"Why did you set a trap for us? This should be our first time meeting, right?" Ash asked, frowning in confusion.
"Squirtle, Squirtle!" Humans are not good things!
As soon as he finished speaking, the leading Squirtle, with its younger brothers, quickly moved out of Ash's sight.
Ash didn't chase after the Squirtle but looked towards the City not far ahead.
"These Squirtle seem to really dislike humans, and from the way they set traps here, they might have been living in this place all along. Let's go into the City and find out more," Ash suggested.
Hearing this, Xiao Xia and Brock looked at Ash with a slight surprise. Facing their astonished gazes, Ash was a bit bewildered: "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I wrong?"
"You're absolutely right—but that's the problem! I never thought you, Ash, could consider this level of an issue. You were always so clueless about everything except battles before," Xiao Xia said, shrugging her shoulders as if it were obvious.
Although Ash always showed great quick-wittedness during battles, he was quite slow in many daily matters. However, it seems now that even in daily life, Ash is silently making progress.
The two then bickered their way into the City and inquired with Jenny of the City.
As expected, these Squirtle indeed had a 'glorious' record of mischief in this vicinity.
These Squirtle were abandoned by their Trainer. The Squirtle wearing unique sunglasses, as their leader, organized the other abandoned Squirtle, and they eventually set up base near this small town.
Because they were abandoned by human Trainers, they held great hostility towards humans and frequently formed groups to cause trouble in the town. Everyone in the small town felt miserable.
Ash, Xiao Xia, and Brock looked at each other, and all three could see the astonished look in each other's eyes.
Another abandoned Pokémon! And it's a starter Pokémon!
What's going on? Are starter Pokémon so worthless these days? You know, for new Trainers, starter Pokémon are almost the most perfectly suited Pokémon.
Whether it's in terms of species ability, evolution, or training, they are the most suitable for new Trainers. Even pseudo-legendary Pokémon might not be as good for new Trainers as starter Pokémon.
While pseudo-legendary Pokémon can become powerful with training, they require a lot of effort, financial resources, and countless battle experiences to grow.
Pseudo-legendary Pokémon are more suitable for experienced Trainers; for new Trainers, starter Pokémon are still the best.
Yet, these starter Pokémon, which you might not even trade a pseudo-legendary for, were actually discarded out of dislike—how incredibly high were those people's standards!
Among them, Ash, who could see the Squirtle's aptitudes, complained endlessly in his heart. If all those Squirtle had E-rank aptitude, couldn't learn skills successfully, and leveled up very slowly, then abandoning them might be understandable, but still unforgivable.
But the aptitude of that group of Squirtle was in the upper-middle range for their entire species, and the leading Squirtle knew many skills.
Its aptitude even had four A's, which is already considered top-tier talent within a species!
To be abandoned under these circumstances, were those Trainers' brains broken?
However, if this was the case, then the actions of those Squirtle were understandable, as the pain of being abandoned is beyond words.
"—Abandoned, which means they don't have a Trainer now, right? Can I catch them?" Ash clenched his fists, looking earnestly at Jenny and asking.
"Of course, no problem, but the premise is that you must gain their approval. If you catch them through battle, they might not listen to your commands later on," Jenny said, tapping her finger lightly on her fair chin, offering advice.
"Don't worry, I'm best at this, right Pikachu?"
"Pika Pika!"
If it were other Trainers, besides catching through battle, they probably wouldn't know how to catch Pokémon. But for Ash, out of his six Pokémon, four were not caught through Pokémon battles.
Pikachu showed him convincing strength in human form, Ralts acknowledged him as soon as it hatched from its Pokémon egg, Bulbasaur was persuaded by him, and Charmander was moved by his actions and ultimately chose to follow him.
Only Caterpie and Pidgeotto were caught through battle.
So, when it comes to influencing Pokémon, he's quite experienced.
Ash and his companions first restocked on ingredients and essential items in the small town, then borrowed the town's kitchen to make some Pokémon food.
This was Pokémon food he and Brock made together, designed to suit the tastes of most Squirtle.
As long as those few Squirtle didn't have particularly unusual tastes, this food would surely appeal to them.
As the saying goes, to conquer a Pokémon's heart, you must first conquer its stomach. First, use food to build a good relationship with them.
Then, appeal to their emotions and reason, slowly dissolve their guard, and finally complete the capture!
The formula for victory has been set. Next is to find the Squirtle.
After Ash and his companions had everything ready, it was already nearing evening. It would be very difficult to find a few Pokémon in the dark, but that was for ordinary people.
Ash has Bo-do Power. When he first encountered the Squirtle, their Aura had already been imprinted in his mind. As long as they were within a fifty-mile radius, they couldn't escape his detection.
As his Aura expanded, everything around him was reflected in Ash's mind. A few seconds later, Ash opened his eyes and said with a changed expression, "Hurry! The Squirtle have been found by Team Rockets!"
"Huh? Team Rockets?"
"Those guys again?"
Ash didn't have time to explain much to Xiao Xia and Brock. He dashed out of the town's restaurant, with Xiao Xia and Brock close behind.
With Pikachu and Ralts on Ash's shoulders, Xiao Xia and Brock used all their strength to keep up with Ash.
In a moment, Ash arrived at the location detected by his Aura.
This was a grassy area outside the City, where the Squirtle Squad was confronting Team Rockets, who were operating a giant robot.
Three of the Squirtle's younger brothers appeared to have sustained significant damage. The leading Squirtle stood in front of its brothers. Its eyes were obscured by its sunglasses, but from its facial expression, it appeared to be extremely furious.
"You stinky turtles, how dare you set a trap to harm us! Today, we're going to catch you and bring you back to the boss as lucky turtles!" Jessie's angry shouts came from inside the robot.
This shout also explained why they had clashed with the Squirtle Squad.
Not everyone has the good temper of Ash and his companions, let alone the vindictive Team Rockets trio.
The giant robot controlled by the Team Rockets trio brought its claw down towards the Squirtle Squad. The Squirtle leader spat out a Water Gun, but it had no effect on the giant mechanical hand.
In front of the giant robot, the Squirtle looked like an ant.
Seeing this, the Squirtle leader already felt some despair. Although he knew that if they continued to cause trouble like this, they would eventually encounter someone they couldn't afford to provoke.
But for the mental health of his younger brothers, and to vent the frustration in his heart, he still led his brothers to do it.
What they were encountering now could only be described as their retribution.
As for calling for help—who would save troublesome and annoying rascals like them?
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!!"
"Pika—chu Pika!!" Pikachu leaped from Ash's shoulder, its tail shimmering with a metallic luster.
This was a move Pikachu had just learned recently, Iron Tail!
Now was a good time to test it on Team Rockets' robot and see which was harder. "Bang!!"
Iron Tail collided with the robot's hand, creating a huge roar. The robot's hand was instantly sent flying by Iron Tail, and a clear indentation, carved by Iron Tail, could be seen on its palm.
"Are you all okay?" Ash asked with some concern as he approached the Squirtle Squad.
The Squirtle leader looked at Ash, its entire body seemingly frozen, motionless.
He had seen this person before; wasn't this the target of his prank this morning? Why had he come over? Was he here to help him?
Ash saw that the Squirtle didn't respond and thought it might have been hurt or startled by Team Rockets. So, he glared angrily at Team Rockets and said, "You guys, I let you off the other day, and now you've come back again. You're not done, are you!!"
"You brat, don't slander us! We didn't come for you today!!" A hatch opened in the middle of the robot, and Jessie stepped out, shouting loudly.
"Exactly, exactly! Today, we're the victims! Why don't you ask what these Squirtle did to us!" James also shouted indignantly from the side.
"We have a legitimate reason this time, Meowth! Get out of the way, or we'll take your Pikachu too, Meowth!" Meowth waved the robot's arms, warning Ash.
Ash looked at the Squirtle, then at Team Rockets. Ultimately, he still chose to stand in front of the Squirtle: "The harm you're talking about is nothing more than stepping into the traps set by the Squirtle. They couldn't possibly do anything more to harm you; at most, it's just a prank. I apologize on their behalf."
"If apologies worked, what would we need police for!"
"Stop wasting time with the brat! Grab Pikachu too!" Jessie said, jumping back into the robot. The door in the middle of the robot closed, and the giant robot once again attacked Ash and the others.
"It's okay, Squirtle, we'll protect you. Xiao Xia, Brock, I'm entrusting the Squirtle to you!"
"Don't worry."
"Leave it to us."
Xiao Xia and Brock went to the injured Squirtle, releasing their Pokémon, Starmie and Graveler, to protect them.
Ash then looked at the Squirtle leader behind him, his eyes filled with deep meaning: "Squirtle, I know you were abandoned by other Trainers and have a strong dislike for humans, but not everyone is that kind of heartless person. Let's cooperate and protect your younger brothers together!"
"...Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirtle!!" With Ash's encouragement and his earlier performance, the Squirtle, after a second's pause, quickly nodded towards Ash. This signified that it was beginning to accept humans again.
"Excellent, Squirtle, use Water Gun! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!!"
"Squirtle, Squirtle!" The Squirtle jumped in front of Ash, then sprayed out a water jet about half the size of a fist. For a robot nearly ten meters tall, this level of attack was like a tickle.
But if you added Pikachu's Thunder Shock, it would be different!
"Pika—chu!!" Golden electricity surged from Pikachu's body and intertwined with the water jet launched by the Squirtle in the air.
Water Gun combined with Thunderbolt formed a Hydro Pump!
This move possessed greater power and penetration than a normal Water Gun, and it could only be formed with precise and skillful cooperation of electricity and water.
Despite it being their first time cooperating, Pikachu and the Squirtle showed extraordinary synergy.
The Team Rockets trio controlled the robot to clench its fist and throw a punch. A whistling sound filled the air; this punch was as heavy as a thousand pounds!
"Zzzzzzt!!"
The Hydro Pump collided with the mechanical fist, stalemating in the air for a moment. But in just a few short seconds, the combination move unleashed by Pikachu and the Squirtle directly pierced through the giant robot's fist!
The Hydro Pump continued to penetrate, blowing a hole straight through the robot's entire arm!
The Team Rockets trio inside the robot's eyes nearly popped out. How in the world did they do that? Their robot wasn't made of paper!
Even with Pikachu and that turtle, it shouldn't be possible to directly disable one of their arms!
"It's that brat's doing, Meowth!" Meowth was the first to notice something was amiss.
Behind Pikachu and the Squirtle, Ash also raised his hand, a faint blue glow emanating from it.
Although they didn't know what Ash did, that attack just now definitely had Ash's involvement. Otherwise, how could a situation that was evenly matched just seconds ago suddenly result in their mechanical arm being overwhelmingly shattered in the blink of an eye?!
"This is your power, Squirtle! Don't doubt yourself because you were abandoned by a Trainer. Your potential will surpass all other Squirtle.
For your younger brothers, defeat them completely! Use Headbutt!"
Ash passionately chanted behind the Squirtle. For a Pokémon that has been belittled and abandoned by a Trainer, leading to self-doubt about its abilities, you just need to give it a strong boost of confidence.
It doesn't matter if he cheated for the Squirtle; as long as the Squirtle didn't notice, it was the combined power of him and Pikachu.
Its previous weakness was purely due to not having a good cooperative teammate. In reality, it was very strong—Ash wanted to give the Squirtle this kind of confidence, paving the way for its future.
"Squirtle, Squirtle!" The Squirtle also couldn't believe this was an attack it could unleash, but with Ash's encouraging words,
it still mustered its spirit, its eyes under the sunglasses sharpening. Then, its short legs pushed off forcefully!
Its rounded head aimed at Team Rockets' cockpit, its entire body shooting forward like a rocket—Headbutt!
Ash, behind the Squirtle, focused his Aura, gathering it at his fingertips, where a small, marble-sized blue Energy Ball appeared.
Super-mini Wave Bomb.
"Whoosh!"
The barely perceptible Wave Bomb, along with the Squirtle's Headbutt, slammed hard into Team Rockets' cockpit. In an instant, the seemingly impenetrable cockpit shield was directly pierced with a large hole!
The Team Rockets trio inside quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit by the Squirtle's Headbutt and Ash's super-mini Wave Bomb.
But with the super-mini Wave Bomb breaking through the defense and the Headbutt breaking through the wall, a massive hole appeared in the center of the robot. Streaks of electricity flickered in the air around the hole, as if it could explode at any moment.