Chapter 112: Squirtle

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Ash helped Misty remove the heavy firefighting equipment from his body, and then he took off his own gear. He immediately felt refreshed. The firefighting suit was thick and uncomfortable, and the experience gave him a deeper appreciation for the hardworking firefighters.

"I admire these brave people," Ash thought.

"Officer Jenny, now that the task is complete, can we leave?" Ash turned to Officer Jenny, noticing that Misty seemed a bit tired.

"No problem, your trainer numbers have been registered, and the rewards will be issued tomorrow at the latest," Officer Jenny said, smiling. "Thank you so much for your help."

"You're welcome! We're leaving now," Ash and Misty said their goodbyes to Officer Jenny and began to leave. But then Pikachu, sitting on Ash's shoulder, tugged on his hair.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash paused, turning to look at Pikachu.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu pointed behind them.

Ash and Misty turned around and saw a small Squirtle a few meters away, staring at them, or rather, at Ash. Originally, Squirtle looked a bit disappointed, thinking that Ash was about to leave, but when it saw Ash turn around and notice it, the Squirtle's face brightened with surprise and a little hesitation.

"What a cute Squirtle!" Misty exclaimed. After being busy with firefighting earlier, she hadn't had time to notice the Squirtle, but now she relaxed and admired it. She would love to have a Squirtle of her own.

Squirtle was a Water-type Pokémon with great potential, and it would be a wonderful addition to Misty's team. However, Squirtle didn't seem to be interested in Misty and instead kept its eyes on Ash.

"What? Do you want to come with me?" Ash asked, walking closer to Squirtle. The Squirtle hesitated, glancing back at its friends. They were standing a few meters away, watching the interaction. They understood their leader's feelings. Squirtle might have already been thinking about leaving Yangquan City for a while, and its friends knew it.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle nodded eagerly, its eyes full of hope.

"You want to leave with me?" Ash asked, smiling at the eager Pokémon.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle responded enthusiastically.

"Well, it's not easy. If you travel with me, you'll have to train hard and face many tough opponents. After all, my goal is to become the world's number one Pokémon trainer!" Ash said as he gently petted Squirtle's head, explaining the challenges of his journey.

At hearing Ash's words, Squirtle's eyes sparkled, and it gave an excited growl, signaling its readiness to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

"In that case, you're welcome to join us!" Ash smiled. He held out his hand toward Squirtle. "From now on, we'll be companions!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped in front of Squirtle, welcoming it to the team.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle placed its small hand on Ash's, accepting the offer.

"[Achievement: All members gathered], reward draw *1."

Squirtle

Type: Water

Category: Turtle Pokémon

Ability: Torrent; Hidden Ability: Rain Dish

Riptide: When the Pokémon's HP drops to a third or lower, the power of its Water-type moves increases by 1.5 times.

Strength: Ordinary level

Later, at the Pokémon Center dormitory, Ash released Squirtle and his other Pokémon, allowing them to meet each other. He also took the opportunity to check Squirtle's stats. Currently, Squirtle was at the ordinary level, but it wasn't far from a breakthrough. If it evolved, it would definitely reach the elite level, so Ash was considering allowing Squirtle to evolve. However, he would wait for Squirtle to decide for itself, just like he had with Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur was at the boundary between the ordinary and elite levels. It could evolve at any time, but it didn't seem eager to do so. Ash hadn't pressured it, merely encouraging Bulbasaur to make its own choice. If Bulbasaur continued to grow at this pace, it might eventually fall behind the other members of the team. Bulbasaur would come to understand this on its own when the time was right.

"Knock, knock..." There was a knock on the door. Ash recalled his Pokémon into their Poké Balls, called Pikachu, and opened the door. Misty, freshly cleaned and changed, stood outside.

"It's almost time. Let's head to the lobby and wait for Brock," Misty said with a smile.

"Okay," Ash nodded. He closed the door behind him and followed Misty to the lobby. They waited for a few minutes until Brock arrived, carrying some bags from his shopping.

After saying hello to Brock, they all went to the restaurant to eat and share their experiences from the afternoon.

"I didn't expect you to join the firefighting operation," Brock said, after learning about Ash and Misty's afternoon. "I saw the thick smoke from over there, but I didn't go to check it out."

"Squirtle's meals will be your responsibility, Brock!" Ash said, referring to the food he usually provided for his Pokémon, which Brock prepared. Brock's recipes were known for being nutritious and promoting the Pokémon's growth, so Ash was confident in his cooking abilities.

"No problem, leave it to me!" Brock said confidently. "I also plan to further revise all the Pokémon recipes. I learned a lot from Professor Bill this afternoon, and I bought some new ingredients to enhance the recipes!"

"Wow, Brock, you're amazing!" Ash said with admiration. It was clear that Brock was a big help in improving the team's strength.

Ash knew that with Brock's skills, he would be able to make great progress in his journey. After all, it was thanks to Brock's guidance that Ash had reached the top sixteen in the Indigo Plateau Conference.

After dinner, everyone returned to their dorms. Misty didn't go to her room but instead came to Ash and Brock's dorm to improve the recipes together. She also wanted to learn from Brock since, as a future Gym Leader, understanding how to cultivate Pokémon would be essential.

Seeing Squirtle's situation, Brock quickly came up with a new recipe. He improved the previous version and prepared the food for Squirtle and the other Pokémon. Once the food was ready, all the Pokémon ate it happily.

Brock smiled contentedly, knowing he was getting closer to becoming a top Pokémon Breeder.