"Keep the Macho Brace with you!"
After catching Scyther, Ash decided to send Houndoom to Professor Oak's lab. Not only that, but he also sent Quilava back along with it, letting Houndoom lead its training. Training and communication between Pokémon of the same attribute tended to be much more efficient.
Currently, Ash had Houndoom looking after Quilava, while Slowpoke and Wartortle took charge of Totodile. Whenever they passed a Pokémon Center in the forest, Ash would temporarily transfer Totodile back for a period of intensive training.
The Pokémon currently traveling with Ash were Pikachu, Snorlax, Heracross, Scyther, Bayleef, and the uniquely colored shiny Noctowl he had obtained through a trade!
Molly was currently riding on Bayleef's back as they traveled. The two girls got along famously, chatting away idly as they moved.
"Look, Bayleef! The river is so wide!" Molly cheered, pointing at the path ahead.
A river this wide wouldn't be easy to cross. Normally, there should have been a bridge nearby. The group looked around and eventually found a bridge that was currently under construction.
"Excuse me, is there another bridge nearby?" Ash asked the workers. Since this one was still being built, crossing it was out of the question.
The workers replied that all the other bridges in the area had been washed away by a massive flood following a recent heavy rainstorm. They were working as fast as they could to rebuild, but the project wouldn't be finished until next month.
"The current doesn't look too swift. How about I have Snorlax swim us across?" Ash suggested, holding Snorlax's Poké Ball.
His Snorlax was a remarkably "flexible fatty." Not only was it surprisingly agile, but it could swim too it could even do the butterfly stroke.
"Is that really a good idea...?" Misty asked, looking a bit worried.
"Crossing the river on Snorlax? Yay! That sounds like fun!" Molly, on the other hand, was incredibly excited.
And so, the decision was made.
Ash tossed the Poké Ball, and Snorlax actually emerged wide awake. After a period of dedicated training and feeding, Snorlax's physique had grown a size larger, and its presence felt much more imposing. Between the system-provided feed Ash had exchanged and the large amounts of Miltank cheese he fed it as snacks, he had managed to boost its Friendship value to 225/255.
"Snorlax, I'm counting on you!"
With such a high Friendship value, Snorlax nodded obediently and plunged into the river. It actually used the backstroke, keeping its round, massive belly above the surface while its strong arms paddled slowly through the water.
"My goodness, it can actually do the backstroke?" Misty was stunned. She had previously thought Snorlax was unreliable, but this display completely shattered her perceptions.
"My Snorlax is special!" Ash gave Misty a slight smile. "Alright everyone, let's head out!"
There was more than enough space on Snorlax's belly. Ash held Molly, and with the four of them squeezed together, they all fit comfortably.
"Haha, this is so much fun!" Molly cheered happily throughout the entire trip.
After crossing the river, Ash's group soon arrived at the Ruins of Alph. This was a place where many Pokémon fossils had once been discovered, and many researchers were currently conducting excavations. Mysterious fossils could even be seen embedded in the rock walls.
Back during their travels in the Kanto Region, Ash and his friends had discovered ruins containing fossils before. That was in Grampa Canyon, where they hadn't just found fossils, but had encountered a fierce and terrifying Aerodactyl that had snatched Ash away. It was then that Charmeleon had suddenly evolved into Charizard, taking to the skies to save him.
"Look, Molly, that's an Aerodactyl fossil!" Ash said, introducing the fossils on the rock wall to the young girl.
"Mm-hmm! I saw pictures of them in the drawing book my papa gave me!" Molly nodded.
"Ash, you truly have improved a great deal!" Just then, a familiar voice rang out from behind the group, filled with deep satisfaction and pride.
It was Professor Oak!
"Grandpa Oak!" Molly called out sweetly. Professor Oak had been the mentor of her father, Spencer Hale, and he had always been very fond of her. Calling him "Grandpa" was only natural.
Professor Oak rubbed her head. "Molly, is traveling with Ash tiring?"
Molly shook her head quickly. "Not at all! Big Brother Ash is amazing! Yesterday, we even rode on his Snorlax to swim across a river!"
"Riding a Snorlax across a river?" Professor Oak felt his own worldviews being challenged for a moment. He looked at Ash with a laugh. "Ash, you're just as unpredictable as always!"
Ash simply smiled and didn't say a word.
Since Professor Oak was here, the group naturally decided to follow him for a proper tour of the Ruins of Alph. If they hadn't run into him, they likely would have just passed right through. It seemed the Professor was here because of something special.
"Professor, you mentioned there was something you wanted us to see, right?" the group asked as they walked toward the research institute at the ruins' exit.
"My student is here. He said he made a startling discovery and insisted I make time to come over no matter what."
It turned out that even Professor Oak was being kept in suspense; he didn't actually know what this "great discovery" was either. This only made the group even more curious!
Upon arriving at the institute, Ash and the others followed Professor Oak as he shook hands with a tall researcher.
"It's been a long time, Foster!"
This researcher was named Foster. He had once taken Professor Oak's courses as an elective at Celadon University, so he was considered one of his students.
"Professor Oak, who are these children?"
"You mentioned a startling discovery, so I brought them along to see!" Oak treated Ash entirely like a member of his own family.
Foster, however, looked flustered. He pulled Professor Oak aside, whispering mysteriously, "Professor, if this matter is made public, it will cause a massive upheaval in the academic world! That's why I wanted to consult you in secret!"
"Don't be a stranger. Ash is the most exceptional young man I've ever met. Expanding their knowledge of Pokémon is a necessary step on the path to becoming a Pokémon Master," Professor Oak assured him. When it came to a love for Pokémon, even Professor Oak couldn't compare to Ash!
Since the Professor had put it that way, Foster could no longer refuse. "Alright, I'll make an exception then!"
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/kleinmoretti to access 100+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).