Night fell over Pallet Town, at Ash's house~
With the warm ocean currents of the Orange Islands behind it, the town still showed no sign of snow on this winter night.
Still, the cold air blowing down from Mt. Silver had coated the windows in frost.
Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside, the house was warm and lively.
Professor Oak sat at the dining table, playing with Ash's Pikachu.
Togepi sat on the couch, playing pat-a-cake with Aunt Delia.
Gengar wore an apron and happily wiped the table with a cloth, while pushing against the face of the Mr. Mime beside it with one hand.
Mr. Mime stared indignantly at this fellow. Seriously? Since when was Gengar better at housework than me, Mr. Mime? I refuse to accept this!
Ash crouched in the corner, watching Wartortle lift dumbbells. Wartortle glanced at Ash from time to time. This human had such a powerful presence!
After wiping his hands, Gary emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of Dongpo pork.
"Time to eat, everyone. Everything's ready~"
"Thanks for all your hard work, Gary. I'm so sorry we even had you do the cooking." Aunt Delia had accidentally cut her hand while chopping vegetables that afternoon, so Gary had made dinner that night.
Ash dashed to the table in a single bound, drooling as he surveyed the dishes. Wow, had Young Master Mao's cooking already surpassed Brock's?
Chicken stewed with mushrooms, Dongpo pork, sweet-and-sour ribs, pan-fried cod, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, crispy duck, and eight-treasure sticky rice~
Ash: Tell Brock I'm not coming back!
After opening a bottle of red wine and preparing orange juice for Ash and Gary, Professor Oak raised his glass in high spirits. "Well then, let's celebrate Ash and Gary's excellent results in the Indigo League!"
"Oh~!" Ash and