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Are there any new generation Trainers in Kanto who can compare to this fierce woman from Sinnoh?
Misty felt that it was a bit difficult; Ash was already the most incredibly talented Trainer she had ever seen.
And as far as she currently knew, it seemed there was only Ash's older brother Red, and Mammon's younger brother, the somewhat gloomy Silver, who looked unapproachable?
But Silver, at best, was probably on par with Ash right now, and she didn't know if Ash's brother Red could compete with Platinum.
However, such matters couldn't be decided by her imagination; ultimately, who was stronger or weaker, on-the-spot performance was also extremely important.
And the rest was simple.
Entei had already been captured by the young girl, so Ho-Oh naturally wouldn't stay long.
It had arrived happily, but its mood wasn't so beautiful when it left.
After all, in just a short while, its already incomplete Ho-Oh's Guard was down another member, and the honest, cute, and practical Marshadow had also been 'snatched' by Mammon.
It would be a miracle if Ho-Oh's mood could improve.
What's more, before it left, Mammon even insisted on calling it down for a few group photos.
Hmm, this was Mammon's personal wish; Ho-Oh originally didn't want to agree.
After all, 'You've taken two of my subordinates again, and you still want a group photo? Dream on!'
However, under Mammon's words, 'You wouldn't want me to take Ash to rob places next, would you?', Ho-Oh reluctantly agreed, full of humiliation.
It really didn't want such a pure-hearted child to be intentionally led astray by Mammon because of this small matter.
The only thing worth being relieved about was that its judgment was not wrong; that human named Ash, even after more than half a year, his heart was still pure.
After Ho-Oh left, Platinum eagerly released Entei and sprayed it with a high-grade spray.
"From today onwards, we are partners, Entei. Please take care of me from now on."
Platinum gave Entei a big smile, her attitude very friendly.
Although she hadn't initially 'gotten' Entei's looks, now that she had captured it, the more she looked at Entei, the more pleasing it became!
Do you have such a majestic Entei? I do!
Platinum's bright big eyes narrowed into crescents, so happy! This was her first time capturing a legendary Pokémon.
Entei felt the goodwill transmitted from Platinum and sighed inwardly. Although it had intended to serve Lord Ho-Oh for the rest of its life, there was nothing it could do now.
Moreover, this was also tacitly approved by Lord Ho-Oh, so it wasn't betraying Lord Ho-Oh, right?
Entei let out a low growl at Platinum, expressing its attitude.
"I will definitely lead you to the pinnacle, Entei, I promise!"
Platinum happily hugged Entei's neck, making her most sincere promise.
Entei felt the girl's pure and simple aspiration, and a human-like smile involuntarily appeared in its eyes.
It gently rubbed Platinum's hair with its large head, responding with this affectionate gesture.
"That's so nice~" Ash was incredibly envious.
Speaking of which, on this trip to Tianqingshan Mountain, he met Ho-Oh again and had a battle.
Mammon 'found' that Marshadow, and Platinum captured Entei; all three had their own gains.
"If you ask Ho-Oh, Ash, and you want to capture Raikou, I think Ho-Oh wouldn't refuse and would give you a chance."
Mammon said with a smile upon hearing this.
After all, Ho-Oh's care for Ash was obvious to anyone with eyes; if Ash really wanted to capture a Ho-Oh's Guard member, Ho-Oh would definitely be willing to give him the opportunity.
"With Ash's current level, it would be difficult, oh." Misty pouted, immediately delivering a dose of reality.
"My Pikachu is not worse than Raikou!" Ash retorted, very displeased.
"Besides, emmm~ I'm not really interested in Raikou. I already have Pikachu."
Then Ash stroked the small face of Pikachu on his shoulder, speaking his true feelings.
Not only was he not interested in Raikou, but he also wasn't interested in Entei. Not to mention personal preference, Electric-type Raikou and Fire-type Entei would also have overlapping types with his team, wouldn't they?
Hearing this, Misty helplessly patted her forehead, and Brock also chuckled twice.
That was the legendary Raikou!
Although it did indeed have a type overlap with Pikachu, what was wrong with training two Electric-type mainstays?
Most importantly, that was Raikou!!
Misty still felt it was a great pity. Although Ash's electric mouse was indeed much stronger than other Pikachus, in Misty's opinion, that was also because Ash had poured his heart and soul into training it.
In terms of combat power, Raikou must be stronger than Pikachu, right?
However, Misty also understood that Pikachu had a completely different meaning for Ash, so she didn't say much, just understood.
"Hikari, Hikari, when we get back and recover, let's have a battle, okay?"
Ash extended a battle invitation to Platinum. He was originally a battle maniac who loved Pokémon battles very much.
Platinum was strong, but so what?
Battles didn't necessarily have to end in victory; besides, it was just a private sparring match, which could be considered special training.
"Okay, I also really want to battle you, Ash."
Platinum agreed without hesitation, showing a refined smile that perfectly suited her status as a noble young lady.
"I'm so looking forward to it!"
Ash was already a bit impatient.
Seeing this harmonious scene, Mammon, who was still stroking Marshadow's belly, couldn't help but smile.
Then Mammon looked at Ash, pondered for a moment, and sent out a message.
Leaving Tianqingshan Mountain, they arrived at the nearest town, and the group had dinner together.
After dinner, they went to a nearby training ground, where Ash and Platinum engaged in a sparring battle.
However, the outcome of the battle was without suspense; Platinum's strength was even greater than Paul's, and her tactical design was also very well-executed.
Ash was defeated again, and he lost even more badly than when he battled Paul.
However, Ash's spirits were still very high. After all, Platinum was different from the sharp-tongued Paul. While a normal defeat would naturally be a bit disheartening, Ash wasn't too upset.
"You're too strong, Hikari! I feel like if I want to defeat you, I really need to work even harder."
Ash was still very excited; he felt immense pressure.
But this pressure was positive.
Such a formidable rival! Such power! This is great!
"Keep it up, I'm also looking forward to our future battles." Platinum's delicate, fair face was wreathed in smiles, and she didn't say anything to discourage Ash.
For her, Ash was indeed a rival she could look forward to.
The environment of Team Rockets was truly suitable for a Trainer's growth.
She believed that Ash's strength would definitely grow faster in the future.
"Ash, if you want to defeat Hikari, just relying on effort will be quite difficult. While you're working hard, others are also working hard." Mammon said with a smile.
"Then I'll just double my efforts!" Ash said confidently without hesitation upon hearing this.
"Hehe~ That's truly a statement fitting your character. How about this, Ash, what's your current team?"
Mammon couldn't help but chuckle, asking Ash curiously.
"Emmm…" Ash blinked, not understanding why Mammon asked that.
"Pikachu, Charizard, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Snorlax, Gengar, Dragonite, Lucario, Poipole."
Misty, however, rattled them off like a treasured list. As Ash's travel companion, she knew his lineup all too well.
Or rather, she had witnessed the capture of all these Pokémon with her own eyes.
Mammon raised an eyebrow. Were there no Pidgeot or Butterfree? Or had they already left the team, so Misty didn't include them?
"Huh? Speaking of which, I'm also very curious, Ash, why haven't your Bulbasaur and Squirtle evolved?"
Platinum asked in confusion. With Ash's ability, training Pokémon to evolve shouldn't be very difficult.
Pokémon evolution is a huge increase in strength for the Pokémon itself.
As an excellent Trainer, Platinum had a lot to say on this point.
Especially with examples like Gyarados and Milotic, where the comparison before and after evolution is incredibly stark.
Evolution itself is a significant part of the appeal of Pokémon as creatures.
Bulbasaur and Venusaur, Squirtle and Blastoise, it's completely obvious which is stronger.
"About that…" Ash scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"Because Bulbasaur and Squirtle are quite resistant to evolving, I respect their choices."
Ash explained the reason. Yes, it was precisely because he respected his Pokémon's wishes.
"I see…" Platinum found it hard to say anything about that.
If it were her, she would also respect the Pokémon's choice like Ash, but in that case, it would inevitably lead to a weakening of combat power.
"But it's no problem, even if they don't evolve, as long as they're well-trained, I believe they can become very strong."
Ash, however, was very open-minded and said optimistically.
"But facing truly strong opponents like that, you're naturally at a disadvantage, Ash."
Mammon, however, didn't think this was a small problem.
For Trainers of similar strength, the choice of main lineup and matchups is very important.
Especially for 'monster' level Trainers like Ash and Platinum.
Mammon admitted that Ash's Bulbasaur and Squirtle were both Pokémon with excellent talent within their species, but not evolving was their weakness.
Of course, Pokémon are somewhat idealistic creatures; even without evolving, they are not unable to surpass their own bloodline and become extremely strong.
Just like a certain old monster's main Pokémon.
But can it be compared like that? How many years has that old monster trained, and how long has Ash trained?
Yes, Ash will definitely be able to train Squirtle and Bulbasaur to be no weaker than his Gengar and Snorlax in the future.
But that would require a lot of time and effort, and it's undeniable that, strictly speaking, Squirtle and Bulbasaur are currently holding Ash's team back.
Venusaur and Blastoise, both in terms of strength and tactical significance for the team, are simply too much stronger than Bulbasaur and Squirtle.
"Emmm… but they don't want to evolve, and I can't force them to evolve, can I?" Ash clearly didn't want to do that; it completely went against his original intention.
While he wanted to become stronger, it would never be at the expense of forcing his Pokémon's will.
"No, no, no, I didn't say that, Ash. Since Squirtle and Bulbasaur don't want to evolve right now, then you can also train other Grass-type and Water-type mainstays at the same time."
Mammon said to Ash with a smile.
"But…" Ash had thought Mammon was going to say something else, but he chose Pokémon based on personal preference.
Not to mention when he already had Squirtle and Bulbasaur.
"I just happen to have a very promising Water-type little guy here, and I believe it's very compatible with you, Ash."
Mammon took out a Poké Ball and said to Ash with a smile.
"Huh?" Ash became a little interested when he heard that. If Mammon said that, he was a bit curious.
"However, as a boss, I already gave you an Ultra Beast when you joined the organization. I can't just give you this Pokémon."
Mammon's lips curved slightly, looking like a smiling tiger.
"You'll have to help me with a favor in the future. You can rest assured, it won't go against your wishes."
Hmm, Mammon had his eyes on Ash's family members, to be precise, his older brother.
How to put it? If Red could also be pulled into Team Rockets, that would be truly entertaining.
But the difficulty was still a bit high. After all, Red was much more rational and mature than Ash, and Red's impression of Team Rockets… was also very bad.
However, with Ash, his own younger brother, persuading him, tsk~
Just imagining the scene of Ash inviting Red to join Team Rockets as a Team Rockets executive, Mammon couldn't help but lose his composure a bit.
That would definitely be very interesting!
"Helping out is no problem. Can I see this Pokémon first?"
Ash didn't react much to this 'favor'; he had a very good impression of Mammon now.
What was helping Mammon with a favor? As long as it wasn't too excessive or went against his moral bottom line, helping with ten favors would be fine.
Ash was more interested in the Pokémon Mammon said was very compatible with him.
"Of course, see for yourself."
Mammon handed the Poké Ball to Ash. He had specifically asked Lusamine to pull some strings to get it from Kalos.
"Come out."
Ash opened the Poké Ball, and a light blue Pokémon appeared in front of him.
"This is… Froakie?"