Chapter 2: Cowardly Phantom Beast, Old Friend
The little guy, as soon as he appeared, circled Ash's room once.
Then, with an excited look, he flashed a victory sign at Ash.
He made a V-shape with his three toes, looked at Ash, and chuckled, exclaiming,
"Tini!"
'Victini!'
Ash's pupils constricted slightly, a look of surprise on his face, not because a Mythical Pokémon had been released from the Premier Ball.
It was because a Mythical Pokémon had been released from the Premier Ball, and this particular Mythical Pokémon seemed strangely familiar to him.
The Pokémon in the Pokémon world all have some individual differences, but this Victini was too similar to the one in his memory.
However, Ash couldn't be sure yet.
It was really difficult to distinguish just by observing with the naked eye.
"Pika!"
Suddenly, Pikachu, upon seeing Victini, excitedly raised his tail and immediately climbed onto Ash's shoulder.
The yellow-furred mouse, the size of a single body, did not make Ash's shoulder feel any pressure, or rather, Ash was already used to having this yellow-furred mouse constantly sitting on his shoulder.
"Pika Pika!"
"Tini! Tini!"
The two Pokémon, perhaps meeting for the first time, somehow felt an immediate sense of kinship, as if they had known each other for a long time.
"Victini!"
Instinctively, Ash opened his arms and hugged the Pokémon with orange-red V-shaped ears in front of him.
Pikachu's reaction had almost confirmed to Ash that this was that particular Victini.
During the incident of the Swords of Justice, the two, one human and one Pokémon, had experienced life and death together; he and Victini had a life-or-death bond.
However, he didn't know how this Victini had come to his side.
If he remembered correctly, this Pokémon still had its own attachments.
"Tini!"
Rubbing Ash's cheek, Victini seemed to have something to convey, and instantly broke free from Ash's bear hug.
Then he plunged headfirst into the opened cardboard box, and after rummaging through it, an undiscovered envelope was found.
Victini handed the envelope to Ash, as if gesturing for him to read it.
It was a letter sealed with hot wax.
Ash took the envelope, opened it, and began to read its contents.
On his shoulders, one on the left and one on the right, the two Pokémon watched with him.
[To Champion Ash, this package must have been delivered. More packages will be sent to you gradually after you achieve a series of objectives. I believe you still recognize the old friend in this Poké Ball, but please don't worry, these, including the Poké Ball in the package, were created using Hoopa's power. Their return to the Poké Ball is equivalent to returning to their hometown/capture location.]
[As for my identity, you do not need to dwell on it too much. Please consider me a benevolent magician, a Midas touch, or even a system/Arceus.]
[Finally, this magician wishes you good fortune and that all your wishes come true.]
[Sincerely, Yours Truly]
"This magician... is really polite..."
Ash mumbled, not dwelling on it too much, and had a general understanding of the letter's content and Victini's appearance.
"So, Victini, was it your choice?"
After reading the letter, and considering Victini's feelings, Ash still confirmed it.
For Ash, catching a Pokémon was a good thing, but he would not go against the Pokémon's own wishes.
"Tini! Tini!"
Upon hearing this, Victini nodded emphatically, a joyful smile spreading across his face, clearly showing his happiness at that moment.
Ash also smiled and nodded, then extended a finger to Victini with a smile.
"Then, please take care of me from now on."
Victini grasped Ash's finger with his claws, and the two immediately reached an understanding.
Just like that, a sentence churned in Ash's heart, needing to be spoken.
"I caught Victini!"
"Pika!"
Ash held the Premier Ball in a standard capture pose, and Pikachu echoed beside him.
After being released, Victini had no intention of returning to his Poké Ball at the moment, and was playing freely in Ash's room.
Then Ash picked up the satchel, and the feel of it in his hand told him that it contained some items.
Opening the zipper of the satchel, Ash reached his hand into the bag.
However... this bag seemed to be no ordinary one. Although it was a small satchel, it could now accommodate Ash's entire arm.
Ash looked into the satchel with some surprise; it seemed to contain its own space, with various items arranged within, and there were no less than ten types of Poké Balls alone.
Compared to Poké Balls, there were also various evolution items.
Thunder Stone, Fire Stone, Dawn Stone, King's Rock...
There were also some held items.
Focus Sash, Choice Scarf, Everstone...
Consumables were as numerous as the hairs on an ox...
Given the rarity of the items inside, even selling a portion of them would be comparable to his Champion prize money.
Ash continued to search, and although there were many items, it was somewhat regrettable that there were no Mega Stones, the kind of glass beads he wanted.
That is, Mega Evolution Stones. If possible, he had been thinking of enriching his own Mega system.
Aside from these two items, there was also a small notebook pressed beneath the satchel.
Ash's face revealed a joyful emotion when he saw the writing on the notebook.
'Visa!'
Having explored enough, the aroma of food wafted from outside the room.
Rubbing his stomach, after a rumble, Ash changed into his pajamas and walked out of the room, accompanied by Victini and Pikachu.
"Ash, a friend of Mom's sent a box of macarons today; they're on the table. You can take some with you after breakfast to eat on the way."
Delia, cooking in the kitchen, saw Ash come out of his room and reminded him. She turned to look at Ash; today, a new face seemed to have appeared beside him.
"Hmm? Who is this next to Ash...?"
Delia's gaze fell on Victini, and the two, one human and one Pokémon, stared at each other for a short while.
"Tini!"
Victini yelped and instantly vanished.
Unlike his outgoing nature towards Ash, this Victini instinctively activated his automatic invisibility when he saw a stranger.
This was a timid Victini.
"Mom, this is Victini. This is a Pokémon I met during my travels before. A friend sent him to me, but he's a bit shy around strangers."
Ash introduced him. As he spoke, Ash remembered Delia's earlier reminder and pointed to the box of macarons on the table.
"Mom, he really loves macarons."
Hearing this, Delia immediately understood. She opened the box of macarons on the table, took out one, and extended her hand to entice him.
"I'm Ash's mom, you can have this."
Victini was still a bit hesitant, but when the macaron was taken out, a gleam instantly appeared in his eyes.
A bite mark appeared out of thin air on the macaron in Delia's hand.
Victini, still invisible, went ahead and helped himself. Slowly, he let down his guard around Delia and revealed himself.
After that, Victini never went invisible again and showed more affection towards Delia.