Pokémon: Ash's New Journey

Ash held the gifts Misty and May had given him as the trio boarded a passenger ship bound for their next destination: Metallica Island, home of the Battle Palace.

Misty had prepared three tailored outfits for Ash, while May's gift was a collection of decorative Poké Ball stickers.

In their cabin, Ash tried on the clothes Misty had picked. They fit perfectly.

"How did you know my exact measurements?" Ash asked, curious.

Misty blushed, pretending not to hear as she quickly dragged May to listen to the two songs Ash had written, "Aim to Be a Pokémon Master!" and "Adventure Awaits." Misty preferred the first song, while May loved the second.

"Pika-pika…" Pikachu chuckled, hopping onto Ash's shoulder. Whispering into Ash's ear, Pikachu revealed the "mystery" of how Misty had taken his measurements.

Ash's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way… That's how?"

Watching Misty and May engrossed in the music, Ash thought to himself, Looks like there's no doubt about their feelings. It might be time to take the next step.

Meanwhile, Ash contemplated how best to use the remaining five Aptitude Boost Cards. Fully aware that top-tier battles like the ones in the Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos Leagues required six Pokémon teams, Ash decided to build the strongest squad possible.

Leaving the cabin with Pikachu, Ash headed to the ship's training grounds.

"Come on out, everyone!"

One by one, Ash released his Pokémon: Charizard, Sceptile, Feraligatr, Swellow, Pidgeot, Snorlax, Crawdaunt, Rapidash, Electabuzz, Heracross, Gengar, and Kirlia. Including Pikachu, Ash now had thirteen Pokémon with him.

However, he knew it was essential to narrow down his team to six for full battles. After reviewing each Pokémon's stats with his Eye of Insight, Ash made his choices: Pikachu, Charizard, Sceptile, Pidgeot, Snorlax, and Kirlia.

The deciding factors? Pikachu was already at gold-tier aptitude, the highest level possible. Charizard, Sceptile, and Kirlia each had strong potential, with Kirlia being an unexpected surprise due to its blue-tier aptitude.

Using the five remaining Aptitude Boost Cards, Ash raised the aptitudes of Charizard, Sceptile, and Kirlia to purple-tier, equivalent to Legendary Pokémon. Meanwhile, Snorlax and Pidgeot were boosted to blue-tier, significantly enhancing their capabilities.

With the cards spent, Ash's team was shaping up into a formidable force. His next goal: train these Pokémon for peak performance.

After days aboard the ship, they finally reached Metallica Island, home of the Battle Palace, led by the Palace Maven Spencer.

Meanwhile, in the Shadows

Far from the peaceful seas, deep in a remote forest, the earth bore scars of immense destruction. Giant stones had been pulverized to dust, and the ground was riddled with massive cracks.

Amid the wreckage, a group clad in Team Rocket uniforms was busy scanning the area with advanced devices. All their tools fed data back to a central computer, monitored by a silver-haired man.

"Anything yet?" he asked, his voice steady but commanding.

Suddenly, one of the scanners emitted a sharp beep.

"Captain! We've detected a trace of energy matching data from the headquarters' classified archives!"

The silver-haired man's expression hardened. He immediately reported the findings to his superior.

"Sir, I'm requesting access to the classified database for confirmation."

"Granted. Report back the moment you have results," replied a deep voice on the other end of the line.

The team worked quickly, and the data analysis began.

Twenty percent… Thirty percent… Fifty percent… Seventy percent… Match found!

The silver-haired man's heart raced as the computer screen displayed the results.

"It's confirmed, sir. The energy signature matches… Mewtwo!"

A long silence followed before his superior spoke again.

"Excellent. After all this time, we've found it. Mobilize immediately. Search every inch within a hundred-mile radius and bring me its exact location!"

"Yes, sir!"

The silver-haired man's determination burned brighter than ever. Mewtwo's reappearance was no mere coincidence, and this time, they wouldn't let it escape.

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