And now Riolu needs to receive Ash's aura transmission at least once a day, otherwise his condition will certainly deteriorate, so Ash was actually worried about Riolu's state all night.
But getting up early in the morning is of no use, everyone agreed to go to the Pokemon Center together last night, he can't just go ahead by himself, right?
As for training... this place isn't the wild, you can't just train anywhere, plus Pokemon training should be a balance of work and rest, so Ash didn't plan to train Pokemon this morning.
With nothing else to do after getting up early, he opened the refrigerator and saw some bread, eggs, and tomatoes stored inside, so he rolled up his sleeves and started making breakfast.
Pikachu and Ralts also got up with Ash, so the two of them helped Ash a little.
But in this area, Ralts was more adept than Pikachu since she could use telekinesis, whereas Pikachu could only rely on his little arms and legs to pass ingredients to Ash. After helping for a while, Pikachu realized running around wasn't as convenient as Ralts using her powers and decided to sit back and watch Ash make breakfast instead.
Before long, sandwiches were ready and placed on the dining table, steaming hot.
Perhaps attracted by the aroma of breakfast, or because Ash was a bit noisy while making it, everyone in Professor Cerise's house woke up.
Chloe came out first, wearing her pajamas, rubbing her sleepy eyes, murmuring about 'why is mom up so early.'
But when she saw Ash, she instantly became wide awake, blushing furiously, and ran back to her room. Ash scratched his head, puzzled as to why Chloe reacted as if she had seen a ghost.
Afterward, when Professor Cerise and others came out, Chloe followed Misty out of the room, though her face was still a bit red.
"Ash, you can even cook now? It seems like you've been doing a lot of preparation for your journey these past years."
"Ahaha~ yeah, yeah." Ash responded, scratching his head, a bit embarrassed.
All that preparation over the years? Haha, it was all just in the past month. Before going on this journey, he really didn't know anything.
That he grew so much in just over a month was entirely due to the teachings of the experts in the group, the various abilities he managed to draw upon, and his innate talent. He couldn't have done it without any of those.
After finishing a beautiful breakfast, Professor Cerise's family praised Ash profusely. Even Brock commented that Ash's culinary skills had improved significantly compared to a month ago; perhaps Ash had a strong talent for becoming a breeder.
Ash just laughed, not commenting, thinking to himself that he could potentially become anything. The different versions of Ash in each parallel universe, shown in the chat group, were simply him progressing in different directions.
Theoretically, he had immense potential in various fields, though he had not yet tapped into it.
After breakfast, they headed to the Pokemon Center. Originally, Chloe was supposed to go to school today, but since she was involved with Riolu, she wanted to check on Riolu's situation as well and took the day off.
Upon arriving at the Pokemon Center, they found Miss Joy to inquire about Riolu's condition, and the news was not good.
"...Although Riolu's life force has returned to normal, his talent has been damaged, and his consciousness is still in a coma. We don't know when he'll wake up, and even if he does, he might not be able to level up or evolve ever."
Miss Joy's face showed a troubled expression, and her words caused everyone's expressions to change dramatically.
They initially thought that Riolu would hatch from the Poke Egg and slowly recover at the Pokemon Center, but the examination results showed that Riolu was already a lost cause.
For a moment, everyone's eyes were on Ash. Before, if capturing Riolu was a stroke of luck for Ash, now Riolu was just a burden and a drag for him.
If Ash continues being Riolu's Trainer, he won't just bear Riolu's living costs; he also needs to take good care of Riolu's mental state and can't let him battle. Riolu would have to be raised like a child at home.
This thankless task is something almost no Trainer would choose to take on. Unless there's a deep emotional bond, most would probably abandon their Pokemon quietly if it became like this.
As for Ash, what kind of bond could he have with Riolu? It's normal for Riolu to have feelings for him, but Ash likely doesn't have any for Riolu. He's given Riolu a new life, but Riolu brings him only the burden of living costs and the like.
In such circumstances, would Ash still choose to be Riolu's Trainer?
"Ash, why don't I take Riolu back to Orodelon City? It's not really capturing Riolu; it's more like an emergency..."
"No need, Professor Cerise. Riolu is my Pokemon. Since I've captured him, I will be fully responsible for him." Ash interrupted Professor Cerise with a firm resolution.
Never mind that I have a way to restore Riolu; even if I didn't, I would keep Riolu by my side. The moment I threw the Pokeball and captured Riolu, I became Riolu's Trainer!
And as Riolu's Trainer, I have to be responsible for him!
No matter Riolu's condition, I will treat him attentively and well. Letting him go or using other excuses to leave him is something I can't do.
Hearing this, Professor Cerise looked at Ash with an extremely complex gaze, containing emotions like reassurance, appreciation, regret, and repentance.
Compared to that irresponsible person, Ash's character is far superior. No, comparing him to that guy would be an insult to Ash's character.
Ash sticks with and never abandons even a Pokemon in such a state, which is something 99% of Trainers in the world wouldn't achieve.
And Professor Cerise's regret and repentance target his decision for Ash to capture Riolu.
At that time, he thought Ash had saved Riolu's life, so he let Ash capture the rare and strong Pokemon, Riolu, thinking it could become a powerful asset for Ash in the future.
However, now Riolu has become a drag for Ash...
"Besides, there might be ways to restore Riolu. Miss Joy, where is Riolu now?" Ash asked, looking at Joy, whose lovely face showed a hint of surprise.
Ash's comment about potential recovery methods piqued her curiosity, but she still led Ash to Riolu's location.
Riolu was lying on a treatment bed, which constantly infused him with healing wave-like energy akin to that used by Chansey, maintaining his life force.
Riolu still hadn't opened his eyes, his body lying motionless on the bed.
But when Ash and the others arrived, his stiff arm seemed to twitch slightly, and Ash sensed an aura transmission in his mind.
'Th...ank... you... help...' The voice was intermittent, but Ash still received the complete message.
Has Riolu regained consciousness? It seems so, but due to his frail body, the newly regained consciousness, and having only recently been born from the Poke Egg, he couldn't express his thoughts well with aura.
While pondering this, Ash approached Riolu, placing his hand through the treatment bed's lid, touching Riolu's head, and a faint blue light emanated from Ash.
The light swirled, and Riolu also began to glow peculiarly.
With Aura Power flowing into him, Riolu's fragile aura began to strengthen gradually, and the instruments recording Riolu's condition started showing improvement, with his various vitals starting to stabilize.
Seeing this scene for the first time, Miss Joy couldn't help but put her beautiful hand over her red lips. She did not understand what this boy did, why just by gently placing his hand on Riolu, Riolu's life signs began spiking upward?
Is this a healing skill stronger than healing waves? But how is a human capable of this?!!