"Pallet Town, I'm back!!" At the entrance to the small town of Pallet Town, Ash raised his hands above his head and shouted to the sky.
Serena, who was beside Ash, was startled, while Misty just shook her head with a bit of resignation.
No matter how much Ash has been through, his core nature hasn't changed; seeing his home, he shouted out like a child.
This time, the trip was much shorter than when he participated in the Quartz Conference, but the level of danger was incomparable to before.
It was like moving directly to a much bigger challenge.
Where battles once were peaceful, and Gym challenges were straightforward, even losing wasn't a big deal; you could just work hard later to win back.
Now, it had become a matter of life and death. If you lost, not just you, but even the entire world would be in great crisis, essentially tying oneself to the world's fate.
Ash, being the main bearer of pressure, wouldn't have made it without the encouragement of his group and his growth in the past half year. Otherwise, he might have been crushed by the pressure long ago.
Even so, the travel in the Orange Archipelago was somewhat oppressive for Ash. The burden of saving the world was always on his shoulders; how could he relax?
Upon returning, that leisurely demeanor truly reflected Ash putting down all his burdens.
The gains from this trip to the Orange Archipelago were significant. Not only did Little Lugia officially join the team, but he also captured a remarkably gifted Snorlax, a likewise talented Lapras, and a perhaps one-of-a-kind Crystal Onix.
These four Pokemon are ones that other Trainers might never see in their lifetimes, yet Ash captured them in just a month.
Such fortune would make even the Elite Champions envious.
After venting his emotions at the entrance of Pallet Town, Ash, Misty, and Serena stepped into the town.
Along the way, many neighbors greeted Ash upon seeing his return.
"Hey, Ash, you're back!"
"Ash, where did you travel to this time? Did you bring me any souvenirs?"
"Yo, Ash, brought another little girlfriend back? Are you planning to surpass Gary in the girlfriend department too?"
"..."
Whether greeting, joking, or teasing, the words came out from each neighbor, and Ash smiled and responded to everyone.
When it came to the mention of a little girlfriend, Misty felt no waves, but Serena blushed a bit. It wasn't the first time she'd been mistaken as Ash's girlfriend.
However, Ash already has a girlfriend. This kind of misunderstanding isn't pleasant for either Ash or Misty, even though Serena sometimes indulged in such fantasies, she knew it was wrong.
But it wouldn't be right for her to clarify such misunderstandings either; it felt like overstepping. Since Ash and Misty didn't say anything, what right did she have to clarify it?
Thus, in the end, nobody explained the joke, which was quite odd.
After passing through the neighborhood, the three arrived at Ash's house. Though it had only been a month, Ash felt it was longer than the previous several months he'd been away, perhaps because this experience was quite unique.
Ash turned the doorknob and discovered it wasn't locked. It was midday so Delia should be home, but usually leaving the door unlocked isn't safe if bad guys come.
As Ash thought this, he stepped inside, calling out, "Mom, I'm back!"
"Thud, thud, thud!!" Seconds after Ash spoke, urgent footsteps approached, followed by a woman with a white facemask appearing before them. Her ghost-like appearance startled Ash, the others, and even Pikachu, making them step back involuntarily.
"What kind of demon appears in my house!?"
"What are you saying! Such disrespect, don't you recognize your mother after such a short time apart?" Delia, adjusting her white facemask, rolled her eyes in annoyance, which even caused the mask to wrinkle a bit.
Applying a facemask, the worst thing is facial movement. Upon hearing Ash's voice, she suppressed her excitement, forcing her expression to remain unchanged, although her body quickly moved to the door.
But one sentence from Ash almost made her lose composure; what should have been a touching mother-son reunion was ruined by Ash's remark.
"Mom? Is it really you?! Why are you using a facemask? You never used stuff like that before." Ash confirmed several times, only relaxing after ensuring this was indeed his mother.
Delia had never used facemasks before, and it was Ash's first time seeing her with one, so he couldn't immediately recognize her.
While gently smoothing her facemask, Delia said, "That was then, this is now. Don't you think mothers age? How was this trip, went smoothly?"
"Yeah, it was pretty relaxed, not as troublesome as I imagined. The Orange Archipelago is a great vacation spot. We had a blast there." Ash downplayed it lightly, as if the real situation was just as he said, with nothing having happened.