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Afterward, Ash reunited with Muk and Fraxure, who greeted him as enthusiastically as ever. When he found Electivire, it was in the middle of a standoff with the newly returned Scizor.
It was obvious both Pokémon had competitive personalities, and the atmosphere between them grew tense. However, Ash didn't intervene.
He was used to his Pokémon challenging each other, and they were accustomed to Ash not stopping them. They knew how to keep things under control.
After visiting all of them, when Ash returned to Professor Oak's Laboratory, he encountered Kingler.
Since being caught, Kingler had been living comfortably at Professor Oak's ranch, enjoying a leisurely lifestyle. It usually worked as Professor Oak's assistant, helping with small tasks like serving tea and water.
After meeting all his Pokémon and spending some quality time with them at the Laboratory, Ash said goodbye to Professor Oak. Seeing that it was getting late, he prepared to head home.
Besides Pikachu and Jigglypuff, Ash's other Pokémon would remain at the ranch temporarily, free to do as they pleased.
When they returned home, Delia had already settled in for the evening and was watching TV with only Mr. Mime for company.
After the three of them came back, they exchanged greetings but didn't linger long before heading to their rooms to rest.
The Next Day
"Morning!" Early the next morning, Misty walked into the living room, greeting everyone sleepily while rubbing her eyes.
"Good morning, Misty! Breakfast will be ready soon!"
Hearing Misty's voice, Delia responded cheerfully. Mr. Mime, who was helping with preparations, came out to greet her as well, while Brock set plates and utensils on the dining table.
"Where's Ash? Is he still not up?" Misty looked around and noticed Ash was nowhere to be seen.
"No! Ash has been up for a while now," Brock replied.
"That boy! Whenever he's in Pallet Town, he gets up early every day to go running," Delia said with a smile as she carried out breakfast. This habit had continued for three years now.
Delia was quite impressed. Ash had started developing this routine during the Pokémon Summer Camp three years ago.
"I see!" When they were traveling in the wilderness, Ash also woke up early, but sometimes the conditions in the wild made morning jogging impractical.
"I'm back!"
Just as they were talking, Ash's voice came from outside. He wore athletic clothes, Jigglypuff perched on his head, and Pikachu followed at his heels. Sweat glistened on his face, but he looked energized and happy.
"Breakfast is just ready! Go wash up and then come eat!" Delia said warmly.
"Okay!"
Ash nodded, returned to his room to freshen up briefly, then joined everyone at the dining table for breakfast.
"There's still over a month until the Indigo League competition. What are your plans, Ash?" Brock asked while eating.
"Hmm... I need to find a quiet place for some intensive training," Ash replied after thinking for a moment.
"Have you decided where to go?" Misty asked between bites.
"If I want to bring all my Pokémon with me, I can't choose somewhere too far away. I'm thinking Mount Hideaway!" Ash explained. In the League competition, he might need any of his Pokémon.
In that case, there was no way to transport them all in Poké Balls. Counting Mr. Mime, Ash had now caught seventeen Pokémon.
If he included all thirty Tauros, that brought the total to about forty-seven. There was no practical way to carry them all around outside their Poké Balls, was there?
So if he wanted to find a location relatively close to Pallet Town, Mount Hideaway was the ideal choice—a mountain range not far from home.
Moreover, this mountain range connected directly to the grassland behind Professor Oak's Laboratory. He could enter the mountains directly from the Laboratory's back entrance, which meant taking his Pokémon there wouldn't draw too much attention.
And the proximity meant he could return home anytime if needed.
"Mount Hideaway?"
"Mount Hideaway is located right behind Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pallet Town, very close to town! It hasn't been developed, so it's still a pristine wilderness!"
Hearing Misty's curious question, Delia explained. In fact, the foothills outside Mount Hideaway also fell within the boundaries of Professor Oak's property.
It was mainly an area where Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon liked to live, though the environment deeper in the mountains could be quite harsh.
"A place like that is definitely suitable for training. We'll need to prepare more supplies than usual."
After hearing this, Brock spoke up. Since they'd be camping in the wilderness for an extended period, they'd need to pack more thoroughly than for regular travel.
They continued chatting as they ate breakfast. Soon after finishing, they helped clear the dishes. Then the three of them packed their belongings and said goodbye to Delia.
Though Delia had only just reunited with her son, she tried not to show her reluctance. She simply reminded him to be careful and stay safe, as she always did.
After saying farewell to Delia, the three of them headed to Professor Oak's Laboratory. Professor Oak was also an early riser. When they arrived, he was just finishing his breakfast.
After greeting him, Ash explained that he wanted to take his Pokémon to Mount Hideaway for training. Professor Oak didn't object and readily agreed. After all, even though the Pokémon were staying at his ranch, they still belonged to Ash.
Outside, Ash called out all his Pokémon. Nearly everyone gathered and looked at him attentively.
In the end, he decided to leave only the Tauros behind. It wasn't that he was unwilling to take them—mainly, there were simply too many. Training them all together would be extremely difficult, and training just one would be unfair to the others.
Moreover, they were always in an excited state and couldn't stay still. In the deep mountains, there wouldn't be enough space for them to run freely, and it could even be dangerous.
Besides, running around all day like they did could be considered exercise in itself. So Ash decided to leave them at the ranch, took his other Pokémon with him, and entered Mount Hideaway in an impressive procession.
"Even though Gary has caught several times more Pokémon than Ash, just looking at this group is already impressive!"
Walking along the mountain path with a large group of Pokémon following behind them, Misty spoke her thoughts aloud.
People said Gary had caught many times more Pokémon than Ash, but just looking at the number Ash had now—even without counting the Tauros—was quite remarkable.
"That's true!" Brock stood nearby and nodded in agreement.