Under Sylvester's enthusiastic guidance, Ash and his group successfully emerged from the lush greenery of Ilex Forest.
Sunlight once again bathed the road ahead, and on the distant horizon, the outline of a city could already faintly be seen.
Brock opened his somewhat worn travel guide and carefully checked the route.
"Based on our current location, we should reach Goldenrod City after crossing this plain. But according to the map, we'll pass through Palmpona Town first."
"Palmpona Town?" Ash's eyes immediately lit up.
He had a special impression of this town. Not only would it host a Pokémon Swap Meet, but there was also the exciting Tauros Chase competition.
At the swap meet, Trainers could exchange Pokémon with one another, which genuinely interested him.
"Maybe I'll meet a new partner there worth training," Ash thought to himself.
However, he had already made up his mind that he would never trade away any of his current companions. If he truly encountered a Pokémon he liked, he would rather go catch one himself in the wild.
Thinking of this, he lowered his head toward the small, slow-to-warm-up Pokémon walking beside him.
"Cyndaquil, today we're continuing your training on controlling your flames. You need to learn how to ignite your fighting spirit whenever it's needed."
Cyndaquil blinked its dark, bright eyes in confusion before softly crying out in response.
Misty looked at Ash's serious expression as he guided Cyndaquil and quietly whispered to Brock beside her,
"Don't you think Ash's becoming more and more dependable?"
"Yeah." Brock nodded in agreement. "He's growing stronger at a pace all of us can clearly see."
Just as they leisurely walked along the path leading to Palmpona Town, an anxious boy's voice suddenly rang out ahead of them.
"Keep your back straight so you look more energetic! That's right, just like that! And your expression too, try to look cuter so people will like you!"
Curious, the group walked closer and saw a boy wearing a baseball cap talking nonstop to a blue Pokémon with a goofy expression.
The Pokémon stood obediently in place, occasionally crying out, "Wobbu!"
"That's..." Misty observed curiously.
"It's Wobbuffet, the Patient Pokémon," Ash answered immediately, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes.
He knew this Wobbuffet all too well.
Wasn't this the very same Wobbuffet that future Trainers would jokingly call the "Wobbuffet God"?
Ash clearly remembered that in the future Kalos region, this seemingly simple and harmless Pokémon had once reflected Giratina's attack back at it, becoming famous overnight because of that battle.
The boy smiled politely.
"Sorry about that. Your Wobbuffet is really special, so I got distracted watching it for a moment. I'm Ash, and these two are my companions Misty and Brock."
The boy relaxed and shyly smiled back.
"Hello, my name's Benny. I'm specially training Wobbuffet so I can take it to the swap meet in Palmpona Town."
"The swap meet?" Ash showed just the right amount of interest.
"Yeah. Palmpona Town is holding a festival right now, and the most popular event is the Pokémon Swap Meet," Benny explained, though a trace of reluctance could still be seen in his eyes.
Misty looked Wobbuffet over before bluntly saying, "But Wobbuffet looks so ordinary. Would anyone really want to trade for it?"
"Misty," Ash quietly reminded her.
Only then did Misty realize she had spoken carelessly, and she hurriedly corrected herself.
"Well... if you look carefully, it's actually pretty cute."
Benny gave a bitter smile and gently rubbed Wobbuffet's head.
"Yeah... I really do like it, but..."
Ady gave a bitter smile and gently rubbed Wobbuffet's head.
"Yeah... I really do like it, but... I want to try raising different kinds of Pokémon too." His voice was filled with conflict.
"You'll definitely find the right trading partner," Ash said sincerely, though inwardly he had already decided to secretly help Wobbuffet end up with Team Rocket somehow. A journey without Wobbuffet just felt like it was missing something.
So, the three of them decided to travel together with Benny.
Just as they were about to enter Palmpona Town, a sudden commotion erupted on the streets, and pedestrians hurriedly moved aside.
Thunderous hoofbeats echoed from afar, causing the ground itself to tremble slightly.
"It's the Tauros Chase Festival!" a passerby shouted excitedly.
This was a unique traditional event in Palmpona Town. When the herd of Tauros charged through the streets, whoever managed to touch the horns of the lead Tauros would be honored as the "Brave One."
"Touch the Tauros's horns?" A spark of challenge flashed through Ash's eyes. "Pikachu, let's go!"
"Pika!" Pikachu nimbly leaped onto Ash's shoulder.
In the next instant, Ash dashed into the middle of the street.
The lead Tauros came charging forward aggressively. Just before collision, Ash kicked off the ground and performed a beautiful flip, landing steadily on the back of the lead Tauros.
One hand tightly gripped its horns while the other stabilized himself against its back as he rode the raging Tauros at the front of the herd all the way toward the main venue.
"That was incredible!" the announcer shouted excitedly through the loudspeaker. "The Brave One of this year's Tauros Chase Festival has been born! Not only did he touch the lead Tauros's horns, he actually tamed the wild leader itself!"
The entire crowd erupted into deafening cheers as the atmosphere instantly reached its peak.
"Next up is the event everyone's been waiting for, the Tauros One-on-One Battle Tournament!" the announcer continued while explaining the rules. "Each Trainer will send out a Tauros, and the first one pushed off the arena loses!"
Naturally, Ash had no intention of missing this opportunity.
He immediately rushed to the Pokémon Center and used the transfer system to retrieve the strongest Tauros he had caught back in the Safari Zone from Professor Oak.
On the arena stage, the announcer enthusiastically narrated the match.
"Contestant Fernando's Tauros has already achieved ten consecutive victories! Is there truly no one capable of stopping his winning streak? Wait... a new challenger has stepped onto the stage! It's the Brave One who tamed the lead Tauros earlier!"
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town. Please battle with me!"
Ash released his Tauros.
This Tauros possessed a muscular build and sharp eyes. At a glance, it was obvious that it had undergone rigorous training. When Ash first captured it, it had already been the leader of its herd, and after systematic training, its strength had become far greater than before.
Fernando laughed boldly.
"Come on then, Brave One! Let me see what you've got!"
"Tauros, use Take Down!"
The two powerful Tauros charged like moving mountains, their hard horns crashing violently against one another with an explosive roar.
For a moment, the two beasts appeared evenly matched, locked in a fierce stalemate in the center of the arena.
But in the end, Ash's Tauros proved slightly superior and forced its opponent off the stage.
"The winner is contestant Ash from Pallet Town! Truly worthy of the title of Brave One who tamed the lead Tauros!" the announcer loudly declared.
In the matches that followed, Ash's Tauros crushed through the competition, defeating ten challengers in a row and easily claiming the championship title of the Tauros Tournament.
As the sun gradually began to set, warm lights slowly illuminated the stalls of the Pokémon Swap Meet in Palmpona Town's central plaza.
Looking at the bustling crowd, Ash's eyes were filled with anticipation for the upcoming swap meet.
As for what our protagonist will gain from the exchange festival... let's keep that a secret for now.
...