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At the party site, a lavish buffet had been prepared. The three of them found a spot, grabbed a table full of delicious food, and began to enjoy their travel fun.
While they were eating, two figures approached. As soon as Brock noticed who was coming, he froze mid-bite. His face turned beet red, and he nearly started drooling like a lovestruck fool.
When Ash and Misty saw this, they both turned their heads to look. It was the gentleman and his girlfriend from earlier. They immediately understood why Brock reacted that way. The woman gave a sly smile, clearly amused by Brock's expression.
After all, children are easily manipulated with just a little trickery.
"Hello, young man, we meet again!" The gentleman adjusted his glasses and greeted Ash politely.
"Hello, has your Pokémon recovered? Want to battle again?"
Ash smiled, deliberately bringing up the previous battle. The gentleman's face immediately darkened. Although Ash wasn't trying to be sarcastic, his words unintentionally stung, making the gentleman look uncomfortable.
Ash noticed his expression but didn't care. If you lose, you'll say I'm unbeatable. Now I can't tease you a little?
The woman beside the gentleman also looked awkward. Noticing his hand tremble slightly as he gripped his cane, she quickly tugged at his clothes. The gentleman regained his composure, suppressing his embarrassment.
Stay composed, be a gentleman.
"No, I didn't come here to challenge you again. Your Charmander is quite impressive, young man," the gentleman said, trying to change the subject.
"Thank you," Ash replied calmly, not backing down in the slightest.
The gentleman paused, unsure of how to proceed. His plan had been to deal with an excitable young trainer who'd get easily flustered by praise. But the boy standing before him completely shattered that assumption.
After a brief silence, the gentleman asked bluntly, "Well... what do you think of my Raticate?"
"It's fine," Ash replied. He wasn't trying to flatter; the Raticate could even use Super Fang, which meant it was a high-level Pokémon. It was just that the gentleman himself wasn't quite on that level.
"Uh... Since you think my Raticate is decent, let's get to the point. How about trading your Charmander for my Raticate?" the gentleman asked quickly, sensing that Ash was difficult to manipulate. Better to cut to the chase before his patience wore thin.
"Trade?" Ash hadn't answered yet when Misty jumped in, glancing at him with concern. As for Brock, he was too smitten to notice anything, his mind completely elsewhere.
"Yes, a trade. As long as both Trainers agree, you can exchange Pokémon. It's an official process, and it helps broaden your connections and make more friends," the gentleman explained, thinking Ash might not be aware of how trading worked.
Ash rolled his eyes at this. Broadening connections and making friends? They didn't even know each other's names! How was that supposed to help anyone make friends? Did he really think Ash was that naive?
"So, what do you say, kid? My Raticate is very strong," the gentleman continued, trying to coax him.
"Emmm, but uncle, I won the battle just now, right?" Ash asked, pretending to think it over, then looked up as if he didn't understand.
Hearing Ash's words, the gentleman's face stiffened again. Was this kid really not going to let it go? He wanted to trade, and now Ash was rubbing in the fact that he had won. But since the gentleman still wanted Charmander, he had no choice but to tolerate it, for now.
"Well... yes, my Raticate did get in a few hits first, but winning is winning, and losing is losing! You're right, you won."
It was clear the gentleman was trying to save face. He admitted defeat, but he still couldn't help mentioning that his Raticate had landed some hits earlier in the fight.
But as the saying goes, delayed praise is meaningless, and Ash had no intention of trading with him anyway.
"So my Charmander is stronger? Then why should I trade a more powerful Charmander for your Raticate?" Ash asked, deliberately making things awkward. He was clearly enjoying putting the gentleman on the spot.
The message was obvious: *My Charmander is stronger. Why would I trade it for a Pokémon I just defeated? Are you kidding?*
"Uh…"
The gentleman's face twisted with embarrassment, as if he had just swallowed something bitter. He thought he could trick a kid with a few smooth words, the same way he had gotten his Raticate before. But he hadn't expected Ash to be even more stubborn than any Trainer he'd encountered before. The gentleman was at a loss for words.
"Little brother~~ Don't you Trainers love raising Pokémon? Isn't it worth your time to train weaker ones?" the gentleman's girlfriend chimed in, trying a new tactic.
Her voice, designed to be sugary sweet, might have worked on some, but it fell flat with Ash. He had seen this type of act before—there were no tricks like that in this world, but Ash was immune to flattery all the same.
However, Brock wasn't as strong-willed. The moment he heard her soft, alluring voice, he melted, practically turning into a puddle at the table, completely captivated.
This was the second tactic of the duo: if negotiation failed, use charm. After all, they thought, the kid was young and would fall for it easily.
"If it's so valuable, why don't you train it yourself?" Ash asked, unphased. The woman was indeed attractive, but Ash had encountered enough crafty types in his previous life to be unaffected. Besides, in this world, there were plenty of beautiful girls around, including ones far more genuine.
The woman was visibly taken aback. She hadn't expected her usual charm to fail so miserably.
"Little brother~~ Don't be so heartless! Think about it!" she cooed again, feeling a sting to her pride. She stepped closer, placed her hands on Ash's shoulders, and leaned in, her breath brushing against his ear.
But Ash remained completely unmoved, his mind focused and clear.