"Brock, didn't Miss Suzie have something she wanted to say to you back then?" Misty asked curiously.
"No," Brock replied with a smile. "At that moment, I felt it was better to give Miss Suzie some time to herself."
When Ash and the others had parted ways with Suzie, she had opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something to Brock.
But Brock never turned around. Instead, he resolutely continued walking forward.
The observant Misty had noticed this and was about to call out to Brock, but Ash stopped her with a gentle tug and a meaningful look, so she remained silent.
"Misty," Ash explained, "I think Brock noticed Miss Suzie's expression too. The reason he didn't turn back was because what happened with Zane was a huge emotional blow to her. There really wasn't anything Brock could have said at that moment. He wanted to give her some time to sort out her feelings."
"But don't worry," he added with a reassuring smile. "If they're meant to meet again, they'll have another chance."
Just then, Ash suddenly sensed something.
Without another word, he quickly headed in a certain direction.
"Ash! Ash! Where are you going?" Misty called after him.
"Come with me. I found something interesting."
Hearing that, Misty and Brock hurried after him.
When they caught up, they looked around in confusion.
"Ash, what exactly did you find?"
"My Aura detected several Pokémon here. Their Aura signatures are almost identical, but one of them is slightly different."
"A different Aura? What Pokémon is it?"
"Pikachu."
Ash gave Pikachu a look.
Understanding immediately, Pikachu struck a strangely shaped rock in front of them with Iron Tail.
The rock split apart, revealing a small red, round Pokémon hiding inside.
"What Pokémon is that?" the two asked.
"That's Shuckle," Ash explained. "It's a Bug and Rock type Pokémon. It's very gentle and dislikes fighting. Although its offensive power is low, it has incredible defensive strength."
"The most unique thing about it is its shell. If you place Berries and medicinal herbs inside, they'll ferment over time and produce delicious berry juice and concentrated medicinal extracts."
"That's amazing!" Brock exclaimed.
"Wait... that's a Bug type?" Misty stared at it in disbelief.
"It's okay, Misty," Ash laughed. "Even though it's part Bug type, doesn't it look pretty cute?"
"Now that you mention it... it actually does."
Watching Misty happily play with the Shuckle, Ash quietly leaned toward Brock.
"So... how about catching one? It'll be a huge help when you become a Pokémon Breeder."
Although Brock still dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Breeder, Ash knew that in the future he would pursue the path of a Pokémon Doctor instead.
Even then, a Shuckle would still be incredibly useful.
"Me? But... you're the one who found it."
Brock was obviously tempted, but he still felt guilty about taking it.
"I'm honestly not that interested in Shuckle," Ash replied. "It'll benefit you much more than me."
"Besides..." Ash smiled knowingly.
"I also sensed another special Aura nearby. If you catch that one too, you'll be one step closer to achieving your dream."
Brock nodded.
He sent out Geodude and easily won the battle, successfully catching the first Shuckle.
The group then continued searching for the unusual Aura.
Of course, Ash already knew exactly what it was.
A shiny Shuckle.
Still, it was better not to say anything. Even if he did, they probably wouldn't believe him.
"Wait."
Ash suddenly stopped.
A rock in the middle of the path was giving off the same unusual Aura.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on that rock."
Pikachu sliced the rock open.
Inside was another Shuckle.
Only this one's shell was blue.
"Wow!" Misty gasped.
"A blue Shuckle! Just like your Noctowl, Ash! It's a shiny Pokémon!"
"It looks like we've found the one we were searching for."
Ash nodded before turning toward Brock.
"Brock."
"Alright!"
Brock immediately understood.
"Geodude, use Dynamic Punch!"
Dynamic Punch was one of the moves Ash had taught Geodude during their recent training sessions.
The attack landed cleanly.
The already weak Shuckle was immediately thrown into confusion.
Without wasting the opportunity, Brock tossed a Friend Ball.
The Poké Ball shook a few times before clicking shut.
"I caught Shuckle!"
Brock excitedly picked up the Friend Ball before looking gratefully at Ash.
"Ash... thank you so much."
He truly felt that Ash had done far too much for him.
First helping him pursue Suzie, then thinking of him first whenever they found a valuable Pokémon.
Those seemingly casual acts meant more to Brock than Ash could ever imagine.
In truth, while Ash loved Pokémon, he wasn't the type of Trainer who felt compelled to collect everything.
He had already checked this Shuckle with the system.
Its fighting instincts weren't particularly strong, meaning it would require a tremendous amount of time to raise into a capable battler.
Right now, his priority was Ralts.
Another Gym Battle was approaching, and Ash had already decided that Ralts would take the field.
He wanted to start laying the foundation for the future Psychic Queen while steadily expanding the strength and diversity of his overall team.
"It's nothing, Brock."
Ash waved it off with a smile.
"We're teammates. Helping each other is what friends are for."
Just then, Geodude began bouncing excitedly as its entire body was enveloped in a dazzling white light.
Moments later, its body grew much larger. A sturdy pair of legs formed beneath it, its arms became thicker and more powerful, and an entirely different aura radiated from its body.
Geodude had evolved into Graveler.
"Looks like today is your lucky day, Brock!" Ash said with a grin.
"I'll be counting on you from now on, Graveler."
"Oh? So you've already caught that special Shuckle?"
Just as they were celebrating, an elderly voice suddenly interrupted them.
"Did someone say something? I don't see anyone," Misty said as she looked around in confusion.
"Look more carefully. I'm down here!"
Misty lowered her head.
"Ahhh! The little Jizō statue wearing a straw hat is talking!!"
"Misty, that's a little rude," Ash said before crouching down to greet the old man.
"Hello, Old Man Shuckle."
"Oh? Young man, you know who I am?"
"I noticed a lot of Shuckle along the roadside with wooden stoppers in their shells. They must belong to you."
"You've got good eyes." The old man chuckled. "I am indeed the Shuckle Master. Unfortunately, you beat me to it and caught that Shuckle first. That one can produce a special medicine that strengthens the bond between humans and Pokémon. I've been searching for it for quite a while..."
"So, sir, you're an herbalist?" Brock asked.
"Not exactly. I'm simply a Pokémon Breeder."
"By the way, sir," Ash suddenly said, "since you're so experienced, could you teach Brock? Those Shuckle you've raised all look exceptionally well cared for. Please pass your recipes and experience on to him."
"Ash..."
Brock was deeply touched by how much Ash was doing for him.
"Very well." Old Man Shuckle nodded. "Since you were fortunate enough to meet that blue Shuckle, I'll teach you. However, you'll have to help me with something first."
"All the Shuckle on the mountain have gone out gathering medicinal herbs, but there are simply too many of them. I can't collect them all by myself."
"No problem." Ash patted his chest confidently. "Brock can stay here and learn from you. Misty and I will take care of bringing the Shuckle back."
The group followed the Shuckle Master to his home.
There, he introduced them to his Bellsprout, which would lead Ash and Misty to where the Shuckle were scattered throughout the mountain.
"Ralts, Pikachu, you two go help Bellsprout gather the Shuckle as well."
Wanting a few extra helping hands, Ash sent out both Ralts and Pikachu.
"Ralts!"
"Pika!"
The two Pokémon immediately followed Bellsprout into the mountains.
At first, Ash and Misty managed just fine on their own.
However, as more and more Shuckle were gathered, they quickly found themselves overwhelmed.
With no other choice, Ash sent out Bayleef to help as well.
Just then, a giant net suddenly dropped from the sky, scooping up all of the Shuckle.
"What's going on?"
"""Prepare for trouble!
And make it double!
To protect the world from devastation!
To unite all peoples within our nation!
To denounce the evils of truth and love!
To extend our reach to the stars above!
Jessie!
James!
Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!
Surrender now, or prepare to fight!
Meowth! That's right!"""
"Team Rocket, let the Shuckle go!" Ash had no time to listen to their usual theatrics.
"Not a chance! We're taking all these Shuckle with us!"
"If you won't listen, don't blame me. Bellsprout, use Razor Leaf to cut the net! Bayleef, use Frenzy Plant to catch them! Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Ralts, Psychic!"
After Ash issued his rapid-fire commands, Team Rocket's plan fell apart once again, and they were sent blasting into the sky.
"We finally got a chance to make an entrance..."
"And we were blasted off in less than a minute..."
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"
In the end, Ash and Misty successfully gathered every Shuckle from the mountain.
Meanwhile, Brock learned all of the Shuckle Master's recipes and techniques, mastering the proper way to use Shuckle to produce medicinal extracts.
After bidding farewell to the Old Man Shuckle, the group continued on their journey.
This shiny Shuckle suited Brock far better than Ash, so Ash was happy to let him catch it.
...
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