The next morning, since Chimecho was still not fully recovered, James reluctantly had to leave as Jessie and Meowth dragged him away. However, a Mime Jr. took Chimecho's place, deciding to travel with James.
As for Ash and his friends, they also left since Munchlax had recovered. During their time at the villa, May's feelings for Ash grew rapidly. Now, as they walked, May would glance at Ash occasionally, with a sweet smile on her face.
James didn't want the caretakers at the villa to know he had joined Team Rocket, but their uniforms had already given them away. The elderly couple was already aware.
The elderly, kind-hearted couple stood on the villa's balcony, gazing into the distance.
"Dear, young master James hasn't changed much. I just didn't expect him to join Team Rocket, the notorious underground organization in the Kanto region."
"Yes, dear, but does it really matter? No matter what, James's nature has always been the same; he's still the kind-hearted boy he used to be. I truly believe in young master James."
With their gentle muttering, the villa returned to its usual tranquility.
...
After leaving the villa, Ash and his friends came across a place called the Pokémon Herbal Medicine Shop, where they learned about some mysterious remedies and met the shop owner. They purchased some special medicines, and soon they were near the Battle Arena!
Brock had also arranged for his parents at Pewter Gym to send over his Mudkip. After a battle with Ash's Grovyle, Mudkip evolved into Marshtomp! The group of four was in high spirits.
Upon reaching the Pokémon Center near the Battle Arena, they found Scott waiting for Ash.
"Hey, Ash! You finally made it! The Frontier Brain of the Battle Arena, Greta, is a master of Fighting-type Pokémon. You'd better have a strategy ready!" Scott said in his usual laid-back manner.
Scott then drove Ash and his friends to the Battle Arena.
In the original story, Ash used Grovyle and Snorlax for this battle, but Grovyle lost! This time, Ash decided to stick with the same Pokémon, aiming to redeem Grovyle's defeat to Greta's Hariyama.
The Battle Arena was essentially a fighting dojo, led by Greta, with dozens of martial artists training inside.
To earn the Battle Arena Symbol, challengers had to defeat Greta in a Pokémon battle.
As they walked into the arena, it was clear that Scott had notified everyone in advance, as everyone sat up straight.
"Wow, this is incredible! I've never seen such a formal battle arena!"
Misty and May looked around in awe, while Brock observed his surroundings carefully.
"Greta, this is today's challenger. Let's see what kind of exciting battle you two can bring us! By the way, he's the one who defeated Articuno in a one-on-one match."
Defeated Articuno?
"Very well! I'm Greta, the Frontier Brain of the Battle Arena. If Scott personally brought you here, he must think highly of you! Let's start the battle roulette!"
Greta looked at Ash with intense determination.
Misty and May, seeing Greta's fierce fighting spirit, were amazed and a bit overwhelmed.
"Alright! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I officially challenge the Battle Arena!"
Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully arrived at the Battle Arena. Sign-in in progress…
As the battle roulette began, a system notification sounded in Ash's mind.
Ding! Congratulations, host. Sign-in complete! Rewards distributed!
Rewards: 50,000 Pokémon Poke Coins, Intermediate Cooking Mastery, Intermediate Martial Arts Skills, expansion of system storage space to three cubic meters, Aura enhancement (current range: 2,000 meters), +1 emotional bond with all Pokémon!
Six rewards in total! Since this was the Battle Arena, martial arts skills were rewarded as well.
Instantly, Ash felt a significant improvement in his cooking skills, along with various fighting techniques imprinted in his mind. The Poke Coins he had spent were also fully replenished.
"Pika?" Pikachu suddenly sensed that the bond between it and Ash had grown even stronger.
"Alright, let's spin the battle roulette!"
Ash pulled the lever. The roulette had six options: two slots for one-on-one battles, two for two-on-two, and two for three-on-three. The pointer would decide the match format.
(The reward for cooking mastery isn't without purpose—you'll see why as the story unfolds. Martial arts are essential, after all, even with strong Pokémon, having self-defense skills is vital.)
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