Heh. Diantha let out a cold laugh.
Those guys couldn't find girlfriends, yet they had plenty of excuses.
At that moment, the livestream video continued—
The next day, Serena's ankle injury had completely healed.
She bravely asked Professor Oak, "Professor, can I go with Ash?"
Compared to staying at camp for summer classes, she preferred to be with Ash.
"This..." Professor Oak hesitated.
He wasn't worried about Serena's safety; he was worried Ash wouldn't want a little girl tagging along.
"Professor..." Serena put on her best puppy eyes, tears shimmering as if she'd cry if refused.
A girl in love was truly troublesome. With no choice left, Professor Oak sighed and personally escorted Serena to Ash's house to ask for his opinion.
Kanto Region.
Misty's jealousy radar went off like a siren.
That Serena from the Parallel World was way too forward! Misty seriously suspected her other self in that world wouldn't stand a chance.
Hey, instead of worrying about your parallel self, worry about your Ash! This is not the time to lose ground!
"You're on my side, right, Brock?" Misty said coldly, eyes narrowed.
"Of course! I've always been your loyal supporter," Brock replied instantly, not daring to take any risks.
"Good." Misty nodded, satisfied.
On Black screen:
"What a cute little girl. What's your name? Where are you from? How old are you?"
Delia's heart melted the moment she saw Serena standing shyly at the door. Her son was growing up!
And since Professor Oak himself had brought Serena over, Ash couldn't exactly refuse without getting scolded by his mom later. He reluctantly agreed.
At first, Ash wasn't thrilled about Serena joining. He was a boy destined to become a top Pokémon Trainer — he didn't have time to babysit a little girl.
But in just one day, his impression changed completely. Serena was gentle and quiet.
When he trained with Pichu, she would sit nearby, quietly watching, never interrupting. Her thoughtfulness was... touching.
With such a considerate girl around, Ash didn't mind her company anymore.
Over the next five days, they became close friends. But happy days are always short — soon, the summer camp ended, and Serena had to return to Kalos.
They promised to meet again someday before she left.
After she was gone, Ash returned to his intense daily routine — training, battling, improving. His only leisure was Mew showing up to play tricks on him.
Days turned into years.
Three years later, Ash was nine.
"I want to become a Pokémon Trainer," Ash declared firmly.
"But the League regulations say only ten-year-olds can officially register as Trainers," Professor Oak replied hesitantly.
Ash didn't argue. He simply looked at the Professor, calm and expressionless.
"…Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do," Professor Oak relented with a sigh.
If any other nine-year-old came begging for a Pokédex, he'd just smile and send them home. But Ash wasn't like other kids.
Oak had seen Ash's progress firsthand — calling him a "genius" didn't even cut it. "Monster" was more fitting.
And for a monster, special treatment was only natural.
[Lance: That's not fair! When I was nine, I wanted to become a Trainer early, but the Johto Professor told me to get lost! I was clearly a genius too!]
[Lorelei: Didn't Professor Oak explain it? Geniuses don't get exceptions. Only monsters do.]
[Steven: Isn't Oak exaggerating a bit? Calling a nine-year-old a 'monster' feels… excessive.]
[Will: Heh, that old man's just hyping up Ash. Monster? Please. No matter how much Pikachu trains, it's still just a Pikachu. Unless Ash changes starters, his future's obvious.]
[Lt. Surge: My ticket's booked, Will. Wait for my Raichu to shock that smug mouth crooked!]
[Will: I'll be waiting.]
[James: Beat him up! How dare he slander the kid's Pikachu!]
[Jessie: Yeah! Insulting Pikachu means insulting Team Rocket!]
[Meowth: We gotta make that Will guy pay! Meow!]
[Ash: Wow, my other self started his journey at nine? That's awesome. Hey, Professor, why didn't you let me start early?]
[Misty: Please, Ash, be serious! You almost died at ten! If you'd started at nine like your parallel self, you probably wouldn't have survived a week!]
[Pikachu: Pika pika.]
Exactly.
Wait—
Misty's eyes widened.
If Black Ash started his journey at nine… then wouldn't her Parallel World self not get to travel with him?!
Wouldn't that make her… the loser?!
Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!
Not her — her parallel self!
Yeah, that's right.
Her parallel self was the loser. Definitely not her!