Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

Meanwhile, in the real world...

Jessie held Meowth in her arms as he did nothing but meow, her face filled with anxiety.

”Meowth! Say something! I don’t care if you insult me—just speak!”

James crouched beside them and waved a finger in front of Meowth’s eyes.

Meowth tilted his head and watched it for a moment before reaching out and swatting at it wildly with no coordination whatsoever.

”...He really has become stupid,” James said, his voice trembling.

”Obviously! I can see that!”

Jessie clutched Meowth tightly.

”Twenty-four hours... We have to wait twenty-four hours before he changes back...”

Meowth yawned in her arms, rolled onto his back, and exposed his belly.

Jessie: ”...”

James: ”...”

”Does he... think we’re his personal litter-box cleaners now?” James whispered.

”Shut up!”

[VIP Chat Group]

[Jessie]: Aaaaaah! Meowth! Does anyone know how to change him back?! Hurry up and think of something!

[James]: Please help him! As long as Meowth recovers, Team Rocket is willing to... No, I’m willing to give away my entire prized bottle-cap collection!

[Ash]: Bottle caps? Who wants your bottle caps?!

[Brock]: Wait, both of you need to calm down. The punishment says it will last for twenty-four hours, which means he should automatically recover once those twenty-four hours are over.

[Jessie]: Twenty-four hours?! Do you have any idea how long twenty-four hours is?! Meowth doesn’t even recognize me right now!

[James]: Just now... Just now, he started chasing his own tail...

[Jessie]: Stop talking!

[James]: Sorry...

The video on the screen began moving again.

This time, the jump forward in time was far more noticeable.

Raina had grown from a tiny four- or five-year-old child into a young girl of around seven or eight.

Her long orange hair was tied into a neat ponytail. Her golden eyes sparkled brightly, and her cheeks still retained a trace of baby fat.

In the backyard of Cerulean Gym, Raina crouched beside the pool.

The Squirtle in front of her...

No, it was no longer a Squirtle.

It was a Wartortle.

Wartortle stood atop a rock beside the pool, its tail raised high behind it. Wing-shaped ears had grown from the sides of its head, and its entire body was noticeably larger than it had been as a Squirtle. Its gaze had also become much calmer and steadier.

Raina rested her chin in both hands and stared at it.

”Wartortle, it feels like you don’t smile very much since you evolved.”

Wartortle blinked.

”Wartortle?”

It tilted its head at her.

”It’s not that you never smile. It’s just...”

Raina thought for a moment.

”You used to come over and rub against me whenever you saw me. Now I’m always the one who has to come looking for you.”

Wartortle remained silent for two seconds. It then jumped down from the rock and slowly walked over to Raina before gently nudging her leg with its head.

”Wartortle.”

Raina froze for a moment before smiling and reaching down to stroke its head.

”All right. You’re still you.”

Wartortle narrowed its eyes contentedly.

”Wartortle, Wartortle.”

[VIP Chat Group]

[Ash]: Wait, wait! Squirtle has already evolved into Wartortle? What did we miss?!

[Gary]: Time skipping forward in a video like this is perfectly normal. It can’t possibly show us every single day of her life.

[Ash]: But I wanted to see it evolve! Battling together, growing stronger together, and then finally evolving at a critical moment—that kind of scene would be so exciting!

[Brock]: Ash, this is a record of Raina’s growth. Not every Evolution happens during a battle.

[Ash]: ...That sounds pretty boring.

[Cynthia]: I disagree. I find this quite interesting. Wartortle’s personality does not appear to have changed significantly after evolving. That suggests it was not forced to evolve but naturally grew until it reached the appropriate stage.

[Professor Oak]: Precisely. Pokémon Evolution commonly occurs in two ways. One is ”stress-induced Evolution,” triggered by the pressure of battle, while the other is ”natural Evolution,” which occurs after sufficient growth and experience have accumulated. The former often causes a Pokémon to display greater aggression immediately after evolving, while the latter generally results in a more stable temperament, much like this Wartortle.

The video on the screen continued playing.

”Wartortle, use Water Gun!”

A stream of water several times thicker than the one it had produced as a Squirtle shot from Wartortle’s mouth. It struck the center of a target ten meters away with perfect accuracy, sending water spraying in every direction.

”Yay!”

Raina jumped into the air before turning and rushing toward Asher.

”Daddy, did you see that? Wartortle’s Water Gun has a one-hundred-percent accuracy rate!”

Asher sat in a folding chair with a teacup in his hand. He leisurely took a sip.

”I saw it. But what did you forget?”

Raina froze and tilted her head in thought.

Suddenly, she let out an ”Ah!” and ran back to Wartortle. Crouching beside it, she wrapped her arms around its body.

”Great work, Wartortle! You were amazing! That Water Gun was incredibly accurate!”

”Wartortle, Wartortle!”

Wartortle rubbed its head against Raina’s palm, its eyes narrowing into contented slits.

Only then did Asher nod in satisfaction.

”Remember, Pokémon are your companions. You can be happy that they are strong, but you must never be happy only because they are strong. You also need to recognize the effort they put in.”

”I know!”

Raina stood up.

”I’m not a three-year-old anymore!”

”I seem to remember you saying the exact same thing last year.”

”That’s because I wasn’t three years old last year either!”

Asher could not help laughing. He reached out and ruffled the top of Raina’s head.

”All right, all right. I know you’re a big girl now.”

Raina dodged his hand and pouted.

”Don’t rub my head! It’ll stop me from growing taller!”

”Your mother used to say the same thing, but she...”

”What did you just say?!”

Misty’s voice came from behind him, causing Asher’s smile to freeze.

He slowly turned around.

Misty stood at the entrance to the Gym with both hands on her hips. A Staryu and a Starmie stood behind her, while the expression on her face clearly said, I heard that.

”I said...”

Asher’s expression remained perfectly composed.

”Misty is exactly the right height. If she were any taller, she wouldn’t look as good.”

”Hmph.”

Misty snorted, but the obvious curve at the corners of her lips betrayed her.

”At least you know what’s good for you.”

[VIP Chat Group]

[Brock]: ...Is this the legendary instinct for self-preservation?

[Gary]: Quite obviously.

[Ash]: But Misty really isn’t that tall.

[Misty]: Ash, what did you just say?!

[Ash]: I’m only telling the truth!

[Brock]: Ash, there are some truths that should never be spoken aloud.

[Ash]: Why? Is it wrong to tell the truth?

[Gary]: No, but you’ll still get yelled at for saying it.

[Ash]: How does that make any sense?!

[Delia]: Sigh. That boy really takes after his father.

[Ash]: Mom?! Not you too—