Are there any new-generation trainers in Kanto who can compare to this fierce girl from Sinnoh?
Misty felt that this was truly a bit difficult. Ash was already a trainer with extremely exaggerated talent among those she had seen.
As far as she currently knew, it seemed only Ash's brother, Red, counted as one. There was also Damian's younger brother, Silver, who looked like he didn't want people near him and was a bit gloomy?
But Silver was, at most, about the same as Ash right now. She didn't know if Ash's brother, Red, could compete with Platinum.
However, this kind of thing wasn't something she could decide by just imagining it. In the end, who was stronger or weaker depended greatly on their performance on the spot.
What happened next was very simple.
Entei had already been caught by Platinum, so Ho-Oh naturally wouldn't stay long.
It had been happy when it arrived, but its mood wasn't very good when it left.
After all, in just that short time, its already incomplete guard was down one more member. Furthermore, the honest, cute, and useful Marshadow had been "stolen" by Damian.
It would be a miracle if Ho-Oh's mood could be good.
What was even more worth mentioning was that before it left, Damian insisted on calling it down to take a few photos together.
Well, this counted as Damian's personal selfishness. Ho-Oh originally didn't want to agree.
After all, you guy kidnapped two of my subordinates again, and you still want a photo? In your dreams!
However, after Damian said one sentence, "You wouldn't want me to take Ash out on a robbery next, would you?" Ho-Oh agreed, full of humiliation.
It really didn't want such a kind-hearted child to be specifically guided onto a path of no return by Damian because of this small matter.
The only thing worth being happy about was that its judgment was not wrong. That human named Ash—even though half a year had passed—his soul was still clean.
Ho-Oh left. Platinum couldn't wait to release Entei. She took out a high-grade spray and sprayed it on Entei.
"From today on, we are partners. Please look after me from now on, Entei."
Platinum showed Entei a big smile. Her attitude was very friendly.
Even though she didn't appreciate Entei's looks at first, now that she had caught it, the more she looked at Entei, the more pleasing it became!
Do you guys have such a boss-looking Entei? I have one!
Platinum's eyes narrowed into crescents. She was happy—this was her first time catching a Legendary Pokémon.
Entei felt the kindness sent over by Platinum. It sighed in its heart. Although it intended to use the rest of its life to serve Ho-Oh, there was no way now.
Besides, this was also tacitly allowed by Ho-Oh. It didn't count as betraying Ho-Oh, right?
Entei gave a low growl at Platinum, showing its attitude.
"I will definitely take you to the top! Entei, I promise!"
Platinum happily hugged Entei's neck and made her most sincere promise.
Entei felt the girl's straightforward wish. A hint of warmth showed in its eyes.
It gently rubbed Platinum's hair with its large head, responding to her with this affectionate action.
"That's so nice~" Ash was incredibly envious.
Speaking of which, after this trip to Mt. Chimney, he met Ho-Oh again and had a battle.
Damian "picked up" that Marshadow, and Platinum caught Entei. All three of them had their own gains.
"If you asked Ho-Oh, Ash, and said you wanted to catch Raikou, I think Ho-Oh wouldn't refuse. It would give you a chance," Damian said with a smile upon hearing him.
After all, Ho-Oh's care for Ash was something anyone could see. If Ash really wanted to catch a member of Ho-Oh's guard, Ho-Oh would surely be willing to give him a chance.
"With Ash's current level, it would be difficult," Misty curled her lip and decisively dealt a blow of reality.
"My Pikachu won't be worse than Raikou!" Ash hit back, very dissatisfied.
"And, emmm~ I don't have much interest in Raikou anyway. I already have Pikachu."
Then Ash touched the small face of the Pikachu on his shoulder and spoke his true feelings.
Not just Raikou, he wasn't interested in Entei either. Not to mention personal preference, the Electric-type Raikou and the Fire-type Entei already overlapped with the types in his team.
Hearing this, Misty helplessly patted her forehead. Brock also gave two light laughs.
That was the Legendary Pokémon Raikou!
Although it did overlap with Pikachu's type, what was wrong with training two Electric-type main Pokémon?
Most importantly, that was Raikou!!
Misty felt it was a great pity. Although Ash's Pikachu indeed had much higher strength than other Pikachu, in Misty's view, that was also because Ash put his heart and soul into training it.
In terms of combat power, Raikou must be stronger than Pikachu, right?
However, Misty also understood that Pikachu meant something completely different to Ash, so she didn't say much more. Understanding was enough.
"Platinum, Platinum! After we go back and recover our status, let's have a battle, okay?"
Ash issued a battle invitation to Platinum. He was originally a battle maniac and loved Pokémon battles very much.
Platinum was strong, but so what?
A battle didn't necessarily have to end in victory. Besides, it was just a private practice match; they could treat it as special training.
"Okay, I also really want to battle you, Ash."
Platinum agreed without hesitation, showing a smile that matched her usual composure.
"I'm so looking forward to it!"
Ash was already a bit impatient.
Seeing this harmonious scene, Damian, who was still petting Marshadow's belly, couldn't help but laugh.
Then Damian looked at Ash, pondered for a while, and sent out a message.
They left Mt. Chimney and arrived at the nearest town. The group ate dinner together.
After the meal, they went to a nearby training ground. Ash and Platinum started their practice match.
However, there was no suspense about the battle's result. Platinum's strength was even greater than Paul's, and her tactical design was also very well-placed.
Ash failed again, and he lost even worse than when he fought Paul.
However, Ash's emotions were still very high. After all, Platinum was different from the sharp-tongued Paul. A normal defeat would certainly be a bit discouraging, but Ash wasn't very angry.
"You're too strong, Platinum! I feel like if I want to beat you, I really have to work harder and harder."
Ash was still very excited. He felt heavy pressure.
But this pressure was positive. Such a rival! Such strength! It was great!
"Good luck. I also look forward to battling you in the future." A smile played on Platinum's face. She didn't say anything to discourage Ash.
For her, Ash was indeed a rival she could look forward to.
Team Rocket was truly suitable for a trainer's improvement.
She believed Ash would definitely get stronger much faster later on.
"Ash, if you want to beat Platinum, it's quite difficult to rely only on hard work. While you are working hard, everyone else is working hard too," Damian said with a smile.
"Then I'll just work twice as hard!" Ash said confidently without hesitation upon hearing this.
"Haha~ That really is a statement that fits your personality. How about this, Ash, what is your current team?"
Damian couldn't help but laugh lightly and asked Ash curiously.
"Emmm..." Ash blinked, not understanding why Damian asked this.
"Pikachu, Charizard, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Snorlax, Gengar, Dragonite, Lucario, and Poipole."
Misty listed them perfectly. As Ash's traveling companion, she knew Ash's lineup too well.
Or rather, she had seen these Pokémon being caught with her own eyes.
Damian raised his eyebrows. No Pidgeot or Butterfree? Or was it because they had already left the team, so Misty didn't count them?
"Eh? Speaking of which, I'm also very curious. Ash, why haven't your Bulbasaur and Squirtle evolved?"
Platinum asked in confusion. With Ash's ability, training Pokémon to evolve shouldn't be a very difficult thing.
A Pokémon's evolution was a huge increase in strength for the Pokémon itself.
As an excellent trainer, Platinum had a lot to say about this.
Especially since there were examples like Gyarados and Milotic, where the contrast before and after evolution was extremely clear.
Evolution was originally a very large part of the charm of Pokémon as creatures.
Between Bulbasaur and Venusaur, or Squirtle and Blastoise, which was stronger or weaker was completely obvious at a glance.
"About that..." Ash scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Because Bulbasaur and Squirtle are quite resistant to evolving. I respect their choice."
Ash told the reason. Correct, it was precisely because he respected his Pokémon's wishes.
"I see..." Platinum couldn't say much about this.
If it were her, she would also respect the Pokémon's choice like Ash, but this way, the combat power would inevitably weaken.
"But it's not a big problem. Even if they don't evolve, as long as I train them well, I believe they can become very strong," Ash said optimistically.
"But this way, when facing truly strong enemies, you are naturally at a bit of a disadvantage, Ash."
Damian, however, didn't think this was a small problem.
For trainers with similar strength, the choice of the main lineup and the matchups were very important.
Especially for "monster" level trainers like Ash and Platinum.
Damian admitted that Ash's Bulbasaur and Squirtle both had excellent talent within their own species. However, not evolving was their weakness.
Of course, Pokémon were creatures that were somewhat influenced by idealism. Even if they didn't evolve, it wasn't impossible for them to surpass their own bloodline and become extremely strong.
Just like the ace Pokémon of a certain old monster.
But could it be compared like that? How many years had that old monster trained, and how long had Ash trained?
Yes, Ash could definitely train Squirtle and Bulbasaur to be no weaker than his Gengar or Snorlax in the future.
But that required a massive amount of time and energy. It was undeniable that in Ash's current team, strictly speaking, Squirtle and Bulbasaur were holding back his team.
Venusaur and Blastoise—whether in terms of strength or tactical significance to the team—were much stronger than Bulbasaur and Squirtle.
"Emmm... but they don't want to evolve. I can't force them to evolve, right?" Ash clearly didn't want to do that. It completely went against his original intention.
Although he really wanted to become stronger, it was definitely not built on the basis of forcing a Pokémon's will.
"No, no, no, I didn't say that. Ash, since Squirtle and Bulbasaur don't want to evolve for now, you can train other Grass and Water-type main Pokémon at the same time," Damian said to Ash with a smile.
"But..." Ash thought Damian was going to say something else. However, he caught Pokémon based on personal preference and feeling.
Not to mention he already had Squirtle and Bulbasaur.
"I happen to have a very promising little Water-type fellow here. And I believe its compatibility with you, Ash, is very suitable," Damian took out a Poké Ball and said to Ash with a wide smile.
"Eh?" Ash became a bit interested upon hearing this. If Damian said it like that, he was a little curious.
"However, as the Boss, I already gave you an Ultra Beast when you joined Team Rocket before. I can't just give you this Pokémon for nothing."
The corners of Damian's mouth curled up slightly, looking harmless.
"You have to help me with a favor in the future. You can rest assured; it won't go against your will."
Well, Damian was targeting Ash's family—specifically, his brother.
To put it bluntly, if he could pull Red into Team Rocket too, that would really be a lot of fun.
But the difficulty was still quite high. After all, Red was much more rational and mature than Ash, and Red's view of Team Rocket... was also very bad.
However, if he had a younger brother like Ash to lobby him... Tsk~
Just thinking about the scene of Ash inviting Red to join Team Rocket as a Team Rocket Executive, Damian couldn't quite hold back his laughter.
That would definitely be very interesting!
"A favor is no problem. Can I see this Pokémon first?"
Ash didn't react much to this "favor." He had a very good impression of Damian now.
What was helping Damian with one favor? As long as it wasn't too much or went against his moral bottom line, helping with ten was fine.
Ash was more interested in this Pokémon that Damian said was a good match for him.
"Of course, see for yourself."
Damian handed the Poké Ball to Ash. He had specifically asked Lusamine to use some connections to get this from the Kalos region.
"Come out!"
Ash opened the Poké Ball. A light blue Pokémon appeared in front of Ash.
"This is... Froakie?"
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