Pokemon: A different Ash

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"That's right, and this item is quite unusual. It seems to only work on Pikachu. My Electric-type Pokémon can't use it, so please accept it!" 

After listening to Ash's explanation, they recognized him as an expert and confidently handed the item over. Though meaningless to them, they knew this would greatly benefit Ash's powerful Pikachu, who hadn't evolved into Raichu.

"Thank you very much!" Ash glanced at Pikachu, then reached for the box, removed the scarf inside, and carefully tied it around Pikachu's neck.

The Light Ball scarf had clearly been specially crafted. It fit perfectly around Pikachu's neck without hindering movement, and the corner where the Light Ball was embedded seemed to defy gravity. 

The crystal-clear Light Ball remained visible, its beauty fully preserved. As soon as Ash secured it, Pikachu's cheeks began to spark intermittently, indicating the Electric-type could feel the power of the Light Ball.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out, clearly enjoying the sensation of the Light Ball's energy.

"Looks like Pikachu really likes it. That's great!" Sparky remarked at the same time.

"Thank you again. We should get going now!"

"Goodbye, Ash! I'll be cheering for you in the League competition!" Mikey added enthusiastically.

"Thanks! Keep training hard. I hope we get to battle in the same arena someday!" Ash smiled, patting Mikey's head encouragingly.

"Yes, I will!"

Mikey was absolutely thrilled. He had admired Ash ever since the trainer defeated his three brothers. Hearing his idol express interest in facing him in battle someday filled him with determination.

After saying their goodbyes, Ash and his friends left the manor, spent the night at Stone Town's Pokémon Center, and continued their journey the next morning.

Leaving Stone Town, they found a direct road that would lead them to the next city. This was much easier traveling than they'd experienced lately. They'd spent so much time trekking through forests and grasslands that finding such a simple path was a welcome change, so the trio set out early.

With just one road to follow, getting lost was impossible. The path was easy to traverse, and their destination wasn't far. By midday, they arrived at the next city.

"This is Dark City," Brock announced, consulting the guidebook in his hand.

The city lived up to its name. As they approached, they noticed the sky above growing gloomy, with dark clouds looming in the distance as if rain could start at any moment.

Unlike Gringy City's industrial pollution, Dark City was naturally shrouded in dark clouds year-round, giving it the perpetually gloomy appearance that inspired its name, though the air wasn't actually polluted.

"Let's go!" 

Upon seeing the town, Ash wasted no time and took the lead. Entering the city felt strangely eerie as the streets of this sizeable city were completely deserted.

"What's going on? It's still daytime, but there's nobody around!" Despite the cloudy skies, it was noon, yet not a single person could be seen on the streets.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this," Misty remarked, unconsciously moving closer to Ash as she observed their surroundings.

This city differed from industrial metropolises like Gringy City. Dark City maintained a relatively retro architectural style reminiscent of the Edo period, with buildings that looked weathered by time.

Combined with the absence of people, the atmosphere felt distinctly unsettling, as if something might jump out at any moment.

Click!

Suddenly, the door of a building ahead of them opened, causing the three travelers to instinctively halt. Misty even ducked behind Ash as they watched a child run out of the house.

A woman quickly followed, emerging from the building and gathering the child in her arms.

"Don't run outside like that! What if a Pokémon Trainer sees you? Get back inside, quickly!" The woman scooped up the child, turned around, and hurried back into the house, slamming the door shut behind them.

"What? What's wrong with Pokémon Trainers?" Hearing the woman's words, it seemed as though Pokémon Trainers were considered dangerous villains here.

Whoosh!

Without warning, something flew through the air, forcing Ash and Pikachu to jump apart.

"Pidgeotto, use Gust!"

Looking up, Ash spotted several stones being thrown from above. His instincts kicked in, and he immediately threw a Poké Ball. Pidgeotto emerged and flapped its wings powerfully, creating a windstorm that deflected the stones.

The powerful gust also dislodged stones from a nearby building, causing several figures perched on the roof to lose their balance and tumble down. Fortunately, they landed on a pile of hay stacked in front of the house.

Upon closer inspection, Ash realized the culprits were three children. Misty sighed with relief but remained irritated that they'd nearly been hit by flying stones.

"Who are you? Why are you throwing stones at us?" she demanded.

"Aren't you Pokémon Trainers?" A blue-haired boy pushed himself up from the hay, glaring suspiciously.

"Um... yes, we are. What's wrong with that?" Misty noted the boy's hostile expression and paused, wondering why they faced such antagonism. Was being a Pokémon Trainer somehow considered terrible here?

Hearing her confirmation, the boy grabbed a bundle of straw and swung it toward them. Ash reflexively caught it mid-swing.

The boy froze in surprise, struggling unsuccessfully to pull the straw bundle back. Gritting his teeth, he exclaimed, "Pokémon Trainers are all bad people! Let go!"

"What?"

"Bad people? You were the ones attacking us from the start!" Ash wasn't interested in arguing with children, so he simply took the straw bundle away and set it aside. Just then, a new voice interrupted.

"Please wait a moment!" A man wearing an apron approached, placing a hand on the blue-haired boy's head. He looked at Ash, Misty, and Brock apologetically.

"I'm very sorry these children have caused you trouble!"