"So that explosion just now was for the reservoir project, huh?" Brock observed, gazing at the construction site from a distance.
"That's right! No matter how much we blast the mountain, without the equipment transports coming through, I'm completely helpless," the foreman complained, stomping his feet in frustration, clearly bothered by this issue for a long time.
"How could this happen?" Alex asked, looking curiously at the large pile of transport vehicles that had sunk into the ground.
"To drive away these troublesome Diglett, we even formed an emergency response team and went around asking skilled Pokémon Trainers nearby for help. We even offered generous rewards!"
The foreman held up a stack of invitation tickets. "It's a free four-day, three-night hot spring package to Hot Spring Village! How about it? Oh, by the way, who are you?"
"Ah ha, we are the skilled Pokémon Trainers from this area," Ash replied, scratching the back of his head.
"Oh, so you are the first batch of Trainers to be found!" the foreman said happily.
"It's not like we were found, actually..." Alex said, a black line forming on his face as he prepared to clarify.
Just then, a flashy car drove up.
"The first batch is reporting now; everyone else is my cheering squad," Gary said coolly, standing on the hood of the car.
"No way, Gary?" Ash exclaimed, looking bewildered.
"You are... Oh, what a coincidence, isn't this Ash?" Gary's face broke into a playful grin.
"Were you also called here? I know, you just happened to pass by. After all, they're looking for excellent kids. That's right, I'm from Pallet Town, and I'm the most outstanding Gary in town."
"He's the fourth-place Ash!" someone piped up.
"Ah, fourth place? Who decided that?" Ash said, speechless.
"The fourth-place boy who set off on the same day. Who's the last one? You tell me!" Gary said with a mischievous grin.
"Ah, it's me," Ash replied, lowering his head.
Gary proudly lifted his Poké Ball to show off.
"But I don't think so. Who says the last one to set off is definitely the weakest? Logically, I set off even later than Ash, but I don't feel that I'm weaker than anyone," Alex interjected.
"Oh, it's Alex, hahaha. Of course, talented people are an exception, but Ash's strength is indeed average. You don't need to speak up for him," Gary said dismissively.
After seeing Alex, Gary's attitude clearly shifted. He must have heard something from Professor Oak that made him aware of Alex's strength.
But honestly, Gary was too pretentious. Just being around him was annoying; his narcissism was off-putting.
Alex silently complained about Gary in his heart.
"Alright, Ash, have you caught any good Pokémon?" Gary asked with a smirk.
"Of course! Do you want to see them?" Ash perked up at the mention of new Pokémon.
"No, no, no! Showing off Pokémon is what amateurs do. As for me, I only show these beauties to people. Look!" Gary gestured to a large group of attractive young women in his car.
"Gary, Gary, so cool! Gary is awesome!" the girls cheered.
"Huh? Are those Pokémon too?" Ash asked, looking confused.
At this, Alex almost wanted to take Ash back to Pallet Town for a complete overhaul. Those were clearly people, not Pokémon!
"You are so rude!" Brock rushed over and slapped Ash's head.
Then he smiled and asked Gary, "May I ask who these are?"
"They are all my friends," Gary replied casually.
"Then, ladies, if possible, let's go on a date eight years from now, alright?" Brock asked, pretending to be a gentleman.
"Oh, you're annoying, Uncle!" the young ladies in the back seat of the sports car said in unison.
"Uncle?" Brock was completely stunned.
"You're just being overly sensitive; their remarks are too sharp," Alex said, trying to hold back his laughter.
"Even if you call me Uncle, I don't care! Just give me your phone numbers. No, not your phone numbers, just your communication area codes will do!" Brock shamelessly blurted, pulling out a pen and paper.
"Anyone who comes is fine, as long as they can drive away those Diglett. I'll treat them to Hot Spring Village for free—four days and three nights, all on me!"
Having heard enough, the foreman anxiously shouted, "That's how it is! I'm off. Alex and Ash, who is ranked fourth, you can take the bus behind. Goodbye!"
Gary hopped into his luxurious sports car, smiling as he waved to Ash and Alex.
"I wonder what our ranking is, Team Rocket's registration number..." Jessie asked James from the bushes behind.
"Our number of digits is different."
"That's true; the number of digits is even more than an international phone number! Quite rare!" Jessie said with a smile.
"That's right! You listen carefully; our number is..."
"Wait a minute, the number is a secret."
"Having more secrets makes us feel more like villains."
"In short, our number of digits is different!" Jessie and James said excitedly.
After they finished speaking, no one was listening, and it felt like crows flew across the sky.
"Our world is indeed different," Jessie and James slumped to the ground in embarrassment.
"Rumble."
The rolling boulders from the mountain created a huge explosion, scaring weaker Pokémon like Rattata and Pidgey in the jungle, making them flee in all directions.
At this moment, at the construction site, the foreman stood on a temporary grandstand, shouting through a megaphone, "Excellent Pokémon Trainers who are training, welcome to gather here! Thank you very much."
"Wow, I didn't expect so many people to come here," Ash exclaimed, looking around at the hundreds of Trainers gathered on the field.
"The last one, that's you! Stop looking around!" The foreman noticed Ash's wandering gaze and shouted with a hint of displeasure.
"I have a proper name; why are you calling me that?" Ash complained in a low voice.
"Alex, focus and listen! Don't look around," Alex gently patted Ash's shoulder.
"Yes, my name is Ash. Why do you have to say I'm the last one?" Ash said, squatting on the ground, feeling completely dejected.
"Cheer up! I was also looked down upon by them just now," Brock encouraged, trying to lift Ash's spirits.
"Ash, you can't just listen to him and doubt yourself. Your growth along the way may not be worse than his. He's always been like this, accustomed to sarcasm. Think about your mom; she definitely wouldn't want you to feel so down.
×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×
Read Extra Chapter Visit My Patreon
I have only 1 tier
19$ Tier – Access to 40 advance chapters
patreon.com/Lempil
patreon.com/Lempil