Chapter 315: So Many Mudkip
After saying goodbye to Steven, Ash's group headed toward the forest on Dewford Island.
Today, they followed the river and arrived at the foot of a waterfall.
"What a tall waterfall, and the current is so strong! How are we supposed to get up there?" May asked.
"Leave it to me."
Brock released Lotad, picked up a stone, tied a rope around it, and used Lotad's Water Gun to loop the rope around a tree near the cliff.
After seeing this, May suddenly remembered she had Silcoon, so she released Silcoon and used String Shot to quickly climb up the cliff.
The scenery above the waterfall was distinctly different from that below; the lush, verdant landscape made Ash wonder if he had stumbled into a nature reserve.
"I didn't expect such a view above the waterfall! I'm even more excited to see what kind of Pokémon we'll meet here!" May said, her face beaming with excitement.
"Indeed. Given the environmental conditions here, the Pokémon living here must be very healthy!" Brock said.
"The soil here is very soft, so we must proceed with caution," Ash warned.
They hadn't walked far before the group spotted a large number of Mudkip.
"Are those Mudkip? Could this be a Mudkip habitat?" Brock speculated.
May compared the sizes of the Mudkip. "Those Mudkip look so small!"
"That's right, they are very small. I think they must be little fish that just hatched not long ago," Brock said.
"Just hatched? They do look quite cute, but..."
May recalled a very unpleasant memory.
"May, you're not still thinking about what happened at the Professor Birch's Laboratory, are you? That only happened because you didn't know how to give commands," Ash said.
"Thinking about it now, it really was my fault, but these baby Mudkip are just so cute!"
May was itching to catch one.
Seeing that May wanted to use Treecko for a capture battle, Ash hurriedly intervened. "May, don't be in such a hurry to act. Most of the Mudkip here aren't wild."
"Huh? Not wild?" May and Brock were puzzled.
"Right. This should be a Mudkip breeding base commissioned by the Hoenn Pokémon League. In other words, these little Mudkip are Pokémon prepared for new Trainers," Ash explained.
He had only just remembered that Dewford Island had such a place.
"If that's the case, then May really can't catch a Mudkip here," Brock said.
"Sigh!"
May let out a long sigh.
But, adhering to the idea that since they were already here, she should at least get a good look even if she couldn't catch one, May approached the Mudkip. Suddenly, a full-sized Mudkip blocked her path and spat a Water Gun right in her face.
"Ah! They really are my nemesis!"
May was completely disappointed.
Ash smiled and comforted her. "That's not it. It's just that you were too impulsive, May. This Mudkip mistook you for a bad person, which is why it attacked."
"Is that so?" May looked at Ash, a bit unsure.
"Gurgle~"
Just then, a baby Mudkip playing by the riverbank accidentally fell into the water.
Perhaps because it had just been born, it lacked the strength, and the baby Mudkip could only be swept away by the river.
"Oh no, the main current is ahead! If it keeps going like this, that Mudkip will fall off the waterfall!" Seeing this, Brock hurriedly released Lotad.
"Lotad, go save that Mudkip!"
Lotad assessed the situation, jumped into the water, and headed straight for the baby Mudkip.
The Mudkip that had sprayed May in the face followed close behind.
When Lotad hoisted the baby Mudkip onto its head, it was already nearing the main current. The speed of the river suddenly increased, and Lotad's strength was simply no match for the current.
Seeing this, the large Mudkip swam up and grabbed onto Lotad, pulling it back.
After some effort, the little Mudkip was rescued.
Just then, an old man with a hairstyle remarkably similar to a Mudkip popped out from the side.
Upon seeing them, the old man immediately accused them: "You lot, appearing here—are you here to steal the baby Mudkip I've been carefully raising? This is unforgivable!"
"Uh... sir, I think you've misunderstood. We were just trying to save that little Mudkip..."
Ash briefly described what happened.
"Is that so? Then I'm truly sorry! I'm the one responsible for raising the Mudkip. My name is Numata."
After they introduced themselves, Numata led Ash and the others back to the cabin where he lived.
"By the way, this place is normally off-limits to unauthorized visitors. Didn't you see the warning signs at the entrance to the marsh?" Numata asked.
"The entrance to the marsh? No, we didn't. We actually came up against the current, climbing up from the waterfall," Ash explained.
"Ah? You climbed up from that waterfall?"
Numata was extremely surprised.
"Yeah, using the power of Pokémon, it's quite easy to climb up a waterfall," May said.
"I see, I understand. I'll have someone seal off the waterfall side later."
Numata realized he had been too complacent, never expecting anyone to climb up from the waterfall.
Inside Numata's cabin.
May looked at the several Pokémon eggs in the temperature-controlled incubator. "Wow, Grandpa Numata, you have Mudkip eggs here too!"
"Yes, after all, this cabin was built to raise baby Mudkip, so incubators and Pokémon eggs are all here," Numata said.
"Grandpa Numata, where did these eggs come from?" Brock asked curiously.
"My wife often reminds me never to talk too much, but I just can't help it!"
Numata excitedly introduced the origin of the Mudkip eggs to Ash and the others.
...
Meanwhile.
Outside the marsh.
The Team Rocket Trio, who had been searching everywhere for traces of Ash's group, had now groped their way outside the fence Numata had mentioned.
After some sharp maneuvers by the trio, James, with the help of Cacnea, forced his way through the fence and rushed in.
But the commotion caused by the trio successfully triggered the alarm system set up by Numata.
Hearing the commotion, Ash's group quickly followed Numata to the scene.
However, Brock was attracted by the large Mudkip and walked toward the riverbank.
While communicating with Mr. Numata, the three also learned that this large Mudkip was actually a wild Pokémon.
Because its level was too high, it was no longer suitable for a new Trainer, and since Numata hadn't seen a suitable Trainer, he had just left it alone.
"You three idiots again?"
Ash was speechless when he saw the Team Rocket Trio. The physical fitness of these three guys was getting stronger and stronger.
Just yesterday they took a Hyper Beam from Steven's Aggron, and today they were completely healed and fine. It was truly outrageous.
"Ash?"
The trio was also very surprised to see Ash. They thought they had lost track of him; they hadn't expected to run into him here.
"Who are you? Are you here to steal the baby Mudkip I'm raising for the League?"
Numata was clearly a slow-witted, absent-minded person, and he started off with an incredibly ridiculous self-exposure.
Hearing Numata's words, the Team Rocket Trio, who originally hadn't found anything valuable, suddenly became interested.
Ignoring the threat posed by Ash, they turned and ran into the forest to activate their newly built robot.
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