035: The Unusual Sound At The Gap In The Fence!!
"Whoa!! Ash, you idiot! You almost gave me a heart attack why would you be so reckless?! What if that Nidoking had attacked you?!"
Gary rushed over the moment Ash returned, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him hard, his voice a mix of panic and frustration.
Ash had suddenly approached the wild-looking Nidoking without any explanation, which had alarmed Gary. His scolding words may have sounded harsh, but they carried the weight of genuine concern.
"Ann~"
Ash chuckled lightly. "Nidoking is really gentle, Gary. If you say things like that, you'll hurt its feelings."
"Ngh... anyway, you shouldn't take risks like that again," Gary grumbled, still tense. "What if something happens to you, like what happened to your "
He caught himself. He was about to mention Ash's father presumed dead under mysterious circumstances involving wild Pokémon but stopped short. His mother had warned him not to speak of it; Ash wasn't supposed to know yet.
What Gary, Mieko, Professor Oak, and even Delia didn't realize was that this Ash was no longer the original he was a traveler from another world, who had already pieced together the fate of the man he now called "Dad."
Still, Ash didn't call Gary out. He simply smiled.
"Dude, that was amazing!" Tieruno exclaimed, eyes sparkling. "You just walked up to a fully evolved Pokémon like it was nothing!"
"Yeah! And Nidoking didn't even resist. It looked like it trusted you a lot. How'd you pull that off?" Trevor, usually soft-spoken and reserved, stepped closer with awe in his voice.
Ash smiled modestly but said nothing. He wasn't ready to share the truth yet—not about his Viridian Power, nor the Healing Technique he'd just used. Even though Gary and the others were close friends, they weren't ready to know about his "Forbidden Power."
Instead, he said something half-true: "The Pokémon in Professor Oak's backyard are mostly retired from battle or raised in controlled environments. They're already familiar with humans and won't attack without provocation."
He paused, then added with conviction, "Besides, if we're all aiming to become great Trainers one day, we have to get used to approaching Pokémon, even the strong ones. If we can't do that, how are we supposed to bond with our partners in the future?"
His words struck a chord. Gary, Tieruno, and Trevor all fell silent, considering the truth in what he said.
Seeing their hesitation, Ash made a casual suggestion. "Why don't you go say hello to Nidoking yourselves? You saw how calm it was. It won't hurt you."
It was a spontaneous offer, but it made sense. As he had said, training Pokémon started with building trust. Touching and interacting with them was only the first step.
Of course, not everyone had Ash's natural affinity that strange, subtle charm that made Pokémon feel at ease around him. It wasn't just charisma; it was something deeper, born from the Power of Viridian and enhanced by the bond he'd just formed with Nidoking.
Still, Ash believed that even without that gift, empathy and effort could go a long way.
"Can we really?" Trevor asked hesitantly.
"Sure," Ash nodded, reassuring. "You'll be fine. Nidoking is as kind as it is strong."
There was a beat of hesitation.
Then slowly, encouraged by Ash's calm confidence, the three stepped forward. Nervous excitement flickered in their eyes as they approached Nidoking this towering, muscular creature whose power they all respected, if not feared.
To their relief, Nidoking didn't even flinch. Its broad tail flicked lazily, and its horned head tilted slightly in acknowledgment. While it didn't have the special connection with them that it had formed with Ash, it still greeted them with surprising gentleness.
Ash watched from a distance, his arms crossed, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
Nidoking's gentle response wasn't just a sign of good training. It was proof that trust when given a chance could bridge the gap between human and Pokémon.
Just as Ash had hoped.
Soon, the three boys were playing joyfully with Nidoking. Trevor mimicked what Ash had done earlier, stepping up with cautious reverence to place his hand on the granite-hard muscles of Nidoking's chest and abdomen. His eyes were wide with a mix of awe and disbelief at the sheer strength beneath his fingers.
Tieruno and Gary, meanwhile, each held one of Nidoking's massive arms and cheered him on as if spotting him in a gym, playfully encouraging him to perform dumbbell curls with his thick limbs. Nidoking, ever gentle and surprisingly playful for such a formidable creature, humored them with slow, exaggerated movements.
Compared to most other children in Pallet Town who were still being strictly warned by their parents not to step outside the safety of the town or approach wild Pokémon Ash and his friends had already made a significant leap forward. Most were only allowed to observe Pokémon from a distance or read about them in textbooks. But Ash, who had not only made physical contact but also emotional connection with multiple Pokémon, had already begun crossing the threshold into becoming a true Trainer.
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Thanks to the waveguide the same ability once wielded by legendary Trainers like Sir Aaron Ash could sense the emotions of Pokémon clearly. He could tell when a Pokémon was wary, curious, hostile, or calm, and this gave him a powerful edge in knowing when it was safe to approach. Combined with his Viridian Power, a rare blessing tied to the life force of the Viridian Forest, Ash possessed a unique natural affinity that helped even the more standoffish Pokémon let down their guard and approach him willingly.
With these twin abilities, Ash continued moving through the Laboratory's backyard, quietly using the system to copy the Pokémon's skills as he interacted with them each new encounter stored as virtual Skill Discs in the system's backpack.
But Ash didn't keep the experience to himself.
He encouraged Gary, Tieruno, and Trevor to interact with the Pokémon as well, and over time, the boys began to shed their hesitation. Little by little, their courage grew. At first, they waited for Ash's subtle cues based on his waveguide readings to know which Pokémon were approachable. But eventually, emboldened by their own growing confidence, they began stepping forward on their own.
Even when they stumbled across the occasional grumpy Pokémon like a Primeape that flared its nostrils and waved its fists until they scattered, or a moody Gloom whose foul scent sent them running they didn't retreat from the experience.
Instead of fear, these tense moments taught them something valuable: Pokémon, like people, had distinct personalities. Some were gentle and welcoming. Others were temperamental and best approached with caution. But none of them were mindless or evil.
Pokémon had emotions, choices, and dignity.
...
As Ash focused on observing and copying skills at the front, Gary and the others followed closely behind, now more relaxed as they played with the Pokémon freely.
Unknowingly, the four boys wandered further and further past the cultivated meadows and organized pens near the main gate until they crossed into the more forested sector of the Laboratory's "backyard." This outer zone was less maintained, with denser tree cover and taller grass, meant more for semi-wild Pokémon used in advanced research or rehabilitation.
"Hey, Ash! Look over there check out the fence! It's busted!"
Tieruno, wielding a dead branch like a practice sword, pointed toward the edge of the property. Sure enough, a long wooden fence that separated the outer research grounds from the surrounding Viridian woodland had a visible gap its timber planks broken and splintered as if something had forced its way through.
"Huh... I didn't realize we'd already reached the edge of the property," Ash muttered, narrowing his eyes. "But why is the fence broken? Could it be that a wild Pokémon from the outer forest forced its way in?"
He instinctively stepped in front of the others, gripping his own makeshift branch tightly. His eyes darted across the tangled canopy and overgrown underbrush. Tall grass brushed against their knees, and the forest pressed in with thick, muggy silence.
Ash knew this wasn't just part of Professor Oak's controlled environment anymore. Beyond this fence was the untamed wilderness home to Beedrill nests, rogue Arbok colonies, and perhaps even larger threats.
"W-wait… what was that sound?" Trevor whispered.
A sudden rustle came from the bushes near the breach. The leaves twitched unnaturally. Then
"Whirl…"
A low, spinning sound echoed, like something small zipping through the air.
"Wh-who's there?! Show yourself!" Tieruno called out, raising his stick defensively, his voice trembling despite his brave front.
"Sssa…"
A hiss slithered through the air.
"Pijuuu…"
The group froze.
Ash's eyes narrowed. That wasn't the cry of a Rattata or a Caterpie. Something unfamiliar was just beyond the broken fence. Something... or someone.
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