Chapter 37: Conquering Squirtle and System Rewards
After their daily training, Ash's group stopped at the Pokémon Center for half an hour.
Once all of Ash's Pokémon had recovered their strength, they set off again towards Vermilion City.
Initially, the trio's journey was normal, but an unexpected incident occurred as they neared the town.
For some unknown reason, Ash, who was walking along the road, suddenly felt a strong unease.
He activated his Aura to probe and "saw" several Pokémon in the nearby bushes.
Before he could react, the ground beneath his feet suddenly split open.
With a loud rumble, the entire group fell neatly into a large pit.
"Ow, that hurts!" Misty rubbed her sore backside. "Why is there a trap in the middle of the road? Could it be those three bad guys from Team Rockets again?"
"My back, Misty, can you please stand up first...?"
Brock said, covering his stepped-on back in pain, his face pale.
Compared to the two's miserable state, Ash was much better off; he had Kirlia use Telekinesis to Protect him when he fell, so he only had a bit of dust on him.
"Kirlia, thank you!"
"Kirlia~" (You're welcome, Ash.)
Seeing Ash unharmed, Misty said to Kirlia with a hint of jealousy, "Kirlia, why did you only save Ash? What about me?"
Kirlia shrugged, indicating she had forgotten.
Misty: "...."
Brock looked around, seeing no traces of tools used for digging, and analyzed, "This pit is a bit deep, and looking at the pit walls, it doesn't seem to have been dug by humans; it looks more like something made by a Pokémon that knows the Dig move."
"Brock's analysis is correct; it was indeed dug by a bunch of troublemakers."
Ash looked up and saw five blue-skinned, round, bald little heads peering out from the hole above.
They were all wearing sunglasses and had mischievous smiles on their faces.
This was none other than the prankster squad formed by those five Squirtle.
"Squirtle? So cute!" Misty's eyes were full of stars when she saw the Squirtle.
"It was Squirtle's doing?"
Brock was greatly surprised.
Ash adjusted the cap on his head. "Kirlia, use Teleport to get us out."
Whoosh!
The three of them instantly appeared behind the Squirtle squad.
"Squirtle, you guys started this, so don't blame me!"
Ash looked at the still-shocked Squirtle squad, a slight, disdainful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Come out, Charmander."
He first threw out a Poké Ball, then, while rolling up his sleeves, he instructed Pikachu and the others, "Pikachu, you guys watch out and don't let them run away.
I'm going to teach them a lesson."
Releasing Charmander was, of course, Ash's plan to show them what a top Trainer's combat power looked like.
The next moment, an Aura Sphere the size of a basketball suddenly appeared in his right hand.
"What the heck? Ash isn't pretending anymore; he's directly admitting he's not human? An Aura Sphere that big, its power shouldn't be worse than Thunderbolt, right?" Brock's squinting eyes instantly opened to their widest, his face filled with shock and astonishment.
As for Misty beside him, her expression was completely different; her eyes held only Ash, and a strange light flickered within them, as if she were drawn by some unusual magic.
On the opposite side, the leader of the Squirtle, wearing unique sunglasses, was completely dumbfounded at this moment.
He didn't understand how the people in front of him had gotten out of the trap, nor did he understand why this hat-wearing human in front of him looked even more like a Pokémon than they did.
Also, if he got hit by that big blue ball, he'd probably be laid up for several days, right?
The more the Squirtle leader looked, the more he felt they had kicked an iron plate this time.
However, the few subordinates behind the Squirtle leader had no such thoughts; they were eagerly waiting for their boss to solve the strong enemy as usual and lead them back with a full haul.
"Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirtle!" (We are the Squirtle Squad.
This trap really wasn't our doing; it's all a misunderstanding.)
The Squirtle leader braced himself and stepped forward, trying to ease the tension.
"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not depends on this."
Ash raised his fist.
How else could he round them all up if he didn't beat them into submission?
"Squirtle, Squirtle?" (Do we really have to fight?)
"Come at me, all of you."
Ash extended his hand in a gesture full of provocation.
"Squirtle!"
"Squirtle~"
The subordinates behind the Squirtle leader immediately perked up, urging their boss to make a move.
The Squirtle leader looked at Ash, then at his subordinates behind him, and immediately made up his mind to challenge Ash to a one-on-one fight.
"Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirtle!" (This has nothing to do with them.
If you want to fight, I'll fight you!)
"Quite loyal, but the beating you deserve, you won't escape."
Ash flung the Aura Sphere in his hand.
Watching the incoming Aura Sphere, the Squirtle leader immediately retreated into his shell, attempting to avoid the damage.
Unfortunately, Ash's Aura was very strong; after all, he had awakened it in his childhood, and after more than ten years of refinement, even its minimum power was comparable to a full-force attack from an early Gym Pokémon.
With a "boom," the Squirtle leader's head was ringing, his belly was facing the sky, and he was seeing stars.
"Amazing, he defeated Squirtle with just one hit!" Misty exclaimed.
"Squirtle?" (Boss, are you okay?)
Seeing this, the four Squirtle subordinates quickly gathered around.
"Squirtle....." (I'm, I'm fine, I just almost saw my great-grandmother....)
Just then, a siren sounded.
The faces of the few Squirtle changed dramatically; they were all on the blacklist of the nearby town.
If they were caught by the police, their good days would be over.
"Are none of you injured?"
A voice full of concern rang out, and the next second, Jenny's figure appeared before Ash and the others.
"Jenny, we're fine?" Ash replied with a smile.
After Jenny recognized Ash's face, she asked with some uncertainty, "Eh? You're Professor Ash, right?"
"Uh... Jenny, just call me Ash.
I'm currently traveling as a Rookie Trainer."
All the Jennys in this world were relatives, especially those within the same region.
Ash was not at all surprised that this Jenny could recognize his identity.
"Hmm, okay, Ash, these Squirtle haven't caused you any trouble, have they?" Jenny asked.
"No, they're quite well-behaved.
Oh, by the way, Jenny, these Squirtle aren't abandoned, are they?"
"They just haven't met good Trainers.
These kids are not bad by nature; they just like to play pranks.
Ash, could I ask you for a favor?" Jenny looked at Ash with pleading eyes.
Because of the existence of these Squirtle, Jenny's workload had increased significantly.
Now that she saw the Squirtle being disciplined, Jenny saw hope for slacking off.
"Jenny, you're not trying to get me to catch them all, are you?" Ash probed.
"Exactly!" Jenny's face bloomed into a brilliant smile. "Ash, my cousin in Vermilion City told me that you are a gentle Trainer.
I believe you will take good care of these children."
Without waiting for Ash to refuse, Jenny pushed Ash in front of the Squirtle squad, then took out a rose gold bracelet and gave the Squirtle two options.
[Pokémon: Squirtle (Leader)]
[Gender: Male]
[Level: Excellent Low-Tier]
[Ability: Torrent]
[Potential: Elite]
[Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Withdraw, Rapid Spin, Bite, Water Pulse, Protect, Rain Dance, Aqua Jet (Egg Move)]
Of the five Squirtle, only the Squirtle leader had Elite potential; among the other four, three were Gym-level, and one was Quasi-Elite-level.
Their levels varied, ranging between Normal and Elite.
"Ding, detected host capturing Squirtle, rewarded: 2400 points, Overlord Essence Liquid 1, Mystic Water 4."
"Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the hidden quest: Gathering the First Generation Starters, rewarded: 50,000 points, (Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise) Mega Evolution Stone * 3."
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