"Hmph~" (╬◣д◢) The Corphish raised its red claws at Ash and the others, signaling its anger. It had just gone out, and suddenly, a few tents appeared. Being dragged out by humans was a great humiliation for it, a "King of Strength" among the Corphish tribe!
"Ah?! That is..." May took out her Pokédex and scanned it:
Corphish...
[Corphish]
[Type: Water]
[Ability: Hyper Cutter (The Pokémon's Attack stat cannot be lowered by others.)]
[Strength: Mid Elite-Level]
[Moves: Bubble Beam, Harden, Crabhammer, Water Gun, Taunt...]
[Tera Type: Water]
"Dewford Island really is a blessed land! The rewards are great! Go, Croconaw, and catch it!" Ash sent out Croconaw.
"Wani!" Croconaw looked at Corphish seriously.
"Hey! Hehe!" The Corphish looked at Croconaw, filled with a fighting spirit!
"Croconaw, let's show off the results of our training! Ice Beam!" Croconaw gathered blue energy and fired it at Corphish.
"Hey!" Corphish burrowed into the sand, dodging the attack, and then fired a stream of bubbles from another direction!
"Wani!" Croconaw dodged all the attacks with its peculiar dance moves.
"That's so cool! Croconaw dodged all the attacks just by dancing!" (⊙o⊙) May said, looking at Croconaw in surprise.
"That's normal. As a Totodile, it dodged so many moves with those dance steps! It earned its keep!" Brock said, explaining it as if it were routine.
"Croconaw, if that's the case, let's get in close! Ice Fang!" "Wani!" A blue light surged onto Croconaw's fangs as it lunged at Corphish!
"Hehe!" A white light surged onto Corphish's claws as it met Croconaw head-on.
"Wani!" Croconaw was sent flying, and Corphish was frozen solid after being hit!
"Woah! Corphish's Crabhammer is really powerful!" Brock exclaimed.
"The more it is, the more I want to catch it! Croconaw, while it's frozen, use Crunch!" "Wani!"
Bang! Corphish was defeated!
"Go, Poké Ball!" Ash threw a Poké Ball, and it pulled Corphish in. One... two... three... The light turned off, and the capture was successful!
"Alright! I caught a Corphish!" "Wani!" "Pika~"
The Poké Ball then disappeared, teleporting to Professor Oak's lab. Ash believed that Corphish and Kingler would become great partners; their team name would be "The Lobster and the Crab Generals"!
"That's so cool! Ash has caught so many Pokémon! I've only caught one Wurmple," May said, looking at Ash's capture with envy.
"A Pokémon Trainer's journey is about meeting all kinds of partners and raising them. That's the meaning of the journey. I'm sure you'll have a new partner soon!" Ash said to comfort her.
"Mhm! I get it, Ash!"
Just then, May's Wurmple began to glow with evolution light. "That's great! Wurmple felt your fighting spirit and is starting to evolve!"
"Yeah!" May looked at Wurmple's evolution with a hopeful expression.
It finally turned into a white cocoon! At the same time, on the other side, Jessie's Wurmple also evolved into a light purple cocoon.
"Ash, is this a Silcoon or a Cascoon?" May asked nervously.
Ash looked at it and shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's a Cascoon!"
May's shoulders slumped. "Aww, seriously?! But... no matter what, it's still my Pokémon." But the weight on her heart quickly lifted, and she adjusted her mindset!
Ash smiled at May. "Ash, stop teasing May! Congratulations, May, it's a Silcoon," Brock said, also smiling as he stepped in to explain.
"What?! It's a Silcoon that evolves into Beautifly?!" May was first surprised, then she puffed up her cheeks and looked at Ash. "Ashhhh—"
"Ah! Ash, your egg!" Σ(っ°Д°;)っ Max suddenly shouted.
"The egg?!" Ash looked down and saw that the egg in his arms was beginning to glow.
"Is it about to hatch?! It's my first time seeing a Pokémon Egg hatch!" May said, looking at the egg in Ash's arms with curiosity.
Everyone gathered around, wanting to see the egg hatch!
The egg's light grew stronger and stronger. With a flash of light, two red horns appeared first—a large one in front and a smaller one in the back. "Ralts~" A doll-like figure with a green bowl-like hat covering most of its face and a white dress appeared in Ash's arms.
"Ahhh! It's a Ralts!" Max cheered!
"It's so cute!" May's eyes lit up as she looked at Ralts; the little guy was just too adorable!
Ralts nestled against Ash's chest, as if it knew that Ash was its Trainer.
[Ralts]
[Gender: Female]
[Type: Psychic, Fairy]
[Ability: Trace (Copies the opponent's ability upon entering battle, changing it to the same ability.)]
[Strength: Early Normal-Level (Infant)]
[Moves: Growl, Disarming Voice, Confusion, Mystical Fire]
[Tera Type: Fairy]
Ash also really liked Ralts. He knew that all of Ralts's abilities were strong. And since this Ralts was female, she was a future Psychic Queen for sure. If it had been male, Ash would have evolved it into a Gallade. Evolving a male Ralts into a Gardevoir would be weird! Since she was female, he was going to spoil her rotten!
"Ralts~" Ralts smiled and waved its hand. Ralts's red horn could sense the emotions of people and Pokémon. Feeling Ash's adoration, it was very happy.
Everyone felt a warm feeling watching this scene, except for "Bay~" Bayleef. Bayleef saw Ralts and felt her jealousy rise. Fortunately, Bayleef was sensible enough not to cause a scene.
Ash took out a Poké Ball. "Little one, why don't you get in here for now?" Ash gently touched Ralts and caught it!
"Charizard, you go back to Professor Oak's lab for now!" "Grr~" Charizard nodded in agreement.
Ash now felt that the six-Pokémon limit was too restrictive. He'd have to talk to Professor Oak about it someday.
After sending Charizard away, he sent Ralts out again. "Ralts~" This time, Ralts seriously looked at everyone and waved to them.
Everyone started playing with Ralts to build a bond!
On this beautiful beach, Ash and his friends had three great things happen! Ash's egg hatched into a Ralts, and he caught a Corphish, and May's Wurmple evolved into a Silcoon! The day passed happily!
The next day
Ash and his friends were walking upstream along a river.
"All you mystery novel fans out there, thanks for waiting! The time has come for the May Exploration Team to lead you into the unknown and discover the world's mysteries! Our destination this time is an unnamed river on Dewford Island!" May held her hands up like a camera and started narrating like a reporter. She was just a smartphone away from live streaming!
"A single drop of water flows into a river and then into the sea. That's so romantic!" Brock said, looking at the surroundings.
"That's right! If we follow this river upstream, we might find new Pokémon!" Max said excitedly, holding his PokéNav.
"The May Exploration Team is now walking an unknown path along the river. What mysterious phenomenon awaits them ahead?" May continued her job as the star commentator!
After walking for a while, Ash and his friends arrived at a huge, awe-inspiring waterfall!
"Ah! I can't believe it! Blocking the May Exploration Team's path is a giant waterfall! What will they do?" May dutifully continued to narrate.
If the group couldn't get past the waterfall, their exploration would end here!
"Not even a Magikarp could climb this waterfall," Max said helplessly.
"But the more difficult a place is to get to, the more likely it is to have unknown Pokémon," Brock said, filled with a fighting spirit, wanting to climb against the current!
To be continued...