"Ah, Ash really won! When he comes over later and sees all of us here, he'll definitely be so happy."
Delia was feeling especially blissful right now.
Because her son had finally made something of himself. Not only that—he could make huge amounts of money, so much that she couldn't possibly spend it all.
Just how much Poké Coins did Ash have now?
A conservative estimate would be… at least a few billion…
And with Mega Evolution becoming more and more widespread, the amount of Poké Coins Ash could earn was only going to increase!
This world wasn't like the old one. In this Pokémon world, companies or corporations worth over ten billion Poké Coins were few and far between.
That was why Delia had no worries at all anymore. Every day, the only thing on her mind was deciding where to go for fun.
The only regret she had… was that her son Ash didn't have enough time to spend with her.
But she had already spoken to Ash about this over the phone. Ash had promised her—once everything in Kalos was over, he'd spend a long time back home with her.
So Delia was full of anticipation.
"Come on, all four of you, hurry and follow me. Ash is walking this way right now."
Delia led Misty, May, Anabel, and Sabrina toward Ash.
At the same time, in three other places…
Dawn was sitting alone in the spectator stands. When she saw Ash's battle end, she knew he would soon walk out of the arena.
"I wonder how he's been doing all this time… Has he… thought of me?"
Dawn's cheeks flushed red.
After all, she hadn't seen Ash in such a long while.
She held several bags of food in her hands—delicacies she had brought all the way from the Sinnoh region, knowing they were Ash's favorites.
Meanwhile, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie were also watching Ash walk toward the spectator area.
"There are still more than a hundred competitors, but since Ash has won his first battle, that means when the next round starts, only about sixty will remain. Just four more wins, and he'll secure a spot in the Kalos League's Top Eight. I'm sure he can do it—Ash is amazing. He'll definitely take first place!"
Serena's confidence in Ash was absolute, stronger than anyone else's.
Because ever since she had reunited with Ash, he had always carried himself with poise and strategy, no matter the situation.
Her admiration for him was unmatched.
That was the reason.
"You're right. Ash's next battle probably won't be until tomorrow anyway. With over sixty matches left, there's no way they can all finish today. Things will be much smoother tomorrow."
Clemont adjusted his glasses as he explained.
Elsewhere, Brock and Lucy were in the observation corridor, clearly watching everything unfold.
"Ash, Ash… all of them are planning to surprise you. But I think that surprise might turn into a shock!"
Brock chuckled mischievously, almost gloating.
Ash, oh Ash… even someone as handsome and popular as the great Brock wouldn't know how to handle this mess.
Taking Lucy along, he left the corridor to head straight to the upcoming super-sized battlefield of love.
…
"Excuse me, were you just talking about Ash? Could it be that you're Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie—the ones my son told me about?"
At that moment, Delia and the four girls walked right past Serena and her group.
"W-Wait… Son!? Ash's… mother!?"
Serena's face instantly turned pale!
What the—!? Ash's mom showed up out of nowhere!?
Oh no no no!
Why didn't Ash tell her anything!? To make things worse, she hadn't even properly dressed up! And now, this was the first time she was meeting Ash's mother—what a disaster!
Serena was seconds away from breaking down inside.
Oh dear Arceus…
Clemont was equally stunned. This was Ash's mother?
Wait a second…
Why were there four other beautiful girls standing right beside her!?
Clemont was sharp, but when he saw Misty, May, Anabel, and Sabrina, his mind didn't immediately jump to that conclusion…
"Ah… Y-Yes… hello, Auntie. It's nice to meet you. I'm Serena."
Though panic was raging in her heart, Serena forced herself to remain calm.
Absolutely under no circumstances could she lose face in front of her future mother-in-law.
Delia could clearly see Serena's nervousness. Judging from her demeanor, it was obvious…
Her son…
Delia felt a mix of frustration and pride.
Frustrated that Ash had gotten himself entangled with more girls again.
Pleased that her son was so popular among them.
As for Serena, Delia's first impression was that she was gentle and kind.
Much like Anabel, she seemed to be a very family-oriented girl.
Satisfied.
Misty and May exchanged glances, and so did Anabel and Sabrina.
They didn't even need Ash to explain—they already understood the situation.
For Anabel and Sabrina, it wasn't much of a problem; they had joined later after all.
But Misty and May… they couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
Still, that was normal. It was just jealousy, not anger.
Because after being apart from Ash for so long, both had sorted out their feelings.
Instead of wasting time on anger, it was better to think of how to move forward.
Now that things had come to this… could they really bring themselves to leave Ash?
Of course not.
Ash had now walked out of the arena.
His eyes immediately turned toward Serena's group.
Ash: "..."
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T/N:
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