"Squirtle~"
Ash quickly sent out Pidgeotto, which caught the falling Squirtle leader and gently lowered it to the ground in front of the other Squirtle.
The Squirtle surrounded their boss.
Their leader's self-created technique had been defeated by that yellow electric mouse.
They had already warned their boss that the move had been countered before.
After all, their bandaged teammate had been beaten badly using that exact same tactic.
Why didn't the boss learn from that mistake?
"Squirtle…"
(That electric mouse is too strong!)
The Squirtle leader stretched its still-numb body.
It regretted choosing to challenge Pikachu.
If it had known earlier, it would have chosen that annoying talkative Meowth instead.
"Are you okay?" Ash asked as he approached.
He had secretly told Pikachu to hold back, so the damage shouldn't be too serious.
"Squirtle!"
(What are you trying to do?)
The other Squirtle quickly shielded their leader, thinking Ash might attack again.
"I brought this for your boss," Ash said.
He handed them a Potion. With just a few sprays, a Pokémon's injuries would recover quickly.
"Squirtle?"
(You're really helping us?)
The Squirtle hesitated.
Even though they often robbed people, they were still familiar with using Potions.
They sprayed the medicine on their leader.
Soon the Squirtle boss stood up again.
It stared at Ash and Pikachu with a complicated expression.
Ash was about to start his "" persuasion attempt
When suddenly—
A familiar cloud of smoke engulfed the area.
"Squirtle!"
Hearing the urgent cry, Ash immediately grabbed Pikachu and a nearby Squirtle and dashed aside.
Pidgeotto quickly blew away the smoke.
In the clearing stood Team Rocket, operating a three-meter-tall vacuum machine.
"Where did you even get that machine?" Ash asked.
Just moments ago they were traveling together and didn't appear to carry anything besides Poké Balls.
How did they suddenly produce such a machine?
"Oops—we forgot about that Pidgeotto," James muttered.
He tried to have Koffing produce more smoke, but Pidgeotto blasted it away with Air Slash.
That wasn't their only problem.
The machine's suction pipe had been completely jammed by a Squirtle shell.
They couldn't capture a single Pokémon.
"Meowth!" Jessie snapped.
"You came up with this plan and now you're messing it up?!"
Meowth looked stunned.
"Sorry… our budget was limited," it said sheepishly.
With the little funding they had, this was the best machine they could build.
Slash!
Pidgeotto's Air Slash cut the vacuum machine clean in half.
The Squirtle that had been sucked in flew out, but Ash caught it safely.
Good thing he had stayed cautious.
He had known Team Rocket couldn't be trusted.
If he hadn't needed Meowth to track the Squirtle earlier, he never would have brought them along.
"Pikachu."
"Pika—CHUUU!"
Pikachu delivered its usual Thunderbolt to Team Rocket.
The Squirtle joined in as well, firing Water Gun attacks.
Between electricity and water, Team Rocket received an even more powerful shock.
"Squirtle~!"
After rescuing their companion, the Squirtle began looking at Ash differently.
At first glance… this Trainer was actually pretty cool.
"Ahem."
Ash stepped forward.
"Squirtle, you really shouldn't keep causing trouble."
"I know you were abandoned by Trainers, and you're trying to get revenge through pranks."
"But there are many Trainers who truly love Pokémon."
"And the people in this town like you too."
"Officer Jenny also hopes you'll return to the Pokémon Center and help people and Pokémon in need."
Ash opened his Pokédex.
The screen showed a news report.
It described an incident where Squirtle rescued a drowning child.
Pranks were one thing—
But when someone needed help, the Squirtle always stepped in.
The Squirtle slowly removed their sunglasses.
Their big watery eyes looked at Ash.
So… do you want to join my team?
Three meals a day—no, make that nine meals in three days!
Ash proposed a solution:
The Squirtle Squad could join Officer Jenny and work as a rescue team.
A stable job.
A real purpose.
Had the persuasion worked?
The Squirtle leader gathered its team for a quick meeting.
They whispered among themselves.
At that moment—
Officer Jenny arrived at high speed.
As soon as she stepped out of her motorcycle, she noticed the unusually quiet Squirtle Squad.
"Ash… what did you do to them?" she asked in surprise.
"Nothing," Ash replied casually.
He had simply given them a little career counseling.
Based on what she saw, Officer Jenny imagined the situation differently.
She assumed the Squirtle had tried to capture Trainers using a vacuum machine but ran into Ash and got defeated instead.
"Ash, thank you for subduing the Squirtle Squad," she said gratefully.
"Squirtle!"
The Squirtle leader suddenly grabbed Ash's pant leg.
Its big watery eyes looked at him excitedly.
"You want to travel with Ash?" Officer Jenny asked.
"Squirtle!"
(Yes! Exactly!)
The leader nodded vigorously.
"Then let's become partners," Ash said.
He knelt down and hugged the Squirtle.
The Kanto Starter Trio was finally complete.
Officer Jenny gathered the remaining four Squirtle.
"Even if one left, they can still work as a rescue team."
She planned to take them to help the town.
Before leaving, she reminded Ash to take good care of their former leader.
The Squirtle began an emotional farewell.
"Squirtle~!"
(Goodbye! Will we meet again, Boss? Please stay happy!)
"Squirtle!"
(Brothers, goodbye! I hope we meet again someday!)
"Squirtle…"
(Goodbye…) 😭
Ash watched the heartfelt goodbye.
Separation always came with new beginnings.
The four Squirtle had gained stable jobs.
Meanwhile, their leader would pursue a new dream—
Competing in the Indigo League.
"Pika-pi…"
Pikachu gently patted Squirtle's shell to comfort it.
Eventually, the other Squirtle disappeared from view.
Squirtle turned back to Ash.
It stared eagerly at the Poké Ball in Ash's hand.
Ash pressed the Pokédex transfer button and sent Gyarados's Poké Ball back to Professor Oak's Laboratory for storage.
He had just taken out an empty Poké Ball—
When Squirtle eagerly headbutted it.
With a flash of red light, Squirtle was captured.
[ Hidden Mission Completed!]
Capture the Kanto Starter Trio.
Rewards:
Exclusive item set for the Kanto Starter Trio
10 Rare Candies
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