Squirtle had actually evolved, and its Synchronicity and Bond Level with Ash had significantly increased.
It had finally made its choice. Since it had chosen to follow Ash back then, it was determined to see the path through to the end. It formally bid farewell to its former companions, entrusting them to Officer Jenny for training.
From this moment on, it had only one identity: Ash's Wartortle!
Since that was the case, Ash naturally decided to keep Wartortle by his side on his journey.
Thus, Ash's current lineup consisted of:
Pikachu: 220/255
Snorlax: 200/255
Bayleef: 200/215
Quilava: 130/200
Slowpoke: 135/185
Wartortle: 190/215
Pikachu's Synchronicity had long since reached its peak, and its Bond Level was steadily climbing. Ash wasn't in any hurry regarding this; since he and Pikachu were together day and night, the Synchronicity was already at its maximum, so he would just let the Bond Level increase naturally.
Snorlax's Synchronicity was also at its maximum value. Ash had transferred it over immediately after awakening the system upon arriving in Johto, and through daily training and feeding, its Bond Level was slowly rising.
Bayleef and Quilava were both starters from the Johto Region that Ash had obtained by chance, and both had already completed their first stage of evolution.
The Slowpoke was the Slowpoke God Ash had captured in Azalea Town. It was vastly different from ordinary Slowpoke, possessing an incredibly high intelligence. Ash planned to train it for a while longer before letting it evolve into Slowking!
While the Slowbro evolution could Mega Evolve, that didn't matter to Ash, who possessed the Bond System. Once the evolved Slowking reached max Synchronicity and Bond Level, it would be able to evolve into Ash-Slowking!
However, before that, Ash intended to capture a Shellder with high Synchronicity! By using the most complete method of evolution possible, he wanted to ensure that the resulting Slowking would have the highest possible Synchronicity from the start.
Overall, Ash had already accumulated a formidable amount of power!
"Ash, lunch is ready!"
That afternoon, Ash had taken his Pokémon out for special training, leaving Misty and Brock to set up camp in the forest and prepare lunch. It had to be said that having Brock along on the journey really saved a lot of trouble. Ash was able to pursue his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master with a completely undivided mind.
"Sorry to keep you both waiting!" Ash returned to the camp, where the fragrance of food was already wafting through the air.
"Oh, right, Ash, get the bread out!" Brock called out.
The bread they had purchased earlier was stored in Ash's backpack. Because Ash had gone to train, he had left the bag with the other two to look after.
However, when the three went to retrieve the backpack, they found it was gone.
"Was it stolen?"
"But we were both right here, and we didn't see anyone come by!" Misty and Brock felt responsible for the oversight, but now wasn't the time for that.
"Ash, did you have anything valuable in your backpack?" Brock asked.
"My Badge Case, Poké Balls, and Pokédex are all on me. There wasn't anything vital in the bag," Ash replied, shaking his head.
Still, that backpack had been with him since the very beginning of his journey; he had to get it back. A blue light flashed across Ash's body as his Aura Power spread outward.
He soon discovered a trail of footprints on the ground. Judging by the shape, they belonged to some kind of canine Pokémon.
"Could it be that this Pokémon stole your backpack? Not for the items, but for the bread?" Misty deduced.
Ash and Brock both nodded, thinking it made sense.
"The tracks seem to lead deeper into the forest. Ash, should we pursue?"
"Of course we should!"
The group didn't even have time to eat their lunch before they packed up and gave chase. Fortunately, Brock had been planning to make sandwiches, so the ingredients were easily portable.
"Pika!"
Following the tracks, they eventually reached the heart of the forest. Suddenly, the footprints stopped at a patch of dense grass. Just then, all three of their stomachs began to growl.
"Ash, I'm so hungry!"
Misty's complaint gave Ash an idea. "Brock, let's start the meal! We should still have some ingredients left, right? Preferably meat!"
Hearing this, Brock immediately understood. He nodded and said, "I have plenty. I was planning on making ham sandwiches anyway!"
Having made their decision, the three immediately set up their tent again and started a fire to cook, making sure the grilled ham smelled as savory as possible!
Before they knew it, the sky had darkened, and a full moon appeared in the sky. Finally, the target could no longer resist the scent of the ham and leaped out!
"Got you! Don't even think about running!"
In that instant, a blue light flashed in Ash's eyes as a burst of Confusion erupted to seize the target. But the blue light suddenly shattered Confusion had no effect on the target whatsoever?
"How is that possible?"
Ash, failing to react in time, could only watch as the ham vanished right before his eyes.
"Dammit, it's a Dark-type Pokémon!"
Psychic type moves like Confusion were completely ineffective against Dark types! Given the canine shape and the Dark attribute here in the Johto Region, Ash could already guess what it was.
Houndour, the Dark Pokémon. A Dark and Fire type!
"Awoo~"
The Houndour seemed to have been provoked by Ash's earlier attack. Suddenly, scarlet eyes lit up from the surrounding bushes. Low growls echoed through the night under the full moon, sounding exceptionally terrifying.
"Brock, just focus on protecting Misty!"
Sensing the surrounding malice, Ash whispered instructions to Brock. There were quite a few Houndour around them!
"Ash!" Misty instinctively grabbed the hem of Ash's shirt, hiding behind him.
"Don't worry. It won't be that easy to defeat me!"
At that moment, the Houndour revealed themselves. There were four in total, surrounding the three of them with horrifying, blood-red eyes.
"Woof-roar!"
On a slope beneath the full moon stood an even taller and more robust Houndour. It looked down upon them with a staggering, intimidating aura. That was undoubtedly the King of this pack!
Ash gripped a Poké Ball and looked toward the slope. "If you want to fight, then let's make it a capturing battle!"
To his surprise, the Houndour actually leaped down from the slope and stood before Ash. It had accepted the challenge!
"I won't bully you. I choose you, Quilava!"
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