"I have a bad feeling…"
"Me too…"
Jessie and James sat rigid in the cockpit, eyes darting nervously to the sparks flashing across the control panels. Cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.
With their… extensive experience, they knew exactly what that meant.
"The core's fried…" James muttered weakly.
"In layman's terms," Jessie gulped, "It's about to..."
"BOOM!!!"
The robot exploded in a fiery blast, sending the Team Rocket trio rocketing skyward, silhouettes shrinking into the distance until they became twinkling stars. 『☆彡』
"Team Rocket's blasting off again~~~!!!"
Ash shielded his face from the wind of the blast, then dropped his hand with an exasperated sigh. "Why do these three never learn? They've never beaten me, yet they keep coming back…"
Honestly, their resilience was terrifying. Forget Pokémon, they might be humanoid Pokémon themselves.
"Maybe they're a bit like you, Ash," Misty teased, walking forward with the Squirtle Squad.
Ash blinked. "Huh? How am I anything like them?"
"You're both equally stubborn~," Brock chuckled, arms crossed.
Ash's eye twitched. Sure, he was persistent, but being compared to Team Rocket was just unfair. With a black-lined expression, he decided not to argue.
Instead, he knelt down, gently scooping up one of the injured Squirtle. "Come on, let's get you all treated. Even small wounds can cause big problems if ignored."
"Squirtle…" The leader scratched his head, looking conflicted. His sunglasses couldn't quite hide the hesitation in his eyes, would the townsfolk even want to treat Pokémon who had caused them so much grief?
Ash smiled, firm but kind. "Don't worry. Nobody hates you. At worst, they thought your pranks went too far. As long as you don't pull tricks like that anymore, they'll forgive you."
Ralts floated another Squirtle, tiny legs toddling along beside Ash, while the rest of the squad exchanged a glance and followed.
At the Pokémon Center
"They're fine now. Just make sure they rest well once they return," Nurse Joy said warmly, releasing the three fully bandaged Squirtle back to their squad.
The small turtles cheered, reuniting with their leader. Then, almost in unison, they turned to Ash.
"Squirtle, Squirtle!" Humans, we cannot repay your kindness in saving us. Tell us what we can do!
The leader pounded his chest, speaking with heroic conviction, and waved his arms for emphasis, worried Ash wouldn't understand.
But Ash only grinned, shaking his head. "It was nothing. If possible… could I become your Trainer? You can test me however you want, battle me, challenge me, anything. I just want you to accept me."
He hadn't planned to rely on gratitude. His original idea was simple: win them over with food and sincerity, then earn Squirtle's respect in battle. But after Team Rocket's ambush, things had changed, perhaps made easier.
The leader Squirtle froze. Slowly, he reached up, tugging off his trademark sunglasses.
Beneath them was not the fierce delinquent mas, but a pair of wide, watery eyes.
Ash finally understood.
Without the sunglasses, Squirtle didn't look scary at all.
Without his sunglasses, Squirtle couldn't possibly pass as a gangster. No matter how much trouble he caused, he had no intimidation factor, if anything, without those shades, he looked so harmless that people would probably laugh.
Yet, with his sunglasses off, Squirtle patted his shell and cried, "Squirtle, Squirtle!"
Even without translation, Misty and Brock understood what it meant: Squirtle had chosen to follow Ash.
This meant Ash had now officially completed the trio of Kanto starters. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, all in less than a month of traveling. His luck… was downright absurd.
Ash's face twitched. Translated into human words, Squirtle's declaration basically meant: 'The kindness of saving my life cannot be repaid. From now on, my life belongs to you.'
Déjà vu. That was exactly how Charmander had joined him. And Bulbasaur, too.
Thinking about it, two of the three had joined him thanks to Team Rocket's meddling, and the third thanks to a scumbag Trainer. In other words, Ash had caught all three starters without a single proper capture battle.
He almost laughed. Could Team Rocket… actually be good people in disguise?
No, impossible. More likely they just had a strange curse where everything they tried backfired and somehow benefited him.
Shaking his head, Ash dismissed the thought and held out a Poké Ball. He tapped it gently against Squirtle's head.
Click… click… ping!
"I caught Squirtle!!!" Ash shouted, striking his familiar capture pose.
"Pika Pikachu!"
"Ralts Ralts~~!"
Another classic Ash moment, but this time, Squirtle was his seventh Pokémon. By default, the Pokédex automatically transferred the most recent capture to Professor Oak's Lab.
"Ah...wait, not Squirtle!" Ash fumbled with his Pokédex, quickly swapping the settings and sending Butterfree instead.
Butterfree had been falling behind in team progress. Maybe Professor Oak could help him train more efficiently before he returned.
Once the transfer finished, Ash immediately released Squirtle again. He couldn't just take him away without letting him say goodbye to his brothers.
The Squirtle Squad crowded around their leader, arms waving and voices chattering in their sharp, watery tones. Misty and Brock watched them, baffled.
But Ash's expression grew complicated.
He walked over and whispered to his friends: "If this Squirtle Squad wants to follow Trainers too… would you be willing to take them?"
"!!!"
Misty almost squealed before clapping a hand over her mouth. "Is that even a question?! Of course I'm willing!"
She'd been dying to catch a new Pokémon. Along their journey, she'd seen plenty, but none that fit her taste, either they weren't Water-types or weren't cute enough. Clefairy at Mt. Moon had tempted her, but she couldn't bring herself to split it from its family.
So, she'd gone this whole time without catching a single Pokémon. But now… a chance to get a Squirtle? She could barely contain her excitement.
Brock's eyes gleamed too. Ash hadn't just asked Misty, he was clearly offering this to both of them.
"What did Squirtle say?" Brock asked carefully.
Ash smiled. "The leader said that life outside is rough. If he follows me, he wants to make sure his brothers also have safe places to go. He's asking if you two would be willing to take them in. Otherwise, he'd worry about them."
Misty and Brock exchanged stunned looks. Then their faces broke into matching grins.
They'd traveled with Ash long enough that maybe some of his outrageous luck was finally rubbing off on them.
"Squirtle, Squirtle!" The leader finished his farewell talk with his squad and turned back to Ash, gesturing wildly with his short arms.
Ash squatted down, gently stroking Squirtle's round head. " I understand, you want your brothers to come with us, right?"
Squirtle froze. His jaw almost dropped beneath the sunglasses. 'This human can understand me?'
Still, he quickly nodded. Ash wasn't just strong, he was… different.
"My friends are more than happy to accept them," Ash continued with a calm smile. "Misty and Brock will each take one Squirtle as their partner. As for the remaining two… I'll entrust them to Professor Oak. He's a great man, kind, patient, and his lab has more food than you can imagine. He'll take good care of them."
Ash briefly described Oak's Lab, the rolling pastures, the backyard full of happy Pokémon, the safe environment. Compared to wandering hungry and scared outside, it was paradise.
The leader Squirtle's eyes softened. He gave a firm nod, stepping back to let Misty and Brock choose.
Misty nearly skipped forward, her face glowing with excitement. "Finally…!" She crouched down, her eyes scanning carefully. The moment she saw the Squirtle she had carried back to the Center for treatment, her choice was made. "You're the one! Let's be partners!"
"Squirtle!" the little turtle cheered, hopping into her arms.
Brock also stepped forward without hesitation. "Guess a Rock Gym Leader isn't supposed to catch a Water-type, huh? Well… rules were made to be broken." He winked, tossing out a Poké Ball. One Squirtle hopped inside without a fight.
That left two. Ash held out their Poké Balls, watching as the turtles went inside with trusting smiles. He called Professor Oak from the town's phone, explaining everything. Oak, clearly delighted, promised to raise them well, and maybe, one day, gift them to worthy new Trainers.
And just like that, the Squirtle Squad had a new future.
The trio stayed the night in town, then set out early the next morning. This time, after days of detours and delays, they finally reached Vermilion City without getting lost again.
Misty walked the whole way with a spring in her step, Squirtle's Poké Ball in hand, a smile she couldn't hide. Even her nagging tone towards Ash had softened, though she'd never admit it.
Ash, meanwhile, was quietly grinning too. Completing the Kanto starter trio had unlocked two new draw chances in the chat group:
One for capturing six Pokémon.
Another for completing the full set of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.
He spun them both immediately. This time, his luck wasn't as good as before; he only drew two B-rank abilities.
One ability was Cooking (B). Compared to the comprehensive Breeder he had before, Cooking (B) only improved Ash's culinary skills.
But this ability also made Ash's cooking skills advance by leaps and bounds, almost catching up to Brock.
Brock even felt puzzled as to why Ash's cooking proficiency had become so high in the past two days. Before, there were still some uncoordinated aspects, but recently they had completely disappeared, and he even knew some dishes that Brock himself didn't understand.
Ash just grinned innocently. "All thanks to your great teaching!"
Shifting blame had already become Ash's norm.
Speed Aptitude Limit (B)
Ash gave this straight to Pikachu. His partner's speed aptitude didn't leap to S, but the baseline shifted. From inconsistent bursts of speed, Pikachu's pace now had a rock-solid floor. His movements became sharper, quicker, and more reliable.
On one hand, Pikachu benefited the most from this ability's boost; on the other hand, Pikachu was his starter and his strongest Pokémon currently, having reached the advanced peak level. Making his ace stronger was also a good thing.
...
Released 5 Chapters since we cam close to the target, let's try to reach the goal this week🥲🥲
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