Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

"Chikorita?" The leaves on Chikorita's head suddenly stood up, then it turned around and ran towards Ash, jumping into his arms and acting cute.

Sure enough, this is the trick I always use.

"Haste makes waste," Ash complained helplessly and with a pang of heartache, while simultaneously using the power of Viridian to carefully heal Chikorita's body.

"Chik~" The little guy squinted comfortably, snuggling against Ash's chest.

"This is completely the opposite of what's usually done... Trainers actually have to sacrifice their charm to stop Pokémon from training hard." This scene left Misty speechless. "You could only say, Ash is truly something else; anything can happen with him!"

"That's because Chikorita is too hardworking. The way it trains is frightening to watch." As a breeder, Xiao Gang strongly disagrees with Chikorita's self-destructive training methods.

Fortunately, he knew that Ash had the ability to heal Pokémon injuries, otherwise he would have already lodged a strong protest.

"But thanks to Chikorita, the training atmosphere has improved a lot," Lila said with a light laugh. "Heracross is no longer slacking off, and even our Pokémon have become more enthusiastic."

Ash's newly caught Chikorita is definitely a benchmark for hard work.

Most trainers worry that their Pokémon will slack off and will keep a close eye on them while they practice. But Ash only worries that Chikorita will ruin him by training it too much.

Chikorita's personality is just too competitive, which gives it considerable strength and an undefeated record in the surrounding forests... So you can imagine how much of a psychological letdown it must have felt when it saw the full picture of Ash's weapon!

Thus, it consciously embarked on a journey of creative self-torture.

Ash will create a training plan for each Pokémon he catches, and under normal circumstances, most of his friends can complete the plan with high quality and quantity.

Some of them, like Charizard and Lucario, who are obsessed with power, will train extra on their own... Of course, Ash tacitly approves of this, as everything is done with the premise of not hurting their bodies.

Heracross, which had only been captured not long ago, was not quite used to this training atmosphere, so it would sometimes slack off and was often punished by Ash by not being allowed to eat pollen.

In this respect, Heracross is not even as good as Snorlax. Although the latter sleeps most of the time, it will never slack off during training when Snorlax is awake!

Ash initially thought that Heracross, who was used to a leisurely lifestyle, would need more time to adapt. However, after Chikorita joined the group, everything quickly changed... It even motivated all the Pokémon in the group to become more positive and energetic!

It's embarrassing not to be proactive!

A petite and adorable girl not only consciously completes more than three times the training volume every day, but also stubbornly seeks out various veterans in the team to fight, demanding that they not hold back, and each time she tortures herself until she is covered in bruises!

And if it fails, it will punish itself by increasing the amount of training!

It even adds extra weight after you put on the forced exerciser, just to enhance the effect of the "Mount Tai pressing down" by using a larger weight!

If it weren't for the fear of breaking the immersion, Ash would even suspect that some hard-working ninja had wandered onto the wrong set!

But you can't keep training Chikorita to such an extreme degree. Everything has to be done in moderation. What Pokémon will activate Overgrow every time it's trained?!

Fortunately, Chikorita likes Ash just like in the original story. Apart from knowing that it can't beat Pikachu and not trying to take the shoulder, it has been doing a lot of things like hugging and kissing Ash on the cheek lately.

Left with no other option, Ash had to resort to this self-inflicted bait to stop its self-torture.

...

"Next...are we going to Happy Town?" Lila asked curiously as the itinerary was finalized. "Brother, is there something we need to do there?"

“Yes, Team Rocket… that is, Jessie and the others, asked me to meet them at the Pokémon Center in Happy Town,” Ash explained. “They submitted a plan to me beforehand, and built a robot to fight the poachers. Now that the operation is over, I need to meet with them to discuss the details.”

"This feels really strange... These former villains are now fighting poachers and stuff..."

To be honest, Xiaoxia hasn't fully accepted the transformation of the trio yet.

"Everyone makes mistakes, and after atoneing for their sins, they should be given a chance to reform," Xiao Zhi said calmly. "Of course, it depends on the circumstances... Those who commit unforgivable crimes deserve to be shot!"

Xiaoxia and the other two fell silent. Xiaozhi's last words were filled with obvious murderous intent; he was not joking!

However, they don't have any other thoughts; instead, they are slowly getting used to it.

Ash is, after all, an investigator who can rival Lance, and his journey is destined to be different from that of ordinary children... To become his companion, one must adapt to these realities early on.

...

The group continued their journey and soon arrived at the Pokémon Center in Happy Town, where the main trio was already waiting.

After not seeing them for several days, the three of them seemed to have gained weight and looked radiant.

This is normal, though. Ash provided ample funding for the operation, and the trio now had official status, so they no longer had to endure hardship and hunger, and naturally they would appear more prosperous.

"Are you sure it's the Gul poaching group?" Ash frowned after hearing the trio's report.

“Absolutely certain! We even fought their leader—the Gur trio. We applied for special funding precisely to counter their capturing machines,” Kojiro explained. “While tracking them, we learned that they seem to have a big operation planned recently, saying they can capture a lot of Pokémon at once!”

"Also, it seems they went to Silver Mountain not long ago, meow. Meow meow occasionally overheard them talking about getting something or eggs, meow meow," Meow meow added.

Surprisingly, Musashi, who always loves to show off, seemed distracted.

"Happy~" Just as Ash was pondering the information, the Blissey in the center suddenly ran over carrying a lot of bento boxes.

However, it seemed a bit reckless, and slipped just as it was about to arrive... Luckily, Ash used his psychic powers to steady it in time, so as not to waste food.

"Happy Egg!" Seeing that Happy Egg was about to fall over, Musashi immediately stood up without thinking.

"Happy!" Lucky Egg seemed happy to see Musashi and kept putting bento boxes in front of her.

"No need for the Lucky Eggs, I can't eat that many! Hey, stop now!" Musashi hurriedly refused, but Lucky Eggs seemed to be afraid that she wouldn't have enough to eat, and in the end, there weren't enough for everyone else.

"Happy..." Fortunately, it quickly realized this and immediately ran off to get more bento boxes.

"Do you know this Lucky Egg?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I...don't know her! She's a nurse at the Pokémon Center. I'm a member of an evil organization, how could I know her!" A hint of reminiscence flashed in Jessie's eyes, but she continued to deny it.

Happy Egg is doing very well now, but I am...

“I think you can get to know it… and even take it on a trip with you.”

"You...what did you say?!"

After hearing what Ash said, Musashi could no longer sit on the stool!

Chapter 337 Musashi's Background, Arrival in Kikyo City

The story of Musashi and the lucky egg actually has a rather sad ending in the original manga...

Now that he's happened to be in this situation, Xiao Zhi doesn't mind making up for lost time and treating it as a way to secure benefits for his subordinates.

Musashi's face was filled with incredible surprise, and Kojiro and Meowth, who knew about this past, also looked on with anticipation.

They all understand now... once Ash has made a promise, he won't make an empty one!

“Pokémon Centers usually use Chansey as nurses, and it’s widely believed that they are Nurse Joy’s Pokémon… But in fact, Chansey are dispatched by the League, not caught by Nurse Joy herself.” Ash looked at Jessie calmly. “You, who once attended nursing school, should know these things very well.”

On a side note, nursing school is a Pokémon-specialized school that only Chansey can attend, yet Jessie managed to get in. This is solid proof that she's a humanoid Pokémon!

“That’s right…no! How did you know I went to nursing school?!” Musashi nodded subconsciously, then suddenly realized something.

This kid in front of me actually knows about my past?!

"Since I'm going to recruit you all as my subordinates, of course I have to thoroughly investigate your background! I not only know that you attended the Pokémon Nursing School, but I even know about your mother!"

"You...you really know? My mother, she..." Musashi was shocked again, and was even about to stammer.

“I did find some information before, so telling you wouldn’t hurt… but right now, let’s deal with the Chansey issue first.” Ash nodded slightly. “If I want it to travel with you, I just need to report it to the League, and a new Chansey will naturally come to take its place. And you, all you need to do is tell me… do you want it or not!”

"I..." Musashi hesitated, "Lucky Egg... it's actually doing quite well here, if it comes with me..."

"Before you make your own decision, shouldn't you have asked for its opinion?" Xiao Zhi pointed behind him. "It's been eavesdropping in the corner. Why don't you just ask it if it's willing to leave with you?"

"Happy Egg!" Seeing the half-open, yearning face peeking out from the corner, and the half-nurse badge, Musashi could no longer contain his excitement and ran over to hug Happy Egg tightly.

Ash didn't care what they talked about. A moment later, Musashi returned alone and bowed deeply to Ash.

"Little brat... no, Boss, thank you!"

Happy Egg is saying goodbye to Miss Joey; they're going on a trip together!

"It was nothing," Ash waved his hand dismissively. "Now, would you like to hear about your mother?"

"You really know?"

"Your mother's name is Miyamoto. She is a high-ranking member of Team Rocket and a special member who reports directly to the previous leader—Sakaki's mother. Also... since you asked so sincerely, your opening line was originally her catchphrase."

"Where is she now?!" Musashi asked anxiously.

Xiao Zhi's explanation was so detailed that she had no choice but to believe it!

“She’s gone missing,” Ash said regretfully. “About twenty years ago, she entrusted you to someone else while she was out searching for Mew, and then she disappeared without a trace. Team Rocket sent people to look for her, but they only brought back Mew’s fossil eyelashes and didn’t find your mother.”

"Is...that so? But it's really nothing, it's just missing, not dead..." Musashi was stunned for a moment, then forced himself to laugh and continued to act carefree.

"I don't really care, I don't really remember her anyway, knowing this is enough for me..."

"Alright, let's end today's meeting here." Ash could tell that Musashi's condition was no longer suitable for further conversation.

Her subsequent comforting or healing was a matter for Kojiro and Meowth to handle; Ash shouldn't get involved.

"The information you provided is very valuable. I will personally investigate the whereabouts of the Gur poaching group! Also... now that you've decided to take Blissey away, you must take on the responsibilities of a trainer from now on!"

"Wait...wait a minute!" Seeing Ash about to leave, Musashi hurriedly called out from behind, "Why did you help me...why did you tell me all this?!"

"Because you're no longer part of the Rockets, but my subordinate... It's my duty as your boss to provide you with these things."

"Yes (meow)!" *3

Behind Ash, the three main characters stood ramrod straight, giving a standard salute.

...

"I never imagined that Musashi had such a background. It's also a coincidence that her mother was a member of Team Rocket." On the way out, Misty was still thinking about what had happened.