The next morning, the trio continued their journey toward Eterna City.
Dawn and Ash were both holding a Pokémon Egg in their hands, though Brock had none. However, in his hands was a set of documents that he cherished greatly.
"Ash, tell us, what exactly did you do to Nurse Joy yesterday to make her give us two Pokémon Eggs and give Brock this important data?" Dawn, holding a pink Egg, glanced at Brock's documents, her blue eyes fixed on Ash, who was also holding an Egg. Since yesterday, she had been baffled as to why Nurse Joy came out with such a satisfied smile, leaving only a smirking Ash and an unconcerned Suicune behind. More importantly, early this morning, Nurse Joy's two daughters came out holding a Pokémon Egg for Ash and her, along with a seemingly precious collection of research data.
"Yeah, Ash, this is the Joy family's knowledge on medical research!" Brock said, unable to take his eyes off the papers, following Dawn's question.
"Exactly, tell us! How did you get her to give you something so important?"
Faced with their questioning, Ash had no choice but to reveal the truth: "I sold the Suicune I have—for a good price—ten years from now!"
"What?! You sold the Legendary Suicune! I wanted to see that beautiful Pokémon again!" Dawn felt a pang of regret. Suicune's elegant form perfectly matched her aesthetic.
"You silly goose, didn't you hear me say ten years from now?" Ash scolded, giving her a gentle flick on the forehead while holding the Egg in one hand.
"Ow!" The tap wasn't actually painful, but for some reason, Dawn instinctively put on a pained, delicate act.
"Ah, I suddenly don't want to listen anymore!" Seeing the two bicker, Brock immediately hugged his data and walked ahead, fully immersed in the sea of knowledge, ignoring even his old friend, Pikachu.
"Ten years from now?" Dawn finally focused on the key detail.
"That's right," Ash explained patiently.
Yesterday, in the private room, he and the mature Nurse Joy had a deep, hour-and-a-half-long discussion, finally reaching a pleasant agreement. In ten years, he would hand Suicune over to Mai to become her partner.
In exchange, the Joy family provided Ash with a Happiny Egg, an Audino Egg, a set of rare Pokémon Doctor's research data, and a Joy Family Promise—a commitment to grant him any reasonable request he might have in the future.
"But isn't that a bad deal?" Dawn was confused. "It's a Legendary Suicune! It's only the second Legendary I've ever seen!" She felt bad for Ash, sensing an unequal trade.
"Don't worry, there's absolutely no way I'd lose money on this!" Ash laughed.
First, the deal only takes effect in ten years. Ten years is more than enough time for him to defeat all the major Leagues, become the Kanto Champion, and win the World Coronation Series with the system's help. His power level would reach an unrivaled level. He'd definitely pick up more Legendaries along the way.
Legendaries like the Thunderous Ultimate Invincible Black Rayquaza (Shiny Rayquaza) or the Cute and Gentle Latias were among his targets. One was majestic, the other was gentle and kind—weren't they both better than a disgraced Suicune?
As for Suicune's elegance and suitability as a good mount? Forget it! Wouldn't the Thunderous Ultimate Invincible Shiny Rayquaza be cooler? Or the beautiful human-form of the cute and gentle Latias be sweeter? While the former might be hard to get, the latter was a sure thing. Latias was waiting bored in Altomare, guarding her secret garden.
Besides, he wanted to follow a certain senior trainer and become a proper Dragon Rider. Isn't that right, Miss Latias? Latias was much more beautiful than the now-disgraced Suicune, and with the added dream of becoming a Dragon Rider, exchanging Suicune for resources was a great decision no matter how he looked at it.
And for the next ten years, he could still command Suicune. He could even release and re-catch Suicune once a year to battle with Sceptile and earn a good amount of gold, maximizing Suicune's utilization value.
The resources obtained from the Joy family would accelerate the growth of his Pokémon. To catch truly powerful Pokémon, his current team needed to evolve quickly, and these resources would be crucial.
The most important and precious asset was the Joy Family Promise. As long as his request was reasonable, he could ask for anything. This promise, coming from one of the most powerful families in the Pokémon world, could prove to be key one day.
So, trading Suicune ten years later for these resources was a win-win situation: two Pokémon Eggs, Pokémon Doctor data, other resources, and the Joy Family Promise.
"Then, Ash, where is Suicune? Can you let it out one more time? I really want to see it!" Although she didn't fully understand his plan, she knew that Suicune was still in Ash's hands and wouldn't be traded anytime soon.
"My party slots are full. It's already been sent back to Professor Oak's Lab!" Ash shrugged, signaling it was gone. The rule that a trainer can only carry six Pokémon is ironclad in the Pokémon world. Unless you were a high-status researcher or an Elite Four/Champion, no one was exempt.
Professor Oak will definitely be surprised to see Suicune! Ash thought, a mischievous grin appearing as he imagined the eccentric old researcher.
At the Lab...
Professor Oak was eating instant ramen and holding his latest research report.
ZZZZt...
Suddenly, a Great Ball, predominantly black in color, appeared in the transfer machine. The crackling sound caught the Professor's attention.
"A Great Ball? And it belongs to Ash?" Professor Oak put down his ramen fork, looking at the message on the large screen in surprise. "Let me see which Pokémon is important enough for Ash to use a Great Ball on!"
After a few simple commands, Professor Oak's jaw dropped as he looked at the Suicune displayed on the computer screen.
"Ash, your skills have improved! Catching a Legendary Pokémon! You've truly grown up!" He quickly suppressed his excitement and rushed to another room, retrieving six Poké Balls from a cabinet.
"Suicune, you must be a good Pokémon and let me study you, hehe!" Professor Oak stared at the Great Ball in his hand with a look of obsession. Around him, six powerful returning Pokémon formed a circle, their eyes fixed on the Poké Ball, ready to give the new arrival a "friendly welcome."