Chapter 26: Xiao Yan Pokémon

An empty clearing on the outskirts of town.

Ash and his group of Squirtles had already taken their stances.

The Squirtle that was previously unable to battle had now regained its spirited energy.

Five Squirtles wearing black sunglasses simultaneously propped up their heads and puffed out their bellies, showing no sign of backing down in terms of presence.

"Squirtle, Squirtle!"

The lead Squirtle barked, letting out unintelligible turtle-speak.

The meaning was roughly: "Do you want to take on all five of us one-on-one, or all five of us against you alone?"

"Squirtle, for the sake of petting you, and to let you feel the warmth of humans again, I will definitely catch you!"

Ash stepped forward, clenched his fists, and made a grand gesture with his thumb.

"Don't slack off this time, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

Pikachu took a deep breath, lowered its center of gravity, and stepped forward with heavy, slow strides.

Wobbling back and forth, it possessed the distinct aura of Admiral Kizaru.

On the other side, the leader Squirtle also pointed a claw, and a subordinate Squirtle wearing round-framed sunglasses quickly stepped up.

"Pika!"

"Squirtle!"

The turtle and the mouse drew closer and closer until their bellies and shells made contact.

*Thud!*

Pikachu suddenly thrust its belly forward, actually forcing the round-framed Squirtle backward until it flipped onto the ground.

Due to the natural racial limitations of turtle-type Pokémon, it ended up on its back with its shell and belly facing up, its limbs flailing wildly in mid-air, unable to flip back over.

The ultimate dilemma of the turtle.

"Great job, Pikachu!"

Seeing one defeated, Ash was overjoyed.

In terms of similar body types, if it came down to a contest of tonnage, his Pikachu would absolutely not lose!

The leader Squirtle frowned and made another grand gesture with its thumb.

Then, its other three Squirtle subordinates all puffed out their bellies and charged, only to be promptly flipped over one by one by Pikachu, falling into the ultimate turtle crisis.

"Squirtle, Squirtle..."

"Squirtle, Squirtle..."

The sight of the four water turtles struggling on their backs was quite comical.

Finally, the leader Squirtle wearing pointed sunglasses could no longer endure it. It marched forward with heavy steps and braced its belly and shell with force.

"Pikachu, don't lose to it!"

Pikachu also braced its hind legs to make itself appear a few centimeters taller, lunging forward with its round, yellow belly.

"Pika!"

"Squirtle!"

Neither side would yield!

At that moment, Ash suddenly shouted, "Pikachu, now! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Squirtle?"

The leader Squirtle's eyes widened, and it turned its head toward Ash with a look of utter confusion.

Wasn't this supposed to be a simple belly-bumping contest?

*Zzzzt-BOOM!!*

The zero-distance contact meant the Squirtle had no time to resist.

Golden lightning erupted and spread out, instantly frying its entire body until it was well-done inside and out.

"Squirtle..."

By the time the electricity dissipated, the leader Squirtle's eyes were spinning, and it had already fainted, collapsing to the ground.

Super effective.

"I choose you, Poké Ball!!"

Ash threw five Poké Balls at once in a single palm strike. Soon, the fainted leader Squirtle, along with the four subordinates stuck in the ultimate turtle dilemma, were all drawn inside.

*Beep, beep, beep!*

In less than a moment, all five Poké Balls stopped shaking simultaneously.

This was a serious battle; who said they were just bumping bellies?

With a serious expression, Ash pocketed the five Poké Balls.

Now that he had caught both Bulbasaur and Squirtle, he felt as if he had been blessed with the longevity of a thousand-year tortoise, making him feel immensely gratified.

"I hope I run into a hundred-year-old Charmander tomorrow..."

***

Back at the Pokémon Center in town.

Ash released the leader Squirtle and couldn't resist reaching out to rub its bald head.

"Squirtle, Khen!"

The Squirtle suddenly snapped its jaws at him; if not for Ash's maxed-out reflexes, his arm would have nearly been bitten off.

"Be careful, it's wearing sunglasses. That Bite could tear your arm right off," Brock warned.

It was common knowledge that sunglasses could increase the power of Dark-type Bite moves.

"Squirtle, Squirtle!"

This Squirtle was clearly very indignant about Ash's non-frontal method of catching it.

It was truly infuriating!

"Squirtle, I want to discuss something with you..."

Ash clearly had no intention of continuing the fight, so he leaned in and attempted the "verbal persuasion" route of catching Pokémon.

"If your subordinates keep this up, they'll definitely be caught and thrown into a Pokémon prison. You know that prisons love fresh, tender new Pokémon the most."

Ash spoke with complete seriousness, making things up as he went.

"But if you follow me now, I can help you find suitable trainers. One catch, two benefits, three parties profiting—you're getting a massive bargain."

Hearing this, even the Squirtle lowered its head and began to ponder.

"Squirtle..."

It sat on a chair, its two short legs not even reaching the floor.

Ultimately, their mischief and pranks were just a way to seek attention and be noticed.

As the leader, it also hoped its subordinates would find a good home.

"Squirtle, Squirtle..."

It fell into hesitation.

It was truly a headache.

After a discussion, the Squirtle expressed its willingness to join Ash's team.

Ash quickly used the Pokémon Center's communication device to send the other three Squirtle subordinates back to Professor Oak's Laboratory, instructing him to help them find suitable trainers.

After all, everyone from Pallet Town was a good person.

In the video, Professor Oak, who had just received three starter Pokémon for free, suddenly asked

"By the way, Ash, should you be approaching Vermilion City soon?"

"Almost, almost."

Ash, happy to have gained another powerful member, spoke in a cheerful tone

"The map says if we cross that mountain ahead, then cross the sea further ahead, and walk another 10 kilometers, we'll be at Vermilion City. It's not far."

Professor Oak: "..."

"Anyway, hurry up. The Sakura Research Institute is about to officially open, and you must resolve the strange incidents there as soon as possible," he urged.

One must realize that the Sakura Research Institute was located in a large city with a lot of daily foot traffic.

If there really was a Pokémon causing trouble behind the scenes, it would be very problematic.

Unlike his Oak Laboratory, which was in the countryside with almost no traffic, save for the occasional neighbor dropping by.

"Oh, right. Brother Sakura said that if you resolve this matter, he can give you a few luxury tickets for the S.S. Anne. Those things are quite expensive."

"The S.S. Anne?" Ash looked confused.

"It's the top-tier cruise ship! I heard about it when I was in Cerulean City!"

Misty explained excitedly.

She had caught the keywords from Ash's conversation with Professor Oak.

A few ship tickets.

In other words, if she and Brock acted proactively, they could live like royalty!

It was worth mentioning that she had also taken the opportunity to obtain one of the Squirtles.

As a woman with "blue willpower," no one was more suited to adopting a Squirtle than Misty.

Soon, the three of them set off toward Vermilion City once again.

***

Not long after, following the map, they arrived at a barren mountainside.

Crossing this mountainside and then the sea ahead would bring them to Vermilion City; it indeed wasn't far.

Halfway through, they even discovered a wild Pokémon on a high rocky ledge.

Dark reddish-orange skin, sharp claws, a slender tail with a flame burning at the tip, and a pair of spirited eyes.

A Charmander!

"What incredible luck! I almost started doubting if I was the protagonist of this world!"

Ash was full of admiration, approaching with an excited face.

He hadn't expected that in less than three days, he would have encountered all three Kanto starters.

"Beep. Charmander. Xiao Yan Pokémon. Thirty years east, thirty years west; do not look down on a youth for being poor."

The Pokédex automatically reported.

"Xiao Yan?"

The three looked at each other, equally bewildered.

What a strange name.

Just as Ash, with burning eyes, was about to send out his "tool bird" to weaken the Charmander's stamina, Brock stopped him in time.

"Ash, look at its tail."

"Its tail?"

Ash paused his throwing motion and looked over in confusion.

The flame wasn't very large; it seemed almost non-existent.

Furthermore, this Charmander's stamina was clearly not at full health.

"Awoo..."

Even just lying on the high ledge, it was panting heavily, looking exhausted.

Does this mean it's ready to be caught?

"Go, Poké Ball!"

Ash threw the Poké Ball with force!

*Whoosh-thud!*

Even though it was extremely exhausted, the Charmander still lunged into the air, using a swift tail swipe to knock the Poké Ball back.

However, the returning Poké Ball was light, clearly indicating the opponent didn't even have the strength left to strike it properly.

For a moment, Ash didn't know how to proceed.

After thinking for a long while, Ash had no choice but to send out Pikachu.

"Pikachu, you're good with words. Go and try to communicate with it."

"Pika?"