Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting dappled shadows on the forest path. Ash was walking at the front of the group, Pikachu perched steadily on his shoulder, its tail gently swaying with each step.
"According to the map, after we cross this forest, we'll reach the sea, and then we can take a boat to Cinnabar Island," Brock said, studying the map in his hand and pushing up his glasses.
"That's great! I can't wait to challenge Blaine, the Gym Leader!" Ash clenched his fists, his eyes sparkling with fighting spirit.
Xiao You walked behind, brushing her Eevee's fur. "I hope this Gym challenge goes smoothly. Your tactics in Saffron City last time really made us anxious, Ash."
"Pika Pika! (Exactly, exactly)" Pikachu nodded, its ears twitching slightly.
Ash was about to retort when suddenly, a hurried shout came from deep within the forest: "Stop the thief! Catch him!"
The three of them stopped simultaneously, looking alertly in the direction of the sound. They saw a man holding a pistol running wildly towards them, with three Growlithe wearing police badge armbands hot on his heels, their orange-red fur gleaming in the sun.
"It's Growlithe!" Brock exclaimed in surprise. "Those are Jenny's Pokémon!"
"Pikachu, quick, help! Use Thunder Shock!" Ash shouted without thinking.
"Pika—chu!" A golden bolt of electricity shot from Pikachu's cheek pouches, accurately striking near the fleeing man's feet. The man cried out in surprise, stumbled a few steps, and fell to the ground.
The three Growlithe immediately pounced. One bit his pant leg, another pinned his back, and the third stood guard nearby, emitting a low Growl from its throat.
"Good job, Pikachu!" Ash excitedly ran forward.
Just then, a Jenny wearing a standard police uniform quickly walked out from the trees. When she saw the subdued "thief" and Ash's group standing by, her expression changed from tense to helpless.
"What are you doing?" Jenny asked sternly, quickly walking to the fallen man. "Yamada, are you alright?"
The man playing the thief rubbed his knees and stood up: "I'm fine, Jenny. Just a bit startled."
Ash was stunned: "Wait, is this...?"
Jenny turned to Ash, hands on her hips: "This is our training exercise! Yamada is our police department's special Trainer, helping the Growlithe with pursuit training!"
"Pi... Pika? (What?)" Pikachu's ears drooped, realizing it might have caused trouble.
Xiao You and Brock exchanged a helpless glance, clearly accustomed to Ash's impulsive behavior.
"I'm so sorry!" Ash quickly bowed. "I thought there was a real thief and wanted to help..."
Jenny sighed: "It's good to be brave and help others, but please confirm the situation before acting next time. If your Pikachu's Thunder Shock had missed, it could have hurt the Growlithe or Mr. Yamada."
Ash's face turned red: "I'm really very sorry!" He turned to Yamada, "Sir, are you alright? Should I have Pikachu heal you?"
Yamada waved his hand: "No need, young man. Your intentions were good." He bent down and petted the Growlithe gathered around his feet, "The kids did well, didn't they?"
The three Growlithe wagged their tails happily, and one particularly lively one jumped up and licked Yamada's hand: "Woof woof! (We caught you!)"
Ash blinked in surprise: "You all cooperate so well!"
Jenny raised an eyebrow: "You can understand what Growlithe say?"
Brock explained with a smile: "Ash has a special ability; he can communicate directly with Pokémon."
"Really?" Jenny seemed interested. "That's perfect then. As punishment for interfering with our training, I've decided to have you assist the Growlithe with today's training session."
Ash's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great! I'd love to help!"
"Pika Pika! (We accept the punishment)" Pikachu also raised its small paw in agreement.
Jenny smiled and nodded: "Very good. Today's training topic is tracking and apprehension in complex environments. The Growlithe need to learn to maintain focus in environments with many distractions."
She blew a whistle, and the three Growlithe immediately lined up and sat in front of her, their tails wagging in unison, awaiting instructions.
"Let me introduce them," Jenny said, pointing at the Growlithe. "This is 'Spark,' the oldest and most experienced; this is 'Lightning,' the fastest but easily distracted; and this is 'Brave,' the youngest but a very quick learner."
Ash squatted down, looking at the three Growlithe at eye level: "Hello, I'm Ash, and this is my partner, Pikachu."
"Pika~chu! (Hello)"
The three Growlithe curiously observed Ash. Spark nodded steadily: "Woof. (Hello, Trainer)" Lightning excitedly circled Ash: "Woof woof woof! (Can you really understand us?)" Brave shyly hid behind Spark, only showing half its head.
"Of course I can understand you," Ash replied with a smile. "Lightning, you're really lively."
Jenny watched this scene in amazement: "That's incredible... You can really talk to them."
Xiao You smiled: "This is Ash's special talent. Sometimes it's quite convenient, isn't it, Brock?"
"Indeed, this ability helped a lot when working at the Pokémon Center," Brock nodded in agreement.
Jenny clapped her hands: "Alright, let's start training. Ash, since you can communicate with Growlithe, why don't you guide them on how to overcome difficulties in training?"
"No problem!" Ash stood up, full of energy. "First, can you tell me what problems they usually encounter during training?"
Jenny thought for a moment: "Mainly attention issues. In real pursuit scenarios, there are many environmental distractions—scents of other Pokémon, interference from passersby, sudden noises, and so on. Especially Lightning, it's easily distracted by other things and loses track of the target."
Ash nodded and turned to the three Growlithe: "What bothers you most when tracking?"
Spark calmly replied: "Woof... (Sometimes the scent trail suddenly breaks, especially by the river or in crowded places)"
Lightning jumped up and added: "Woof woof! (Sometimes when I see butterflies or squirrels, I can't help but want to chase them!)"
Brave whispered: "Woof... (I... I'm afraid of sudden loud noises, like thunder or explosions...)"
Ash listened carefully, then turned to Jenny: "I have an idea. How about we simulate a real pursuit scenario? I can Role Play the thief and set up some distractions to see how they react."
Jenny's eyes lit up: "Good idea! Yamada, go prepare some distraction props. Brock, Xiao You, would you be willing to help create some distractions?"
"Of course," Brock readily agreed. "I can have Onix create some ground vibrations."
Xiao You nodded: "My Eevee can release some scent distractions."
Ten minutes later, the training ground was ready. Ash stood at the starting point and said to the three Growlithe: "Remember, focus on the target. I'll try to leave clear scent trails, but I'll also set up some distractions. Are you ready?"
"Woof! (Ready!)" The three Growlithe replied in unison.
Jenny blew her whistle: "Training begins!"
Ash immediately rushed into the woods, deliberately rubbing against tree trunks to leave his scent. After running for a distance, he heard the Growl of the Growlithe beginning their pursuit behind him.
"Good, the first step went smoothly," Ash muttered to himself, then deliberately detoured to a small stream. He knew this was a difficult point Spark had mentioned—water would interrupt the scent trail.
He paused by the stream, then hopped over it on stones, continuing to run forward. Soon after, he heard the Growlithe arriving at the stream.
"Woof? (The scent trail ends here)" It was Spark's confused voice.
"Woof woof! (Let's split up and search!)" Lightning suggested.
Ash hid behind a bush, observing. He saw Spark searching upstream along the creek, Lightning running downstream, and Brave staying put, sniffing carefully.
Suddenly, Brock's Onix created a ground vibration nearby, simulating an Earthquake effect. Brave was clearly startled and backed up a few steps.
"Woof... (So scary...)" Brave's tail tucked between its legs.
Just then, Xiao You's Eevee released a strong Oran Berry scent, covering Ash's scent trail. Lightning was immediately attracted: "Woof woof! (It smells so good!)"
Seeing this, Ash decided to Help. He came out from his hiding spot: "Brave, don't be afraid, that's just part of the training."
Brave looked up in surprise: "Woof? (You can find us?)"
"Of course, I've been following your progress," Ash said, squatting down to pet Brave's head. "Remember, police dogs need to bravely face all kinds of situations. Those sounds won't hurt you."
Brave's tail slowly lifted: "Woof... (I'll try my best...)"
On the other side, Spark had already found the route Ash took to jump over the stream and was calling out to its companions: "Woof woof! (Over here! He crossed the river!)"
Ash said to Brave: "Go, meet up with Spark. Tell it I went towards that cave."
Brave nodded and bravely ran towards Spark. Ash, meanwhile, detoured to find Lightning, who was attracted by the scent.
"Lightning, the berry scent is tempting, but don't forget your mission," Ash reminded softly.
Lightning then snapped back to attention: "Woof woof! (Oh no, I got distracted!)"
"It's okay, now refocus. Do I have any special scent on me?"
Lightning sniffed carefully: "Woof! (You smell like Oran Berry in your backpack!)"
"Good, use that clue to track me. This time I'll hide even better." Ash finished speaking and quickly ran towards the designated endpoint—a clearing in the woods.
When the three Growlithe finally surrounded Ash in the clearing, Jenny and Yamada also arrived.
"Excellent!" Jenny applauded. "Although there were some minor twists and turns, you successfully completed the mission!"
Ash squatted down and hugged the three Growlithe: "You all did great! Spark showed excellent leadership, Lightning finally overcame distractions, and Brave was very courageous when facing fear."
"Pika Pika! (Everyone improved)" Pikachu also jumped down and touched noses with the Growlithe.
Jenny looked at Ash gratefully: "Your Help was truly invaluable. Especially your ability to directly point out their problems and offer encouragement."
Ash scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "It's nothing. Pokémon are all very smart; as long as you use the right communication methods, they learn very quickly."
Yamada walked over and handed Ash a bottle of water: "Young man, would you be interested in helping with police dog training more often in the future? Your abilities are very helpful to us."
Ash's eyes lit up: "Really? Although we're heading to Cinnabar Island now, I'll definitely come back if I get the chance!"
After the training ended, the sun was already setting in the west. Ash's group bid farewell to Jenny, Yamada, and the three Growlithe.
"Goodbye, Spark, Lightning, Brave! Keep up the good training!" Ash waved goodbye.
"Woof woof! (Goodbye Ash!)" The three Growlithe responded in unison, their tails wagging like small fans.
As they continued on their way, Xiao You said with a smile: "This unexpected training experience was quite meaningful, wasn't it?"
Brock nodded: "Yes, seeing the Growlithe improve makes me want to learn more about police dog training."
Ash looked back at the now out-of-sight police dog training ground and smiled: "Every Pokémon has infinite potential, as long as we are willing to understand and Help them."
"Pika! (Well said)" Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and affectionately rubbed against his cheek.
The setting sun cast long shadows of the four people as they continued towards Cinnabar Island, their hearts filled with new friendships and stories of growth.