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Ash could naturally hear it, but he was actually wronged. It's not that he wasn't ambitious, or that he was careless in doing things. It's just that regarding his future partner, fate had already given him a clear direction, and there was really no need to bother agonizing over it. Although he didn't necessarily have to follow the original plot, it was impossible to choose other Pokémon and ignore the overpowered Pikachu, right? He was looking forward to this fateful meeting, but Pikachu was still the original Pikachu, while he was no longer his original self, and the story would inevitably not be the same.
"So you've decided?" These things were clear in his own heart. He didn't care how Gary would see him. He said that, but in his heart, he was still concerned. In fact, the current Gary was just arrogant. It wasn't until after the Johto League that the arrogant Gary truly conceded defeat.
"I... I won't tell you!" Hearing this, Gary subconsciously opened his mouth, but after thinking about it, he didn't tell Ash what he wanted to choose.
"Well, suit yourself! Huh?? Got a bite!!"
Ash didn't mind. He had just asked to distract himself anyway. Splash splash splash!!! Just then, water splashed in the river above. Ash quickly stood up. While chatting, a Pokémon had already taken the bait. He quickly pulled the fishing rod, controlling the force and carefully turning the fishing reel. The strength wasn't particularly great. As the fishing rod was gradually pulled, it quickly surfaced. Water splashed, and Ash increased his strength, directly tossing the caught creature onto the grass on the riverbank.
Flop flop flop flop!!! A fish with red scales all over was flopping on the grass. It had wise eyes and two long yellow whiskers on its cheeks. Its fins on its body looked like a crown. It just flopped on the ground, without any threat at all.
"A Magikarp!" Ash saw this and walked to its side. Because it was caught, it looked very frightened. Ash saw this, stepped forward, squatted down, and gently reached out to stroke its scales. He channeled the power within him and gently soothed its emotions. Slowly, Magikarp's emotions calmed down.
"Sorry I scared you. Unfortunately, I don't have a Poké Ball yet. See you again if fate allows!" Ash looked at the calmed Magikarp and smiled. Then, he took some fish bait from the box next to him and fed it, then picked it up. He walked to the river and put it back in the water. Magikarp entered the water, popped its head out, and looked at Ash. Its round, wise eyes narrowed into a crescent shape, as if smiling. It rubbed against Ash's hand, then swam into the depths of the river and left.
Gary watched this scene from across the river, feeling very envious. He was also very surprised. Not only at the research lab, but unexpectedly even these wild Pokémon got along so well with Ash. However, he still forced himself not to show his envy.
"Gary, it seems I won!" Ash saw this, stood up, and said to Gary with a smile.
"Hmph! What's so great about a Magikarp? You probably don't know that Magikarp is the weakest Pokémon, right?" Gary saw this and proudly turned his head away.
"Is a Gyarados still weak?" Ash saw this and sat back down in his original spot, put his fishing rod back in the water, and looked at the river, lost in thought.
"Uh... I..."
"Actually, there are no weak Pokémon, only weak Trainers. If every Pokémon were strong enough, wouldn't being a Trainer be too easy?"
"Helping weak Pokémon become strong, isn't that the duty of a Trainer? Gary, as Professor Oak's grandson, you wouldn't not understand this point, would you?" Ash deliberately asked Gary in a surprised tone.
"I... How could I not know!"
"I mean, it's still early. I can also catch a Magikarp!" In reality, Gary was still different from the later Paul. He wouldn't think a Pokémon had no training value just because it was weak. He said that purely because he saw Ash catch a Pokémon first and deliberately said it. Ash smiled at this and didn't say anything more.
Gary also remained silent. The scene fell silent again. After waiting for a while, both of their fishing rods twitched.
"Got a bite!" Gary saw this, his eyes changed, and he said excitedly.
Ash didn't speak, his eyes also became serious. Both of them pulled the rods simultaneously, feeling a strong force. With the fishing reels turning at the same time, two fishing lines were gradually pulled out of the water. They could see that the two fishing lines were very close.
"Could it be that we caught the same one?" Gary couldn't help but say.
Splash!!!
Water splashed in the river. The two fishing lines were taut. They saw that the center of the two fishing lines was hooked to something round. Both of them looked at it at the same time. They saw that both hooks were attached to a worn-out Poké Ball.
"A Poké Ball?! This must be a sign that we're about to become Trainers. Ash, this is mine! Let go!" Gary's expression changed as he looked at the Poké Ball, then he focused his gaze on Ash. This was because in this world, although you could become a Trainer at the age of 10, the control over Poké Balls was relatively strict. Shops wouldn't sell Poké Balls to children under 10, even if you had money, you couldn't buy them. So for someone who hasn't become a Trainer yet, getting a Poké Ball is undoubtedly lucky. Although it doesn't represent anything definitive, it can be said to be a good omen.
"We caught it together! You're the one who should let go!" Ash didn't intend to yield. He suddenly exerted force. With three years of training, his strength had increased significantly.
Crack!!!
At the moment of exerting force, the Poké Ball in the middle instantly made a sound, clatter, and the red and white Poké Ball split open, separately hooked by their fishing lines, each with only half left hanging on the line.
"Ah! It's broken? It looks very old, the connecting parts are all loose!" Gary looked at the Poké Ball and said.
"It seems the victory will have to wait for later! After we become Trainers, the person who truly wins gets the other half!" Ash took half of the Poké Ball, looked at it, then put it away, and turned to leave.
"Ash! Hmph! The person who wins in the end will definitely be me." Three years ago, Gary would definitely not have been convinced. For him, someone as laid-back as Ash, he wouldn't even admit a tie. But now, it was different. In his heart, he had already recognized Ash as a rival.
Psychic: An innate ability different from ordinary people. It can use mental power to attack and control objects, telepathy, and even change physical form. Representative figures: Sabrina, Fantina, Lilith.
Aura: Everyone has Aura. They can sense their surroundings without using their eyes, forming a three-dimensional image of things around them. They also possess the ability of telepathy, and can even materialize it into physical attacks. Representative figures: Riley, Ash.
Viridian Power: The ability to read Pokémon's minds through aura, and can also be used to heal Pokémon. A mysterious power granted by Viridian Forest every ten years. Representative figures: Yellow, Lance.
Surge Power: The ability to communicate through the heart, transmitting one's thoughts through mental transfer to the minds of enraged Pokémon, and even capable of calming the anger of legendary Pokémon. Representative figures: Solana, Damon.
Dragon Master Power: The ability to easily control powerful Dragon-type and pseudo-Dragon-type Pokémon, and also has the effect of strengthening Dragon-type and pseudo-Dragon-type Pokémon. Representative figures: Lance, Clair.
Bond Phenomenon (Bond Power): If the user has a deep enough bond with a Pokémon whose strength meets the requirement, they can undergo Bond Evolution without relying on evolution stones or Mega Stones. The Pokémon will gain a new form and acquire strength greater than Mega Evolution. When the user's strength is sufficiently powerful, they can even undergo Bond Evolution with several Pokémon simultaneously. Representative figure: Ash (Protagonist's power-up).