"Yes, Ash. If you raise a Miltank, not only can you save money, but in the future, Pikachu and Charmeleon's nutritional problems will all be solved too," Brock said with a laugh.
As a skilled Breeder, Brock naturally understood the value of Miltank. He couldn't help but envy Yozora for owning one.
"Alright, I've decided—I'm definitely going to capture a Miltank!" Ash clenched his fists and shouted loudly.
Misty rolled her eyes hard from the side. What an idiot. Did Ash really think a rare Pokémon like Miltank was something you could just go out and catch because you wanted to?
Brock also felt speechless. He had only explained Miltank's value, but Ash immediately started talking big.
Yozora, however, just smiled faintly. Ash was Ash, after all—the protagonist blessed by fate, a child of extraordinary luck. If Ash truly wanted it, perhaps he really could capture a Miltank someday.
"But… my team is already full…"
Ash began to look troubled. "Pikachu, Charmeleon, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. I don't want to replace any of them. Even if I did get a Miltank, I wouldn't have a slot to carry it. This is too difficult."
"And even if I join the police system, Pikachu and Charmeleon won't be able to master Scent Detection. Without passing that test, I can't swap them into Justice Balls to free up a slot…"
Ash looked miserably at Pikachu. "Pikachu, what should I do?"
"Pika!" Pikachu stopped eating, patted his ketchup-stained chest with one tiny paw, and gave a look as if to say: This is a small problem. Leave it to me.
Ash's eyes lit up. "Pikachu, are you saying you can master Odor Sleuth? But you're just an Electric Mouse Pokémon. Do you really have such a sharp sense of smell?"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded proudly, flaring his nose, brimming with confidence in his own sense of smell.
Yozora twitched at the corner of his mouth. He couldn't tell if Pikachu was serious or just bluffing.
Most likely, Pikachu didn't actually understand what Odor Sleuth was and thought it was just about having a decent nose.
But there was also a small chance Pikachu could really learn it. After all, this Pikachu wasn't ordinary. If it took training seriously, maybe it really could master the skill.
"Don't worry, Ash," Brock stepped forward reliably. "If you capture a Miltank but don't have space to carry it, I can hold onto it for you and take care of it."
Brock didn't carry six Pokémon like Ash did.
Since he wasn't a full-time Trainer who had to accept challenges anytime, he usually only carried two or three Pokémon and focused his energy on raising them well.
That meant he had plenty of open slots.
"That's great! Thanks, Brock!" Ash high-fived him, their goal now aligned.
After dinner.
Using digestion as an excuse, Ash once again challenged Yozora.
Yozora agreed without hesitation. Just like Ash, he was a battle maniac. Compared to dull training, battles were much more fun.
The result? Yozora once again defeated Ash with ease—even though Ash sent out Charmeleon.
After evolving, Ash's Charmeleon had already reached high Commander-tier strength. But its stamina hadn't kept up due to poor nutrition.
And with its disobedient temperament, it was quickly defeated by Yozora's Aegislash.
"Aegislash…" Ash had already tried checking it with his Pokédex, but no data came up.
In the end, Yozora had to tell him its name.
"Damn it, Yozora's strength just keeps getting stronger!" Ash clenched his fists, frustrated.
He had thought he was catching up to Yozora, but the harder he chased, the wider the gap seemed to grow.
"Ash, just save your energy," Misty walked over, cradling Dratini in her arms, smiling as she mercilessly struck a blow. "With Yozora's talent and strength, it's only a matter of time before he becomes one of the world's strongest. Compared to him, you're still far behind…"
But Ash had long since developed immunity to such words.
"Tch, what would you girls know? For us boys, as long as there's a path ahead, we'll charge forward! Just watch—someday, I'll surpass Yozora and become the greatest Pokémon Master in the world!" Ash declared with boundless spirit.
"Well said, Ash!" Brock praised heartily.
Night gradually deepened. The forest temperature dropped sharply.
Summer had already passed. Now it was late autumn, and in the forest the difference between day and night was especially harsh.
The group quickly lit a fire, then crawled into their sleeping bags. Their Pokémon gathered close as well.
Most Pokémon had strong resistance to the cold. They weren't afraid of the chill—what they wanted was simply to keep their Trainers warm.
"Yozora, where are you planning to go next?" Ash, lying in his sleeping bag, couldn't fall asleep this early and struck up conversation.
"Me?"
Yozora lay back comfortably. "Next, I plan to head to the Land of Battle Souls."
"The Land of Battle Souls?" Ash blinked. It was his first time hearing the term. He had no idea where it was.
"It's the site of ancient wars. Countless heroic spirits lie buried there. Because of the heavy yin energy, it's a place Ghost-type Pokémon find very suitable to live," Yozora explained.
At the mention of yin energy and Ghost-types in the dead of night, Ash and his friends shivered.
Ash was slightly better off. He had spent some time with Gastly's trio in Lavender's Pokémon Tower, so he had built a bit of resistance to Ghost-types.
But Brock and Misty still felt unsettled.
"Yozora, are you going there to capture a Ghost-type Pokémon? But you already have Aegislash, right? Isn't Aegislash also a Ghost-type?" Brock asked curiously.
Yozora didn't hide it. "Yes, but I still want to capture a Gengar."
He quickly changed the subject. "Alright, enough about me. What about you guys? Where's your next stop?"
Brock replied, "Most likely Cinnabar Island. It's near the volcano, so we can enjoy the hot springs. And there's also the Cinnabar Gym!"
"Ah! A Gym? Then let's go to Cinnabar Island!" Ash said immediately, fighting spirit blazing.
Yozora nodded quietly to himself.
Ash already had six Badges. If he won Cinnabar's, that would be his seventh. After that, he would return to Viridian City for the final Badge.
Once he collected all eight, Ash could fully prepare for the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Which meant Yozora knew that for the next three or four months, at least, he wouldn't be crossing paths with Ash and the others.
He had his own journey to follow.
(End of Chapter)