Unknowingly, Ash had already caught four Pokémon in the Johto region.
Heracross, Bayleef, Cyndaquil, and the recently captured Slowpoke—together with the Pikachu, Snorlax, and Squirtle currently traveling with him—brought his total to seven Pokémon.
As a result, Ash had no choice but to send Squirtle back to Professor Oak.
Perhaps Squirtle had sensed this coming. After all, Ash had been devoting more and more attention to his new team members, rarely calling on Squirtle for training. Instead, Squirtle had become more of a sparring partner, helping the others improve.
And then there was Charizard—who, after traveling and training through harsh conditions, had evolved all the way to its final form and gained incredible new powers. Watching that must have made Squirtle envious.
In truth, Bulbasaur had accumulated enough strength to evolve not long after being caught by Ash.
Back in the mysterious garden of Venusaur, an elder Venusaur had once offered to use its powers to help the younger Bulbasaurs evolve.
But Bulbasaur had stubbornly refused. It had forcibly suppressed the power stirring within it, choosing not to evolve.
It wanted to prove that even without evolving, it could still become strong.
However, during the Indigo League in Kanto, both Bulbasaur and Squirtle had struggled. Their lack of physical strength had cost Ash dearly. While it wasn't a crushing defeat, it was obvious: if they had evolved, they could've performed far better and brought Ash greater results.
Squirtle had always resisted evolution—for the sake of its old gang, the Squirtle Squad.
To evolve would be to leave them behind. Wouldn't that be betrayal?
But then again… Squirtle had willingly joined Ash. It had chosen to fight by his side. Could holding onto its past be considered disloyalty?
Now, Ash's party was at full capacity again, with six Pokémon. Even the ever-sleepy, ever-hungry glutton Snorlax got to stay—yet Squirtle, once one of his top fighters, had been sent away.
Back at Professor Oak's lab, Squirtle and Bulbasaur had a deep conversation about the topic of evolution, but they still couldn't reach a conclusion.
The truth was, they both knew Ash respected them. Even if they didn't want to evolve, he'd allow them to choose their own paths.
Bulbasaur seemed to have found its calling. Before Ash had caught it, Bulbasaur had been caring for Pokémon in a Pokémon sanctuary. Now, managing the Pokémon in Professor Oak's research garden felt like a natural fit.
But what about Squirtle?
It had followed Ash voluntarily. Wasn't it supposed to fight for him?
...
Meanwhile, far away in Johto, Ash had no idea about the emotional struggles of his two former champions.
He was heading up a mountain behind Kurt's house to harvest a few Apricorns for crafting some special Poké Balls.
The old man they had helped at Slowpoke Well was none other than Kurt.
Kurt wasn't just the guardian of the Slowpoke Well. He was also a master craftsman—renowned for making Poké Balls from Apricorns.
Unfortunately, not even someone as experienced as Kurt had ever seen a GS Ball.
Still, Ash entrusted it to Kurt for further investigation, which meant their mission there was complete.
To thank Ash and his friends for saving him at the Slowpoke Well, Kurt gave each of them a Fast Ball. On top of that, he granted Ash permission to head up the mountain and harvest some Apricorns to craft unique Poké Balls.
Ash naturally didn't refuse such a generous offer.
After all, what kind of Pokémon Trainer could resist the lure of specialty Poké Balls?
"There are seven types of Apricorns: white, red, blue, black, pink, green, and yellow. Each color produces a different kind of Poké Ball!" explained Britanny, Kurt's granddaughter, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she introduced the group to the different kinds of Apricorns.
Only white Apricorns were grown in Kurt's backyard—so for any other type, Ash and the others needed to collect them themselves from the mountain.
"This is a pink Apricorn!"
Once they reached the mountain, Britanny pointed toward a tree full of plump pink fruits. "Poké Balls made from this can be used to catch Pokémon of the opposite gender from the one you already own!"
Hearing that, Brock immediately jumped to conclusions. "So maybe… this works on Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny too?"
That glint in his eye—truly impressive...
Misty had had enough. She grabbed his ear and twisted it, snapping him out of his daydream on the spot.
Ash's mouth twitched. He couldn't help but think—this guy, who could tell every single Nurse Joy apart, might've discovered the world's ultimate secret.
Unfortunately, none of the Apricorns were ripe yet.
And they couldn't harvest too many at once either—overpicking would kill the tree.
They walked a bit further and found some yellow Apricorns. These were used to make Moon Balls—Poké Balls best suited for catching Pokémon that evolve using a Moon Stone.
But again, they weren't ripe.
That's how fate worked sometimes. The fruit wasn't ready—so even if Ash and his friends had come all this way, it just wasn't meant to be.
Interestingly, the mountain seemed to be home to all sorts of Pokémon, who helped protect these trees and ensure their survival.
"That's the Green Apricorn Grove!"
Ahead of them stood a cluster of trees heavy with green Apricorns.
"Green Apricorns can be used to make Friend Balls!" Britanny explained.
She then lit up with excitement. "Those over there look ripe—you can probably take one!"
Ash stepped forward, ready to pluck one of the green Apricorns—only for a swarm of Beedrill to suddenly block his path.
Beedrill—the nightmare of any trainer exploring the wild.
A single one wasn't too dangerous. But make a move on one of them, and an entire swarm would come after you.
"I swear, I'm just taking one! That's all!"
In the past, Ash would've turned and run without a second thought, dragging Misty and Brock behind him.
But this time, his eyes flashed with a cool blue glow.
And all the Beedrill froze.
They didn't advance another inch.
"What… what just happened?"
Britanny was stunned. She had already hidden behind Misty, trembling in fear—but now she realized that these two older boys and girl weren't even slightly panicked.
Ash calmly picked a green Apricorn using his telekinesis, then turned back to his friends.
"You guys ready to run?"
And just like that—he scooped up Britanny and bolted.
The Beedrill, freed from the psychic hold, gave chase.
Misty and Brock went pale and dashed after him.
Fortunately, the Beedrill didn't follow them too far. When the group finally stopped, they burst out laughing as Ash held up the green Apricorn.
That was intense. Let's do it again sometime!
And sure enough, more chances came.
Ash led the others to gather two ripe blue Apricorns and one black Apricorn.
Blue Apricorns could be used to make Lure Balls—ideal for catching Water-type Pokémon.
Black Apricorns were used to craft Heavy Balls—perfect for catching large or heavy Pokémon.
Once Kurt finished crafting them, Ash received one Heavy Ball and one Lure Ball.
Misty, the Water-type specialist, was given a Lure Ball as well.
And Brock, the aspiring Pokémon Breeder, got a Friend Ball—perfectly suited for his goals. He also caught a Pineco while on the mountain, and the match was absolutely perfect.