As the Pokémon that Ash Ketchum had kept by his side since it hatched, Chansey had developed an unbounded level of intimacy with him. In her eyes, Ash was like a parent.
Despite their closeness, Chansey still hesitated to evolve. From Ash's perspective, this could be viewed as Chansey's small act of rebellion—much like how children occasionally resist growing up. Her reluctance to evolve might stem from wanting to indulge in more affection and playfulness.
Now, having received Ash's praise, Chansey's little rebellion had finally come to an end. Just as Ash had said, she had grown up.
"Blissey!"
After her evolution, the first thing Blissey did was hug Ash tightly, and he smiled while gently stroking her head, saying, "In the end… you've evolved, but nothing's really changed, right? In my eyes, you will always be that little one I raised from the beginning."
"Blissey! I love you, Dad!"
Jessie watched the scene of Blissey and Ash with a slight smile. What she didn't say was that she once aspired to be a nurse too, but later gave it up. Still, her best friend was a Chansey.
When she saw Chansey go out to help, Jessie had an inexplicable urge to not let Chansey get hurt. Even though she knew that Ash's Chansey was strong, she still didn't want her to go alone.
——— Break Line ———
"Thanks for your assistance this time. Without you, things would have probably taken much longer."
After spending a night resting at the Continental Hotel, Ash and his friends were about to depart. Before leaving, Dr. Proctor brought the Pokémon they had treated to bid them farewell.
"Cubone!"
Cubone presented a small flower to Misty, who happily accepted the gift.
"Thank you, Cubone."
It wasn't just Misty who received gifts; Lyn got a pocket flower from Treecko, Brock received tree sap collected by Pinsir, and Suzy received a stone from Rhyhorn. Though the gifts were unusual, they represented the Pokémon's heartfelt gratitude.
"Nido…"
Nidoking, who had undergone surgery by Ash, presented a Moon Stone to him. Even though Ash had already purchased a pile of Moon Stones for backup, he still smiled as he accepted this gift.
"Thanks!"
"Nido!"
Seeing that Ash accepted his gift, Nidoking nodded with a smile.
Dr. Proctor observed this scene, smiling as he said, "It seems you all have the qualities to become good doctors; being able to receive these gifts from Pokémon is quite something. How about it? Want to become doctors with me?"
"No, thanks…"
While Ash understood that Dr. Proctor was trying to be nice, he still declined the offer. After all, he and his friends had their own goals in life, and becoming doctors meant there was too much to learn…
"What a pity. But I can't force you; I can only wish you a pleasant journey. By the way, Ash, the annual doctor's convention should be starting soon, so don't forget to attend. Everyone would like to discuss more surgical details with you, the Black Jack."
"Um… spare me, please…"
Finally, under Dr. Proctor's teasing, Ash and his friends left.
After watching Ash and the others depart, Team Rocket secretly reported back to Giovanni.
"Boss… it seems we've been sold out by Butch… he seems to have connections with the Hunter Organization."
Upon hearing Meowth's report, Giovanni was unsurprised and calmly replied, "I understand. For now, act as if nothing happened. We won't take any action against Butch for the time being, but you should be careful—he's clearly betrayed the organization."
"Understood!" *3
"By the way, Boss, we've encountered a very powerful Pokémon!"
"Hmm?"
Hearing Meowth's words, Giovanni, who had been preparing to end the communication, paused. Meowth pointed in the direction Ash had left, saying, "There's a very powerful Bewear over there. We don't know how she's so strong; she seems to know Quick Attack and has great technique. The scariest part is her attack power—capable of taking down Aerodactyl in one hit!"
"...I know what you're talking about… she is indeed very strong… Let's leave it at that…"
Giovanni didn't know how else to respond about Ash's Bewear. When Ash had first mentioned her, he hadn't thought much of it, but after witnessing Bewear's various abilities firsthand, he had to acknowledge his surprise.
What in the world is that Bewear? Using leaves as wings! And she can walk on water! If someone told Giovanni that this bear was a legendary Pokémon, he would believe it!
"I see, so the one who defeated Aerodactyl was Ash's Bewear… no wonder the battle ended so quickly. But that power is kind of terrifying, isn't it…"
Just thinking about Ash's Bewear's combat ability made Giovanni shiver. Her ability was so strange that he didn't dare provoke her at will. Though he had his own trump cards, Giovanni had a feeling that Bewear must have some hidden power she hadn't revealed… absolutely…
Meanwhile, Bewear, in deep thought, glanced in the direction of Team Rocket before continuing to walk with Ash and the others, seemingly pondering something.
"What's wrong, Mama?"
Noticing Bewear's contemplative expression, Ash felt a bit puzzled. Bewear shook her head and pointed ahead.
"It's nothing! Let's keep traveling!"
"Meow, Mama says it's nothing, so let's keep going, big boss. Also, Blissey! Now that you've evolved, you don't have to cling to the boss like a child anymore, meow! How come the more you evolve, the more you seem like a kid?"
Seeing that Blissey was even clingier to Ash post-evolution, Meowth was somewhat speechless. But Blissey unapologetically replied, "Blissey! I'm still a baby! So it's fine!"
"How can you be a baby at your size…"
Slap!
With Blissey's playful slap, her daily 'war' with Meowth began anew.