Early the next morning, Ash and the others set off to return to Pallet Town. Brock was quite puzzled as to why the atmosphere between Ash and Misty changed after they returned last night, but since it's their private affair, he couldn't possibly inquire about everything.
One could clearly feel that whether it was Misty or Ash, they seemed to have suddenly matured a lot after coming back last night. It wasn't about growth in mindset or age, but something deeper.
Brock vaguely guessed something, but he didn't dare to believe his own speculation. If it was really as he guessed, then their progress was way too fast, wasn't it? They had just confirmed their relationship yesterday, and they hit first base last night? That can't be right...
Perhaps this doubt would only be answered someday in the future. After all, Ash and Misty wouldn't just run up to Brock and say, "We kissed last night," would they? That would be a bit too much.
After returning to Pallet Town, the three of them naturally went to Ash's house first to drop off their luggage. Delia warmly welcomed them, and instantly felt the unusual atmosphere between her son and Misty.
Compared to how they were last time, the atmosphere between them was completely different. If Misty had been harboring unrequited feelings before, now there was a sense of mutual affection between them. As someone who had been through it, Delia could see it at a glance.
Without waiting for Delia to ask anything, Ash pulled Misty's hand over after they put down their luggage and said in front of Delia, "Mom, this is my girlfriend, Misty."
"Hello, Auntie...Delia," Misty said, her face reddening as she bowed to Delia. She knew she would have to tell Delia about this sooner or later, but Ash had been too abrupt in revealing it. In the blink of an eye, she was suddenly introduced as a girlfriend without any mental preparation!
The main thing was that Ash hadn't mentioned on the way back that he would tell Delia right away. She thought it would be after some time!
But on the other hand, Ash's straightforward acknowledgment of her as his girlfriend in front of Delia warmed Misty's heart, giving her a strong sense of security.
This was just like Ash; no matter the situation, he was always direct and never concealed anything. Such a person, even if he ever cheated, would probably admit it right to her face...
Seeing her guess come true, Delia couldn't have been happier, "Wonderful, wonderful, I never thought this day would come. I thought you'd end up alone, Ash. Misty, thank you for taking a liking to our Ash. If he ever bullies you, just tell me, and I'll definitely teach him a lesson!"
Misty covered her mouth and chuckled, while Ash's eye twitched slightly as he said somewhat exasperatedly, "Mom, do you have to put your son down like that? I'm not that bad, okay!"
"Your looks are inherited from me, so of course, they're not bad. Your abilities as a Trainer are commendable too, but your emotional intelligence is just too low, Ash~ I was always worried about how you'd ever find a wife. But now, someone is interested in you, and it's just wonderful."
Ash rolled his eyes, opting not to argue with Delia since, in all honesty, there was some truth to her words. With his previous emotional intelligence, finding even one girlfriend would have been challenging. He still wondered how Gary ended up with six girlfriends.
But now he had a girlfriend too, so he wouldn't let Gary one-up him in this regard. Even though Gary had six and he only had one, it's not about the quantity of girlfriends but the quality.
Not to mention how pretty Misty was—just her status as a Gym Trainer could outshine all of Gary's girlfriends! Right?
After receiving the good news, Delia happily went to the kitchen to start preparing lunch for everyone. Since she hadn't bought much in the morning, even though she wanted to make a big celebratory meal, there wasn't enough. But that's fine; dinner would work just as well.
While Delia was cooking, Ash and Misty made a trip to Oak's Research Institute. There they met Professor Oak, who was still researching Annihilape, and Gary, who was training his Pokemon.
Though he had achieved a commendable fourth place at the Quartz Conference, Gary wasn't satisfied. He wanted to surpass Ash and claim the first place!
However, to achieve this, ordinary effort wasn't enough. He had to double his training while Ash was taking it easy!
But during his training, Ash actually found a girlfriend, which completely caught Gary off guard.
That blockhead actually got a girlfriend? That was Gary's first reaction.
His second reaction was that having a girlfriend would definitely slow down Ash's progress! After all, he had several times struggled to get up in the morning due to exhaustion. Even if Ash only had one, it's the bull that collapses, not the field.
It was only a matter of time before Ash ended up like him, and that was when Gary would catch up!
Now Gary realized that women only hinder his Pokeball-throwing speed!
Nonetheless, he wasn't going to abandon his girlfriends for it. But before surpassing Ash, he might have to neglect them for a while, unless there's absolutely no hope. Otherwise, he wouldn't give up!