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After Ash welcomed back Bulbasaur and Bayleef, the trio continued to wait for the Pokémon egg to hatch in Veilstone City.
However, they didn't stay at the Pokémon Center the whole time; instead, they put the Pokémon egg in their backpack and carried it to Veilstone Park.
As one of Veilstone City's few scenic spots, the meteorites in Veilstone Park are quite famous in the area, so the trio wanted to visit them.
But just as they arrived, Team Galactic appeared in a helicopter, attempting to steal the meteorites.
Encountering the group that ruined their good mood, Ash decisively stepped forward and, with the cooperation of Pikachu and Aerodactyl, apprehended the mischievous Team Galactic.
However, with their pleasant mood ruined, the three decided to return to the Pokémon Center to rest.
But as soon as they arrived at the Pokémon Center, the Pokémon egg on Ash's back began to glow.
"Ash, it's glowing!" Dawn reminded him.
"It's finally reacting!" Ash was overjoyed.
They hurriedly found Nurse Joy, went to the Pokémon Center's incubation room, and prepared for the little one's smooth birth.
...
"Feebas, the Fish Pokémon. Its appearance looks riddled with flaws, but it possesses strong adaptability and tenacious vitality."
On the road leaving Veilstone City, Dawn held up her pokedex, looking up information about Feebas.
Because the Pokémon egg had hatched that morning, and the Pokémon inside was the outwardly ugly Feebas.
"I didn't expect the Pokémon Ms. Cynthia gave us to be a Feebas; that's truly surprising!"
Dawn looked at the photo of the unappealing Feebas and couldn't help but exclaim.
However, there was no disdain in her tone, not only because it was a gift from Cynthia, but also because Feebas can evolve into Milotic.
Moreover, now that it had become Ash's Pokémon, Dawn was even less likely to have other thoughts.
"Feebas can evolve into Milotic, a Pokémon of both strength and beauty!" Brock said.
Although Feebas's vitality is very strong and it can survive in most areas, its ugly appearance makes this Family very self-conscious.
They often seek out secluded places, isolating themselves from the outside world, mainly existing in dirty waters.
"But I heard that evolving Feebas into Milotic isn't easy," Dawn interrupted Brock, asking with a hint of doubt.
After all, to evolve Feebas, her beauty value must be increased, meaning Feebas needs to feel confident in herself and find a Prism Scale.
Whether it's the former or the latter, the difficulty is not low.
However, Ash just smiled and remained silent regarding their discussion.
Because entrusting Feebas to him for training significantly reduced the difficulty compared to other Trainers.
Not to mention that his backpack system already contained the necessary evolution item—the Prism Scale.
So, he only needed to increase Feebas's beauty value.
And the beauty value, simply put, is about helping Feebas find confidence.
This can be built from both appearance and strength.
Appearance can be improved by using Pokéblocks, which is one of the functions of Pokéblocks, capable of making Feebas's bumpy exterior smooth.
At the same time, this Feebas also inherited Dragon Breath, which means it possesses a certain level of combat ability.
Furthermore, he can also teach Feebas new moves through TMs, so there's no doubt about its strength improvement.
The only thing that worried him was the rather subjective concept of beauty value.
If Feebas stubbornly believed she wasn't good-looking, it would be quite dire.
But this Feebas's stats indicated a very high talent, so the above situation should not occur.
[Pokémon: Feebas]
[Category: Fish Pokémon]
[Type: Water type]
[Ability: Swift Swim (In rainy conditions, this Pokémon's speed doubles)]
[Individual Values: HP (28), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)]
[Moves: Splash, Tackle, Dragon Breath (Inherited Move)]
[Strength: Young]
5V Individual Values, befitting a Pokémon egg gifted by Cynthia.
According to his guess, this Feebas was very likely a descendant of Cynthia's Milotic.
The only thing that puzzled him was the identity of Feebas's father.
According to the principle of species following the mother and inherited moves following the father, Feebas's father must be at least a pseudo-dragon like Charizard.
Considering the incompatible natures of Water and Fire, Feebas's father was most likely a Dragon Pokémon.
But no matter what, Feebas's excellence cannot be denied.
"But without a fish tank, Feebas is a bit difficult to take care of," Ash said, troubled.
The only problem that could currently bother Ash was finding a suitable living environment for Feebas.
Because it belongs to the Fish Pokémon, it needs to be in water to move.
But the problem is, carrying a fish tank is inconvenient during travel.
Of course, the most crucial point was that he forgot to buy one when leaving Veilstone City.
"Don't worry, Ash," Brock, who was engrossed in the map, spoke up to comfort him, "The next city is Pastoria City, and there are many rivers along the way."
From the map, he could already see dense rivers, with various sizes of lakes also present.
Feebas's daily activities would not be a problem at all.
"Oh, by the way, Brock, will we pass Lake Valor in the middle?"
"Yes," Brock glanced at it and found it was as Dawn said.
"That's great! We must stop there then, because the triennial Wallace Cup will be held there!"
Dawn's blue eyes sparkled, and she danced with Nurse Joy.
Because the Wallace Cup's ribbon is quite representative, and the quality of the Trainers participating is very high, the badge can also be used in other regions.
"The Wallace Cup, huh?"
Hearing the familiar term, Ash couldn't help but temporarily ignore Feebas and focus his attention on this special Contest.
Because if he remembered correctly, the Hoenn Dancer, May, also seemed to be participating, which was a good opportunity to meet the previous female lead.
"Ash, will you participate in this competition?" Dawn leaned over and asked.
"I won't."
"Huh? But doesn't Ambipom like Contests?" Dawn was very surprised, a bit confused.
"Because the Wallace Cup requires a two-person performance, so I'll skip it. I'm afraid I'd steal your Champion title then."
"Hmph, I don't believe you!" Dawn pouted and gave Ash a punch.
But what she got in return was Ash's loud teasing, though it was mixed with a hint of seriousness.
Because he knew that if he really participated, once he passed the first round of judging, he would most likely win the second round.
After all, Contest performances are essentially Pokémon battles; defeating the opponent means victory.
"Hmph!"
But the girl still didn't believe him, turning her head and walking forward on the road.
Chapter 147: with the Wave Missile
Viridian Forest
This is the largest primeval forest in the world, home to a vast number of wild Pokémon, with countless strong ones hidden within.
And on this day, the returning Scizor, led by Charizard, Sceptile, Pidgeot, and Noctowl, arrived at this familiar yet unfamiliar forest.
"Cha~"
On a standard arena, similar to those planned for League battles, measuring a hundred meters long and fifty meters wide, Scizor wielded its crimson Metal Claws, glowing with a white light as it dueled its opponent.
Metal Claw!
Transforming into a blood-red figure, it charged towards its opponent with incredible speed, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.
Ding ding ding~
Scizor's opponent resembled a large hornet, with a three-segmented body and four legs growing from its abdomen.
It held two thick, large white stingers and was colored black and yellow.
In addition, a Poison Sting extended from its tail end.
This Pokémon was, naturally, the most common inhabitant of the forest—Beedrill.
A presence in Viridian Forest that made Trainers tremble with fear.
Because this Family had an extremely strong sense of territoriality; provoking one was equivalent to provoking a whole swarm.
But to Scizor's surprise, the individual Beedrill in front of it was actually fighting it to a standstill, which it found incredibly unbelievable.
Because it used to be a native of Viridian Forest, yet it had never heard of such a powerful Beedrill.
While Scizor was shocked, it also wondered how Noctowl managed to get Pokémon like Beedrill to engage in a head-on confrontation at this time.
Because in addition to the arena, there was also an old and composed Alakazam and Noctowl serving as referees in the middle of the field.
Around them, groups of Pokémon were gathered like spectators, surrounding them.
To Scizor, it felt like participating in a Pokémon battle without human command.
"Buzz~"
As Scizor was distracted, Beedrill suddenly flapped its wings, appearing behind it in an instant, using both its stingers and its tail's Poison Sting.
They both glowed purple, unleashing a fatal Poison Sting.
Scizor had no choice but to cast aside its many internal questions and focus all its attention on the battle, fully dealing with the extraordinarily powerful Beedrill in front of it.
"Roar~"
"Cha~"
"Pidgeot~"
The clanging sounds made Charizard, Sceptile, Pidgeot, and the other Pokémon below cheer loudly.
They were just like three spectators watching a show, perfectly blending into the crowd.
This was the first battle to commence in Viridian Forest today.
Ever since Noctowl became their strategist and planner, they had improved their battle mode, adopting 1v1 head-on confrontations.
Regardless of winning or losing, the Pokémon challenged by them would receive a corresponding amount of Pokéblock, which quickly attracted a group of strong Pokémon.
Coupled with the exhilarating battles, a group of relatively weaker Pokémon were drawn to watch.
And so, with Noctowl and Alakazam serving as referees, the rather peculiar scene before them was formed.
Not to mention how much stronger Charizard and the others had become during these days, Ash's data panel alone had gained a lot of gold coins.
This made Ash, on the other side, happily walk through the forest.
After the trio left Veilstone City, they embarked on their journey to Lake Valor.
During this time, they arrived at a lush forest, home to numerous Grass and Bug-type Pokémon.
Here, diligent Combee were almost everywhere, diligently collecting honey among the wild flowers.
In addition, there was the familiar sight of Beedrill, holding two thick, large white stingers, which made Ash feel a pang of nostalgia.
However, Ash currently didn't know the fact that there was a Beedrill in Viridian Forest strong enough to battle Scizor.
At this moment, he was enjoying the various Pokémon along the way with Dawn and Brock.
"There are so many Grass-type Pokémon here! Besides Budew, there are also Oddish, Vileplume, Hoppip, Skiploom…"
Looking at the patches of red and green figures, Dawn exclaimed while picking up her pokedex to scan and identify these creatures.
In front of these adorable creatures, Ash merely passed by, but a happy smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
"Hmm, this feeling is…"
But just then, a strange Aura directly rushed into Ash's mind.
"What's wrong, Ash!" Brock asked curiously when he saw Ash suddenly stop.
This action also attracted Dawn, who was admiring the Pokémon nearby.
Rustle rustle~
Ash's expression was serious, and he didn't respond, only looking towards the nearby bushes.
Under everyone's gaze, the bush kept shaking, and accompanied by rustling sounds, an injured Riolu emerged from it.
"Oh, who is this cute child~" Dawn exclaimed in surprise.
The Riolu in front of them was blue, with black legs and upper torso, resembling a small puppy.
But what made Dawn exclaim was not only Riolu's cute appearance, but also because this little guy looked somewhat familiar.
"So it's Riolu!" The knowledgeable Brock immediately stated Riolu's name.
Hearing this, Dawn immediately took out her pokedex to check its detailed information.
For unknown reasons, Riolu looked somewhat panicked upon seeing Ash and his companions, turning around to leave.
"Wait~"
Unexpectedly, Ash was one step ahead, moving forward to grab Riolu.
"Pika~"
Pikachu carefully jumped in front of Riolu, stopping it with Ash.
"Olu~"
The wary Riolu quickly pulled away from Ash's hand and stepped back.
To Dawn and Brock's surprised expressions, it quickly condensed a powerful Aura Sphere and shot it towards Ash and his companions.
However, Ash opened his Aura and used a barrier to block it.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you~" Ash said softly.
Seeing that Ash also possessed Aura, Riolu froze in place for a few seconds, but this did not make Riolu relax its guard, maintaining a cautious attitude.
"Ash, it seems to be injured~" Dawn tugged on Ash's sleeve, pointing to Riolu's left arm.
"Don't move yet~"
First, he nodded to Dawn to show he understood, then he bent down, telling Riolu not to make any rash moves.
Next, he extended his right hand, and from a distance of less than half a meter, he used Viridian Power to heal Riolu.
Olu!!
Feeling the wounds on its body gradually healing, Riolu felt somewhat incredible.
At the same time, it realized that the human in front of it seemed very special; besides having an Aura similar to its own, he also possessed a special healing ability.
"Riolu can use Aura Sphere~"
After seeing Riolu recover, Brock walked over, stroking his chin, looking at Riolu, who was still wary but hadn't launched another Aura Sphere.
"Ash, this Riolu's identity seems to be extraordinary!"
Based on years of experience, Brock made a bold assumption.
"…"
Ash, on the other hand, gave an awkward, speechless smile.
Because if nothing unexpected happened, trouble would soon be knocking on their door.