"You two worked hard!" Ash thanked the Snorlax, who had fought hard, and the obedient Aerodactyl, who had disappeared with Hunter J.
"Snorlax~ (Not hard at all, hehe, extra meal)"
Snorlax showed a simple and honest expression, but tears welled up at the corners of his mouth.
"Roar~ (Everything is for honor)"
Aerodactyl, on the other hand, was much more serious. He touched the wrist guard embedded with a mega stone, straightened his body, and shouted loudly.
Facing one gluttonous, simple-minded Pokémon and one well-behaved, tamed Pokémon, Ash praised them one by one before recalling them.
He then looked around to admire the results of their efforts.
Snorlax's Heavy Impact from freefall had directly secured Ash's victory, leaving only the isolated and helpless Salamence battling Aerodactyl in the air.
However, due to extensive training, Salamence was unable to do anything to Aerodactyl for a while, coupled with Jenny's siren.
Hunter J skillfully pulled out Alakazam and used Teleport to swiftly escape.
"Woo hmm woo hmm"
Accompanied by the police siren, Jenny also brought her subordinates to take the Pokémon Hunters back, and properly settled the four Shieldon.
On the ground, there were also two Ariados and a Drapion that had lost their ability to battle.
However, unlike the Steelix at the very beginning, their bodies did not show dents or flattened marks.
The main reason was that these two guys had dodged Snorlax's direct attack range, but were hit by the shockwave from the Heavy Impact.
But from their appearance, these two guys looked much more presentable than Steelix; at least their foreheads hadn't been directly hit by Snorlax.
The only regrettable thing was that the cunning Hunter J had escaped again.
She even took Salamence with her, only losing Drapion and Ariados. Overall, the opponent's combat power did not decline significantly.
"Not bad, Ash, I didn't expect your Snorlax to be so special~" This time, Gary truly looked at Ash in a new light.
Just sending out Snorlax and Aerodactyl to drive away Hunter J was quite unexpected for him.
"Just so-so~" Ash put on an indifferent expression, "Compared to that, I'd rather have a Pokémon battle with you!"
"Are they going to fight again?" Dawn, who was reporting her travel results next to Professor Rowan, muttered softly.
As for Professor Rowan's presence, it was due to the rarity of the Shieldon.
"That's just how they are; they start fighting at the drop of a hat~" Brock responded indifferently.
"No harm done. Only when young people clash can more sparks fly!" Professor Rowan also had an indifferent expression, but he looked at the two young men with considerable satisfaction.
Because they could be said to be the most outstanding Trainer and researcher of the younger generation.
"Next time will be fine~"
Facing Ash's challenge request, Gary refused without hesitation.
"Huh!" Ash was slightly stunned, "That's not like you! Are you perhaps admitting defeat~"
In his memory, Gary would definitely agree to a challenge without hesitation.
"Joking! The words 'admit defeat' aren't in this young master's dictionary!" As if the phrase had touched a nerve, Gary immediately reverted to his usual arrogant demeanor and shouted.
"Wait until next time. My main Pokémon are temporarily not with me for some reason!"
"That's a real shame~" He then remembered that Gary seemed to only have one Electivire with him. "Then let's wait until next time!"
With that, Ash extended his hand in a friendly gesture.
"I will! I believe you definitely won't disappoint me next time!" Gary also extended his hand, shaking it as a farewell before parting ways.
Under the sunlight, everyone witnessed the vibrant scene of the two young men.
Then the two parties parted ways. Gary and Professor Rowan prepared to send these Shieldon to a safe and suitable place to live.
Ash and his two companions continued their journey, preparing to head to Hearthome City at the foot of Mt. Coronet.
After a long journey, the trio finally arrived at their final destination before nightfall.
"Woohoo~"
As soon as she stepped through the gate of Hearthome City, the girl let out an excited shriek, jumping up happily.
"After walking for so long, we've finally reached Hearthome City!"
"Yes, after a long journey, we've finally arrived at a big city!" Ash's face also showed much emotion.
From Eterna City, deviating to Baiyang Town, and then heading to Hearthome City, the difficulty of the road had increased exponentially.
Because along the way, it was all barren mountains and treacherous waters, and they even had to cross Sinnoh's largest Mt. Coronet, which showed how difficult it was.
"Alright, let's hurry to the Pokémon Center to check in, otherwise if we go too late, I'm afraid there won't be any rooms left!"
Brock interrupted their sentiments with unusual seriousness, eagerly preparing to rush to the Pokémon Center, making one wonder how reliable he seemed at that moment.
"Hehe, just say you want to see Nurse Joy, don't use 'no rooms left' as an excuse~"
"Exactly, exactly~"
"Pikachu~ (That's right)"
Dawn's words resonated with Ash and Pikachu, but the thick-skinned Brock didn't care, eagerly walking towards the Pokémon Center.
After simply completing the check-in procedures and handing over their Poké Balls to Nurse Joy for examination, Ash and Dawn returned to their respective rooms to rest.
After all, the journey had been truly exhausting.
As for Brock, who had fallen into a lovesick state, he was left for Croagunk to handle.
"Speaking of which, since we've arrived at Hearthome City, which Pokémon should I rotate in next?" Lying on the soft, large bed in his room, Ash couldn't help but ponder tomorrow's arrangements.
Charizard and Sceptile were already Elite-level, so unless it was a Pokémon of the same level or a large group of Pokémon, it would be difficult for them to make significant progress.
So, he could send them to Viridian Forest or Charizard Valley, respectively, to slowly develop for now.
There was no need to consider Suicune for battling, after all, it was a legendary Pokémon; it wouldn't stoop to bullying ordinary Pokémon.
Even with energy cubes for recovery, it wouldn't.
So, it could only go to Professor Oaks Laboratory to retire early.
And Pidgeot couldn't stay either, because Sceptile wanted to train (battle) in Viridian Forest, and it lacked an experienced guide.
As the former leader of the Pidgey Family, Pidgeot was perfectly suited.
The habitats of various Pokémon Family, if not perfectly known, were at least familiar to him.
Aside from Pikachu, the four other Pokémon had to be left behind by Ash for various reasons.
But then a new problem arose.
That was, who should fill the vacant spots?