I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
Joy, who was seeing a humanoid Pokémon for the first time, was greatly shocked. Even the Pokémon Center's most advanced technology couldn't do anything for Riolu's condition. Yet, Ash only placed his hand on Riolu's head, and Riolu's condition began to improve.
What is this? Isn't this a born doctor?!
Joy actually really wanted to ask Ash what he did and if he was interested in working at the Pokémon Center. If Ash was willing to come to the Pokémon Center, the entire Joy Family would probably welcome him with open arms and feet.
But now was clearly not the time to ask that; the situation was serious.
As Ash infused Aura, Riolu's condition improved, and his communication with Ash in their minds became clearer.
Through his communication with Riolu, Ash learned that Riolu's consciousness had awakened three years ago. This meant he had been conscious for three whole years, yet completely unable to move, and constantly facing the danger of losing his life.
This was an absolutely hellish torment for Riolu's will, but Riolu still persevered.
If Riolu could recover his normal talent, even if it was only C-grade or D-grade, he could still overcome his physical defects with his will and become one of the top Pokémon in the world.
During these three years, Riolu also learned human language through Cerise and his Family's conversations, and learned how to use Aura through his own senses.
This also paved the way for him to call for help from Ash yesterday.
As for why he hadn't sought out Cerise and the others before... if Cerise and his team had been able to save him, they would have done so long ago.
He could only barely survive inside the Poké Ball before, wasn't it because Cerise and his team had no solution for his condition?
Before Ash arrived, he had been doing his best to restrain his Aura dispersion. If he had only relied on the clear lake water of the cliff, he wouldn't have been able to live so long. Ultimately, he had been saving himself.
Then, a while ago, he felt his life was truly coming to an end, so he could only make one last effort, emitting Aura around himself. As long as someone could sense his Aura, it meant that person or Pokémon might be able to save him.
Finally, yesterday, he sensed Ash's Aura. Ash's powerful Aura allowed even him, a flickering candle in the wind, to clearly perceive it. What an incredibly powerful Aura it was, almost surpassing all the Aura he had sensed while inside the Poké Ball!
So he immediately called for help from Ash. That single plea for help used up all of his Aura. If Ash hadn't sensed it, then all would truly have been lost.
Fortunately, the final outcome was good. This human he called for help not only possessed powerful Aura but was also very kind, willing to take on even his messy situation.
Inside the Poké Ball, he had heard too many conversations between Cerise and others. The experts who came to check on his condition almost all pronounced a death sentence on him, saying there was no possibility of treatment.
Ultimately, he still survived, but in his current state, it was really no different from being dead... With his body dormant and consciousness awake, he also heard Joy's assessment during his treatment. Given his physical condition, being able to walk after treatment would already be quite good, let alone fight.
This made his mood instantly plummet to rock bottom, as he had originally wanted to fight for his savior.
If he couldn't even fight, what could he do for his savior?
After a conversation with Ash, Riolu also suggested that Ash give up on him. Following Ash, he couldn't do anything and would only be a burden.
Ash saved his life, but he would only drag Ash down by staying with him. Wasn't that repaying kindness with enmity?
'...Don't worry, I can solve your situation. However, it will take a long time to recover to a level where you can train. You are not a useless Pokémon; you will become the strongest Lucario in the future. Believe me, I promise you as your Trainer.'
Ash comforted Riolu while restoring his Aura.
These words were not merely to comfort Riolu. His inherent talent was already among the best of Riolu. As long as Riolu could recover his talent, he would become the strongest Riolu in the future!
After hearing Ash's words, Riolu fell silent. From the Aura transmitted by Ash, he felt the sincerity in Ash's words. Ash wasn't lying to him, nor did he need to.
What the Pokémon Center couldn't do, Ash could!
So many people had come to check his condition before, all of them pronouncing him dead, yet Ash had saved him. What reason did he have not to believe Ash?
Riolu hid his gratitude deep inside. Gratitude isn't expressed through words, but through actions.
When he could fight in the future, he would do his utmost to bring victory to Ash!
A few minutes later, Ash finished infusing Aura Power, and Riolu's physical condition stabilized, but he still didn't open his eyes.
According to Ash's estimation, Riolu would only need one or two more sessions to be able to move normally, but to fully recover to his optimal state, it would take at least one to two months.
Before then, it was best not to do any training; just maintain a normal routine and eat meals.
In addition to providing Riolu with enough Aura, Riolu's nutrition also needed to keep up. It must be said, Pokémon are truly expensive to feed.
Although Ash verbally reassured Riolu that he was definitely not a burden, in his mind, he was already calculating the expenses for food and other supplies after Riolu joined.
The living expenses his mother gave him wouldn't be enough for this kind of spending, and he was now half an adult, so it was time for him to earn his own money.
If all else failed, he would sell that top-grade Moon Stone; that could at least support his travel expenses for a few months.
After finishing the treatment, Ash put Riolu into a Poké Ball and hung it on his waist. Inside the Poké Ball, besides being a bit stuffy, everything else was better than outside, and it could also accelerate Riolu's recovery speed.
Just as Ash put Riolu away, a figure suddenly darted in front of him and grabbed both his hands.
"You're Ash, right? How did you do that just now? Why did Riolu, who was in such a bad state, recover so quickly? Is that blue energy on you a type of healing energy? Can it be popularized?!"
Joy barraged Ash with questions, her spittle spraying onto Ash's face.
It was clear that the treatment Ash had performed had truly made Joy unable to remain calm.
"That's Aura, Joy. Actually, only Riolu can be treated by Ash like that. Other Pokémon probably can't be, and that ability is also Ash's exclusive ability. We searched online and couldn't find anyone else with that ability."
Misty smiled and explained to Joy, while subtly stepping between Joy and Ash, gently separating Joy's soft, boneless hands from Ash's.
Joy didn't feel any strangeness, only a hint of regret on her face: "I see, that's truly a pity. If it could treat other Pokémon and be popularized, the Pokémon Center's medical capabilities would definitely advance to the next level."
"Joy, although I don't possess that ability, I have a passionate heart. Do you think this heart can solve the worries and difficulties of Pokémon?" Brock appeared in front of Joy at some point, saying with an eager expression.
Joy's forehead beaded with sweat, and she waved her hand, indicating that she didn't need Brock's passionate heart.
Ash and Misty exchanged glances, their eyes full of helplessness. They felt that Brock seemed to be getting more and more colorful since he started traveling. This 'color' was generally only directed at more mature women. From being shy at first to gradually becoming passionate and uninhibited, Brock seemed to be subtly changing.
After this small interlude with Brock, everyone left the Pokémon Center. Although Riolu had been diagnosed with a not-so-good result, fortunately, Ash seemed to have a solution, which was a blessing in disguise.
As for how Riolu would recover and when he would recover, Cerise did not inquire further. In any case, as long as Riolu could grow up safely, he could provide an explanation to Aurant Town.
On their way back, Ash and his companions met two brightly dressed women. They enthusiastically surrounded Ash and the others, then pulled out two boat tickets and began to explain.
It turned out that a luxury cruise ship called the St. Anne was preparing to set sail from Vermilion City recently, and they had been chosen as lucky passengers who could go on the luxury cruise for free.
Inside the cruise ship, there were all sorts of entertainment facilities, swimming pools, Pokémon battle arenas, and free luxurious meals. The cost to go on it was not small.
Misty and Brock had also heard of this cruise ship. Upon hearing that they had been chosen as the so-called lucky passengers, they immediately looked at Ash.
If it were before, they might have wondered how such a lucky thing could happen to them; there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
But after traveling with Ash for some time, they felt that with Ash's luck, such things weren't impossible.
They had even grown accustomed to Ash's luck. To encounter a Shinny Ralts, Royal Three Families, and a Riolu in just one month—this was more than just good luck; he was practically a chosen one!
So they accepted the boat tickets without a second thought.
After the two women left, Ash, who had been silent, suddenly spoke: "Those two are Team Rockets."
"What?!"
Ash's words startled everyone present; the boat tickets in their hands almost fell.
"Ash, do you know what Team Rockets is? That's the biggest evil villain organization in Kanto. How could they be so kind as to give us St. Anne tickets?" Cerise couldn't help but say.
In Kanto, almost no one didn't know the name of Team Rockets. Even Rookie Trainers who just started would know within half a month, after all, Team Rockets' notoriety was simply too great.
But now Ash was saying that the two kind people who gave them boat tickets were Team Rockets? How could that be?
"Ash, the Team Rockets you're talking about, are they the guys we know?" Only Misty and Brock knew who Ash meant by Team Rockets; the only Team Rockets they had encountered since traveling were those three guys.
"It's them. The blue-haired woman just now was James, and the other wasJessie." Ash said, his expression a bit strange.
To be honest, if he hadn't been using Aura to communicate with Riolu, causing his Aura to always be active, he really wouldn't have seen through those two's disguises.
No matter how exquisite the external disguise, it couldn't change the inner Aura. Ash had once scanned the Aura of the Team Rocket Trio, and once scanned, it would always be remembered in his mind.
Therefore, Ash immediately saw through the identities of those two women—no, it should be said, one man and one woman.
The reason his expression was so strange now was because he didn't know how James managed to achieve such a voluptuous figure while wearing a bikini.
To possess such disguise technology and use it for such petty theft was truly a waste of talent.
No wonder all the big shots in the group said that the Team Rocket Trio were actually three geniuses.
"The blue-haired woman is James??? No way, Ash, you're getting more and more ridiculous!" Misty's eyes widened, her fair face filled with disbelief.
That kind of figure, that kind of curve, and wearing a bikini, and you're telling me that's James? Then what are these two lumps in front of me? Something not even as good as James?
Brock, on the other hand, showed a thoughtful expression. Ever since he left Pewter City, he had always been quite sensitive to the presence of older sisters. Generally speaking, when he saw an older sister with a sexy figure wearing a bikini, his heart should race, and he should instinctively go up to flirt.
But he hadn't felt anything the whole time just now, which meant that the possibility of those two being disguised was very high!
Ash might not have been wrong after all.
"My Aura won't be wrong. Those two are Team Rockets, and the boat tickets they gave also have problems. Should we go to Jenny?" Ash said, holding the boat ticket with a serious expression.
Seeing Ash's expression, Misty also confirmed that Ash was indeed not joking. If those two were Team Rockets, then the luxury cruise tickets they gave had a problem.
Either they were fakes, or... the ship itself had a problem.
So, the group, who were originally going back to Cerise's house, changed their route and headed to the police station.
Generally speaking, Jenny would not pay attention to reports against a luxury cruise ship based on such tickets and without actual evidence.
But because Cerise was there, this report went very smoothly. Jenny directly investigated the St. Anne, and it turned out that the St. Anne really did have a problem!
There was a large ambush by Team Rockets on the St. Anne. After Jenny discovered this, she immediately notified the main force and took control of the St. Anne.
The rest was easy. Team Rockets members were directly caught like fish in a barrel, not a single one escaped, and a conspiracy that was to take place on the St. Anne was quietly foiled.
Ash's actions this time were a great achievement. As the informant, he also received a considerable bounty!
This also solved Ash's urgent financial problem. Living expenses just came in, didn't they?