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"Thank you for the food!" Seymour said with a satisfied smile after the meal.
Even though he usually camped outside alone and had to prepare meals by himself, his cooking skills were no match for Brock's. Tonight, he was more than full.
"Brock's food is so delicious, I'm stuffed!" Misty said, rubbing her stomach despite her usual concern for her image. She really couldn't help eating a lot today.
"I can tell by the empty plates that you enjoyed my cooking!" Brock's demeanor changed completely when he talked about his culinary skills.
Not only did Ash and the others enjoy the meal, but the Pokémon ate well too, making Ash appreciate Brock even more—not just for taking care of their own Pokémon.
The nearby Clefairy and Cleffa were also drawn in by the food, and Brock didn't mind at all. He patiently prepared food for them as well.
After eating, Brock packed up while Seymour and Misty sat next to Campfire. Ash noticed that the Axew hadn't woken up yet, so he sat on a nearby rock, gazing up at the starry sky from the meteorite pit.
The night sky was filled with countless stars, a sight rarely seen, especially from such a unique location. It felt as if the entire sky was nestled within the meteorite pit—a truly natural wonder.
"Aren't you cold, Ash?" Misty asked with some concern as she approached from behind, noticing Ash still wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt.
"Huh? Oh! I'm fine, don't worry about me," Ash replied, glancing briefly at the direction of the Axew.
It was a bit chilly in the mountains at night, but he could handle it. Pikachu also jumped onto the rock and climbed up to Ash's shoulder from his hand. Misty joined them on the rock and sat beside him.
"Actually, isn't this the perfect time to catch the Axew?"
Misty had already learned the Axew's name from Ash, but Ash didn't look at it when he responded.
"If I catch it now, how would that make me any different from those two? It wouldn't respect me, and I wouldn't feel right about it." Ash shook his head slightly.
He wanted to use his own strength to catch the Axew, but since Pikachu and the others had intervened, it wouldn't feel like his own accomplishment, so he chose not to.
However, Pikachu and the others were only trying to protect their territory and the meteorite, so they couldn't be blamed.
Misty, sitting next to him, listened to Ash's reasoning without saying much. Although she had only known Ash for a short time, she already understood him well.
They didn't speak much after that and simply sat together, enjoying the night sky. As Misty gradually became sleepy, she said goodnight to Ash and went back to the tent to rest.
Seymour and Brock also returned to the tent one after another to rest. The tent Brock had set up was big enough for four or five people.
Around the meteorite, Clefable and Clefairy snuggled up to each other, while Cleffa slowly fell asleep atop them.
Teeth~~~~
In the middle of the night, Ash sat cross-legged on the rock, hands resting behind him, while Pikachu slept on his lap. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him.
Axew had woken up, still a bit groggy. Thanks to Clefairy's Aromatherapy earlier and the topical medicine Brock had applied, Axew had almost fully recovered from its injuries.
Upon waking, it quickly stood up, looking around cautiously, and then noticed the cloak draped over it.
Axew glanced down at the cloak, then looked toward the nearby rock, where it spotted Ash in his short sleeves. Immediately, Axew became alert.
"Don't be afraid, those two people are gone." Ash, still gazing up at the sky, calmly reassured the Axew as he noticed its movement.
"Axew!"
Hearing Ash's voice, the Axew immediately assumed a defensive stance. However, as Ash's words sank in, the events of the day started replaying in its mind.
At first, the memories were hazy. Axew recalled the situation in the cave and how it had fled, only for this human to catch up and bring it to this place. The human had fought with his Pokémon against Axew, and at the end of the battle, he had placed his hand on Axew's head.
Slowly, Axew had lost consciousness. It still remembered the human attempting to subdue it twice during the battle, but as a Pokémon, it could sense whether it had been caught. The fact that the human in front of it hadn't captured it while it was unconscious made Axew lower its guard slightly, though it remained cautious.
"Don't be so hostile to me," Ash continued. "I wanted to subdue you because I was worried you might get hurt or hurt others. You're free now. You can go anywhere you want, or if you want to return to your home, someone will take you back tomorrow."
Ash could sense that Axew still hadn't fully let down its guard, but he didn't mind. Pokémon who had been mistreated by humans naturally became wary, and it was normal for them to be cautious.
Axew listened to Ash's words without reacting immediately, but it hesitated at the thought of leaving. Seeing Ash still sitting on the rock, making no move to stop it, Axew realized that Ash was sincere. Curious about what Ash was looking at, Axew slowly let go of its wariness.
It recalled what had happened after it was confused. Pokémon understood the rules of human behavior—Trainers used Poké Balls to capture Pokémon. For humans, this was normal, and for Pokémon, they often grew to respect a Trainer who defeated them and caught them with a Poké Ball.
Comparing the actions of those two poachers with Ash's actions, along with the power Ash had used earlier in the day, Axew felt a strange connection and an inexplicable sense of trust. Gradually, it lowered its guard and moved closer to Ash, looking up at the sky alongside him.
"Axew!"
"You're asking what I'm looking at?" Ash responded calmly.
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