Kirlia and Ralts!

"Neigh!"

Rapidash let out a proud whinny, looking at Ash with gentle eyes. It lowered its horn to gently touch him.

Ash understood exactly what it was trying to say.

"All right, Rapidash. Let's work together from now on," Ash said, then returned Rapidash to its Poké Ball.

"Grovyle!"

Although Grovyle's level had already surpassed the usual evolution level, Ash couldn't figure out why it hadn't evolved yet. Watching Rapidash become stronger after evolving, Grovyle seemed to sense the difference. With a thoughtful look, Grovyle allowed Ash to recall it as well.

Suddenly, Haunter's Heal Ball opened on its own, and Haunter came out! At the same time, the Ghost-type and Psychic-type Pokémon in the area were glaring at each other.

"Haunter, you're out just in time. Help me communicate with the Ghost-types. I've got a solution that might satisfy everyone."

"Haunt-haunt…"

Haunter nodded playfully and then started talking to the Ghost Pokémon. Meanwhile, Ash activated his Aura to convey his intentions to the Psychic Pokémon. His gaze fell on Kirlia and Ralts, both incredibly rare Psychic-types, and he thought how unfortunate it was that others hadn't appreciated them.

Following his plan, Ash sought out an Abra capable of using a special skill, Safeguard. He asked it to expand the Safeguard area so that, when the Psychic-types danced to the music, it wouldn't disturb the Ghost-types.

Suddenly, May poked Ash's side.

"Hey, Ash… I want to ask Ralts if it would like to travel with me. What do you think?"

Did May take a liking to Ralts?

"No problem! These guys just hang around here dancing to music because they're lonely and bored. Let's go talk to them together. I'll ask Kirlia, too. What do you think, Pikachu?"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu was all for it, thrilled at the idea of Kirlia joining them. Who wouldn't love such a cute Pokémon?

When the Psychic Pokémon finished their dance, Ash and May approached Kirlia and Ralts.

"Kirlia, would you be interested in meeting new friends? We travel to many places, and there's lots of fun and good food. If you'd like, you could come with us!"

Unable to bring himself to battle the adorable Kirlia, Ash tried persuading it directly.

"Kirli?"

Hearing about the fun and food, Kirlia showed interest, but it soon hesitated and looked back at the other Psychic Pokémon.

Ash understood—it had been with them so long that it had a deep bond and didn't want to leave them behind.

Meanwhile, Ralts was watching Kirlia's reaction, clearly planning to follow its lead.

Seeing this, Ash realized that if Kirlia preferred to stay, it might be best.

Just as Ash was about to give up on the idea of asking Kirlia to join them, the other Psychic Pokémon, including Kadabra, Alakazam, and Hypno, began talking to Kirlia, encouraging it to travel with Ash and May.

Ash watched, surprised by the scene.

The Psychic Pokémon were actually encouraging Kirlia and Ralts to go with them and explore the world. It seemed like recruiting Kirlia and Ralts was going to work out after all…

When Ash and his group returned to their campsite, they had gained two new friends—Kirlia and Ralts.

May was already bonding with Ralts, and Ash was doing the same with Kirlia.

"Wow, I'm so jealous of you two! You've managed to catch such rare and adorable Pokémon like Kirlia and Ralts! I've decided I need to catch a new Pokémon too!" Misty exclaimed, fired up.

Brock, however, had no such ambitions; he was content with his goal of finding his "lady" someday…

Important Note on Pokémon and Female Lead

There will definitely be more female leads besides Misty and May! Here's a little spoiler: during the challenge at the Battle Dome—the third Battle Frontier Facility—a third female lead will appear! Feel free to guess who it is! Other female leads will appear as the story progresses, one by one, such as Anabel, Sabrina, Cynthia, Caitlin, Dawn, Serena (my favorite!), and Lillie.

But! I can't introduce all the female leads at once, right? The story needs to unfold gradually, and the characters need to appear one step at a time!

In Pokémon, I'll be bringing back several key Pokémon, like Primeape from the P1 Grand Prix, Larvitar from Mt. Silver, Lapras from the Orange Islands, and Latias from Alto Mare, among others! Don't worry, none will be left out. But again, it needs to happen step-by-step.

As for Butterfree, it won't be coming back… For one, Butterfree's location is unknown, so there's nowhere to search. Secondly, Butterfree has found a mate. Even if I forced it into the story, it wouldn't feel right… Let's just let the little guy stay with its partner.

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T/N:

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