138. Conquering Squirtle

Officer Jenny brought Ash and his friends to the police station, along with the Squirtle Squad. The Squirtle Squad followed closely, attracting the attention of many townspeople.

Some people thought the Squirtle Squad was about to be "brought to justice," but soon, Officer Jenny used the radio to make an announcement to the whole town.

She explained that the Squirtle Squad had repelled Team Rocket and helped extinguish a fire outside of town. The townspeople were surprised to hear this.

It turns out these Squirtles weren't just troublemakers. Officer Jenny then announced that she had decided to hire the Squirtle Squad to serve as the town's fire brigade.

Although fires may not happen often, it's better to be safe than sorry. If a fire does break out, it could be too late to act without preparation.

The townspeople were overjoyed to learn that the Squirtles had saved the town, and they were relieved that the Squad wouldn't cause trouble anymore.

Soon after, Officer Jenny's proposal was approved by the townspeople, and Squirtle and the others were officially hired as the town's fire brigade. Officer Jenny took the matter seriously and made the necessary preparations.

Ash and his friends said their goodbyes to Squirtle before returning to the Pokémon Center. After a battle, Ash handed his Pokémon over to Nurse Joy for care.

As for Brock and Misty, they originally went to restock supplies, but because of the Rocket encounter, they had to buy them again.

Ash didn't have much to do, so he joined them. It wasn't until evening that they finished their errands. After returning to the Pokémon Center, the three of them had dinner and rested early.

The next morning, many townspeople gathered at the police station. The entire Squirtle Squad arrived at the scene, where Officer Jenny gave them special firefighter uniforms and badges, officially recognizing them as the town's firefighters.

The Squirtle Squad had changed their ways, giving up mischief and becoming protectors of the town.

After watching the ceremony, Ash, Misty, and Brock bid farewell to Officer Jenny and the others and continued their journey.

"Pika?"

As they were walking out of town, Pikachu's ear twitched on Ash's shoulder, and it looked behind them. Noticing Pikachu's reaction, Ash also turned around to see what was going on.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked when she saw Ash stop.

"Squirtle! Squirtle!"

Then Brock and Misty heard a familiar voice. They turned around and saw a familiar figure standing behind them.

"It's that Squirtle!" Misty said in surprise when she saw the figure.

The iconic butterfly-shaped sunglasses made it instantly recognizable. It was the leader of the Squirtle Squad. At that moment, it stood behind them, looking hesitant, as if unsure of how to speak.

"Do you want to come with us?" Ash asked, smiling as he raised his hand to gesture toward Squirtle.

"Squirtle? Squirtle!"

Squirtle looked surprised when Ash spoke, then quickly ran up and jumped straight into Ash's arms. Ash smiled and instinctively reached out to catch it.

"Squirtle!"

As Ash held Squirtle, the Pokémon removed its sunglasses, revealing its large, water-blue eyes. Looking into those eyes, it was clear why it wore sunglasses—without them, it didn't look like a tough guy at all.

Seeing the situation, Misty and Brock exchanged glances, both understanding without saying a word. This wasn't the first time they had been in a situation like this, and they were already used to it.

"Squirtle is tamed!" Ash exclaimed, lifting Squirtle up with a big grin.

**Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pallet Town**

"Grandpa, I'll trouble you to take care of my Pokémon." On the other side of the phone at Professor Oak's lab, Gary stood, speaking to his grandfather.

"Don't worry, leave it to me! Just be careful out there." Professor Oak nodded in response. Taking care of Pokémon was second nature to him.

"I know, but..." Gary nodded slightly, then seemed to hesitate, as though he wanted to ask something but was unsure.

"What's wrong?" Professor Oak asked.

"Well, has Ash contacted you recently?" Gary asked, trying to sound casual.

"Oh? You want to know about Ash? Don't worry, he's only sent over three Pokémon so far. Including Pikachu, he's got just eight Pokémon right now."

Professor Oak, knowing what Gary was really curious about, didn't beat around the bush. He immediately shared Ash's current status in terms of Pokémon captures.

Ash had only caught eight Pokémon so far, including Pikachu, while Gary had captured over 40. However, none of Ash's Pokémon were duplicates, while Gary had some repeats in his collection.

Even so, Gary's total number of captures was still significantly higher than Ash's.

"Eight? Ash shouldn't have so few, right?" Gary was taken aback. While he liked to show off and be arrogant, especially in front of Ash, he secretly acknowledged Ash's strength. It didn't seem like Ash to have caught so few Pokémon.

"Ash seems to be very selective when catching Pokémon. It looks like each one is chosen with care," Professor Oak responded thoughtfully.

Hearing this, Gary furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

**Ding!** "A new Poké Ball has been transmitted. Please check it now!" A notification rang out, and Gary heard it over the phone as well.

"Oh? Someone sent another Pokémon. Who could it be? Gary, hold on for a second." Professor Oak excused himself and walked over to the transporter.

"Huh? It's from Ash! It looks like Ash's capturing speed has increased recently!" Professor Oak remarked as he retrieved the Poké Ball.

"Let me see!" He opened the Poké Ball, and with a flash of light, Squirtle appeared on the ground.

"Squirtle!!!" Squirtle called out, standing proudly.