"We really have these kids to thank this time!" Professor Lee waved at Ash and the others as they left, only speaking after their figures completely disappeared.
"Yes! And for the situation in Viridian City, we also owe them thanks." Officer Jenny said at the same time.
"Like that, he'll surely become an extraordinary Trainer in the future! I truly look forward to his growth. Let's head back too!" Professor Lee replied with a smile, then turned to Nurse Joy.
"Okay! Ah!!!" Officer Jenny had just replied when she glanced around and suddenly let out a scream.
"What's wrong?" Professor Lee quickly asked, hearing the sound.
"That... that Pokémon is gone." Officer Jenny looked around, her face a little pale. Professor Lee also looked around and saw that Axew was indeed no longer there. He couldn't help but frown.
"How could that be? Could it be..." Professor Lee was also a little surprised; he had just seen it, how could it disappear so suddenly? But before he finished speaking, he thought of something.
"Could it have followed them?" Professor Lee quickly thought of a possibility: could Axew have followed Ash and the others?
"Are you saying it followed Ash and them? But Ash didn't have it with him just now!"
Officer Jenny also reacted, realizing that this was indeed possible. However, they had just been talking about sending Axew home, not taking it with them.
"No, it must have followed on its own. That child, Ash, truly has a unique charm for Pokémon."
He thought back to that morning when Clefable gave the Moon Stone to Ash. That was also Ash's own charm. In such a dangerous situation earlier, he still remembered to help Clefable retrieve its Moon Stone, which is why Clefable repaid him.
And at that time, Ash stopped Axew's rampage, so perhaps Axew had already established a connection with him.
"Officer Jenny! Is it alright?" To be honest, Pokémon will eventually find their own Trainers. Such an encounter might be destiny's arrangement. It mainly depends on the Pokémon's own will. Since Axew followed them, it means it recognized Ash as a Trainer. If that's the case, he felt there was no need to stop it.
"Indeed, those two mentioned that it was an Axew caught in the wild, not a Pokémon stolen from another Trainer. So, it's essentially a wild Pokémon."
Officer Jenny replied, agreeing. If it were a Pokémon stolen from another Trainer, they would have to bring it back and return it to its original Trainer, no matter what.
But since it's a wild Pokémon, it doesn't matter. Wild Pokémon can, of course, decide which Trainer they want to follow. Perhaps what those two said wasn't entirely true, but if it were a Trainer's Pokémon, it wouldn't have actively followed them.
"Then let it be! This is a destined fate." Professor Lee smiled upon hearing this and then turned to leave.
Officer Jenny didn't say anything more. After all, Axew was a wild Pokémon, and it had already left. Besides, if Axew had decided for itself, even if they chased after it, it probably wouldn't come back.
Just as Professor Lee said, perhaps this was truly fate.
...
Meanwhile, Ash and his two companions continued their journey down the mountain. Misty and Brock had also composed themselves and were moving forward.
"Pika?" As they walked, Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder, suddenly twitched an ear.
"What's wrong?" Ash asked upon hearing it.
"Pika Pi!!" Pikachu looked behind them. Seeing nothing there, it tilted its head slightly, thinking it had misheard.
"Ash, what's wrong?" Seeing Ash stop and Pikachu's odd behavior, Misty and Brock also stopped to ask.
"Hmm?" Ash looked behind him, gently closing his eyes to sense carefully. A moment later, he opened his eyes, a little puzzled.
"Come out!" Ash called out behind him, but there was only an empty road with dense trees on either side—nothing there.
"Ash, what are you talking about? Team Rocket isn't chasing us again, are they?" Misty quickly asked, hearing Ash's words. She was genuinely scared of those two, not out of fear, but because they were annoying.
"Not coming out? We're leaving then?" Ash didn't reply, just continued calling out to the empty space behind him.
But there was still no movement. Ash shook his head helplessly at the sight and gestured to the two beside him.
"Let's go!"
Axew!!!
Just as the three turned to leave, they heard a familiar cry. They instinctively stopped and turned around, only to see the familiar figure emerge from behind the trees—it was Axew from before.
"Ah! It's it? Didn't it leave with Officer Jenny and them?" Misty was a little surprised to see Axew. This child should have been taken away by Officer Jenny and her companions.
"It looks like it followed us on its own." Brock said, seeing Axew, and began to analyze.
"Huh? Doesn't it want to go home?" Misty sounded a bit surprised.
"Do you want to come with us?" Ash, without much thought, stepped forward and asked Axew.
Axew!!
Axew looked at Ash, then walked a few steps forward. Its eyes suddenly became firm, and it nodded seriously.
"Then come on!" Ash excitedly took out a Poké Ball. He hadn't expected Axew to follow them on its own, but since it had, he wouldn't miss this opportunity.
Aiming at Axew, he threw the Poké Ball directly towards it. Axew, seeing this, charged forward and leaped up. Just as the Poké Ball flew over, it accurately smacked the button on the front with its claw.
Thump!!
The Poké Ball opened, instantly sucking Axew inside. The Poké Ball fell to the ground, wobbling slightly.
Ding!!
After several wobbles, a familiar sound came from the Poké Ball, and the red light dissipated. This time, it didn't pop back open.
PS: I originally planned to write about it being sent back and then reuniting in the Unova region, but I thought it would be a long time before we got to the Unova region, so I decided against it.
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