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Ilex Forest, a forest in the southern suburbs of Johto, was right next to Azalea Town. The forest here was dense with foliage, blocking out the sun and making it as dark as night even during the day. In terms of atmosphere, it somewhat resembled Viridian Forest.
"This forest feels really nice!" Misty quite enjoyed strolling through it. Since Ash gained Aura Power, they no longer got lost so easily, so Misty was very relaxed. Of course, she didn't know that this Ilex Forest was home to a rich variety of Bug-type Pokémon, and Ash had deliberately led her away from their main habitats, which was why she was in such a good mood.
"After passing through Ilex Forest, the closest place to us is Goldenrod City's Goldenrod Gym!" Brock said with a smile, looking at the travel guide.
"Goldenrod City?" Hearing this city's name, Misty became excited. "I know! Goldenrod City is the biggest city and economic and technological hub in the Johto region, comparable to our Saffron City in Kanto." As a beautiful girl, Misty couldn't resist the excitement of going shopping in such a big city. And Ash also knew that this mermaid-like girl had a foodie's heart.
"What's this?"
Emerging from the Pokémon Center in the forest, Ash and his companions saw a shrine dedicated to Celebi, the Forest Guardian. Near this shrine, Ash found an open clearing, perfect for camping and training Pokémon.
"Come out, Snorlax, Heracross, Bayleef, Quilava, Slowpoke!"
Snorlax had just eaten the system-provided special feed given by Ash that morning and was contentedly sleeping. Heracross and Bayleef clearly loved the forest's aura. Heracross ran to a tree to enjoy its tree sap. Bayleef quickly scurried to Ash's side to snuggle; it loved being close to Ash. Quilava looked lazy, curling into a ball and lying beside Ash. Only Slowpoke seemed to have discovered something, slowly moving in one direction.
"Huh, Slowpoke, where are you going?"
Ash was very curious about this Slowpoke's actions. In his interactions with it, Ash had found that this Slowpoke's intelligence was absolutely very high; its slow and leisurely movements just made it seem dull. So, Ash decided to follow it. He didn't bother recalling the other Pokémon. "Brock, could you please look after Snorlax, Heracross, and Quilava for me!"
"Alright, don't worry!" Brock, who was cooking and preparing food, replied. Misty, leaning against Snorlax, waved lazily.
"Let's go!" Giving a quick instruction, Ash took Pikachu and Bayleef and followed. Unexpectedly, Slowpoke slowly made its way to a small stream deep within the forest.
"Is that...?"
In that stream, a yellow Pokémon, looking utterly despondent, lay on its back motionlessly in the water, gazing at the clouds drifting in the sky, acting like a salted fish with no dreams.
"Isn't that a Psyduck?"
It was indeed a Psyduck, and it looked very different from Misty's "Duck God." Misty's "Duck God" was truly remarkable: slow to react, often unable to understand Misty's commands, and frequently popping out of its Poké Ball inexplicably, holding its head in a bewildered, utterly adorable manner. Most impressively, when it had a headache, it would unleash astonishing Psychic power. Don't mistake Misty's constant complaints; she actually loved it the most.
"What's wrong with this little guy?" Ash crouched beside Slowpoke, watching the Psyduck from a short distance. Hearing Ash's murmur, Slowpoke looked at Ash, and then blue light began to flash in its eyes.
"Is this Future Sight?" Looking at Slowpoke, Ash immediately recognized the move. In the system shop, he could also exchange for a similar skill called Future Vision. However, a Pokémon's Future Sight could summon a ball of Psychic energy for attack in the near future. His Future Vision ability, which he could exchange for, could only see a few seconds into the future.
Moments later, Ash learned from the images transmitted by Slowpoke that this Psyduck had been released in this area by its trainer. To be precise, it should be called abandoned. Ash had seen too many examples of trainers abandoning Pokémon. His Charizard, for instance, was cruelly abandoned by its original trainer before being caught and trained by Ash to its current state. Charizard's unwavering dedication to strength, even completing its final evolution in a short time, might be related to its experience of abandonment. Perhaps subconsciously, it believed it was abandoned because it wasn't strong enough. It wouldn't listen to Ash's former self's commands because it thought Ash, as a rookie trainer, couldn't give it strength! Of course, now, Charizard no longer needed to worry about this issue; its bond with Ash had granted it a new form and greater power.
Ash walked up to the Psyduck. "Little guy, come with me!" Hearing Ash's voice, Psyduck opened its eyes and looked at Ash, but then closed them again, still like a salted fish devoid of dreams. Ash simply checked his compatibility with this Psyduck, and the result was incredibly disheartening.
0/40
Ash had never seen such low compatibility. This meant that this Psyduck simply wouldn't listen to anything Ash said, and no amount of training would make it obey. He and this Psyduck were completely incompatible; neither was willing to deal with the other.
"Fine, I won't say anything then!" Ash didn't even bother with his talk-no-jutsu and directly tossed a Poké Ball, capturing the Psyduck. This Psyduck was truly despondent; the Poké Ball didn't even flash, it just went dark. Such low compatibility clearly indicated that this Psyduck was not suitable for Ash to train.
But... "Little guy, I'll find a suitable trainer for you."
And the opportunity to fulfill that promise soon arrived. On their way from Ilex Forest to Goldenrod City, Ash and his companions passed through Leaf Town, where a grand festival was being held. And at that festival, a Pokémon Trade Meet was taking place!
Slowpoke: 135/185