"We can't win… there's no way we can win."
Ash recalled his Pokémon. The thousand-year-old Gastly had overwhelming level superiority. If they fought here, they might end up destroying the Maiden Shrine.
"Why isn't the brat attacking?" Team Rocket muttered.
They had been hoping Ash and Gastly would start fighting so they could escape during the chaos.
This Gastly was clearly extraordinary. If they could capture it, that would be amazing.
Of course, Team Rocket still knew their limits. If they wanted to fight a Pokémon like Gastly, they would first need to build a machine specifically designed to counter Ghost-types.
Ash stopped Brock, who was about to attack, and stepped forward.
"Gastly, you transformed into the ghostly maiden and played tricks on people because you wanted them to remember the legend of the girl waiting for her lover, right?"
Gastly returned to its original form and stared at Ash in surprise.
How did this human know its intentions?
"The story of the maiden waiting for her lover is already a well-known legend here," Ash continued. "You don't need to scare people to make them remember it."
"If you keep frightening visitors, fewer tourists will come to Maiden's Peak. And eventually, the legend might truly be forgotten."
Gastly fell into deep thought as it listened to Ash.
"Actually… you also know that the maiden's lover died in battle, don't you?"
Ash shared the information he had learned about the maiden's lover.
Gastly looked at him in astonishment.
Since this trainer already knew—and many others probably knew the legend as well—it seemed unlikely that the story would be forgotten anytime soon.
Gastly began considering leaving the area.
Ash quickly spoke up, asking the thousand-year-old Gastly to stay and travel with him instead.
Gastly didn't seem opposed to the idea.
Over the past thousand years it had seen countless Trainers. Yet for some reason, this young Trainer in front of it seemed the most agreeable.
Besides, it didn't really have anywhere else to go.
Traveling with this boy might actually be interesting.
Ash tossed an empty Poké Ball forward.
Gastly chuckled mischievously and voluntarily entered the Poké Ball.
Click.
Captured.
Pokémon: Gastly
Level: 55
Ability: Levitate
Potential: Champion-tier
Moves: Hypnosis, Night Shade, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, Destiny Bond, and more
Held Item: None
Friendship: 120
"…He talked it into joining him?"
Team Rocket stared in shock.
Such a powerful Gastly had been captured just like that.
If the brat had Gastly now, stealing Pikachu in the future would become even harder.
"Meowth, run! If the brat turns that thing on us, we're doomed!" James shouted.
Grabbing Meowth, he immediately fled.
Team Rocket had already experienced Gastly's terrifying abilities. If Ash decided to test his new Pokémon on them, they would become the perfect sparring partners.
Better to escape while they still could.
Misty and Brock, meanwhile, were still staring at Ash in amazement. They hadn't even noticed that Team Rocket had run away.
Now that the thousand-year-old Gastly had been captured, Ash turned his attention to the next task:
Finding Butterfree a girlfriend.
That night they rested at the Pokémon Center. The next day, after rearranging his team, Ash and his friends continued their journey.
"Ash, what are you looking at?" Brock asked, confused as Ash kept studying the map.
The route to Saffron City was clearly marked.
"I'm checking places where migrating Butterfree might pass through," Ash replied.
The cliffside before them was wide and empty, with no Flying-type Pokémon in sight.
After researching various sources—and even asking Nurse Joy—Ash had found several locations where Butterfree migration routes were common.
This was the season when Butterfree laid their eggs.
Ash wanted to help his Butterfree find a partner and then send the pair to Professor Oak's Laboratory for care.
That way Butterfree wouldn't have to be released into the wild, and it wouldn't be separated from its mate.
The perfect solution.
"Ash, are you planning to release Butterfree?" Misty asked.
If Butterfree found a partner, wouldn't it migrate with the rest of the group?
"No. I'll send it to Professor Oak's lab instead."
Ash released all his Pokémon and prepared to wait.
Brock nodded thoughtfully.
Ever since Ash had raised it from a Caterpie, Butterfree had been with him. Anyone would find it hard to release such a companion.
Professor Oak's lab was a great place for Butterfree to live.
While waiting for the migrating Butterfree to appear, Ash used a Charizard training manual as a reference to design training plans for his other Pokémon.
Squirtle especially needed to improve its accuracy.
When they reached Saffron City, Ash planned to buy a Wide Lens. Otherwise, missing three Hydro Pump attacks in a row would be unbearable.
Early that morning, Ash had also retrieved Charmander for special training.
He had Squirtle fire Water Gun at Charmander to train its reaction speed. Once Charmander eventually evolved into Charizard, quick reflexes would be essential.
Meanwhile:
Pidgeot trained with Butterfree
Bulbasaur sparred with Pikachu
Even Brock and Misty were motivated by Ash's enthusiasm and sent out their own Pokémon to join the training.
After about ten minutes, Charmander was hit by two Water Gun attacks in a row from Squirtle.
Charmander's expression darkened.
Then suddenly—
A brilliant evolutionary light burst from its body.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched as Charmander was enveloped in the glowing light.
Charmander had finally evolved at Level 30.
Truly worthy of a Champion-potential Pokémon.
When the light faded—
Charmander had evolved into Charmeleon.
"Char!"
All the Pokémon cheered.
But Bulbasaur and Squirtle watched Charmeleon with complicated expressions.
"Charmeleon…"
Ash walked over to examine it.
Charmeleon excitedly unleashed a burst of flames—far stronger than before. Even standing several meters away, they could feel the intense heat.
"It's definitely gotten stronger," Brock said. Charmeleon's power was impressive.
They continued training on and off until around 3 PM.
Finally—
A migrating Butterfree swarm appeared in the sky.
Among them was the pink Butterfree.
The moment Butterfree saw her, it instantly fell in love and flew straight toward her.
Thanks to its training with Pidgeot, Butterfree's speed had greatly improved. It reached the pink Butterfree within seconds.
Unlike the original events where the pink Butterfree rejected it at first, she quickly accepted Ash's Butterfree.
Perhaps it was because of Butterfree's patience—or its outstanding potential.
Butterfree soon returned to Ash with the pink Butterfree while the rest of the swarm continued migrating.
"Butterfree, congratulations on finding a girlfriend," Ash said with a smile.
All the Pokémon cheered happily.
Bulbasaur even used Vine Whip to tap rhythmically on Squirtle's shell like a drum.
Although the pink Butterfree was a shiny Pokémon, its natural potential seemed fairly average.
Ash threw a Poké Ball and captured the pink Butterfree, immediately sending it to Professor Oak's Laboratory.
"For now, you two will have to be apart," Ash said gently to Butterfree.
"When we reach Saffron City, I'll send you back too. Then you'll see her again."
Ash gently patted Butterfree.
Butterfree excitedly fluttered around him in gratitude.
Now that Butterfree had found a partner, Ash and his friends rested for another night before continuing their journey.
Their next destination—
Lavender Town.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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