Chapter 26: Xiao Yan’s Pokémon

On an open patch of land on the outskirts of the town, Ash and the Squirtle Squad had taken their stances. The Squirtle that had been unable to battle earlier had regained its spirited look. Five Squirtles wearing black sunglasses puffed out their chests and braced their bellies, refusing to yield an inch.

"Squirtle, squirtle!" the leader barked, issuing a challenge in its own tongue. The meaning was roughly asking if Ash wanted to challenge all five of them at once, or if they should take turns facing him.

"Squirtles, for the sake of your own good, and to let you feel the warmth of humanity once again, I will definitely capture you!" Ash stepped forward, clenched his fists, and gave a resolute wave. "Don't slack off this time, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu took a deep breath, lowered its center of gravity, and stepped forward with heavy, deliberate footsteps—swaying with the swagger of an Admiral.

On the other side, the leader Squirtle pointed a claw, and a subordinate wearing round-framed sunglasses hurried forward.

"Pika!"
"Squirtle!"

The mouse and the turtle closed the distance until their bellies and shells were touching.

*Thwack!*

Pikachu suddenly thrust its belly forward, forcefully shoving the round-framed Squirtle backward until it flipped over. Due to the natural anatomical limitations of the species, the Squirtle landed on its shell, legs flailing helplessly in the air—the ultimate dilemma for any turtle.

"Nice one, Pikachu!" Ash cheered. When it came to a contest of weight and stature, his Pikachu was never going to lose!

The leader Squirtle furrowed its brow and signaled again. Three more subordinates waddled forward, only to be flipped onto their backs by Pikachu one by one, succumbing to the same turtle crisis.

"Squirtle, squirtle..."
"Squirtle, squirtle..."

The four water turtles looked quite silly as they struggled on their backs. Finally, the leader, wearing sharp-framed sunglasses, couldn't take it anymore. It stepped forward with a heavy gait, bracing itself for the impact.

"Pikachu, don't lose to it!"

Pikachu stood on its tiptoes to gain a few extra centimeters and charged forward with its round yellow belly.

"Pika!"
"Squirtle!"

Neither would give an inch! Just then, Ash shouted, "Pikachu, now! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Squirtle?" The leader's eyes widened, and it turned its head toward Ash in sheer confusion. Isn't this supposed to be a belly-bumping contest?

*Crackle-boom!*

At such close range, the Squirtle had no chance to react. Golden lightning erupted and spread, leaving the turtle charred and stunned.

"Squirtle..." By the time the electricity faded, the leader had spiraled eyes and was knocked out, lying on the ground.

It was super effective.

"I choose you, Poké Ball!"

***

Ash threw five Poké Balls simultaneously, quickly capturing the fainted leader and the four subordinates who were still stuck in their helpless, flipped-over state.

*Click... click... click!*

In no time, all five balls stopped shaking. It had been a serious battle all along—who ever said it was just about belly-bumping? Ash solemnly pocketed the five Poké Balls. Having captured both a Bulbasaur and a group of Squirtles, Ash felt like a king among men. "Hopefully, I'll run into a century-old Charmander tomorrow..."

***

Back at the Pokémon Center, Ash released the leader Squirtle and couldn't help but reach out to stroke its bald head.

"Squirtle-bite!"

The Squirtle lunged with a bite; if not for Ash’s maxed-out reflexes, he would have nearly lost an arm.

"Be careful, it’s wearing sunglasses. A Bite move from that can tear your arm off," Brock warned. It was common knowledge that sunglasses boosted the power of Dark-type biting moves.

"Squirtle, squirtle!" The Squirtle was clearly resentful of the unconventional way it had been captured. It was truly infuriating!

"Listen, Squirtle, let's make a deal..." Ash, having no intention of continuing the fight, moved closer to try and talk it over. "If your subordinates keep going like this, they’ll definitely be caught by someone else and thrown into a Pokémon prison. You know as well as I do that prisons love fresh, tender, rookie Pokémon."

Ash spoke with a straight face, making it all up. "But if you come with me, I’ll help you find suitable trainers. One capture, two outcomes, three parties benefiting—you’re making a huge profit."

Upon hearing this, even the Squirtle lowered its head in contemplation.

"Squirtle..." It sat on a chair, its short legs barely reaching the floor. When it came down to it, their pranks were merely a cry for attention. As their leader, it also wanted a good future for its subordinates.

"Squirtle, squirtle..." It was hesitant. It was truly a headache...

After some discussion, the Squirtle agreed to join Ash’s team. Ash quickly used the Poké Center’s communication device to send the three subordinate Squirtles to Professor Oak’s lab, instructing him to find them suitable trainers. After all, everyone from Pallet Town was a good person.

On the screen, Professor Oak, who had just received three free starter Pokémon, asked, "By the way, Ash, you should be close to Vermilion City, right?"

"Almost there!" Ash was overjoyed to have gained a new powerhouse, his tone becoming cheerful. "The map says if we cross that mountain ahead, then the sea beyond that, and walk another ten kilometers, we'll be in Vermilion City. It's not far at all."

Professor Oak: "..."

"Anyway, pick up the pace. The Cerise Laboratory is opening soon, and we must resolve the strange incidents there as soon as possible," he urged. The Cerise Laboratory was located in a major city with heavy foot traffic. If a Pokémon were causing trouble, it would be a huge headache—unlike his own lab, which was in the countryside with few visitors. "Oh, and young Cerise said that if you solve this, he can give you some luxury tickets for the S.S. Anne. Those aren't cheap."

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

"That's a top-tier cruise ship! I heard about it when I was in Cerulean City!" Misty explained excitedly. She had caught the keywords in the conversation between Ash and the Professor. *Tickets.* That meant if she and Brock acted quickly, they could live the high life! It was worth mentioning that she had also managed to snag one of the Squirtles earlier. After all, as a woman with the "Blue Will," no one was better suited to adopt a Squirtle than her.

Soon, the trio set off again toward Vermilion City.

***

Not long after, following the map, they arrived at a barren mountainside. Crossing this slope and the sea ahead would indeed bring them to Vermilion City; it wasn't far. Halfway there, they discovered a wild Pokémon on a high rocky ledge.

It had dark, fiery-red skin, sharp claws, a thin tail with a flame burning at the tip, and a pair of spirited eyes.

A Charmander!

"What incredible luck! I almost suspect I'm the protagonist of this world!" Ash exclaimed, rushing over in excitement. He hadn't expected to encounter all three Kanto starters within three days.

"Beep. Charmander, the Xiao Yan Pokémon. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don't bully the young because they are poor," the Pokédex announced automatically.

"Xiao Yan?" The three of them looked at each other, completely baffled. What a strange name.

Just as Ash fixed a fiery gaze on the Pokémon and prepared to send out his "tool bird" to weaken it, Brock grabbed him.

"Ash, look at its tail."

"Tail?" Ash paused his throwing motion and looked closely. The flame was faint, flickering as if it might go out. The Charmander’s stamina was clearly far from full.

"Ao..." It was panting even while lying on the ledge, looking exhausted.

Does this mean it can be captured...?

"Go, Poké Ball!" Ash slammed the ball forward!

*Whoosh-thwack!*

Even in its exhausted state, the Charmander sprang up and swiped its tail, batting the Poké Ball away. However, the ball drifted back weakly; it was clear the Pokémon had very little strength left.

For a moment, even Ash didn't know what to do. After thinking for a long time, he decided to send out Pikachu.

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

"Pika?"