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"Keep the Forced Exerciser on!"
After catching Scyther, Ash decided to transfer Houndoom to Professor Oak's lab.
Not only that, he also transferred Magcargo back, letting Houndoom train it well.
Training exchanges between Pokémon of the same type would be more efficient.
Now, Ash had Houndoom training Magcargo, while Slowpoke and Wartortle were with Totodile. Occasionally, when passing by a Pokémon Center in the forest, Ash would transfer Totodile back for some training.
The Pokémon currently with Ash were Pikachu, Snorlax, Heracross, Scyther, Meganium, and the specially colored Noctowl he exchanged for!
Now, Meganium would travel with Xiaomei. The two girls got along very well, chatting non-stop.
Ash nodded, "That's right. The Pelipper and Wingull we encountered before were very cool and suited my fighting style!"
Actually, Ash and his group had encountered Scyther before during their travels, and not just once.
In the Orange Islands, Satoshi also caught an elderly Scyther.
But unfortunately, the previous Ash couldn't catch one. Now that he had transmigrated, Ash naturally wanted to train a cool red shiny!
Imagine how cool Scizor would look when it Mega Evolved, no longer the sharp-edged mechanical Mega Evolution!
Ash had a system shop. No matter how precious or rare an item was, it was just a matter of winning a few more battles. He could completely catch a Scyther, then evolve it into Scizor!
"Big Brother Ash, can I come in with you?" Xiaomei asked, pulling Ash's hand.
"Then let's go ask the staff!"
At the Natural Park entrance, there were staff members wearing Mothim costumes.
"What are the prizes for the winner?" Since his goal was to be Champion, he naturally had to ask about the prizes. No problem with that!
"The winner can get luxurious merchandise, and a Bug-type Pokémon as a prize!" The staff member introduced.
In other words, winning the championship meant taking home the captured Bug-type Pokémon!
Excellent, he's participating!
"I want to sign up for the Bug-Catching Contest. Can my sister enter with me?" Ash asked.
The staff member looked at Xiaomei. Under her hopeful gaze, he nodded and agreed, "Of course, but please take good care of her, as there are still dangers in the park!"
"Xiaomei isn't afraid, Big Brother Ash is the best!" Hearing that she could enter with Ash, Xiaomei immediately became happy.
There were indeed dangers in the Natural Park. Not to mention anything else, just the Beedrill swarm was enough to give the trainers here a hard time.
While leading Xiaomei to queue for registration, Ash and his group also met an acquaintance!
The rookie trainer he had once battled, Nana!
"Ash, long time no see. Are you participating in the Bug-Catching Contest? Me too!" Nana noticed Ash and his group, then ran over to Ash.
Her Chikorita still looked very energetic.
"After you left, Chikorita and I did a lot of special training and have been winning battle after battle!" Nana must have experienced a lot during this journey.
"Nana, Chikorita, come meet your senior!" Saying that, Ash threw out Meganium's Poké Ball!
Meganium's much larger figure appeared before Chikorita and Nana, then happily rubbed against Ash's arm.
"It's Meganium!" Seeing the evolved form of her best partner, Nana seemed even happier than Chikorita.
Actually, Meganium's size was enough to carry Xiaomei, and its figure was rounder, making it more comfortable to sit on.
However, Ash wanted Houndoom to train with the Forced Exerciser, and also have it carry Xiaomei during their travels. This was a win-win situation.
After signing up, Ash and Nana stood in the line of contestants, waiting for the competition to begin.
The competition rules required trainers to use only one Pokémon. Ash's partner was definitely Pikachu, so Ash could only quietly wait, holding Xiaomei's hand.
Secondly, when catching Bug-type Pokémon, trainers couldn't use their own Poké Balls. They had to use Park Balls provided by the park, one per person.
Unlike Poké Balls, which become useless after releasing a Pokémon, this Park Ball could be freely swapped before catching a desired Bug-type Pokémon!
Ash received a Park Ball, and Xiaomei took it and hugged it.
Xiaomei was very fond of Poké Balls; this was the romance of a Pokémon trainer.
As the host announced the start of the Bug-Catching Contest, Ash turned to Nana and greeted her. He then carried Xiaomei on his back and ran off.
"So fast, go Big Brother, go Pikachu!"
Ash didn't know how fast he was running now. Xiaomei cheered on his back. She was a little girl who dared to ride Entei everywhere. "Meganium, look, such a wide river!" Xiaomei cheered, pointing ahead.
Such a wide river, it wouldn't be easy to cross!
Logically, there should be a bridge nearby. The group looked around and indeed found a bridge under construction.
"Excuse me, is there another bridge here?" This bridge was under construction and clearly impassable, so he had to ask about others.
However, the workers replied that all the bridges here had been washed away by the recent heavy rain and floods. They were now working urgently to rebuild them.
It would take another month to complete!
"The water flow doesn't seem too strong. How about I have Snorlax carry us across?" Ash suggested, holding Snorlax's Poké Ball.
His Snorlax was a nimble fat guy. Not only was it agile, but it could also swim, and it swam the butterfly stroke.
"Wouldn't that be bad..." Misty was a little worried.
"Crossing the river on Snorlax? Yay, yay!" Xiaomei, on the other hand, was very excited.
Then it was settled!
Ash threw out Snorlax's Poké Ball. It was actually still awake.
After this period of training and feeding, Snorlax had grown another size larger, and its aura had also become much stronger.
Not only the system feed Ash exchanged for, but also a lot of milk from large milk jars, Ash fed it as snacks. He finally managed to push its bond value to 225/255.
"Snorlax, I'm counting on you!"
With such a high bond value, Snorlax readily nodded and plunged into the river.
It actually used the backstroke, exposing its plump belly on the water, its two strong arms slowly paddling.
"Oh my God, it can even backstroke?" Misty was stunned by Snorlax. She had thought Snorlax was unreliable, but this was completely mind-blowing!
"My Snorlax is not ordinary!" Ash smiled at Misty, "Little ones, let's go!"
Snorlax's belly had enough space. Ash held Xiaomei. The four of them squeezed together and could fit.
"Hahaha, so much fun, so much fun!" Xiaomei was naturally very happy, cheering all the way.
Crossing this river, Ash and his group soon arrived at the Ruins of Alph.
This was a place where many Pokémon fossils were once discovered. Many researchers were currently conducting excavation work here. Mysterious Pokémon fossils were visible on the rock walls.
Back when he traveled in the Kanto region, Ash and his group had discovered ruins containing Pokémon fossils.
That was the Great Canyon. Not only did they find fossils, but a ferocious Aerodactyl also emerged from it and immediately grabbed Ash.
At that time, Charmeleon suddenly evolved into Charizard, soaring into the sky and saving Ash.
"Xiaomei, look, this is Aerodactyl's fossil!" Ash said, introducing it to Xiaomei, looking at the fossil on the rock wall.
"Mm-hmm, I saw it in the drawing book Dad gave me!" Xiaomei nodded.
"Ash, you've really improved a lot!" Just then, a familiar voice rang out from behind them, filled with satisfaction and pride.
Professor Oak!
"Grandpa Oak!" Xiaomei called out sweetly. Professor Oak was her father Professor Tracy's teacher, and usually doted on her, so she naturally called him Grandpa.
Professor Oak rubbed her head. "Xiaomei, is traveling with Ash tough?"
Xiaomei quickly shook her head. "Not at all. Big Brother Ash is amazing. Yesterday, we even rode Big Brother Ash's Snorlax across the river!"
"Riding Snorlax across the river?" Professor Oak also felt his worldview challenged a bit. He smiled and looked at Ash. "Ash, you're still the same. You always do unexpected things!"
Ash just smiled and said nothing.
Since Professor Oak was here, Ash and his group naturally had to follow him to properly visit the Ruins of Alph. If they hadn't met Professor Oak, they might have simply passed through.
Moreover, Professor Oak coming here seemed to be for something good.
"Professor, you said you had something to show us, didn't you?" Ash and his group asked as they followed Professor Oak towards the research lab at the ruins' exit.
"My student is here. He said he made an astonishing discovery! He told me to make time to come over no matter what."
It seemed Professor Oak was also kept in suspense. He himself didn't know what the so-called great discovery was.
But this only made Ash and his group even more curious!
Arriving at the lab, Ash and his group followed behind Professor Oak and watched him shake hands with a tall researcher.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Satake!"
This researcher was named Satake. He had taken Professor Oak's courses at Rainbow University, so he was also his student.
"Professor Oak, who are these children?"
"You said you had an astonishing discovery, so I brought them along to see!" Professor Oak treated Ash as if he were his own son or nephew.
But Satake panicked. He pulled Professor Oak aside, mysteriously: "Professor Oak, if this matter is released, it will cause a huge stir that will overturn the academic world! That's why I secretly consulted you, Professor!"
"Don't be so formal, Ash is the most outstanding young man I've ever met. Letting them broaden their knowledge of Pokémon is also an essential path to becoming a Pokémon Master!" Professor Oak said, assuring that Ash and his group could be completely trusted.
Speaking of love for Pokémon, even Professor Oak couldn't compare to Ash!
Since Professor Oak said so, Mr. Satake naturally couldn't refuse anymore. "Alright, then, I'll make an exception!"