Strong winds are truly an excellent training partner for Flying-type Pokémon.
Ash's Noctowl was uniquely colored and exceptionally clever. In its original dark forest, it had lived a life of ease and prosperity, but after being caught by Ash, it needed to grow stronger as his team faced increasingly powerful opponents.
This was the responsibility of a Pokémon Trainer.
Of course, Pokémon had their own thoughts as well. Some simply did not enjoy battling, and such Pokémon would never cooperate with special training. This was precisely why Ash followed an elite route, aiming to catch Pokémon with high compatibility from the start.
The compatibility between this Noctowl and Ash had been high from the very beginning. Not only did it complete Ash's training tasks perfectly, but it even learned the powerful Flying-type move, Sky Attack.
Furthermore, through the continuous exhaustion and minor injuries sustained in the gale, it learned the move Roost. However, this move required caution during battle; it forced Noctowl to land, causing it to lose its Flying attribute and become a pure Normal-type, making it very vulnerable to Fighting-type moves.
The greatest gain, however, was Noctowl's Bond Level, which steadily rose until it reached 170/205!
Since Noctowl was already in its final evolutionary stage, its compatibility wasn't technically considered "high" in the traditional sense. Achieving a Bond Phenomenon would likely require quite a bit more effort.
Ash and his friends trained in that wind-swept valley for three days before finally descending the mountain to find a Pokémon Center.
"Is anyone here?"
Nurse Joy didn't spend every waking moment waiting behind the counter; she wasn't a robot, and she had plenty of medical duties to attend to.
"Lucky!"
The cry of Chansey, Nurse Joy's partner, rang out.
Following the sound, "Nurse Joy" appeared before them. "Nurse Joy is currently out on a house call!"
Misty looked at the woman, who was a spitting image of the nurse, and asked in confusion, "Isn't she Nurse Joy?"
Ash, however, shook his head. "The Aura is different. This isn't the real Nurse Joy!"
Throughout his journey, Ash had dealt with Nurse Joys more than anyone else. While all Joys looked identical, their Auras shared similaritiesyet the woman before them was completely different!
Moreover, Brock's behavior was a dead giveaway. Usually, he would have closed the distance with a move practically like Teleport and produced a bouquet of flowers out of nowhere. If it weren't for the fact that Brock was genuinely talented and cared for Pokémon from the bottom of his heart, the Joy family would have blacklisted him from Pokémon Centers long ago!
"Haha, Ash, how did you know? I thought my transformation was perfect!" As the words fell, "Nurse Joy" revealed her true face.
She was a sunny girl with green twin-tails.
It was Duplica, whom they had met during their travels in Kanto. She was determined to become a Ditto Master. Predictably, the "Chansey" beside her melted into the slime-like form of a Ditto.
Ditto was a Pokémon with the ability to transform into others, but mastering such a Pokémon required immense knowledge and experience. Duplica was not only a Ditto expert but also an extraordinary master of disguise herself.
"Ash, long time no see! How have you been?"
"Wow, so this is a Ditto? This is the first time Molly has ever seen one!" Molly stepped forward and squatted down to pinch the Ditto. It felt exactly as bouncy and elastic as it looked.
Not just Molly, but Pikachu and Togepi joined in, happily squishing the Ditto's face.
Ignoring the antics of the kids and Pokémon, the others asked, "Duplica, what brings you here?"
"I was invited to the upcoming festival!" Duplica handed them a poster for the Pokémon Showboat.
Pokémon performers from all over the country would gather here for an entire week to compete and showcase their Pokémon's unique skills and talents. It was a very famous event, and receiving an invitation meant Duplica had already achieved a certain level of fame.
It was truly impressive.
"Ash, Duplica, your Pokémon check-ups are finished!" The real Nurse Joy had returned, and Ash had entrusted his teamespecially Noctowlto her care.
Duplica's Pokémon was, of course, another Ditto. To distinguish it, she had nicknamed it Mini-Dit.
"Is there something wrong with Mini-Dit's health?" Brock asked, looking at the energetic little creature with concern.
Nurse Joy confirmed that Mini-Dit was perfectly healthy.
As the two Dittos played with Molly in the garden, it became clear that Mini-Dit's transformation was quite unique. During its transformation, its weight remained constant. This meant that even if it transformed into an Onix, it would remain tiny and pocket-sized. Such a transformation made it a perfect playmate for Molly, rendering any dolls unnecessary.
Molly was, naturally, enchanted by it. From this perspective, the "flaw" in its transformation wasn't a defect at all.
"Ash, Professor Oak left a message for you!"
Evidently, due to Ash's contributions regarding Slowking's evolution and the capture of Unown, Professor Oak had secured a reward for him from the League.
"Ash, it seems you've been in top form lately! Gary mentioned running into you a few days ago."
Professor Oak sounded very pleased over the phone. Ash and Gary were the only two of the four rookies from Pallet Town who were still pursuing the dream of becoming Pokémon Masters.
"Yeah, Gary's Eevee evolved into an Umbreon. That kid ran away the moment he saw me; I must have beaten the fear into him!" Ash laughed.
"Haha, you rascal!" Professor Oak was very satisfied with Ash's growth. "Your reward has been processed and should have arrived at the Pokémon Center by now!"
"What kind of reward?" Ash asked. Whatever it was, it was bound to be good!
Professor Oak kept it a secret and hung up.
Then, Nurse Joy approached Ash carrying a Pokémon Egg, while Chansey held a tray containing six black-and-yellow Poké Balls.
"These are six Ultra Balls, and this arrived two days ago. I've already checked itit's very healthy!"
It was an ice-blue Pokémon Egg. Since it came from Professor Oak, it was bound to be an impressive Pokémon!
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Any guesses what Pokémon is in the egg?
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