Ash stood on a small stepladder, carefully hanging up colorful streamers and arranging the Pokémon plushies on shelves. He was determined to make his studio feel more welcoming.

"Maybe if I add a few lights over here…" Ash muttered, stepping back to admire his work.

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion rocked the room as part of the wall was blasted apart, sending chunks of debris flying everywhere. Ash dropped the string of lights and stumbled, coughing in the dust.

"What the—?!"

From the smoke and rubble emerged a round, mustachioed man wearing red and black with oversized goggles perched on his bald head. He looked immensely proud of the chaos he had just caused.

"Mwahaha! Behold the arrival of the brilliant, the ingenious, the unstoppable Dr. Ivo Robotnik! Or, as the world knows me… Dr. Eggman!"

Ash, still coughing, climbed out from behind his overturned chair, glaring at the newcomer. "You just blew up my wall!"

Eggman ignored him, adjusting his gloves as he strolled into the studio. "So, this is the famous Ash-Sensei, the so-called therapist to the stars? Hah! I expected someone older, taller… less childlike."

Ash's eye twitched. "And I expected people to use the door, but here we are."

Eggman waved dismissively. "Doors are for amateurs. A genius like me needs a grand entrance!"

Ash folded his arms, narrowing his eyes. "Well, you're here now, so… what's your problem?"

Eggman scoffed, brushing off some imaginary dust from his coat. "Problem? Problem? I don't have problems, boy—I have challenges. Namely, a certain blue nuisance who insists on thwarting my plans at every turn!"

"Blue nuisance?" Ash echoed, blinking. "What are you talking about?"

Eggman groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course you wouldn't understand! Your tiny mind could never comprehend the magnitude of my struggles! I am a genius inventor, the greatest mind of our time, constantly undermined by a talking hedgehog with an unhealthy obsession with running fast!"

Ash stared at him, baffled. "Wait, are you telling me your biggest issue is… a hedgehog?"

Eggman glared. "Not just any hedgehog—Sonic the Hedgehog! He's an insufferable pest who ruins my every plan for world domination! I've built armies of robots, orbital space stations, even time-bending machines, and yet he always finds a way to win! It's infuriating!"

Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, so… you're mad because Sonic keeps stopping you from taking over the world? That's not exactly a problem I can help you with."

Eggman sneered. "Typical! A child like you couldn't possibly understand the brilliance of my vision. You probably think I'm the villain in this story, don't you?"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "You literally just said you're trying to take over the world. That kinda makes you the bad guy."

Eggman huffed, crossing his arms. "Bah! Labels are meaningless. Villain, hero—it's all perspective! The point is, I need to figure out how to deal with that infernal hedgehog once and for all."

Ash sighed, sitting down in his chair. "Look, Eggman, maybe instead of trying to beat Sonic, you should focus on, I don't know, doing something good with your inventions? You clearly have the brains—why not use them to help people instead of building death machines?"

Eggman blinked, taken aback by the suggestion. "Help people? Me? That's absurd! I'm a genius, not a charity worker!"

Ash shrugged. "It's just a thought. Maybe if you weren't so focused on revenge, you'd come up with something even Sonic could appreciate. Who knows, you might actually get along."

Eggman stared at him, his mustache twitching. "That… that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"Ridiculous enough to work?" Ash offered with a smirk.

Eggman grumbled, pacing back and forth. "Hmph. I suppose it's possible my genius could be put to more productive use… but where's the fun in that?"

Ash chuckled. "Fun or not, it might save you a few headaches. Just think about it, okay?"

Before Eggman could respond, the shimmering door appeared again, signaling the end of his session.

"Hmph! We'll see about this 'helping people' nonsense," Eggman muttered, adjusting his goggles as he headed toward the door. He paused and glanced back at Ash. "For a kid, you're not entirely useless. Don't let it go to your head."

Ash grinned. "Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."

Eggman disappeared through the door, leaving Ash alone once more. He sighed and looked around at the mess.

"Guess I better add 'repair the wall' to my to-do list," he muttered, grabbing a broom.