Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
"By the way, since we're back, everyone come on out!"
Ash glanced at Devileon and Butterfree, then suddenly thought of something. He pulled out all his Poké Balls and tossed them into the air.
Bang bang bang!
As light flashed brilliantly, Charizard and the others were released from their Poké Balls. Every Pokémon Ash carried with him now stood before them.
The Pokémon looked around, taking in their surroundings. Venusaur and Pikachu were familiar with this place, but Charizard and Pidgeotto were visiting for the first time.
Before Scizor had evolved, it had come here once after being caught. Ash looked at his team and spoke warmly.
"Everyone, we'll rest here tonight!"
Professor Oak's ranch was certainly spacious enough. It functioned as a natural ecosystem, fully capable of supporting the lifestyle of any type of Pokémon.
The Pokémon responded to Ash's words with cheerful cries before Ash continued walking forward with Butterfree and Devileon.
With Butterfree and Devileon leading the way, they could easily find where Ash's other Pokémon liked to spend their time.
The first stop was a river. After Squirtle had been released earlier, it immediately sought out a water source. As soon as Ash and the others arrived at the riverbank, Squirtle dove straight into the water.
"Squirtle! Squirtle!"
Squirtle was so excited that it spouted water playfully, then flipped onto its back and floated leisurely across the surface.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Suddenly, the water beneath Squirtle erupted. A powerful wave lifted Squirtle up and sent it tumbling toward the shore. It landed on the bank and immediately spun around, fists raised as if annoyed at being disturbed.
But then Squirtle saw a white belly directly in front of it. Slowly raising its head, it found itself staring into a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth. Squirtle jumped back in shock.
"Long time no see, Gyarados!" Ash stepped forward calmly, raising his hand slowly. The massive figure lowered its head, and its initially fierce eyes softened considerably.
Ash reached out and touched Gyarados's whisker-like barbels gently. Gyarados was technically the first Pokémon he'd ever caught—back when it was still a Magikarp.
Squirtle let out a relieved breath upon seeing this, and Ash looked down at it.
"Squirtle, this is Gyarados. I hope you two get along well from now on!" Ash said to the small turtle Pokémon.
Hearing this, Gyarados lowered its head to look at Squirtle, eyes squinting as if offering a friendly smile. However, that wide-open mouth still made Squirtle tremble slightly, and it silently vowed to stay away from this part of the river in the future.
Since Ash had caught Charmander and sent Gyarados back to the ranch before catching Squirtle, the two Pokémon had never actually met until now.
"How have you been doing here lately?" Ash asked, patting Gyarados's horn gently.
"ROAR!"
Upon hearing Ash's question, Gyarados slowly raised its body upward, lifted its head high, and released a mighty roar. Then, from its fearsome jaws came a stream of scorching flames.
The fire shot into the air, and the intense heat illuminated the surrounding area. Misty and Brock both stepped back nervously, while Ash paused for a moment before breaking into a smile.
"It looks like you've been training hard while I was away!" Ash praised with genuine appreciation.
When Gyarados had still been with him on his journey, Ash had started teaching it Flamethrower. When he'd sent Gyarados to the ranch, he'd also told it not to neglect its training.
Now Gyarados was demonstrating Flamethrower right in front of him—clearly showing off the results of its dedicated practice.
"ROAR!"
Hearing Ash's praise, Gyarados looked absolutely delighted. Just as Ash finished speaking...
"PRIIIME!"
A loud cry rang out, followed by the sound of frantic footsteps. Ash turned his head to look in the distance and saw a figure charging toward them at full speed.
It looked like a fierce, muscular monkey with an impressive championship belt around its waist. The figure was barreling straight toward them. Misty and Brock stumbled back several steps in alarm when they recognized what was charging at them.
Gyarados displayed a fierce expression as its eyes flashed with recognition. The charging figure had originally been heading toward Gyarados but suddenly changed course and rushed toward Ash instead.
Ash watched calmly and didn't move to dodge. He simply stood his ground as the figure slammed into him, causing his body to fall backward.
"Hahaha! Still as energetic as ever, Primeape!" Ash laughed as he hit the ground, wrapping his arms around the furry Pokémon.
The rambunctious arrival was none other than Primeape. It had spotted Gyarados's Flamethrower display, and being naturally battle-hungry and active, it couldn't simply stay put.
Seeing the flames, it had instinctively assumed Gyarados wanted to fight, since these two hot-tempered Pokémon often sparred with each other.
But when Primeape rushed over and saw Ash standing there, its excitement shifted entirely. Unable to contain itself, it had charged straight at Ash for a reunion hug.
"It's just like before!" Misty and Brock couldn't help but smile. Primeape's temperament had actually mellowed quite a bit, though they still felt a bit nervous remembering how wild it had been in the beginning.
After a moment, Primeape climbed off Ash. Ash said goodbye to both Primeape and Gyarados before continuing his tour to visit the other Pokémon.
As they walked, the ground began to shake with thunderous footsteps. A large herd of Tauros came stampeding past, their momentum fierce and dust flying in all directions.
Ash stood to the side and called out a greeting. Hearing Ash's voice, the Tauros narrowed their eyes, seeming to smile at him warmly.
But they didn't stop running—they continued their endless stampede right past the three travelers.
After walking a bit further, they spotted Charizard resting beneath a tree. Aerodactyl swooped down from somewhere overhead.
It approached Charizard aggressively, as if challenging it to a battle. But Charizard simply opened its mouth slightly and yawned. It didn't seem interested in fighting at all—instead, it just propped its head up with one hand and lay on its side in the grass.
Aerodactyl looked at this scene and appeared visibly frustrated. It clearly still held a grudge about being defeated by Charizard previously.