"Are they okay?"
After Ash carried Misty out of the Viridian Forest, Misty looked worriedly towards the depths of the forest. The screams of Team Rocket and the Samurai boy still echoed in her ears.
After letting his Pokémon rest, Ash said, "It's fine. That guy called the Samurai is a Bug-type trainer, so he definitely has countermeasures. As for Team Rocket, they seem pretty tough, so they should be fine. How about it, Meowth? Did you figure out our current location?"
Meowth looked at his device and said, "Boss, we're out now. We'll reach Pewter City soon."
"Pewter represents gray, the color of stone. Pewter City has been famous for its stones since ancient times. Although I know young people like to show off their affection, please don't stand on my merchandise to do it."
A man sitting below the two of them looked somewhat speechless as he watched Ash princess-carry Misty.
Misty then realized she had been in Ash's arms all this time and quickly got down, saying, "No, we were just running away from Beedrill. By the way, Ash, thank you."
"No problem. Girls don't have as much stamina as boys, so it's only natural to take care of them. But, sir, are these stones your merchandise?" Ash said as he touched the stones and added, "I see that not many of these are mineral stones."
The man looked at Ash with some surprise and said, "That's quite unexpected. You seem to know something about stones. My name is Flint, and I specialize in selling stones. But from the looks of it, you're not planning to buy stones to make kimchi, are you?"
Ash shook his head while touching Flint's stones and said, "I don't like making kimchi. I have my own pickled vegetables."
With that, Ash took out a jar from his backpack, opened it, and handed a piece of pickled vegetable to Flint, saying, "Want to try it?"
"Oh, I'll give it a try. Hmm? Not bad. It's even better than the pickled vegetables from the restaurant in Pewter City."
Ash smiled and didn't say much. After all, how could he tell Flint that the restaurant was his own business? There was no need.
"Since you're from Pewter City, that makes things easier. Could you take us to Pewter City? We'll pay you for it. Also, if possible, could you take us to the restaurant? I think everyone is hungry."
Flint, seeing that there wasn't much business at the moment, nodded and said, "Sure, let's go."
Afterward, Ash recalled Charmeleon and Metapod into their Luxury Balls, and then he and Misty followed Flint to Pewter City. Along the way, Misty remained silent, her face red. Meowth glanced at Misty and then at Ash but didn't say anything. Pikachu kept asking Ash for ketchup, Ralts obediently held Ash's hand, and Chansey held his other hand.
"We're here."
Under Flint's guidance, Ash and Misty quickly arrived at the restaurant. Misty, looking at the large and luxurious restaurant, couldn't help but say, "Is every city's restaurant this big and luxurious?"
Flint shook his head and said, "I don't know, but Pewter City's is like this."
"Well, the scale of the restaurant is the same everywhere. But now's not the time to talk about that. Let's eat first."
With that, under Ash's lead, Misty and Flint entered the restaurant.
"Welcome... Boss... Boss?!"
The two young women at the entrance were smiling and welcoming guests, but when they saw Ash, they immediately froze. After all, Ash's appearance was known to all employees of the Continental Hotel and the restaurant. As for whether someone might take advantage of this? Ash wasn't afraid of that. The Pokémon League alone was a huge protective umbrella, not to mention the Joys and the Jennys, two world-class families. And the defense on Ash's own side was even more formidable.
Ash, on his part, didn't blame the two young women for their surprise, as he usually went to the Continental Hotel.
"Alright, get us a luxury room."
"Yes!"
Misty looked at Ash with a somewhat strange expression and asked, "Ash, what do they mean by 'boss'?"
Ash replied very calmly, "Literally, I am the owner of the restaurant."
"You're not joking, are you?!" Misty was seriously doubting her hearing, and Flint was even more incredulous because he knew some things. The restaurant was a subsidiary of the Continental Hotel, and there was only one owner for both businesses. If what Ash said was true, then this young guy who just started his journey was actually a super-rich person who could buy a city?!
Just as Flint was doubting, Ash smiled and said to him, "By the way, sir, since it's mealtime, let's eat together. This meal is on me."
"Uh, alright, thanks."
Then, led by a manager, Ash, Misty, Flint, and their three Pokémon arrived at the luxury room. The so-called luxury room was an eye-opener for Misty and Flint. Not only was it luxurious, but there was also a pool for Water-type Pokémon to rest in! Ash very naturally released his Pokémon.
"Everyone, take a rest first. Charmander and Growlithe, you two are not allowed to breathe fire, understand?"
"Char!"
"Woof!"
Seeing the two little ones nod, Ash smiled and then said, "Later, I'll have them prepare the Fire-type set meal for you two. Just wait for now. Meowth, what set meal do you want?"
Meowth flipped through the menu and then said, "Boss, I want roasted turkey, meow!"
"Alright, one turkey. And Pikachu, what about you?"
Pikachu pointed to the apple pie on the menu.
Then, under Flint's gaze of amazement, Ash ordered a set meal for all of his Pokémon. Ash then turned to Misty and said, "Misty, you should let your Pokémon rest first. The water in the pool of the deluxe room is fine, and then order a water-type set meal for them. What about you, sir? Where are your Pokémon?"
"Uh, is it okay for my Pokémon?"
"No problem."
"Alright, mine are Rock-type. Come on out, Geodude, Graveler, and Golem."
Looking at Flint's Pokémon, Ash gave him a surprised glance because Ash had already noticed that Flint's Pokémon had advanced-level strength.
In the Pokémon world where Ash resides, power levels are also categorized, ranging from Novice, Normal, Advanced, Elite, Semi-Champion, Champion, and above Champion, the Legendary Pokémon.
Now, Flint's three Pokémon all had advanced-level strength, which meant Flint had the qualifications to become a Gym Leader.
"Sir, aren't you a Gym Leader?" Misty also clearly noticed this and couldn't help but ask. However, Flint shook his head and denied it, "No, the Gym Leader here is Brock, and his Pokémon are also at the advanced level."
"Advanced level, I thought so. Regular trainers usually aren't like that guy named Samurai, who was clearly at the novice level. It should be like Misty here, who is at the advanced level."
However, Misty didn't know how to respond to Ash because she was actually a Gym Leader herself, and the previous samurai was indeed at the level of a normal person. Instead, Misty felt that Ash seemed to be excessively strong, as he could easily defeat others even with just a Metapod.
What Misty didn't know was that Ash, due to always raising Pokémon like Meowth, wasn't clear about the true strength of ordinary people. After all, Ash had been in contact with top-tier trainers—Elesa was the Electric-type Gym Leader, Diantha was the Champion, and even Professor Samuel Oak himself possessed Champion-level strength.
Of course, this doesn't mean Ash is weak. It's important to note that Ash's Pokémon have been with him for many years. Under Ash's various nutritious meals and training, Pokémon like Pikachu, who leads the team, are no longer opponents that ordinary Pokémon can handle. Moreover, the group that often freeloads meals at Ash's house is no ordinary bunch either. In the wild, there exists a type of Pokémon that falls between the levels of Elite Four members and Champions—these are the Totem Pokémon, who can dominate a region. The group that was caught after frequently freeloading meals at Ash's house are these Totem Pokémon.
Therefore, Ash believes that everyone generally has high strength because he himself is surrounded by monster-level beings.
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