Chapter 78 Temporary Team, Traveling Together with Rosa and Ruby

Chapter 78 Temporary Team, Traveling Together with Rosa and Ruby

"Hello, I'm Rosa from Aspertia City in the Unova region," Rosa said.

"Hi, I'm Ruby from Goldenrod City. You're Ron from Pallet Town, right? My dad has mentioned you before," Ruby also approached and introduced himself.

Gary also walked over briefly, greeted Ron, then quickly left.

Ron looked at the two people in front of him and said, "I am indeed Ron from Pallet Town. Is there something you two need from me?"

Rosa exchanged glances with Ruby and explained, "Actually, I heard about your breeding house, so I came from the Unova region hoping to see if I could obtain a Pokémon from there."

Ruby nodded in agreement and said, "I'm here for the same reason—I wanted to visit your breeding house and hopefully get a Pokémon. The fishing contest here caught my attention, so I decided to participate, but I didn't expect to meet you here, Ron."

Rosa also nodded, agreeing with Ruby. Ron nodded and took a closer look at Mienfoo.

Ron had to admit his luck was pretty good—it was a top-grade Mienfoo. Mienfoo was a Fighting-type Pokémon representing Chinese martial arts, making it a perfect match for the unique modified techniques available from Ron's system.

Having obtained an excellent Mienfoo that matched so well, coupled with his system's specialized moves, Ron realized this Mienfoo had great potential to become one of his main battle Pokémon.

After recalling Mienfoo and sending Chansey back, Ron stood up and asked, "Since you two want to visit my breeding house, are you planning to go to Goldenrod City first or take another route?"

"That's what I was thinking," Ruby said. "Ron, since you're challenging the Johto League, your next destination is definitely Goldenrod City, right? We happen to be going the same way. Want to travel together?"

"Yes, yes! Traveling together would be so much fun!" Rosa agreed enthusiastically.

Ron thought for a moment, then said, "Alright. Ruby, since you're from Goldenrod City, I'll count on you to be our guide."

"No problem!" Ruby replied confidently, giving a thumbs-up.

After speaking, Ruby glanced at Celebi on Ron's shoulder and suddenly pulled Ron aside, saying seriously, "Ron, I have something to tell you. Recently, I also obtained a Celebi. It told me I'll move to the Hoenn region in the future, where a major disaster will occur. Only I and a certain girl can resolve it. However, Celebi recently told me again that if possible, it hopes you can also help me. That's partly why I came looking for you."

Seeing Ruby's serious expression, Ron quickly understood the situation and nodded without hesitation, "No problem. When do you plan to move?"

"We don't have plans yet, but my dad has already been appointed as the Gym Leader of Petalburg City. It'll probably be soon," Ruby said earnestly. "It'll likely be after the Silver Conference. Ron, I'd like to ask you a favor."

"What favor?" Ron asked.

"I'd like to travel with you, at least until that major event is resolved. At the same time, I hope you'll train me. My dad arranged for Wallace to be my mentor, but he's always busy and doesn't have much time to teach me. So, I was hoping to train under you first. Since you've won the Indigo League, your strength must be quite impressive," Ruby explained.

Ron was left speechless, thinking about the huge gap between them. He had only received some brief pointers from Steven, while Ruby had Wallace, an actual champion, as his mentor, and still complained about Wallace's lack of time.

Ron had the impulse to grab Ruby by the collar and smack some sense into him, but after thinking carefully, he still agreed. After all, Ruby had a champion-level mentor, and Ron thought he might learn a thing or two by association.

Once Ron and Ruby finished their private talk, Rosa walked over and said with a teasing smile, "Done with your boys' secret talk? Now it's my turn. Ron, do you have a girlfriend? What do you think of me?"

She looked at Ron with affectionate eyes, seeming ready to throw herself into his arms if he nodded.

"Uh..." Ron broke into a cold sweat. Were kids nowadays really this bold? Confessing directly?

Seeing Ron's reaction, Rosa burst into laughter and said, "Just kidding. You're not my type at all."

Ron shook his head helplessly at Rosa's sudden change and said, "Alright, let's go together. To Goldenrod City first."

"Yeah!" Rosa cheered energetically.

"Then let's go," Ruby said calmly.

Looking at their distinctly different personalities, Ron thought their journey ahead wouldn't be boring at all.

Soon after, Ron's group entered a dark, gloomy forest. The lighting was dim, so Ron released Gengar as a precaution.

Oddly enough, the forest didn't seem to have any Ghost-type Pokémon at all. Rosa remarked with confusion, "In such a dark forest, you'd think it would be a paradise for Ghost Pokémon. Why haven't we seen any yet?"

"It's probably because of that," Ruby said, pointing at a Pokémon perched on a tree branch.

Ron looked up and understood immediately, "No wonder—it's a Noctowl. Noctowl naturally restrains Ghost-type Pokémon. Even if it can't always defeat Ghost-types, its ability to naturally see through their disguises makes them uncomfortable."

As Ron spoke, he remembered this was probably the place where Ash caught his shiny Noctowl. Just as Ron had this thought, Rosa excitedly shouted, "Look! A shiny Noctowl!"

Following Rosa's direction, they saw a shiny Noctowl perched on a branch, its head turned 180 degrees, quietly observing Ron's group.

"Alright! I'm going to catch it! Serperior, use Leaf Storm!" Rosa called out, releasing her Serperior.

Ron covered his face; they underestimated this Noctowl far too much. Each shiny Pokémon had a unique quality that distinguished it from ordinary ones. Like Ron's Beedrill, which possessed immense power—Ron had understood this clearly the moment he caught it and witnessed the Poison Sting it fired. As for Gengar, Ron hadn't noticed any special abilities aside from its incredible acting skills; it was a natural-born actor capable of deceiving nearly anyone who didn't pay attention.

This shiny Noctowl, according to the anime, possessed extraordinary intelligence. Its battle strength might not be particularly outstanding, but its intelligence alone was enough for it to shine in the hands of a trainer who excelled in tactics. Unfortunately, it ended up with the hot-headed Ash, which was honestly a waste.

Facing the oncoming Leaf Storm, the Noctowl spread its wings, shaking off numerous feathers and blocking everyone's line of sight. By the time their vision cleared, the Pokémon had already vanished.

"Damn it! That Noctowl is way too smart! Blocking our vision to escape—there's no way we'll find it now," Rosa complained.

"Forget it. It obviously wasn't interested in you. You can't force it if it's not meant to be," Ruby said indifferently.

Ron glanced at Ruby, thinking silently: Not everyone is like you, who could take down a Salamence with just a Skitty, a Poochyena, and a Ralts. Even though Ruby had sustained an injury, leaving a scar on his forehead, considering how young he was at the time, it clearly demonstrated his exceptional battling talent.

But ever since that incident, Ruby had chosen the path of a Pokémon Coordinator instead. As for why, Ron had a clear idea in his heart.

After all, Ron didn't want to interfere in their private affairs.