Chapter 43: The Master Woodcutter!

"Gengar...!"

Inside the vacuum cleaner, Gengar was still struggling. Its two large red eyes flickered, but perhaps because it was naturally countered by the household appliance, no matter how hard it thrashed, the vacuum remained unmoved. It was pure luck that there happened to be a vacuum in the room, and Ash had grabbed it just in time.

Seeing the situation settle down, everyone let out a sigh of relief. It was bizarre, yet strangely logical.

"So, Ash, what are you going to do now?" Brock couldn't help but ask.

"..."

Ash furrowed his brows. Through the recent battle, it was clear that this Gengar held deep hostility toward humans. If he caught it directly, it might end up like his Squirtle, turning around to bite him later. He smoothed his brow and tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible.

"Gengar, may I ask why you have such great hostility toward humans?"

"Gengar, Gengar, Gengar!!!"

Locked tight by the vacuum, Gengar could only shift the shape of its eyes, as if trying to convey some sort of message.

"Gengar, Gengar, Gengar!!!"

Its expression shifted from initial joy and amusement to later confusion, then to deep disappointment and grievance. Finally, it turned into a powerful resentment, and the blood-red color in its eyes deepened.

"So that's how it is, I understand."

Ash possessed the power of the bond between humans and Pokémon, allowing him to barely grasp what Gengar was trying to express. He slowly turned to the others and began to explain:

"This Gengar used to love eating and was very happy. Then, its body gradually grew plump, which made it feel confused. After that, it was mocked for its figure by other Gengars of its kind, which left it feeling very dejected. It could only find a house to hide in and vent this resentment."

Ash translated word by word. The sequence of events aligned perfectly with the evolution of Gengar's expressions, so the others didn't doubt him.

Gengar: "?"

Goh, however, suddenly spotted a blind spot and questioned, "That's not right. We humans didn't do anything to it, so why does it hold such malice toward us?"

"Maybe the one who mocked its figure back then was a human?" Ash suggested tentatively.

Thinking of this, he suddenly picked up his Pikachu and placed it in front of Gengar. "Look, my Pikachu doesn't have the best figure either, but I would never mock it... at least not to its face. No one will look down on you just because you're a bit chunky; at least I wouldn't!"

Pikachu: "?"

Gengar: "?"

The others scratched their heads, secretly feeling skeptical. No matter how one looked at it, it made more sense that this Gengar had simply been abandoned here by some human, right...? But what Ash said also seemed to have a point. As for the figure...? If a Gengar isn't plump, it’s better to just exorcise it—don't embarrass the Gengar species.

...

Afterward, Gengar still did not accept Ash; it even wanted to punch him in the head. If it could get out, its first order of business would be to smash Ash's skull. Because of this, Ash could only remove the back casing of the vacuum and put it into the Poké Ball along with the casing. After all, he couldn't just leave Gengar here to wreak havoc.

Sooner or later, it might actually get exorcised by a professional ghost hunter. Furthermore, perhaps due to the vacuum's restraint, the Poké Ball didn't even shake, indicating a successful capture.

...

"Regardless, it’s caught...!"

The addition of a powerful combatant put Ash in a good mood. Although this asset would likely take a long time to warm up to him, it was enough to make him happy. Ash hurriedly took out his Pokédex to see if his achievement, [A Teacher for a Day, a Father for Life], had been unlocked.

It hadn't.

So he looked at Goh and asked casually, "I should count as having taught you the techniques for catching Pokémon, right...?"

Goh frowned, hesitated for a long time, then blushed and nodded. "Th... thanks."

Even though the process was a bit strange, he *had* taught him. But since he taught him, was it necessary to keep bringing it up? As Goh nodded, the Pokédex finally let out a familiar mechanical sound.

"Beep. Congratulations to Trainer Ash for unlocking the new achievement—[A Teacher for a Day, a Father for Life]. You have established the following relationship with the newcomer, Goh:"

"Mentor and Apprentice: One day remaining."

"Father and Son: Lifelong bond."

Goh: "???"

Seeing Goh looking like he had questions, Ash took the opportunity to pick up the Pokédex, switched to contact mode, and sent the good news to Professor Cerise in the distance. He waved his hand, turned his back, and acted dismissive.

"Oh, I've got the Professor on the line. Goh, is there anything else? Let's talk about it next time."

Goh: "..."

...

"Thank you so much, Ash-kun. As a reward for the mission, I left three boat tickets under the flowerpot at the entrance before I left. You can just take them when you go later."

On the other end of the phone, Professor Cerise sounded pleased, clearly satisfied with the report from Ash and his group. Although he bore no ill will toward Gengar, he didn't want the Vermilion City news to be filled with stories about a wild Pokémon. Besides, he had intended to give these three tickets to them regardless of whether the incident was resolved. After all, his laboratory was about to open to the public, and with so many things to handle, he had no time to aim for greater heights. It was better to give them to Professor Oak's protégés as a favor.

"By the way, the lab is fine, right?" Professor Cerise asked casually.

Hearing this, Ash glanced around the room at the cracks from Razor Leaf, the scorched marks from Fire Punch, the withered patches from Leech Seed, and several large craters smashed into the floor.

Rounded up, it was basically nothing.

"Hehe, no major issues..." Ash replied with a smile.

"That's good." Professor Cerise laughed along.

The matter had finally reached a satisfactory conclusion...

...

After picking up the tickets, the three parted ways with Goh in front of the Cerise Laboratory. As for the latter's attempt to dwell on the [A Teacher for a Day, a Father for Life] issue, Ash brushed it off with a "maybe next time." Seeing this, Goh could only fume alone as he watched the three walk away.

"Hmph, that guy... if we meet again in the future, I will definitely make sure he lags behind me!"

...

Near dusk, Misty and Brock decided to go for a stroll to buy some ingredients. They planned to make a big feast that night to celebrate that everyone would be able to become "people above people" the day after tomorrow.

Ash, however, planned to return to the Pokémon Center to wait for them. He was a bit tired today.

Walking up to a public bench in the Pokémon Center, Ash relaxed his body and sat down without a second thought, intending to take a good rest.

*Clang!*

The moment he leaned back, a sharp pain hit the back of his head, as if his skull had been struck by a steel ball. Ash rubbed his head, jumped up, and turned around to look.

It turned out that behind this public chair was another chair, arranged back-to-back. At this moment, there was someone else sitting on the other side.

It looked like he had bumped into the back of that person's head?

Yet, this person showed absolutely no reaction. Ash quickly walked around to look.

It was a girl.

Beneath a white Poké Ball sun hat, a few strands of long brown hair fell. She wore a blue vest and a red skirt—the attire of an energetic girl.

"Blue!?" Ash raised an eyebrow and shouted instinctively.

Wasn't this the girl he had met at Mt. Moon just a few days ago? The one who, after being teased by Gary, decided to leave early and was aggressively determined to feed him to the sharks?

How could her head be harder than steel!?

Hearing the noise, Blue took a long time to react. But she still leaned against the seat like a salted fish, tilting her head back more than 120 degrees before finally noticing Ash's presence.

"Eh... it's the country bumpkin...?"

Her expression was listless, her face dull; she looked like a wilted eggplant.

"What's wrong with you?" Ash asked, feeling confused. How did such an energetic girl end up looking so wilted? Oh, wait, the last time they met at Mt. Moon, she seemed to be in this state too...?

She was a real magnet for bad luck.

However, what surprised him was Blue's chest. On her small chest hung a large sign with four characters written in a flamboyant calligraphy:

"King of Tree-Chopping."

It looked like some kind of title or award.

Ash: "?"

Just then, Blue suddenly shivered and hugged her body tightly, as if it were freezing cold.

"Na..."

"I've already been drained dry by this city..."

Ash: "?"