"Totodile is really adorable! I wish I could catch one too!"
At Professor Elm's institute, the lively and slightly dopey Totodile instantly captured Misty's heart.
As a Water-type Pokémon Trainer, Misty was certainly quite dedicated—in fact, apart from Togepi, which Ash gave her, she had only caught Water-type Pokémon.
By contrast, Brock, the former Pewter City Gym Leader, seemed a bit less focused.
He had caught quite a few Pokémon besides those of the Rock type.
"Misty, the Johto Region has lots of interesting Water-type Pokémon! For example, there's Chinchou—it's both a Water-type and Electric-type Pokémon!"
Ash remarked casually.
Unexpectedly, the moment he said that, both Misty and Brock gave him a look as if he'd grown a second head.
"Why are you two looking at me like that?"
Misty stared at him in surprise. "Ash, you actually know the Water-type Pokémon of the Johto Region?"
"And when you saw Cyndaquil earlier, you called it by name without even checking the Pokédex!" Brock realized as well.
Hearing this, Ash could only give a wry smile. It seemed his image as a bit of an underachiever was stuck in his companions' minds forever.
"Can't I study up a little? Misty, I've grown a lot, you know!"
Hearing Ash's response and thinking about it, Misty actually nodded. "You really have seemed different lately."
Especially that moment, back in the forest, when Ash had called out "Suicune!"
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu seemed to have noticed something.
Sure enough, a little girl in a yellow baseball uniform appeared ahead of them, directing a Chikorita.
"Ready? This is the hundredth match, a decisive round, so you absolutely can't lose!"
"Come on! Come on! Chikorita!"
"Charge! Charge! Chikorita!"
That Chikorita was shaking the leaf on its head—it appeared to be in training.
Since the girl had a Chikorita, she must have just started her journey in New Bark Town as a rookie Trainer.
Professor Elm had indeed mentioned that Chikorita had already been taken.
"So it's Chikorita!" That was Johto's Grass-type starter Pokémon.
"That girl even tied a scarf on Chikorita!" Misty noticed the scarf on Chikorita's head.
This scarf was actually a kind of special item for Pokémon, mainly used in Pokémon Contests.
But as a gift or decoration, it could also make Pokémon happy and raise their friendship.
Suddenly, a wild Rattata appeared in front of the girl and her Chikorita.
"Casey's leadoff pitcher is Chikorita—the batter is a wild Rattata! Hopefully Chikorita can make Rattata strike out with a swing and a miss!"
"Chikorita, decide it with a fastball! It's settled—use Tackle!"
At this, Ash felt a bit awkward—this Rattata was just standing there, listening to her long speech without running away or attacking.
Chikorita charged forward, but Rattata easily dodged.
Casey didn't get discouraged. "The first pitch was a ball, but Chikorita still has her second chance!"
"Chikorita, use Tackle again!"
This time, she didn't say as much; Chikorita turned and charged again, knocking Rattata out of commission.
"Success! Rattata was defeated by Chikorita's fastball attack! Now's the time—to catch it!"
Casey seized the opportunity and threw a Poké Ball, promptly catching the Rattata!
This girl was really bursting with energy. After catching it, she even started to sing a victory song, leaving the trio of bystanders thoroughly bewildered.
"Come back, Chikorita!"
After recalling Chikorita, Casey quickly noticed Ash and the others behind her.
Especially Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.
"Ahhhhh!"
With a squeal, Casey rushed up to Ash, delight gleaming in her eyes as she looked at Pikachu. "It's Pikachu! Is this a real Pikachu?"
She immediately scooped Pikachu up. "That golden fur, and the stripes on its back—I can't take it!"
Then Pikachu shocked her, leaving her dizzy and smoking.
"I'm from New Bark Town—my name's Casey, and my goal is to become a Pokémon Master!"
Casey continued, explaining that her favorite Pokémon were yellow ones. It was her dream to assemble a whole team of yellow Pokémon.
After Ash and his companions introduced themselves in turn, Ash suggested, "Casey, since we're both aiming to become Pokémon Masters and have met on our journeys, why not have a battle?"
"Wonderful! In the world of battle, there's no dividing line between rookies and veterans! I accept your challenge! Please take care of me, senpai!" Casey eagerly agreed.
"Then, let's use three Pokémon each! Battle begin!"
"My leadoff batter is this one—go, Pidgey!" Casey was the first to throw out a Poké Ball.
Seeing Pidgey, Ash felt a wave of nostalgia. He wondered how his former Pidgeot was doing after being released.
If he hadn't transmigrated this close to New Bark Town, he definitely would've gone back to Viridian Forest to find it.
"It's up to you, Snorlax!"
Boom!
Snorlax's massive body slammed down on the grass. Ash caught this one during his journey through the Orange Archipelago.
This was an agile big guy—he could even swim, and was highly reliable.
According to the System's detection, Snorlax's compatibility with Ash was off the charts, and their Bond Value was impressively high.
"Snorlax!"
Snorlax stood at attention, looking cheerful even though his eyes were always narrowed.
Brock and Misty were both startled by Snorlax's appearance.
"Ash, Casey's just a rookie Trainer—why are you sending out Snorlax right from the start? Isn't that a huge mismatch?"
"By the way, when did Snorlax wake up?"
Naturally, Ash knew Snorlax was awake by sensing him with Aura Power— that's why he picked him for battle.
"Pidgey, use Quick Attack!"
Pidgey swooped down with a flurry of wings, hitting Snorlax squarely, but Snorlax didn't even flinch.
"Headbutt!"
Snorlax landed a solid headbutt, slamming Pidgey into the ground.
"Quickly switch hitters! Next up is Rattata!"
Casey sent out her newly caught Rattata. "Rattata, use Tackle and send the enemy flying!"
However, facing Rattata's tackle, Snorlax didn't respond at all.
"Body Slam!"
Snorlax fell belly-first, pinning Rattata underneath.
"Don't give up, Casey! It's not over till the last second!" Ash cheered her on from across the field.
"Of course I won't give up! My third hitter is up—Chikorita, use Vine Whip!"
Chikorita lashed Snorlax with Vine Whip as hard as it could.
"Great job! You can do it, Chikorita!"
"Go! Go! Chikorita!"
Casey kept cheering Chikorita on.
But Snorlax remained unmoved, as solid as a mountain. In fact, he seemed pretty comfortable, and eventually even drifted off to sleep.
Chikorita kept going until she was exhausted—it was clear that Casey had lost.
"Come back, Snorlax. Have a nice nap!"
As Ash watched Casey recalling Chikorita, he smiled. "Don't lose heart, Casey. After all, your favorite baseball team has lost so many times but keeps working hard, doesn't it?"
"You're right! Next time, let's have another battle, Ash!"
Of course, Ash had another purpose: Exchange Points.
Currently, all of Snorlax's food came from the System's Exchange using those points.
Snorlax: 130/255