Chapter 154

To be honest, Ash was a little disappointed. He hadn't expected that even after witnessing Wobbuffet's potential, Ade still wouldn't give up on the idea of trading Wobbuffet.

Ade also noticed the change in Ash's expression and hurriedly explained, "Don't misunderstand, Ash. I don't want to trade Pokémon with you."

"You don't want to trade Pokémon with me?" Ash was a bit confused.

Ade nodded firmly to show his determination.

"I want to leave Wobbuffet with you to take care of."

At this moment, Ade's expression was so resolute.

It wasn't a sudden impulse; he had truly made up his mind.

Everyone, even he himself, hadn't seen Wobbuffet's talent; only Ash had discovered it.

Only by following Ash could Wobbuffet truly shine, instead of just living out its life in such a mediocre way.

Although he had always had the idea of trading Pokémon, Ade's love for Wobbuffet was genuine. He liked Wobbuffet, so naturally, he hoped Wobbuffet could have a better life.

"But if you do that, won't Ade be unable to trade for the Pokémon he wants?" Misty asked.

Ade shook his head and revealed a bright smile, "As long as Wobbuffet is doing well, there's no problem. As for Pokémon, I can catch them myself."

Ash eventually accepted Wobbuffet. As for Ade, Ash didn't treat him unfairly either. Ash made a phone call to Professor Oak's laboratory and reserved a starter Pokémon for Ade with the Professor.

"Huh?"

Ade never expected happiness to come so suddenly.

Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur—these were the starter Pokémon that young boys and girls in Kanto wanted most.

They might not be the strongest Pokémon in Kanto, but they were definitely the most suitable for new Trainers.

Compared to Wobbuffet, which he didn't know how to raise at all, a starter Pokémon was much more suitable for Ade.

Lance: "Dark Ash's emotional intelligence is absolutely top-notch. Well done, he didn't let Ade suffer a loss."

Lorelei: "What I want to know most now is just how much Wobbuffet can grow in Dark Ash's hands. Will it become a Champion-level Pokémon?"

Diantha: "A Champion-level Wobbuffet, I've never seen one before."

Lucian: "That's to be expected. After all, even for Psychic-types, Wobbuffet is a very difficult Pokémon to raise. Very few Trainers can truly understand how to raise a Wobbuffet."

Actually, it's not just difficult to raise; it's also quite difficult in battle, after all, Wobbuffet has no moves to attack actively.

A Kanto town.

"Hey, James, do you think I should also give Wobbuffet to someone suitable to raise?"

Jessie suddenly spoke up.

"Jessie, have you gone crazy? That's the one you traded Lickitung for."

James was shocked.

"If it stays with us, isn't Wobbuffet too pitiful?"

If Wobbuffet had no talent, it wouldn't matter if it just messed around with them, but Wobbuffet had talent. Staying with them forever was simply a waste of its life.

"What does Wobbuffet think, Meowth? Does Wobbuffet want to become a powerful Pokémon?"

"Wobbuffet."

Wanting to become a powerful Pokémon requires hard and diligent training. Wobbuffet has seen with its own eyes how hard Dark Ash's Pokémon train every day.

Hiss.

Thinking about having to train like that every day, it would rather die. It would rather just mess around and wait for death with Jessie, Meowth, and James.

"Mess around and wait for death? Hey, what are you saying, Meowth!"

Meowth was angry. They were striving for the glorious cause of Team Rocket, not messing around and waiting for death.

It had been several days since catching Wobbuffet. During these days, Wobbuffet had gotten familiar with Ash and the others, and it was no longer as restrained as it was when it first arrived.

"Alright, it's time for lunch, Wobbuffet."

They were originally prepared to enjoy lunch, but now there was a small accident: Misty's backpack was missing.

Footprints were left on the ground; it was a wild Pokémon that had stolen Misty's backpack.

In order to retrieve Misty's backpack, Ash and the others set off after a simple lunch.

Because of the footprints, Ash and the others easily found the culprits who stole the items: a group of wild Houndour.

"Today I must teach them a good lesson and let them know that stealing is wrong."

Misty took out a Poké Ball with high fighting spirit, "Go, Staryu."

Having traveled with Ash for half a year, Misty was no longer the ignorant girl she once was. Although the opponents were numerous and quite coordinated, Misty still managed to defeat all the Houndour one by one, relying on her rich battle experience.

"Alright, now it's time to return my backpack to me, right?"

Misty didn't want to kill the Houndour; she just gave them a simple lesson.

But what Misty didn't expect was that this group of Houndour had an unusually stubborn temper. Even after being defeated once, they still refused to yield. Led by the leader, they stood up again. At this moment, the Houndour's eyes were already red.

"What's this? In that case, don't blame me for being impolite."

She had already given them a chance; it was the Houndour who didn't cherish it.

"Staryu, Water Gun."

Staryu aimed at the leader of the Houndour; to catch the bandits, you must first catch the ringleader.

Just as Staryu's Water Gun was about to hit the lead Houndour, a black shadow rushed into the battlefield and blocked the Water Gun for the Houndour.

"Is that a companion of the Houndour?"

Misty had originally thought she was facing all the members of the Houndour pack; she didn't expect the other side to have an ace up their sleeve.

"Be careful, Misty, this isn't a wild Pokémon."

The gap between wild Pokémon and a Trainer's Pokémon is still very obvious. Ash recognized at a glance that this suddenly appearing Houndoom was not a wild Pokémon.

And this Houndoom's level was terrifyingly high.

For safety's sake, Ash quickly had Pikachu prepare for battle.

Just at this moment, a graceful, mature woman walked slowly out from the depths of the forest. She was the Houndoom's Trainer.

The woman had an apologetic look on her face and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interfere in the battle between you and the Houndour."

She was actually just passing by by chance and couldn't help but step in when she saw the Houndour being bullied.

"Can you tell me why you were attacking the Houndour?"

If it were just a simple capture, she wouldn't have intervened; it was mainly because the other party was targeting the entire Houndour pack that she couldn't hold back.

"This group of Houndour stole my backpack and refused to return it," Misty said indignantly.

This backpack was of great significance to her; she had kept it with her since she started her journey.

"Ah?"

Karen only then realized she had misunderstood. She thought the young boy and girl were just having fun with the Houndour. Now it seemed the ones at fault were the Houndour.

Erika recognized the Houndoom's Trainer at this moment, "Ms. Karen, why are you here?"

Long gray hair, a golden midriff-baring top, white capri pants, and those iconic golden high heels—who else could it be but Karen?

"It's Erika, long time no see."

Karen waved her hand in greeting.

"Wow, is that little handsome guy your little boyfriend?" Karen looked at Ash and suddenly asked.

"Not yet," Erika replied shyly.

Jasmine: "Not yet? Erika, when did you become so 'tea-like'? If he is, he is; if he isn't, he isn't. What does 'not yet' mean? Does it mean he will be in a few days?"

Erika: "Why not? With my charm, it won't be a problem to win over Dark Ash in a few days."

Karen: "Hahaha, it's rare to see Erika so aggressive. In my impression, Erika has always been a Yamato Nadeshiko-style girl."

Diantha: "You can't be without aggression. Dark Ash is just too popular. If she kept up the Yamato Nadeshiko persona, I reckon Dark Ash would have been snatched away by someone else long ago."

Cynthia: "Heh, it's just a man, what's there to fight over?"

Caitlin: "An old woman's confidence is truly sufficient. Cynthia, if you were ten years younger, do you believe you'd be even crazier than Erika?"

Drasna: "I believe it, I believe it."

Cynthia: "Are you two asking for a beating again?!"

"Not yet? And it never will be!" Misty couldn't take it anymore and retorted angrily.

"Hahaha, boy, what's your name? You're actually so popular."

Karen didn't know Misty, but she was very familiar with Erika. Karen really wanted to know what kind of sacred person could make Erika fight over him.

"I am Ash, a Trainer from Pallet Town, currently training in the Johto region."

Ash maintained enough respect for a powerful Trainer and honestly introduced himself.

"Ash? You are Ash!"

During this time, Karen's ears were almost calloused. Chairman Goodshow, Lorelei, and Bruno would constantly talk in her ear about how excellent the Trainer named Ash from Pallet Town was.