Chapter Twenty-Five: The Ten-Thousand-Year Turtle

Deep in the forest, outside a wooden cabin, a young girl wearing a yellow straw hat was tending to the wild Pokémon nearby. Beside her, a Rattata was dozing off.

"Oh? Oddish, why are you hurt?"

The girl picked up the Oddish that had suddenly appeared and tended to its wounds.

*Rustle...*

The latter fluttered its leaves, as if trying to communicate something.

"Oh, the Bulbasaur was caught by a Trainer...?"

The girl tilted her head, seemingly able to understand the Pokémon's language. Rather than feeling any disappointment, she broke into a smile. She gently stroked the Oddish’s slender green leaves.

"It should have left a long time ago; it wasn't meant to stay here forever..."

Most of the Pokémon here were loafers living leisurely lives. That Bulbasaur, however, clearly possessed a desire to grow stronger through battle; the outside world was where it truly belonged. Yet, to protect these weaker Pokémon, it had never chosen to leave.

She gently set the Oddish down and looked at the other wild Pokémon around her.

"I should be like the Bulbasaur—I should go outside and see the world, too."

With that, the girl put on her yellow straw hat, packed her bags, and, accompanied only by her Rattata, began to walk in a certain direction. Behind her, a group of wild Pokémon called out in reluctance...

...

Having obtained the powerful Bulbasaur, Ash and his friends continued their journey toward Vermilion City. Suddenly, Brock said with a cheerful expression:

"There’s a small town ahead. Let's go and stock up on supplies!"

Caring for three people and a pile of Pokémon for three meals a day, plus the occasional afternoon tea and midnight snack, was beginning to strain even his four-dimensional backpack. In short, their supplies were running low. The trio quickly picked up their pace.

*Rumble...!*

Just as they reached a certain spot, they suddenly felt the ground beneath their feet give way, and the earth began to shake for no apparent reason.

"?" the three of them wondered.

*BOOM!*

Before Ash and the others could react, the ground beneath them broke open, revealing a deep pit, and the three of them, along with Pikachu, tumbled inside. Dust swirled, and they were all left dizzy from the nearly ten-meter fall.

"What on earth is this!" Misty complained.

"Is it Team Rocket again?" Ash grumbled as well.

Deep down, however, he felt an inexplicable surge of joy. It had been days since they last appeared, even though they claimed they would capture his Pikachu; wasn't that failing to keep their word? Though, of course, he would never let them actually catch it. Still, it at least made his Pikachu seem popular and valuable!

To his surprise, however, the heads that suddenly peeked over the edge were not those of Team Rocket.

"Huh, bald heads...?"

The trio looked up at the opening of the pit and saw five heads peering down, all of them completely bald and shining brightly under the sunlight. They were even wearing black sunglasses, looking like a professional team.

"Beep. Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon, one of the starter Pokémon. Blue and bald, likes to use Water Gun."

The Pokédex in his pocket announced automatically.

"Squirtle, squirtle..."

"Squirtle, squirtle..."

Seeing the three of them fall into the trap, the five Squirtle at the edge of the pit let out a laugh, whispering to each other with cocky expressions.

"Damn it, are you the ones behind this?!"

Ash felt his blood boil. He put away his Pokédex, stood up, and planted his feet firmly on Brock’s back to push off with force.

*Thump! Thump!*

He even used the surrounding rock walls to perform two Newton-style wall jumps. Using the momentum, he managed to grab the edge of the pit opening with one hand.

*Whoosh!*

With one final heave, Ash pulled himself up and appeared outside the pit.

"Squirtle!?"

"Squirtle?!"

The five Squirtle couldn't help but retreat half a step, shocked. They had used this trap to prank countless travelers, but no human had ever escaped so easily. They were terrified by this human’s athleticism!

"Squirtles? To think it’s another starter Pokémon..."

Ash’s expression changed even more. Were starter Pokémon becoming so common that they could be found anywhere in the wild?

Seeing this, Ash pointed his finger and shouted:

"Stop slacking off, Pikachu! I choose you!"

Regardless of whether it was a prank, he wanted to catch a Squirtle. They looked so silly that he really wanted to rub their bald heads.

"Pika!"

Pikachu kicked its short legs and landed between Ash and the five Squirtle. Today, it was full of energy! Slacking off was necessary, but one shouldn't let others see it. Being called out so grandly by Ash meant its training as a Pikachu still had a long way to go. It had to fight seriously today!

Ash waved his finger, simple and direct.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Electric-type beats Water-type; he was sure of the win today!

"Pika... CHU!!!"

The Thunderbolt crackled on Pikachu's cheeks, then transformed into a distorted golden bolt of electricity that shot out!

"Squirtle, squirtle..."

"Squirtle, squirtle..."

As the golden light struck, the five sunglasses-wearing Squirtle scrambled in chaos.

"Squirtle!!"

However, one Squirtle wearing distinctive pointed-frame sunglasses reacted first. It fired a high-speed Water Gun directly at Pikachu’s face, drenching the mouse Pokémon.

"Pika...!"

With its face hit, Pikachu’s Thunderbolt lost its aim. The current, which should have engulfed all five turtles, only managed to strike one.

"Squirtle, squirtle..."

The Thunderbolt was still powerful enough to leave the round-eyed Squirtle charred and unable to continue the battle.

Ash wasn't annoyed. "Then let's do it again! Use Thunderbolt!!"

The fierce electric bolt surged forward again. This time, the four Squirtle were prepared and sprayed Water Guns in unison. However, the blue jets of water didn't try to counter the Thunderbolt head-on.

*Splosh!!*

*Splosh!!*

Instead, they bypassed Pikachu and fired toward the ground near Ash and the pit opening, instantly soaking that area along with the Trainer.

*Zzzzt!!!*

Since Pikachu was also standing on the dampened ground, the Thunderbolt suddenly veered, surging toward Ash and his friends.

Water conducts electricity.

*Crackle!*

Ash, along with the two in the pit, were electrocuted to their heart's content... Brock and Misty didn't even know what was happening above; they were just getting hit with water and paralyzed by electricity...

"Pika...?"

Realizing something was wrong, Pikachu stopped the current and looked back at its Trainer with an embarrassed expression. It really did want to fight properly today...!

"Squirtle! Squirtle! Squirtle!"

At that moment, the four Squirtle quickly hoisted their fallen comrade onto their shoulders and chose to make a tactical retreat, shouting and bobbing their bodies as they ran. They were a professional team.

...

Not long after, Ash and his friends arrived at the town ahead, their bodies aching and limbs numb. It was only then that they learned this "professional team" were repeat offenders who often pranked travelers around the town. Although they hadn't caused any major danger, they had certainly annoyed many of the townspeople.

"They are Pokémon abandoned by their Trainers. Perhaps that is why they are so rebellious..." the local Officer Jenny explained to them.

If they continued to cause trouble, the authorities would be forced to take strict measures.

"Abandoned?"

Ash looked puzzled. He couldn't understand why anyone would be willing to abandon their Pokémon. Before he became a Trainer, he had dreamed of having one. It was a feeling of extreme longing, making the word "abandoned" completely foreign to him.

"Not all Trainers are as passionate as you, Ash," Brock sighed, patting him on the shoulder and explaining with a sense of helplessness:

"Especially those Trainers who use 'strength' as their only standard. When their Pokémon hit their psychological limit, they are cast aside without mercy."

There were even many Trainers who hatched large clutches of eggs just to pick the best individual. As for the rest, once they hatched, they were simply left in the forest, their survival left to fate. Under Pokémon law, abandoning a Pokémon egg was a crime, but a newly hatched infant could be discarded. It was a legal loophole.

"I don't accept this behavior. There are no weak Pokémon, only trashy Trainers."

Ash clenched his fists, his expression darkening.

"If I ever see those Trainers who abandon their Pokémon, I’m going to punch them right in the face."

Even Brock, who usually opposed violence, couldn't find a flaw in this behavior. Both emotional and rational paths were valid, but Ash's choice of the emotional path was one he could undoubtedly respect more.

Now that he knew the cause and effect, Ash's annoyance toward the group of Squirtle dissipated. His gaze sharpened as he turned to Officer Jenny and requested:

"Officer Jenny, leave those five Squirtle to me! I’m going to catch them!"

If it was humans who had made them feel disappointed, then he would be the one to let the Squirtle feel warmth once again!