"Snivy~~"
The Snivy turned its head away stubbornly, forcing itself not to look at the table overflowing with mouth-watering aromas.
Even though it really wanted to look.
Even though it had been drawn over here by that very scent.
"Ash, perfect timing! Didn't you say you wanted to catch a Snivy? How about this one?"
Cynthia smiled gently. She hadn't expected to get this lucky—just arriving in this area and already stumbling upon a wild Snivy.
But to her surprise, Ash waved his hand dismissively. Instead, he pulled Cynthia and Sabrina aside, subtly motioning them not to pay any more attention to the Snivy.
"Here, Gabite, try this."
Ash hadn't brought many Pokémon with him to Unova this time.
After all, he wasn't planning to stay in the region for long.
He'd only brought Pikachu, his Gabite who was close to evolving, Lucario, and Metagross.
Even Darkrai and Cresselia had stayed behind for now.
Latias, too—Ash had sent her back to Alto Mare for the time being.
The only Legendary Pokémon currently traveling with him were Mewtwo and Regigigas.
"Pikachu! Try this too."
Ash served Pikachu a bowl of steaming soup.
"Well? Pikachu, Gabite—how is it? Tastes good, right?"
"Gabite!"
"Pika!"
Both Gabite and Pikachu nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling with satisfaction.
Cynthia blinked, sensing there was more to Ash's actions than met the eye.
Then, recalling the earlier scene with that tsundere Snivy, a realization dawned on her.
She exchanged a quick glance with Sabrina, and both girls immediately understood and began cooperating with Ash's plan.
Meanwhile, the Snivy had been watching from the side, sniffing at the delicious smells for a while now.
Eventually, it decided to head off to find food somewhere else.
But just as it made that decision… all three trainers and their two Pokémon suddenly got up and left.
Snivy: ???
Where are they going?
Tilting its little head in confusion, the Snivy gave a firm shake.
It tried to force its gaze away from the tempting table.
But soon enough… it was defeated by its own craving.
Doo… doo… doo…
Its cute little feet began slowly creeping toward the table.
Honestly, who could blame Snivy?
The food Ash had taught Cynthia and Sabrina to cook, especially that soup, was just too good.
"They're probably not coming back, right?"
I'll just take a teeny-tiny taste. They won't even notice.
I, Snivy—would never admit I came here for the smell!
I'm only here out of curiosity. Yep. That's it.
Then, with a light leap, Snivy hopped onto the table.
There was a bowl of soup and an untouched dish sitting right there.
"Snivy~~ Snivy~~"
With great caution, the proud snake Pokémon took a delicate sip.
Her large, beautiful eyes fluttered in surprise.
Why… why does it taste so good?
She had never eaten anything this delicious before.
Well… since I've already tasted it… maybe just a little more?
And then—
The trio returned.
"What a cute Snivy!"
"It was hiding in the grass just now, wasn't it?"
Cynthia and Sabrina both chimed in.
Ash shook his head. "Nah. Even if it was hiding there the whole time, it was just a coincidence. Even if it jumped onto the table… and even if it loved the food and soup… it probably only wanted a taste."
"Pikachu pika…"
Pikachu nodded along with exaggerated seriousness…
"Snivy!"
The Snivy blinked in surprise, glancing between Ash and Pikachu.
Exactly. Yes. That's totally what she meant.
It was not because she was drawn here by the smell…
Growwwwllll...
Her face flushed red.
Her stomach growled loudly.
"Snivy, are you hungry? If you don't mind, you can eat with us."
"Pika pika!"
Ash and Pikachu invited her warmly.
But the tsundere Snivy? Of course, she refused.
Blushing even harder, she turned her cute little face away stubbornly.
Cynthia and Sabrina were melting from how adorable she was…
"What? You're not going to eat? That's such a shame. We thought you were hungry. Since you don't want it, I guess I'll throw all this yummy food away…"
"Snivy! Snivy!"
The moment Ash mentioned throwing the food away, Snivy jumped in protest.
Throw it away? No way! This stuff is way too good to waste!
Ash couldn't hold back a chuckle at how cute the little thing was.
"So, Snivy… how about coming with me? You'll get to eat food like this every day."
Hearing that, Snivy suddenly recalled how Ash had served Gabite and Pikachu earlier—so warm, so thoughtful.
She looked at Ash for a few more seconds, then quietly nodded.
__
This trainer… seems kind of special.
Ash gently took out a Heal Ball and pressed it against Snivy's head.
With a flash of light, the Snivy was drawn inside.
The ball shook symbolically twice… then clicked.
"Nice! Snivy has been caught!"
"Pikapi!"
Ash and Pikachu cheered together.
Just then, three Ducklett suddenly burst up from the creek nearby!
They had also been lured in by the smell.
But unlike Snivy, they had no intention of sharing.
These three planned to steal the food for themselves!
Cackling, the Ducklett soared toward the table, launching Scald attacks before even landing.
Boiling hot water arced toward Ash, Cynthia, and Sabrina.
But one Pokémon stepped forward to protect them—
Gabite.
__
"Gabite, it's all yours! Use Dragon Pulse!"
In the original timeline, Ash had encountered these three annoying Ducklett—little pranksters who loved causing trouble.
Now that they were here again, Ash had no intention of letting them off easy.
They'd become perfect training dummies for Gabite.
"Gabite!"
Gabite faced all three at once.
Despite their triple Scald attack, his powerful Dragon Pulse blasted right through the attacks and exploded on the Ducklett, sending them squawking.
"Gah gah…"
The Ducklett tried to act pitiful, hoping to win some sympathy.
Ash's Gabite wasn't buying it.
He immediately followed up with Dragon Breath, forcing the trio to flee in panic.
Ding!
[10x EXP Multiplier Card Activated!]
Ding! [Congratulations, host. Gabite has successfully defeated—]
The system chime echoed as Gabite gained a massive EXP boost.
His body began to glow with brilliant light—
He was evolving!
Garchomp has arrived!
...
[Pokémon]: Garchomp
[Classification]: Mach Pokémon
[Type]: Dragon / Ground
[Ability]: Sand Veil
[Hidden Ability]: Rough Skin (Activated)
[Potential]: Gold
[Level]: 50
[Moveset]: Tackle, Sand Attack, Dragon Rage, Sandstorm, Take Down, Sand Tomb, Slash, Brick Break, Dragon Claw, Dual Chop, Dig, Roar, Boomburst, Outrage, Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, Draco Meteor, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact…
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals