Ash was still recovering from the shocking encounter with Yoruichi when his next challenger arrived, bursting through the door with a loud crash. It was Kanji Tatsumi, a tall, tough-looking teenager with bleached blond hair and a permanent scowl etched on his face.

"Yo! You're the Monarch, right?" Kanji growled, pointing dramatically at Ash. "I heard you're pretty strong, so I'm here to take you on!"

Ash blinked, bewildered by the sudden appearance and the aggressive tone. "Uh… who are you again?"

Kanji's brow twitched in annoyance. "Kanji Tatsumi! I'm here to prove I'm a real man by beating you in a fight!" His fists clenched, and he took a fighting stance. "Let's do this!"

Ash scratched his head, clearly confused. "Wait, hold on. Why do you want to fight me? I don't even know you… and proving you're a 'real man'? What does that even mean?"

Kanji waved off the questions impatiently. "Tch! It doesn't matter if you don't get it! I just need to beat you, and that'll show everyone I'm not messin' around!" His tough-guy demeanor suddenly wavered as he caught sight of Pikachu and Lucario standing beside Ash.

Kanji's expression softened. "Hey, uh… are those your Pokémon?"

Ash nodded cautiously. "Yeah, this is Pikachu, and that's Lucario. Why?"

Kanji stared at them for a moment, a faint blush creeping onto his face. "They're… kinda cute," he mumbled.

Ash, Pikachu, and Lucario all exchanged confused looks. "Wait… what?" Ash asked, his confusion deepening.

Realizing what he just said, Kanji's face turned beet red, and he immediately went back to his aggressive stance. "N-Not that I care about that! Let's fight already! Quit distractin' me with your… your cute little creatures!"

Ash let out a sigh, feeling like he had no idea what was going on anymore. "Okay, fine. Let's just get this over with."

The battle began, with Kanji charging forward, fists swinging wildly. Ash, despite not knowing much about Kanji, could tell the guy was strong, but his wild style lacked focus. Lucario effortlessly dodged Kanji's strikes while Pikachu watched from the sidelines.

Kanji threw a punch with all his strength, but Lucario gracefully sidestepped, countering with a quick strike that sent Kanji stumbling backward.

"Man, you're fast!" Kanji grunted, wiping sweat from his brow. He wasn't used to being outmatched this quickly.

Ash, still feeling a little guilty about the situation, called out, "You don't have to keep pushing yourself if you're already worn out."

Kanji snarled in frustration. "Shut up! I ain't done yet!" He charged again, but this time Lucario countered with a swift Force Palm, sending Kanji crashing to the ground.

For a moment, there was silence. Kanji groaned as he picked himself up off the floor, clearly defeated but still trying to maintain his tough exterior. "Damn it… I'll admit you're strong… But don't think this is over!" He pointed at Ash, shaking with determination. "I'll be back, and next time, your cute Pokémon won't distract me!"

Ash smiled awkwardly, still not entirely sure how this all started in the first place. "Uh… sure. Good luck with that."

Kanji stormed off, muttering under his breath about "revenge" and "cute distractions."

As soon as Kanji was out of sight, Ash let out another sigh and turned to Pikachu and Lucario. "What is with today? First Yoruichi, now this guy…"

The next day...

The sun was barely peeking through the curtains of Ash's house as he stretched, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The day before had been chaotic, to say the least. Between fighting off strange challengers and navigating bizarre situations, Ash was hoping for a quiet, normal day.

That hope was shattered the moment he walked into his living room.

The entire room was filled—completely filled—with handmade Pokémon plushies. Everywhere Ash looked, there were plush Pikachus, Lucarios, Gengars, Dragonites, Sirfetch'ds, and Dracovishs. Each one was sewn with incredible detail, from Pikachu's rosy cheeks to Lucario's distinctive markings. They were cute, soft, and—most importantly—everywhere.

Ash blinked in shock, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Wha… What is all this?!"

Just then, the door swung open, and in strolled none other than Kanji Tatsumi, carrying a bag filled with even more plushies. He set it down with a loud thud, clearly proud of his work. "Yo! Surprise!" Kanji declared, grinning ear to ear.

Ash stood there, completely dumbfounded. "Kanji… what… what is all this?!" he stammered, gesturing to the sea of plushies that now overtook his entire house.

Kanji puffed out his chest, looking smug. "These? I made 'em myself! Thought I'd come back and, you know, show ya I wasn't kiddin' about bein' serious. Figured since you and your Pokémon are pretty cool, I'd make somethin' to show my appreciation."

Ash blinked again. "Wait… you made these? All of them?"

Kanji rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed now. "Yeah. I'm pretty good with my hands, so I sewed 'em all. Took me all night, but I finished! Cute, right?"

Ash looked around again, still processing everything. "I mean… yeah, they're really cute, but… why?"

Kanji shrugged. "Just figured I'd make up for yesterday, y'know? Thought maybe you'd like 'em." His tough-guy persona slipped for a moment, revealing his more earnest side. "I'm not just about fightin' and all that. I can do this kinda stuff too."

Pikachu wandered over to a plush version of himself, poking it with curiosity. "Pika?" He seemed intrigued by the miniature Pikachu in front of him.

Lucario picked up a plush of himself and inspected it closely, giving Kanji an approving nod.

Ash, still in a state of disbelief, finally smiled. "Well, I've got to admit, these are pretty cool, Kanji. I didn't know you were this talented."

Kanji's face lit up with pride. "Tch, well, don't go gettin' all sappy on me. Just figured I'd do somethin' nice after that whole fight thing."

Ash chuckled, shaking his head. "You're something else."