemon in Kanto. You already know about Scyther. I have a Nidoran, Golbat, Wartortle, Growlithe, Machop, and Lapras." He informed him.

"Lapras?" Ash curiously pulled out his Pokedex and searched for it. "That's a nice one." He heatedly looked at the picture of the Pokemon after reading its description. "I will catch one as well!"

Brock and Misty shook their heads and sighed at his enthusiasm.

"Blissey!"

They were busy talking when Blissey came to them with a trolley that had their Dinner. She happily set their food on the table. And she also brought some sweets for Flabebe and something citrus for Pikachu.

Everyone thanked her for the food, and she happily left them to eat.

Their talks mostly revolved around Ash's Gym Battles, where he enthusiastically informed them how he managed to win them.

All of them were very sceptical when Ash said that Vermilion City's Gym Leader's Raichu was slow because he evolved it very soon. No matter how slow a Raichu was, it would still be a little faster than a Pikachu, unless that Pikachu was unusually fast. The evolution gave Raichu a speed boost, and they doubted that a Gym Leader would evolve his Pikachu without training it on speed. It was an elementary mistake that only Novice Trainers could make.

They got their answer when Brock sighed and shook his head. Ash was yet to realise that it was not the case and that the Gym Leader had instructed his Raichu to not use its full speed to give a chance to the young Trainers.

"What time do you have your Gym Battle tomorrow?" Ash asked.

Aizen looked at Leaf and Misty since they registered them for the battle.

"I have mine at 2 pm, and Aizen will have his battle right after that," Leaf informed him.

"We will come to watch it." He smiled. "And then I want to battle you in the evening with my Pikachu! I want to see how your Scyther squares against Pikachu now that we have grown stronger." He challenged Aizen.

"Pika pi!" The yellow mouse confidently spoke.

Leaf couldn't hold back her giggles, and Aizen looked at her disapprovingly, making her turn quiet.

"Sure. We will battle tomorrow evening." Aizen smiled and agreed. "And you must try to mend your relationship with your Charmeleon."

"What do you mean?" Ash was puzzled at his words.

"I feel the same way. There must be a reason why Charmander was behaving the way it has been in the last two weeks. And today Charmeleon blatantly ignored your commands. It could be dangerous in the future." Brock voiced his thoughts.

"But I didn't do anything to Charmeleon! I don't know why he's behaving that way." He seemed anxious.

Though he was not obliged to, Aizen decided to help Ash with it.

"Charizard line is known for being proud. Though they are not classified as Dragons, they have Draconic roots because a Dragon-Type Mega Evolution of Charizard exists. And all Dragons are proud and need attention. They are the hardest Type to train. If you have one on your Team, know that it yearns to become your number-one choice. If you keep choosing everyone else over them, whom they consider weaker than them, they would distance themselves from their Trainers. And yes, it could turn really bad. Usually, it happens when you are neglecting them and not working on your bond with them. Try talking it out with Charmeleon, and spend some more time with it. Show Charmeleon how important it is to you and that you trust it. However, do not spoil it by listening to everything it says. Do not let it grow arrogant and full of itself by giving it preference over the rest of your Team. It must acknowledge that even if it is the strongest, the others on your Team are strong too."

Everyone at the table seriously listened to his words. Anira already knew these things since her first Pokemon was a Dragon. Others, however, learned a few things from what he said that would help them in future, and they were impressed by how knowledgeable Aizen was even if they already knew that the was a Professor.

"Thanks!" Ash gratefully said. "It seems a really tough job, but I will work on it."

"You must." Anira seriously said.