Chapter 76 Meeting Gold by Chance

Chapter 76 Meeting Gold by Chance

Looking at Cosmoem quietly floating in the air, Ron subconsciously reached out to pick it up. To his surprise, he didn't feel any weight at all. Ron scratched his head and muttered, "Strange. Did I somehow gain superhuman strength like Ash?"

Right after saying this, Cosmoem instantly became extremely heavy and slammed heavily onto the ground, creating a deep crater before slowly floating up again.

"I get it, I get it." Ron sighed, grabbing Cosmoem again, "You're using your psychic powers to float, aren't you? Alright, stop throwing tantrums; I'll let you out more often from now on."

After recalling Cosmoem into the Master Ball, Ron didn't dare stay any longer and quickly left the area, leaving behind only a severely damaged patch of grass. Anyone unaware of the situation would think some huge Pokémon had rampaged here.

Three days later, near a small lake, Ron was taking a short break after lunch. He took out his Super Rod to see if he could catch some high-quality Water-type Pokémon.

Strangely enough, in the past, he would get a bite within a minute of putting the bait into the water. This time, however, three minutes passed without even the slightest movement from the fishing rod.

"Could it be there aren't any high-grade Pokémon in this lake?" Ron mumbled to himself.

Staring at the unmoving fishing rod, Ron glanced at his Pokémon, who had already dozed off, and yawned himself, slowly drifting into a nap.

Just as he was about to doze off, the fishing rod suddenly jerked sharply. Ron instantly woke up and activated his strength attribute, which was over a hundred, immediately pulling a shadow out of the water.

Ron took a closer look and was left speechless. He saw a young boy wearing swimming trunks and diving equipment tightly hugging a Marill, which had Ron's hook firmly in its mouth. What kind of situation was this?

The two stared at each other, and Ron couldn't help but feel that the boy looked somewhat familiar. The boy struggled mid-air, spat out his mouthpiece, and shouted, "Hey, who are you? I was about to catch this Marill myself!"

As he spoke, a Politoed leaped out of the water, confirming the boy's words.

"Sorry about that. Gold caused you trouble," a girl's voice suddenly came from nearby.

A girl with slightly upturned twin ponytails, wearing overalls and a large hat, stepped out from the bushes. Seeing Gold's condition, she said, "Gold, the Marill was clearly caught by this person. Don't interfere."

"No way! I discovered this Marill underwater and chased after it for ages!" Gold protested without hesitation.

"Forget it. You can catch this Marill if you want," Ron said, though he had already guessed who these two people might be.

"Really? Thank you! My name is Crystal. You can just call me Crys," the girl thanked Ron politely.

"Hehe, thanks, buddy." Gold smiled broadly, "Explotaro, it's up to you. Razor Leaf!"

A Sunflora appeared and quickly swung its leafy arms, sending a wave of sharp leaves toward Marill. Marill didn't even have time to react and was repeatedly pushed back.

"Explotaro, use Leech Seed to trap it," Gold commanded.

Sunflora released seeds that quickly sprouted upon touching Marill, binding it tightly. Soon after, Gold threw a Poké Ball and captured it.

The Poké Ball instantly transferred away, and Gold rubbed his nose proudly, smiling at Ron, "Thanks, buddy. By the way, I still don't know your name."

"I'm Ron from Pallet Town. I'm currently challenging the Johto League, preparing to participate in the Silver Conference. How about you guys?" Ron replied with a smile.

"Us? We're just wandering around. But Ron, your name sounds familiar," Gold said thoughtfully.

"Oh, I remember now! You're Ron, the trainer who took in a Celebi!" Crystal exclaimed suddenly.

Ron nodded and waved. Celebi, who had been sleeping on a nearby tree, landed lightly on Ron's shoulder and even waved at Crystal in greeting.

"You two know each other?" Ron asked Celebi curiously.

Celebi chirped cheerfully, indicating they had met at the League before, and Crystal had treated it kindly. Ron nodded understandingly, then turned to Crystal and Gold and asked, "Are you two on vacation?"

From Celebi's explanation, Ron had roughly guessed who they were. Gold, the male protagonist of Pokémon Gold and Silver, and Crystal, the female protagonist. Currently, it seemed they were on official League business.

"Yeah, sort of. Just relaxing before our next mission. Recently, the League decided to send us to the Hoenn region, so we probably won't have much free time soon," Crystal replied.

"Yeah, if I knew it earlier, I wouldn't have accepted the League's invitation. Always running around is so troublesome," Gold complained.

Ron suddenly recalled that in the comics, one of them specialized in hatching Pokémon, and the other was an expert at capturing them. He wondered if it was true.

So, Ron asked, "Crys, I heard you're extremely good at capturing Pokémon. Is that true?"

"Yep, it's true. You should see Crys's collection. She has caught over five hundred Pokémon!" Gold interrupted excitedly before Crystal could speak.

Crystal glared at Gold slightly before turning back to Ron, "I know you own a breeding house. Are you asking me to help you catch Pokémon?"

"Yes," Ron nodded honestly.

"Sorry, I haven't done something like that for a long time. After all..." Crystal hesitated.

"I'll pay generously. Plus, you'll have first priority to pick any top-quality Pokémon from my breeding house. As long as you're capable, you can pay and take them at any time," Ron quickly interrupted her.

"Deal! Send me the transfer address!" Crystal immediately agreed without hesitation.

Since joining the League, Crystal had broadened her horizons, understanding that if she wanted to improve further, high-quality Pokémon were indispensable. Ron's breeding house usually prioritized supplying top-quality Pokémon to the League. Generally, champions and the Elite Four chose first, and only afterward would lower-ranking trainers get a chance. Although Ron insisted on getting the Pokémon's approval first, champions and the Elite Four could easily convince Pokémon with their strength. Naturally, Pokémon would choose to follow powerful trainers, seeing better opportunities ahead.

Thus, Ron's offer of priority selection was incredibly tempting. Both of them took the bait. Seeing Crystal agree, Ron turned to Gold, who wore an eager expression, and smiled, "Gold, I have something to ask of you as well."

"You can count on me! What's the reward?" Gold asked confidently.

"I'll directly gift you one top-quality Pokémon of your choice from my breeding house. No payment required," Ron replied generously.

Gold hesitated slightly since the condition was even better than Crystal's, which likely meant the task would be difficult. He asked carefully, "What's the task?"

Ron handed Gold three Pokémon eggs and explained, "You two are heading to Hoenn, so I'd like you to help me find the exact locations of these three Pokémon. Even better if you can directly find them and have them unseal these eggs."

Gold stared in disbelief, eyes wide. Ron nodded seriously, "Just keep this in mind. It's fine if you fail, but you must at least find their locations. After the Silver Conference, I'll immediately head to Hoenn to find you guys. I'm counting on you. Even if you fail, Gold, although I won't gift you a Pokémon directly, you'll still have priority selection rights."

Gold clenched his teeth and decisively replied, "It's a deal!"