Chapter 23: Turns Out I'm a Complete Idiot!

Huo La patted Ash's shoulder, pointed at the empty video phone beside them: "Make some room for me; I need to call Professor Oak to report our itinerary."

Hearing "Professor Oak", Ash immediately stood up to give up his spot, and even pressed the power button for Huo La—he had always respected the authority of the Pokemon‑research doctor, and his curiosity grew at Huo La's intention to speak with the professor.

Huo La sat before the screen and skillfully entered the exclusive number for Professor Oak's Lab.

While waiting for the connection, a few Pokemon‑science short clips popped up on the screen, until a familiar "click" sounded and Professor Oak's face appeared—he was holding a steaming bucket of instant noodles, a bit of broth clinging to his mouth corner, clearly just finished research and hadn't had time for a proper meal.

"Oh, it's Huo La!" Professor Oak set down the noodles, his gaze sweeping the background; he instantly recognized the Pokemon Center logo, "Looking at the setting, you must be at the Viridian City Pokémon Center, right?"

"Yes, Doctor, I just arrived," Huo La said with a smile, then nudged Ash beside him, "Not just me—Ash is here too, right next to me."

Ash immediately leaned toward the screen, waved at Professor Oak, and said, a little embarrassed, "Hello, Professor Oak!"

"Oh? Ash is here too!" Professor Oak raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing, "Your mother Hanako just called me, telling me about you and Pikachu being surrounded by a flock of fiery sparrows, with Pikachu injured. To be honest, I'm not surprised you ran into that right after setting out—given your reckless nature, it's odd if you don't cause any trouble."

"Um... Doctor," Ash blushed, scratching the back of his head and laughing sheepishly, unable to retort.

Professor Oak stopped teasing, shifted tone, and said seriously, "But don't worry, Pikachu's injury isn't serious; a few days of rest at the Pokemon Center will heal it. By the way, speaking of Pokemon—have you used that Empty Pokeball you took when you left? Caught any Pokemon yet?"

Mentioning that, Ash lowered his head even more, his voice as thin as a mosquito, "N-no... haven't... haven't met any suitable ones, or even if I did, I couldn't catch them..."

"Sigh—" Professor Oak let out a heavy sigh, hand propping his forehead, a look of "just as I thought" on his face, "I once had a bit of hope for you, after all you are a Trainer who set out from Pallet Town... Now it seems I'm such an idiot!"

The blunt jab made Ash's face even redder, as if he wanted to crawl into a crack in the floor.

Huo La watched from the side, unable to suppress a suppressed laugh—only Professor Oak dared to jab at Ash so bluntly; with anyone else, Ash's "hot‑blooded" retort would have likely shut him down.

After the jab, Professor Oak's gaze returned to Huo La, his tone much gentler, "By the way, Huo La, you? With your careful nature, you must have caught some Pokemon by now, right?"

Huo La rubbed his nose, smiling awkwardly, "Doctor, I haven't caught a single one..."

He even sweated inside, fearing Professor Oak might jab at him as he had Ash.

Unexpectedly, Professor Oak was not disappointed; instead he nodded, his voice approving, "Oh? That's fine. With your skill and eye, the Normal Type, Bug Type, and Bird Type Pokemon in Route 1 and Viridian Forest really aren't suited for you. The most important thing for a Pokemon Trainer isn't how many Pokemon you catch, but finding a partner that fits and resonates with you—take your time, don't rush; good meals aren't afraid of being late."

Both "didn't catch any Pokemon", one was called an idiot, the other encouraged with "good meals aren't afraid of being late".

Ash, eyes wide, opened his mouth to say something, but could only manage, "... Doctor, your double standard is way too obvious!"

"Haha, who's to blame for you and Huo La being different!" Professor Oak laughed heartily, then reminded, "Alright, I still have research to attend to; you stay safe in Viridian City. Especially you, Ash—don't let Pikachu get injured again—if anything else happens, your mother will come after me!"

After hanging up, Ash still muttered at the black screen, "We both didn't catch any Pokemon, so why is the Doctor so gentle with Huo La and so harsh with me..."

Huo La patted his shoulder, smiling comfortingly, "Because the Doctor knows that if you don't push yourself a bit, you'll stay reckless. He's caring, that's why he teases you."

Ash was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head and laughed, "Seems so! Once Pikachu recovers, I'll definitely catch a Pokemon properly, and make the Doctor see me in a new light!"

Watching Ash's renewed fighting spirit, Huo La also breathed a sigh of relief; a passionate Ash can grow into Zhi Ye through constant setbacks.

"Oh, right!" Ash suddenly slapped his head, as if recalling something important, pointed at a stone tablet hanging on the wall of the Pokemon Center's lounge, eyes sparkling, "On my way to Viridian City, I saw a Pokemon that looked just like the one carved on the tablet! Its whole body was golden, with a long red tail, flying toward the sun—it was beautiful!"

Huo La looked in the direction Ash's finger indicated.

It was a smooth, bluish‑gray stone tablet, its surface divided by shallow relief into four sections, each depicting a different Pokemon.

His eyes scanned the carvings in order: the first was a bird‑type Pokemon with fiery wings and a long tail feather, a sharp beak and a majestic demeanor; the second was also a bird, surrounded by lightning‑like patterns, its wings spread like a sudden thunderclap; the third was a four‑legged beast with a flaming mane, sharp claws, its body seeming to have flowing lava; the fourth… Huo La's gaze lingered—this one had a golden crown feather atop its head, a rainbow‑splendid tail feather, elegant posture, as if soaring among the clouds.

"Phoenix King, Moltres, Zapdos, Entei..." Huo La muttered unconsciously.

The stone tablet portrayed the legendary Divine Beasts representative of the Kanto Region.

The Phoenix King symbolizes rebirth and hope, Moltres commands fire, Zapdos rules thunder, and Entei is the embodiment of volcanoes; each exists only in legend, and few claim to have truly seen them.

"Huh? What are you saying?" Ash, not catching Huo La's whisper, leaned over curiously, "Do these Pokemon have names?"

Huo La shook his head, withdrew his gaze, "Nothing much, just something I read about in books before. They're all legendary Pokemon, said to possess power far beyond ordinary Pokemon, but there's never solid proof of their existence, let alone anyone actually seeing them."