"Ash, your luck lately is just ridiculous. You've already caught so many Pokémon!"
Misty, sitting quietly by the riverside and enjoying the peaceful pastime of fishing, couldn't help but feel a little sour about Ash's recent catching spree.
Back in the Kanto region, Ash had journeyed through the entire area, collected eight badges, and even competed in the Indigo Plateau Conference—yet he'd only caught ten Pokémon in total.
(And let's be real, those thirty Tauros basically count as one.)
But now in Johto? Ash had only earned two badges so far, and he had already caught five new Pokémon: Heracross, Bayleef, Cyndaquil, Slowpoke, and Houndour.
Meanwhile, Misty, the water-type Pokémon trainer, hadn't caught a single new teammate.
Even Brock had managed to catch a Pineco.
After catching Houndour, Ash had sent Slowpoke over to Professor Oak for the time being.
This Houndour, after all, used to be the pack leader of a small group—battle-hardened and experienced. Before choosing to follow Ash, he voluntarily passed on the position of leader to the Houndour who had recovered from its injuries.
In fact, the very injury that Houndour had was from challenging the leader for its title—it was Ash's new Houndour who inflicted it.
Now that it had decided to follow Ash into battles, it had completely handed over its leadership role. The bond between Ash and this Houndour was exceptionally high.
It had already accumulated a great deal of combat experience and strength. With Ash's training, it wouldn't be long before it evolved. Once that happened, their compatibility would skyrocket even more.
Who knows? Bond Evolution might not be too far off.
Currently, the Pokémon Ash was most focused on for Bond Evolution was Snorlax. With full compatibility stats, it was an ideal candidate—so Ash planned to keep it by his side for the foreseeable future.
Next in line were the Pokémon that had followed him after giving up their leadership roles: Slowpoke and Houndour.
If both of them evolved, they might reach peak compatibility. That would cause their bond values to surge, and Bond Evolution might just naturally occur.
That said, there was no rush with Slowpoke's evolution. Professor Oak was extremely interested in this particular Slowpoke, who demonstrated unusual levels of intelligence and potential.
"Don't be so salty, Misty. I mean, hey, Ms. 'Fishing Prodigy,' weren't you going to teach us how to fish? So where's your big catch, huh?" Ash teased with a chuckle.
Ash and Misty had both received special bait balls that were especially effective with water-type Pokémon. When they passed by a promising-looking river, Misty had suggested they stop and try their luck.
Of course, everyone knew the real reason—Misty was jealous of Ash catching so many Pokémon. She wanted to get herself a new teammate, too.
"I hope I can catch a Shellder. That way I can evolve Slowpoke!" Ash leaned back and cast his line, thoroughly enjoying the laid-back vibe. It was a nice break from all the running around.
"If it's Shellder you're after, the Cerulean Gym has plenty! I could ask my sisters to send one over," Misty offered helpfully.
She assumed Ash was planning to evolve Slowpoke into Slowbro. They both knew that in order for a Slowpoke to evolve into Slowbro, a Shellder had to bite its tail.
But Ash shook his head. "I'd rather catch one myself. Oh, by the way, Misty—your Staryu's pretty high level now. Have you thought about evolving it?"
Misty's Staryu had been with her even before she met Ash.
After traveling through Kanto and the Orange Islands together, Staryu had grown considerably in strength. It was now Misty's most trusted partner.
However, Staryu's evolution, like Pikachu's, required a special evolution stone—specifically, the Water Stone.
Its evolved form, Starmie, would gain a psychic-type in addition to water. That would not only boost its power but also expand its battle versatility.
If Misty evolved her Staryu, it would significantly boost her overall strength—bringing her one step closer to her dream of becoming a Water Pokémon Master.
For Ash, getting evolution stones was now easy. He could simply use his exchange points to trade for them.
Before Misty could respond, her rod suddenly jerked. She reeled it in excitedly—only to find… a rusty, old teapot!
"Ugh, come on!" she grumbled, tossing the junk onto the ground in frustration. "Why do people litter in rivers?! Ever heard of proper waste disposal?!"
That little interruption completely derailed their earlier conversation.
Just as Ash was about to say something, his rod suddenly tensed as well.
"Hah!"
Ash clearly wasn't an expert fisherman, but with a sudden flash of blue energy surrounding him, the ordinary fishing rod seemed to be coated with Armament Haki.
No finesse, no technique—Ash simply yanked the rod with brute force, and a small blue crocodile came flying out from the water, hanging at the end of his line!
They all instantly recognized the little gator—it was Totodile, the water-type starter given to new trainers in the Johto region!
They'd even helped recover a stolen Totodile back in New Bark Town, when Team Rocket had tried to make off with it.
"Ash! Your luck's really on fire today—now you've fished up a Totodile?!" Misty exclaimed, full of envy once again.
"Well, if it's on the line, then I might as well catch it!" Ash said with a grin.
Just as he reached for a Poké Ball, the Totodile suddenly opened its mouth and let go of the hook. Landing on the ground, it broke into a joyful, wiggly dance.
"So cute!" Misty squealed. She had always liked Totodile.
Ash tossed a Poké Ball into the air—Bayleef emerged in a flash of light.
"Bayleef, use Vine Whip!"
Two thick, sturdy vines lashed out toward the dancing Totodile.
To their surprise, Totodile continued to dance nimbly, effortlessly dodging Bayleef's attack by stepping and spinning in rhythm.
"Looks like that dance is more than just for show!" Ash praised. "Use Sweet Scent!"
A sweet, calming aroma wafted from the flower buds around Bayleef's neck. Totodile's energy began to fade—it seemed a bit dazed now.
"Vine Whip—again!"
Whap! The vines struck true this time. At that moment, Ash hurled a Poké Ball.
"I caught Totodile!"
"Pika-Pikachu!"
"Ash, battle me using your Totodile! Go, Poliwag!"
Misty's Poliwag had a great bond with her, too.
Ash didn't know why Misty suddenly wanted to battle, but since she'd already thrown out her Pokémon, he naturally wasn't going to say no.
"Alright, Totodile—let's go!"
Totodile burst onto the field, now fully recovered from the Sweet Scent effect and back to dancing energetically.
"Poliwag, use Water Gun!"
"Totodile, you use Water Gun too!"
Totodile's Water Gun was strong—matching Misty's well-trained Poliwag shot for shot.
"Poliwag, use Tackle!"
"Totodile, dodge and then use Bite!"
Totodile's nimble footwork once again proved impressive. It easily evaded the charge and lunged forward with powerful jaws wide open.
"Nice! Now throw it!"
Totodile tossed Poliwag through the air—it landed in front of Misty, dazed. Then, it began to glow with an evolution light!
"It's evolving into Poliwhirl!"
The newly evolved Poliwhirl had strong arms and legs, with its tail now gone. It looked like a tough little muscle monster—short legs, a big body, solid arms, and those signature cute round eyes.
"Whoa, it's so cool! And that squishy muscle—it feels amazing!" Misty jumped onto Poliwhirl's head, hugging it tightly.
Now that her Poliwag had evolved, Misty no longer felt like continuing the battle. She returned her Poliwhirl and turned to Ash with a smile.
"Ash, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get a feel for how strong you've gotten. And sure enough—you immediately figured out how to bring out the best in Totodile!"
Ash shook his head. "Misty, here—a Water Stone for you. It works for both Staryu and Poliwhirl's evolutions."
"A Water Stone? Thanks, Ash! You're way ahead of me now, but I'm not giving up!"
Misty already had a plan for how she was going to use that Water Stone.
….
Totodile: 110/160
Bayleef: 203/215
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