The figure blocking Ash and the others looked vaguely like a duck, broad body, thin limbs, but the intensity of its presence was unmistakable.
It was Magmar, a rare Fire-type Pokémon native to Kanto.
And the Aura surrounding it pressed down on Ash and his friends like a wave of heat.
"Visitors from outside," a cold voice called from within the house. "Please leave. You are not welcome here."
Ash didn't miss the hostility in that tone.
In his Aura perception, there was only one person inside the house, the same bald man he had bumped into earlier.
Meaning…
The random guy Ash smashed into on the street was actually an Elite Four–class Trainer?
That felt unreal. But considering this man was involved in Gardevoir's origin, and someone capable of producing a 6-S potential Ralts, he clearly wasn't ordinary.
Ash glanced at Magmar's data.
Not a single one of his current Pokémon could take it head-on.
Last time against Koga, if Champion Ash hadn't helped, even Crobat would've overwhelmed him. Unless Ash fought personally, he had no counter.
And now, in some isolated corner of Cinnabar Island, he was facing another such Pokémon, just guarding a tiny house.
'Was Cinnabar Island crawling with high level Pokémon now? Were they on sale? Buy one get one free?'
Ash took a deep breath and stepped forward slightly, but not too close.
"Hello! I'm not here to cause trouble," he called toward the doorway. "I just have a few questions I want to ask!"
There was a long pause.
Then the man's voice became… calmer, though still wary.
"Did the League send you to find me? That you managed to discover my hiding place is surprising. But for them to send a child like you… The League truly has fallen."
Ash: ????
"What are you talking about? What League? What finding you?"
Silence.
"Are you not sent by the League to search for my whereabouts?"
"Who even are you?" Ash asked, genuinely confused.
Inside the house: ???
'You don't even know who I am, then why did you chase me here?!'
A moment later, the irritated voice barked back:
"Who exactly are you?!"
The small wooden door creaked open, and the bald man stepped into the doorway.
Ash hadn't been mistaken, It really was the same bald man from earlier.
He had removed his wig, but still wore dark sunglasses.
Ash took this as a sign to show his sincerity. He pulled off his mask, revealing his face.
"I'm Ash, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. This is my partner Pikachu, this is Gardevoir, and these are my friends Misty and Brock."
He hoped revealing himself would calm the man down.
After all, Ash's reputation was still pretty high, surely this uncle recognized him… right?
When Ash removed his mask, the bald man's expression instantly shifted, shock flickered across his features, as though he were confirming Ash's identity.
After a long moment, the man finally spoke.
"You're that Ash, the one who's become famous recently? Hmph. Heroes truly rise young these days. To think you managed to train a Pikachu to this level…"
This time, Ash was the one caught off guard. "You can tell Pikachu's level just by looking?"
"Heh. I may be getting old, but my eyes aren't failing yet," the bald man said, a trace of pride slipping into his voice.
And indeed, he had every right to be proud.
Being able to gauge a Pokémon's level without battling was an ability only one percent of Trainers in the entire world possessed.
"Uncle, you've got incredible eyesight," Ash admitted.
"So tell me, since you don't know who I am, why did you track me here?" the man asked bluntly.
Ever since his research had been exposed, he had been living under disguise, avoiding public attention entirely. He had layered himself in anti-detection methods that even the League struggled to penetrate.
If someone actually managed to see through his disguise and track him, it would normally take him only seconds to lose them.
But today… something strange happened.
Until Ash physically stepped into the area, the man hadn't noticed him at all.
Only his Pokémon stationed outside detected Ash's presence, and by the time he reacted, Ash had already followed him here.
No wonder he mistook Ash for League personnel. Tracking someone of his level this precisely… who else but the League?
Even with the mask, Blaine could clearly see the youthfulness of Ash's face.
A child, in his eyes.
He initially believed that Ash had only tracked him because he was too young to be noticed, a sneaky tactic sent by the League to lull him into lowering his guard.
But now…
Ash didn't know his identity at all. He wasn't from the League.
So why had this boy come looking for him?
Ash shifted aside, revealing Gardevoir standing silently behind him.
"It's because of her. I want to know… do you recognize her?"
Blaine stared at Gardevoir for several seconds. A flicker of amazement passed behind his sunglasses, Shiny, powerful Aura, but his expression returned to confusion.
He did not recognize her.
"That's… your Pokémon, is it not? This is the first time we've met. Why would I know your partner?" Blaine said, genuinely puzzled.
Ash nodded.
"That's true. But… Uncle, did you ever own a Ralts Egg?"
"A Ralts Egg? Why would I..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
A Ralts Egg…
Could it be...
"Come inside. We'll talk."
Blaine glanced around sharply before ushering them through the door.
Whether anyone was nearby or not, this was not something that should be spoken aloud.
Once they entered, Blaine gave Magmar a small nod. Magmar nodded back and vanished into the shadows, continuing to guard the perimeter.
Inside the Secluded House
The interior was simple, almost spartan, but neat. A small kitchen, a dining table, a modest living room, a bathroom.
Everything the owner needed to live alone.
Blaine led them to the table. After brewing a pot of tea, he sat across from them and removed his sunglasses.
"How about now? Do you recognize me like this?"
Ash, Misty, and Brock all leaned forward, studying his face.
After a long moment, the three exchanged glances…
And shook their heads.
Brock frowned. He felt a faint familiarity, like a face from a distant memory, but he couldn't place it.
"My name is Blaine. That name should ring a bell… no?"
"BLAINE?!!!" the three shouted at once.
They had searched Cinnabar Island high and low. They had asked locals, travelers, even Joy at the Pokémon Center. They'd all but given up.
And yet… the man Ash accidentally bumped into on the street was Blaine himself?
Misty and Brock slowly turned to stare at Ash, their expressions complicated.
Ash felt his own face twist strangely.
Professor Oak had joked, that with Ash's absurd luck, he might literally bump into Blaine on the street.
Ash had dismissed it as impossible. His luck wasn't THAT ridiculous.
The League itself couldn't find Blaine.
But reality didn't care about probability or logic.
Ash had walked into him. Tracked him. And ended up sitting across from him.
If even one coincidence had been missing, none of them would be sitting here now.
"It seems this old man still holds some reputation," Blaine chuckled dryly. "You came to challenge the Cinnabar Gym, didn't you?"
"How did you know?" Misty asked. "Can't tourists come here just to sightsee?"
"That's just experience talking. I've lived a long time, my eyes still work well enough."
Ash sighed. "We did come to challenge the Gym. But we couldn't find you anywhere. We gave up and decided to treat this as a vacation. I never imagined the person I bumped into would be, well, you."
"A strange fate indeed," Blaine admitted. "But enough about the Gym. Let's talk about what matters. You mentioned a Ralts Egg. How did you know I once had one?"
Ash motioned Gardevoir forward.
"Because she said she sensed your Aura. A familiarity she felt even as an Egg. Which means… when she was still inside her Egg, you were already there. For long enough that she remembers you."
Blaine turned to Gardevoir. A moment of unmasked astonishment broke through his stoic face.
"Where did you get this Gardevoir?" Blaine asked quietly.
"I picked her up," Ash said.
"You WHAT?"
Blaine stared at him with a look that clearly meant, are you messing with me?
"No, seriously. I picked her up. Right after I started my journey. At Mt. Moon…"
Ash then recounted the entire story of the Egg falling from the sky.
The more Blaine listened, the more bewildered he looked.
This kind of coincidence was so absurd that it could only be the truth.
"So, Blaine… when Gardevoir was still an Egg, she really was with you, right?"
Blaine slowly nodded. "Yes. The Egg was in my possession. But since you already hatched her… why chase her origins so desperately?"
Ash inhaled deeply.
"You know why. Her talent is… not normal. What did you do to that Egg? Will she have problems in the future? If she does, how do I fix them? That's why I need to know everything."
Misty and Brock looked shocked.
"Ash… Gardevoir's been fine all this time. What problems?" Brock asked.
Ash rubbed his forehead. "Gardevoir's talent is wrong. You've seen Charizard, he's fast because he carries a Rainbow Feather. But Gardevoir? She has nothing like that. And she progressed almost as fast as Charizard."
He turned to them.
"Guys, honestly, does that sound normal to you?"
Misty and Brock blinked. Then they shook their heads.
"What, why aren't you following the script?! You're supposed to agree with me!"
Misty shrugged and pointed at Pikachu, who was happily munching snacks on the table.
"Compared to that, Gardevoir's growth speed is completely reasonable."
Pikachu paused mid-bite. "Pika?"
Gardevoir tilted her head shyly. "
Ash deflated.
"I'm being serious! Pikachu is different!"
Gardevoir's growth may have been absurd, but Pikachu's was beyond absurd.
Ash trusted the 'experts' in his strange chat group, he would eventually get answers.
But right now, Gardevoir came first.
Blaine folded his hands, his expression heavy.
"If I'm not wrong… your Gardevoir not only grows quickly, but also has an abnormally wide movepool. She can learn moves she should never be able to learn… correct?"
"Yes. She currently knows moves from seventeen different types," Ash admitted.
Blaine exhaled deeply.
"So it really succeeded."
"Besides Mewtwo, the first artificial Pokémon, the Ralts Egg in my hands was… the second successful experimental specimen."
"Unlike Mewtwo, who was born with overwhelming power, this one… started from zero, as intended."