Pokémon: Starting with Ash's Mom

Kazuki recalled Haunter and followed Cassandra's grandmother toward the edge of the forest. They twisted and turned down the winding path, and when they finally emerged, the sight before them made Kazuki stop in his tracks.

The entire mountain was wrapped in thick, coiling vines. Two glowing orbs shimmered in the darkness between the vines—eyes.

"That... is that your Tangrowth?" Kazuki stared up at the massive creature in astonishment.

"Didn't it just get knocked out back in the forest?"

"Is this another one?"

"Nope, that's the same Tangrowth! It's recovered," Cassandra's grandmother replied with a smug tone.

"Recovered? That fast? It was charred not even an hour ago!" Kazuki immediately unleashed his Aura Power, wondering if there was some rare treasure buried in this mountain he could sneak off with later.

"Hehehe!" Cassandra's grandmother laughed triumphantly. "What do you think, brat? My Pokémon training skills aren't too shabby, huh?"

Kazuki stepped forward and stroked one of Tangrowth's thick vines. "You old hag, this Tangrowth of yours is one of a kind!"

"How'd you do it? Will you teach me?"

Blunt as ever, Kazuki shamelessly asked for her secret technique.

"Ahem. That's not exactly the tone you use when asking for guidance," Cassandra's grandmother tapped the ground with her cane.

"Hey, you're a witch, aren't you? Isn't that the proper term for someone who practices magic?"

"And 'old'—I don't mean your age. I'm talking about your qualifications!"

She shot him a sideways glance and snorted. "You slick little fox. No wonder Cassandra's heart's fluttering thanks to you!"

"Today's the first time I've seen her wear a skirt! That girl..."

Kazuki caught the key phrase.

First time wearing a skirt? Oh? Cassandra's starting to fall for me? Is this a green light?

Nice. In that case, maybe it's time to pull out the Adult Poké Ball...

Later. First, let's get this training method down.

A Tangrowth this massive—and it's permanent?

That's way better than Dynamax!

"Ah, Cassandra's just at that age. Wanting to look pretty is normal."

"You're the one who's too strict with her! So come on, tell me—how did you raise your Tangrowth this huge?"

Cassandra's grandmother glanced up at Tangrowth, a shadow of regret crossing her face.

"It's all thanks to the miracle potion."

"potion?" Kazuki's eyes sharpened. "You mean the one you had Cassandra make?"

She didn't answer right away. Leaning on her cane, she slowly walked toward Tangrowth and gently patted the thick vine, like a mother stroking her child.

"Yes. The miracle potion is something our family uses to raise our destined Pokémon."

"The formula is similar for everyone, but the actual concoction varies depending on the person."

"It greatly amplifies a Pokémon's power—sometimes even lets them break past their natural limits."

"My Tangrowth reached this size thanks to the potion."

Kazuki's excitement was instantly doused. "A personalized potion, huh... so it's not something I can just copy."

"But the one I made had a flaw," Cassandra's grandmother sighed.

"A flaw? What flaw? Your Tangrowth looks strong enough to take on a Champion-level Pokémon! How's that weak?" Kazuki asked, baffled.

"That's its power within this mountain."

"Once it leaves, its strength drops."

"I was competing with Agatha for the Elite Four spot in Kanto back then."

"She spread a rumor that her Gengar had achieved perfection."

"I panicked, wanted to win too badly. When I saw the sudden burst of power from this new formula, I used it without proper testing."

"The result? Tangrowth's strength plummeted the moment we left the mountain. I lost to Agatha's Gengar."

"Just one loss. Why not refine the formula afterward?" Kazuki couldn't understand why she gave up.

"There's no second chance. The ingredients for the miracle potion must be cultivated from a young age."

"You only get one shot in a lifetime. Once used, it's impossible to create another."

"Oh." Kazuki finally understood why the old hag had such a knee-jerk reaction to the Gastly species.

Hearing her explanation, he couldn't help but feel a surge of complex emotion. He looked back up at the massive Tangrowth—it was intimidating just by size alone.

"Old hag, even without relying on the mountain, your Tangrowth's gotta be strong, right? Why not leave here?"

Cassandra's grandmother's face turned a shade more somber.

She leaned on her cane and stroked the thick vines with a gentle reverence, as though touching a part of her own body. When she spoke, her voice was low and weathered, tinged with both helplessness and nostalgia.

"After I lost to Agatha... I felt dead inside. Like my life was over."

"I lost all motivation."

"The failed potion made me feel like I had no reason to exist anymore."

"So I stayed here. I never left again."

Kazuki frowned, skeptical. "That can't be it. Your Tangrowth's huge—you could've shined in other ways!"

She shook her head and sighed.

"It's because it's so huge that I couldn't leave."

"When Cassandra was born, I started to feel hope again. I thought maybe I'd step out into the world once more."

"But when I finally tried, I realized my Tangrowth had already become one with this mountain forest."

"It can't leave. And me... I couldn't bear to part with the creature I raised with such care."

Kazuki felt an unexpected pang in his chest.

"Hey... what about Cassandra's parents?"

Cassandra's grandmother's expression shifted, pain flashing through her eyes. After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"Cassandra's mother died in childbirth. Her father... he was obsessed with power."

"To create an even stronger potion, he ventured to a dangerous place."

"Before he left, he entrusted Cassandra to me. Said he'd be back."

"But he never came home."

"We received news of his death not long after."

Kazuki couldn't help but mutter, "This miracle potion of yours... sounds more like a curse, honestly."

Cassandra's grandmother let out a breath and smiled, resigned.

"There's nothing wrong with the potion itself. The fault lies with those who chase power too recklessly."

"After Cassandra's father died, my own magic was still at a beginner level."

"To protect her, I had no choice but to stay here, run the apothecary, and rely on my Tangrowth and witchcraft to raise her."

Kazuki's impression of her changed ever so slightly.

Then something clicked in his mind, and he asked quickly, "Right, old hag! That medicine you gave my Haunter earlier—what was it?"

Cassandra's grandmother turned to him with an awkward smile. "That was a dose of my miracle potion."

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