Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

Pidgey curiously looked around at its surroundings. It was no stranger to taking baths; Ash often used stream water to groom its feathers during their wilderness trips.

It stood obediently by the bathtub, waiting for instructions.

Dream Demon, on the other hand, is in a completely different state.

"Huh?" As soon as Misdreavus appeared, seeing the steamy, private space and the trainer relieving himself, and recalling Ash's earlier words, "I'll help you wash up"...

Her petite body froze instantly.

The dream demon began to have wild fantasies.

All those "romantic" legends or gossips about the relationship between humans and Pokémon that I had heard from my Ghost-type predecessors suddenly flooded my mind.

LOL.

Pokémon are, after all, highly intelligent beings.

They can't just be treated as pets.

Especially Ghost and Psychic types.

The combination of words—alone…bathroom…shower…—made the dream demon's head spin.

The dream demon's originally dark green cheeks were now flushed with a faint pink.

His gaze became unfocused, and he dared not look at Ash at all, only uttering a faint, trembling "Mah...Mah..." sound.

Its small body shrank back slightly, as if trying to hide itself in the wall.

Dream demon, how embarrassing.

Ash was focused on testing the water temperature and didn't pay much attention to Misdreavus's unusual behavior, only casually saying:

"Mengmeng, wait a moment~"

"Once the water is ready, I'll wash Pidgey first. It's covered in dust and broken leaves, so it needs a good rinse."

Upon hearing this, the dream demon trembled violently.

Should we wash Pidgey first?

Does that mean... I wasn't given a separate bath?

Her confused little head couldn't quite grasp it at first.

at this time.

Ash turned around and said to Pidgeotto in a natural manner, "Come on, Pidgeotto, stand in the bathtub first and wash off the dust with water."

The Pidgey obediently fluttered into the bathtub, and the warm water instantly soaked the feathers on its belly.

It shook its wings comfortably and let out a short, pleasant chirp, "Bi—", without the slightest hesitation.

Pidgey: A mysterious companion.

Pidgey's eyes are extremely sharp.

Because its characteristic is sharp vision, and it has also learned the skill [Insight].

It saw all of its companion's strange behavior.

Dream Demon: "!!!"

Her big eyes widened instantly, her shyness vanished, replaced by an almost petrified blankness.

Misdreavus watched as Pidgey, who was calm and collected in the bathtub and even began to preen its wet feathers with its beak.

Then I looked at Xiao Zhi, who was picking up pet shampoo with a perfectly natural motion.

Why are you so skilled?

The demon's entire brain seemed to have been hit head-on by a "high-speed star," and it completely stopped functioning.

Why...why is Pidgey here?

And they take it all so seriously?!

Why is this so?

This is the first time I've had someone I like.

The first time doing intimate things.

Two joys overlapped, and these two joys should have brought me even more happiness.

This should have been a blissful time, like a dream.

Why... take a bath... isn't it... something... very special... something that can only be done by people who are very, very close?

Why does Pidgey seem so used to it?!

Could it be that I... I misunderstood?!

The dream demon felt that some of the beliefs it had established were collapsing.

The romantic, rosy-tinted "exclusive intimate time" that she had envisioned was instantly replaced by the reality of "Pokémon Collective Hygiene Day."

The dream monster's eyes instantly welled up with tears: "Quack, don't do this!"

Pidgey preened its feathers a few times.

Then he discovered that the Dream Demon was still floating there blankly, motionless, staring at him with empty eyes.

It tilted its head and uttered a questioning tone, "Compared to?"

It was as if it were asking, "What's wrong? Aren't you going to come and shower with me? It's so relaxing."

This "innocent and naive" and "completely clueless" demeanor made the dream demon feel a strange and indescribable sense of frustration and shame.

So... when Ash said "take a bath," he really meant just taking a bath in the literal sense!

What on earth was I thinking about?!

Too shameful!

Compared to Pidgey's purely Pokémon mindset.

Dream monsters think more like humans.

This is probably the difference caused by different living environments.

The pink color on the dream demon surged again, this time a shy red.

She wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground or use "invisibility" to vanish immediately.

The dream demon let out an extremely faint, deathly wail: "Mah..."

Ash finally noticed Misdreavus's unusual behavior.

He stopped what he was doing and asked with concern, "Hmm? Mengmeng, what's wrong?"

"Are you feeling unwell? Or is the water temperature not right?"

He thought the dream demon was afraid of water or sensitive to the smell of shower gel... This possibility is not out of the question.

Only the dream demon herself knows the brainstorming she's going through.

After all, Ash can't read minds.

"Mah! Mah!" The dream demon shook its head violently, its voice louder than before, carrying a panic it was trying to hide.

She swiftly floated to the other corner of the bathtub, far away from Pidgey and Ash.

The dream demon turned her back to them, pretending to be very interested in the tiles on the wall, but her slightly trembling little body betrayed her unsettled heart.

Ash felt it was a little strange, but he didn't think much of it, assuming that Misdreavus was just shy in a new environment.

"Okay, Mengmeng, you can play by yourself for a while. I'll come help you after I've cleaned up Bibibird."

"Pip-bird, don't move, close your eyes, it's time to rinse."

Ash is still too young. Even if he's mature in his thinking, his body isn't up to par.

I guess when I get a little older, my mind will be full of lewd thoughts?

Human thoughts are ultimately influenced by the body.

The only sounds in the bathroom were the rushing water, Ash's soft voice, and Pidgey's occasional purring that indicated its comfort.

The dream demon had its back to all of this, its heart filled with complex emotions.

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate that I hadn't made a bigger fool of myself, but also a little inexplicably disappointed.

The illusion shattered... and a strong sense of shame for the vivid thoughts I had just conjured.

at this time.

The faint sound of the living room television could be heard coming from outside the bathroom door.

It seems that Pikachu has switched to its favorite Pokémon Hollywood movie channel.

The film and television industry in this world is still quite developed.

Carlos Union Champion Karuna is a world-class film actress.

Amidst rousing background music and exaggerated dialogue, Pikachu's excited voice drifted in through the crack in the door.

"Pikachu!"

It seems the main character unleashed a powerful attack, and Pikachu provided the voice acting.

"Beep beep—beep beep pop!"

The familiar voice brought the dream demon back to its senses slightly.

Oh right, Pikachu is outside too... It seems Ash really just treats bathing Pokémon as part of his daily care routine, just like eating and sleeping.

My chaotic thoughts just now were simply... exactly what the seniors called "being possessed by a drama queen".

She secretly and very slowly turned her head slightly, glancing at the bathtub out of the corner of her eye.

Ash was patiently rubbing the feathers under Pidgeotto's wings, his movements careful and gentle, muttering, "There's still a little mud here... Okay, it'll be even prettier after you wash it clean."

Pidgey stood obediently, occasionally shaking its body comfortably and splashing a few drops of water.

Pidgey's innocent face???

The scene before us is actually very heartwarming, filled with the trainer's love for his Pokémon.

However, this kind of care was quite different from the "type" of care that Mengyao had previously imagined.

The shame in her heart was gradually replaced by a warm feeling, although she still felt a little embarrassed to face Ash and Pidgeotto.

After a while, Ash helped Pidgeotto rinse it thoroughly, wrapped it in a large towel, and carefully dried it.

"Alright, Pidgeotto, come out~" Ash picked up the hair dryer.

Pidgey chirped and obediently jumped out of the bathtub, shaking off its wet wings.

After the hairdryer has blown the air all over the place.

Pidgey has returned to its magnificent and clean appearance.

"Pidgeotto, why don't you go out and play with Pikachu?" Ash patted the bird's head.

"Phi~" Pidgey happily strode out of the bathroom.

Immediately, Pikachu's "Pika Pika!" greeting came from outside the door, along with clearer fighting sound effects from the television.

Ash doesn't need to worry about Pikachu taking a bath.

Pikachu prefers to take baths by itself.

They've matured too much.

Now, only Ash and Misdreavus remain in the bathroom.

Ash turned to Misdreavus, who was still huddled in the corner, and said in an even softer voice, "Alright, Misdreavus, it's your turn."

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon. You'll feel much better when you smell nice after a bath."

"I'll spray you with perfume after you shower~"

Xiao Zhi is draining the water again.

The sound of running water was heard in the bathroom.

The dream demon slowly turned around.