The Ilex Forest was a thick forest nestled on the southern outskirts of Johto, right next to Azalea Town.
Its trees were lush and dense, blotting out the sunlight so thoroughly that even at high noon, it looked like dusk. The atmosphere here was oddly similar to that of Viridian Forest.
"This forest feels amazing!" Misty was quite enjoying her stroll through the woods.
Ever since Ash awakened the power of Aura, getting lost wasn't much of a problem anymore, which left Misty in a particularly good mood.
What she didn't realize, however, was that this part of the Ilex Forest wasn't just randomly chosen. The forest was home to a large variety of Bug-type Pokémon, and Ash had very intentionally led her away from the more densely populated areas—knowing full well how much Misty hated bugs. That's why she was so cheerful now.
"Once we're through Ilex Forest, the next stop is Goldenrod City and the Goldenrod Gym!" Brock said with a smile, flipping through their travel guide.
"Goldenrod City?" Misty's eyes lit up the moment she heard the name. "I know that place! It's the biggest city in Johto, the hub of technology and commerce. It's on par with our Saffron City back in Kanto!"
As a true lover of all things glamorous, Misty couldn't resist the allure of a bustling metropolis filled with shopping opportunities. Ash also knew something else about her—despite her elegant appearance, this mermaid girl had a heart that belonged to food.
"Huh? What's this?"
Just after exiting the Pokémon Center nestled within the forest, the group spotted a small shrine—a place of reverence dedicated to Celebi, the guardian deity of the forest.
Not far from the shrine, Ash found a spacious, grassy clearing—perfect for camping and doing some Pokémon training.
"Come on out! Snorlax, Heracross, Bayleef, Cyndaquil, and Slowpoke!"
Snorlax had just eaten his fill of the high-quality system feed that morning and was already fast asleep with a blissful look on his face.
Heracross and Bayleef seemed to love the scent of the forest. Heracross immediately flew up to a tree and began sipping tree sap like a connoisseur.
Bayleef, meanwhile, darted straight back to Ash's side, rubbing affectionately against him—it really loved being close to him.
Cyndaquil rolled up into a ball and lazily curled up beside Ash.
Only Slowpoke seemed to sense something. With a glacial pace, it began waddling off in a certain direction.
"Huh? Slowpoke, where are you going?"
Ash's curiosity was piqued. In his time traveling with this particular Slowpoke, he had come to realize it wasn't nearly as dumb as it looked. Sure, its movements were sluggish and it had that blissfully unaware expression, but behind those droopy eyes lay real intelligence.
So Ash decided to follow it.
He couldn't be bothered to return his Pokémon to their balls either. "Brock, can you keep an eye on Snorlax, Heracross, and Cyndaquil for me?"
"Sure thing. Don't worry about a thing!" Brock replied, not even looking up as he busied himself preparing food.
Misty just lazily waved from where she was resting against Snorlax.
"Let's go!" Ash said as he picked up his feet, with Pikachu and Bayleef tagging along.
To his surprise, Slowpoke led them deeper into the forest, eventually stopping beside a quiet little stream.
"What's that?"
Floating face-up in the water was a yellow Pokémon, not moving an inch. It stared blankly at the drifting clouds above, as if it had given up on life entirely—playing the perfect role of a dreamless, hopeless Magikarp.
"Isn't that a Psyduck?"
It was. A genuine Psyduck. But it looked totally different from Misty's.
Misty's Psyduck—now that one was something special. Clueless beyond compare, always misinterpreting commands, randomly popping out of its Poké Ball, clutching its head with a confused expression that was so dumb it was adorable.
But when that Psyduck had a headache? It would unleash psychic power strong enough to blow away an entire battlefield.
Misty often acted like she disliked it, but in truth, she adored that duck.
"What's up with this little guy?" Ash crouched beside Slowpoke and stared across the stream at the listless Psyduck.
Hearing his voice, Slowpoke turned its head toward Ash. Its eyes began to glow faintly with a soft blue light.
"A Future Sight?" Ash blinked, recognizing the move immediately. It was a Psychic-type technique he'd seen in the system shop, though his version was called Foresee the Future.
The Pokémon version allowed the user to summon a ball of psychic energy that attacked after a delay. His own version just gave a glimpse into the next few seconds—nothing more.
A few moments later, Ash received an image through Slowpoke's mental projection.
This Psyduck had been released here.
Or more accurately, abandoned.
Ash had seen this happen far too many times.
His Charizard was once heartlessly cast aside by its original trainer before Ash found and nurtured it into the powerhouse it was today.
Charizard's obsession with strength—its relentless pursuit of power and its rapid evolution—might've all stemmed from that abandonment.
In its subconscious, perhaps it believed it was discarded because it wasn't strong enough.
It refused to obey Ash in the beginning, probably because it saw him as a weak newbie trainer who couldn't make it stronger.
But now? That same Charizard had no such worries. The bond it shared with Ash had awakened a new form—and with it, greater power.
Ash took a step toward the Psyduck, looking down at it.
"Hey there. Why don't you come with me?"
Psyduck cracked one eye open and gave Ash a blank stare… then promptly closed it again, as if to say, I gave up on life five cloud patterns ago.
Ash sighed. He quickly pulled up its compatibility rating with him using the system.
0/40.
His eyes twitched. He had never seen a rating this low before.
In short, this Psyduck didn't hear a single word he was saying. No matter how hard he trained it, it simply wouldn't listen.
The two of them were completely incompatible—like oil and water.
"Well, forget trying to talk you into it then." Ash dropped the idea of winning it over through words and simply tossed a Poké Ball.
Psyduck didn't even resist. The ball didn't shake once before it went dark—no struggle, no sparks.
It was the most lifeless capture Ash had ever done.
There was no doubt: this Psyduck was not cut out to be trained by Ash.
But...
"I'll find you a trainer who's right for you," Ash said softly.
And as luck would have it, he wouldn't have to wait long to keep that promise.
Because as the group left Ilex Forest and headed toward Goldenrod City, they passed through Palmpona Town.
And it just so happened—a grand festival was underway.
And one of the highlights of the festival?
A massive Pokémon Exchange Event.
….
Slowpoke Compatibility: 135/185