After walking a not-so-short distance, Ash finally arrived at Twinleaf Town, the closest settlement to the airport.
And by good fortune, the commercial street of Twinleaf Town was just a short distance from the town's entrance.
"So there's no Pokémon Center here? That's kind of disappointing…"
At the entrance to Twinleaf Town, a simple map of the town was displayed. The map's contents were straightforward, merely outlining the various areas of Twinleaf Town.
After all, this was just a simple small town, not comparable to Jubilife City, let alone Castelia City in the Unova region.
Traveling in those latter cities, one could easily get lost in a maze of buildings if not careful.
With towering skyscrapers and intricate road networks, getting lost there was a real risk.
But in Twinleaf Town, if you got lost, it was probably just because you had a terrible sense of direction.
Did Ash have a bad sense of direction? Well, probably, right?
The number of times he'd gotten lost on his travels could rival the paths walked by veteran Trainers. Ash had even come to see getting lost as a sort of life philosophy.
It was clear he had no real way to overcome his tendency to get lost, but even so, he'd never admit to having a bad sense of direction. If he got lost, it must be fate!
"OKI!"
Compared to Ash's current woes, Aipom seemed far happier.
After all, if Ash retrieved its Poké Ball, it wouldn't be able to stay out in the open anymore.
Though Aipom wasn't as resistant to Poké Balls as Pikachu, for a Pokémon with its lively nature, the outside world was naturally far more appealing.
"No helping it, looks like you'll have to stay out a bit longer. For now, let's head to the commercial street to buy some essentials and grab some lunch. Otherwise, it'll be a hassle if we forget later."
"Pika!"
"OKI~"
Pikachu and Aipom both raised their paws in enthusiastic agreement with Ash's plan, though they weren't agreeing to the shopping part—they were excited about eating.
During the long flight, they had spent most of their time sleeping. Though there was an in-flight meal, that was last night's business.
For Aipom, it had been a full day since its last meal.
If it weren't for its somewhat carefree nature, not even noticing its hunger until Ash mentioned food, it probably wouldn't have had so much energy by now.
"Let's go, then."
Seeing Pikachu and Aipom looking hungrier by the second, Ash gave a cheerful smile, said nothing more, and led them toward Twinleaf Town's commercial street.
…
Half an hour later, inside a convenience store.
"Look, we already have plenty of ketchup. There's no need to buy more, right?"
"Pika—!" (It's a life essential!)
"What kind of life essential is that? You'd survive just fine without ketchup, wouldn't you?"
"Pikapi!" (It's not the same!)
Just as Ash was checking out, ready to pay, Pikachu had somehow snuck two bottles of ketchup into the shopping basket without any explanation, tossing them in with such audacity that Ash could practically understand what it was saying.
"What's so different about it?! If you're going to buy new ones, at least finish the ones in the backpack first!"
"Pika!!" (Always be prepared!)
"OKI…"
Aipom, who was usually the loudest, watched Ash and Pikachu's argument in silence.
It wasn't that it didn't want to chime in or mediate—it was just that the concerned, almost amused looks from the people in the store made it too embarrassed to step in. What if they thought it was part of the chaos?
"Uh… excuse me…"
Just as Aipom was considering slipping outside, the cashier suddenly spoke up:
"We're holding an event right now. If you spend a certain amount, you get one raffle ticket. If you include those two new bottles of ketchup… you'd qualify for five raffle tickets. Want to give it a try?"
"…"
Hearing the cashier's voice, Ash finally realized he'd made a scene, mostly because Pikachu hadn't changed one bit, even from before he time-traveled.
Pikachu always loved sneaking one or two bottles of ketchup into his purchases.
If it had finished its old stock, Ash wouldn't have minded.
The problem was that Pikachu kept buying more before finishing what it had, resulting in ketchup taking up half his backpack at one point.
"Fine, whatever…"
Under the cashier's gaze, Ash waved a hand in resignation, admitting defeat.
Pikachu, standing at Ash's feet, gleefully made a "V" for victory, celebrating its triumph.
Though, to Aipom, it wasn't clear what was worth celebrating about this.
"The raffle's over at the entrance with your receipt. Thank you for shopping!"
The cashier smiled as she saw Ash off.
Though Ash and Pikachu had caused a small commotion, for the locals, accustomed to the unchanging rhythm of small-town life, their antics added a splash of fun to the usual calm.
After all, they seemed to have a great bond. Their arguing wasn't real arguing—just playful bickering.
Taking the receipt from the cashier, Ash sheepishly patted his head and wandered over to the raffle booth.
The person running the raffle stall was a stout, middle-aged man wearing a white headband.
Seeing Ash's dejected look, he gave a hearty pat on Ash's shoulder and said:
"Don't worry about it! Young people should have some energy! Don't take it to heart—everyone's just enjoying the show. No one's laughing at you!"
"…I'm not sure if that's supposed to be comforting, but okay."
Ash shook his head, handed over the receipt, and the man glanced at it before stepping aside, saying:
"Got it, five raffle tickets total. Go ahead~ The prizes this time are different from before. Our boss put a lot of thought into them!"
A lot of thought?
Hearing this, Ash curiously looked up at the prize list posted on the wall.
Grand Prize: A full set of Poké Ball Seals (with matching Capsule Balls)
Second Prize: A year's supply of ketchup
Ash: "???"
Pikachu: "!!!"
Though Ash already wanted to stop reading after seeing the second prize, under the man's excited gaze, he continued.
Third Prize: A month's supply of Nanab Berries
Ash: "???"
Aipom: "!!!"
Why did this feel like the world was full of malice…
Well, the top prizes were indeed nice, even if they weren't much use to him.
Ash covered his face, peeking through his fingers to finish reading the rest of the prizes.
Fourth Prize: A voucher for Twinleaf Restaurant
Fifth Prize: A fancy keychain
Consolation Prize: A pack of tissues