Pokémon: The Strongest Trainer (Ash SI)

"Hello, my name is Ash Ketchum, a new Trainer from Pallet Town. Could you please heal my Pokémon?" Ash asked, handing over his Poké Balls to Nurse Joy.

Though his Pokémon weren't injured, he knew recovery was essential. Keeping them in top condition was the responsibility of every Trainer.

"Of course. Leave it to me," Nurse Joy—Nanako—replied softly, accepting the three Poké Balls and Pikachu with a gentle smile that instantly put Ash at ease.

Once Nurse Joy took the Pokémon for treatment, Ash headed over to the public videophone and dialed the number for Professor Oak's Laboratory.

"Hello, this is Professor Oak's Laboratory. Who are you trying to reach?" came the familiar voice. Ash immediately saw Professor Oak on the screen, surrounded by several plates of food.

"Grandpa, did you rope my mom into cooking for you again?" Ash raised an eyebrow. It was obvious—Professor Oak couldn't cook to save his life and mostly survived on instant noodles. A home-cooked meal meant only one thing: his mom had been here.

"Haha, Ash! What can I say? I can't live on instant noodles forever. I had to ask your mom to come by and make something delicious," Professor Oak replied, utterly shameless about it.

Ash sighed. "Never mind. Is she still there?"

"No, she left after preparing the meal. I think she had plans to meet your aunt at the salon or something like that."

Ash dropped the small talk and got to the point. "I called to ask for Uncle Masaki's help. I've completed the prototype for the Mental Recovery Potion. I've even made a few samples. It works just like the regular Potion but restores half of a Pokémon's mental stamina."

He pulled out a small jade vial from his bag and poured out a few pill-like capsules for display.

Professor Oak's eyes lit up. "Really? I can't believe it! Ash, you're already capable of developing potions? That's incredible!" The success of Ash's physical recovery potions had already brought huge financial returns to the Oak family. Now, with the addition of a mental recovery formula, things were bound to get even better.

"Yeah. I'll fax you the formula. You can pass it to Uncle Masaki and handle sales the same way we did before. Also, this time, I plan to transfer all the shares of this formula to Gary."

Professor Oak was stunned. "What?? You're giving all the shares to Gary? Why?"

Ash responded calmly. "The Oak main family is solid, but lately, some of the branch families have been getting ambitious. I want to give Gary some leverage to make it clear—our family isn't one they can mess with."

"And I have no interest in the position of family head. You know that. Gary is the rightful heir, and besides, he and I don't need to keep score like that. It's all the same to me."

Professor Oak fell silent. Ash's reasoning was crystal clear, and his maturity was far beyond his years. Even Officer Jenny—Laiza—was visibly impressed. She hadn't expected a boy Ash's age to have such sharp insight and strategic thinking.

Misty, standing nearby, looked confused. She didn't really understand all this talk about family power and inheritance—she didn't come from a noble background.

"I'll talk to your uncle. We'll keep the same collaborators as before?" Professor Oak asked, resigned.

"Yeah. The Alliance, the Jenny family, and the Joy family," Ash confirmed with a nod.

After that, Ash faxed the mental recovery potion's formula to the Oak Laboratory. Professor Oak studied the data and couldn't help but marvel at Ash's genius.

"Masaki? It's Dad. This time, it's mainly thanks to Ash…" Professor Oak picked up the phone to contact his son, Masaki Oak.

"Wait, are you serious, Dad? Ash developed a mental recovery potion?" Masaki was in the middle of organizing family documents when he heard the news—and was floored.

The physical recovery potion had already brought in enormous profits. With a mental recovery potion in play, their influence and resources would only grow stronger.

Later, Masaki Oak was even more shocked when he learned that Ash had transferred all the shares of the Mental Recovery Potion to Gary. This wasn't just a simple gesture—owning full rights meant massive influence and power. It was far more than a one-plus-one equation.

That night, at the Oak residence…

"Honey, you've been busy today, haven't you?" Yuki Oak asked, walking in alongside Delia after returning from the beauty salon. She noticed her husband, Masaki, frantically messaging and making calls, urging his team to speed up production of the newly developed potion.

"It's Ash," Masaki explained, not even looking up. "That kid's gone and developed a Mental Recovery Potion. It functions similarly to the Physical Recovery Potion but restores a Pokémon's mental stamina. And here's the kicker—he transferred all the shares to Gary!"

Yuki blinked. "All of them? Why would he do that?" She was stunned. That kind of formula wasn't just a scientific achievement—it was an empire in liquid form.

Masaki nodded gravely. "That's right."

"…I suppose our Gary's luck isn't bad. Having a cousin like Ash… that's more valuable than anything money could buy," Yuki said with a faint smile, slowly coming to terms with it.

But her expression changed a moment later as she sighed, "Still, Gary hasn't been very focused lately. Always busy chasing thrills and enjoying life. Look at Ash in comparison... sigh."

Thinking of his son, Masaki felt a pang of frustration. Ash's accomplishments were undeniably impressive, almost impossible to match. Gary had potential—tons of it—but he didn't seem to take things seriously.

"No helping it," Yuki said quietly, her voice tinged with disappointment. "Gary's a stubborn child. He probably won't change unless life knocks him down hard enough to make him see things differently."

...

TN:

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