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Tauros's compatibility with Ash, after ten consecutive victories, had actually risen to 238 points, though its bond value still had a long way to go.
Heracross was currently being kept by Professor Oak, who hoped for more time to conduct research. Ash, of course, would not refuse Professor Oak's request. Originally, Ash had intended to travel with Tauros for a while longer. However, by chance, the group noticed a large battle arena outside the town was hosting a Firefighting Grand Prix. So, Ash swapped for Squirtle. As for Squirtle's future, he would let it decide for itself. Ash was willing to respect his Pokémon's decisions; if it believed that was where it belonged, he would respect that.
"Hey, isn't that Ash?" Just as he received Squirtle and arrived at the competition venue, Ash encountered a familiar face.
"Mr. Russell?"
The man, accompanied by five Wartortle, gave a crisp, formal salute. "Long time no see. How have you been?" Ash and Pikachu quickly returned the greeting. "Very well!" These Wartortle, both in their eyes and physique, looked excellent. The Wartortle Squad, formed by them, was a very outstanding Pokémon firefighting team. Mr. Russell was the leader of the Wartortle Squad.
Originally, when Ash first met Squirtle, it led four other Squirtle in forming a mischievous Squirtle Squad in the local area, causing trouble and playing pranks everywhere. Later, Ash's Squirtle voluntarily followed him, while the remaining four Squirtle followed the local Officer Jenny, forming a Pokémon firefighting team called the Squirtle Squad. Clearly, Russell was here to participate in the Firefighting Grand Prix. Here, experts abounded, with teams like the Quagsire Squad, Vaporeon Squad, and Golduck Squad.
Ash turned around and noticed Officer Jenny approaching with the Squirtle Squad.
"Squirtle, I choose you!"
Ash summoned Squirtle, and it immediately noticed its former companions, quickly going to greet them. They used their own method, high-fiving with their tails, which looked incredibly coordinated.
"The Firefighting Grand Prix is finally about to begin! This is a competition where Pokémon firefighting teams from various regions compete for the championship in teams of four!"
"The first event is the Fire Extinguishing Contest!"
On both sides of the battle arena, small wooden houses were prepared. The moment the competition was announced, these small houses were engulfed in flames. There must have been some mechanism hidden beneath the arena.
"First, we have the Muk Squad, and the Squirtle Squad, participating in this tournament for the first time!" Ash and Squirtle sat on the coaching bench, observing the expressions of the four Squirtle. They seemed very flustered, making one worry that they wouldn't be able to perform their usual abilities.
"Everyone, calm down! Just do your usual best!" Officer Jenny, as the person in charge, tried to console them, but it clearly had little effect. These Squirtle were well-trained and could effectively complete firefighting missions locally, but it was different here. This was a competition venue in front of a large audience; they had never experienced such a situation.
Indeed, after the small house was set ablaze and the competition was announced, the Muk Squad immediately began taking effective measures, using Mud-Slap to extinguish the fire. But the four Squirtle of the Squirtle Squad had lost even the accuracy and power of their Water Guns. Such scattered Water Guns could not effectively extinguish the fire at all. In contrast, although the Muk were not Fire-types, they worked together in an orderly fashion, cooperating seamlessly, and the fire soon weakened.
"What are you doing?! Everyone should focus their aim!" Officer Jenny was also at a loss. Her voice simply couldn't reach the panicking Squirtle. They were simply too nervous, and their experience in live battles was too little!
Squirtle, by Ash's side, was fuming, scratching its head and cheeks in frustration, disappointed with its former comrades. Ash patted its head. "Go, Squirtle! They need you now!"
Squirtle turned and looked at Ash, seemingly contemplating something. But soon, as if making a decision, it nodded and bravely ran over. However, when it reached Officer Jenny, it didn't immediately say anything to the Squirtle; instead, it blasted a Water Gun onto Officer Jenny's face!
Oh my goodness, Officer Jenny, in her uniform, had water dripping wetly from her face...
"Squirtle! What are you doing?!"
Officer Jenny was about to scold Squirtle when she suddenly noticed its serious gaze, and then she understood. The Squirtle's panic wasn't precisely because of her own panic as their leader? Although she appeared to be calmly comforting them, they had sensed her underlying lack of confidence! This Officer Jenny was also still quite young; compared to the Officer Jenny Ash and his companions met in Spinarak Town, she was still far from that level.
Following that, Officer Jenny took a deep breath. "Squirtle, thank you. Please help me!" Squirtle looked at Officer Jenny and nodded, then called out to the other Squirtle.
"Squirtle! Squirtle! Squirtle!"
However, even Squirtle's voice couldn't reach these children. The infuriated Squirtle directly sprayed them with a Water Gun. It didn't directly participate in extinguishing the fire, so it wasn't ruled a foul. The Squirtle finally snapped back to attention, turning to look at their leader!
"Squirtle! Squirtle! Squirtle!"
With Squirtle's addition, the four Squirtle finally had a backbone. Just as Squirtle had judged, the Squirtle's panic was due to Officer Jenny's influence. This was the role of a trainer in battle! Don't think that a trainer simply stands behind and issues commands. The current Ash, no matter the situation, would not allow himself to panic. He understood that on this battlefield, he was his Pokémon's sole reliance!
The four Squirtle's Water Guns suddenly gained power. They concentrated their Water Guns, and quickly suppressed the flames. They should be thankful that their opponents were the Muk Squad, whose firefighting efficiency wasn't high, allowing them time to catch up! Finally, when the opposing Muk Squad had suppressed the flames until only small embers remained, and began to surround the fire with their bodies, cutting off outside air to completely extinguish the fire, the Squirtle had already successfully put out the flames!
"Match over! Squirtle Squad wins!"
Turning defeat into victory, the five Squirtle cheered together. This demonstrated the importance of a team's core leader. But after cheering for a while, Squirtle looked at its four former companions, "Squirtle, Squirtle! Squirtle!"
Then, it looked at Officer Jenny again.
Officer Jenny crouched down. "Squirtle, don't worry. I will definitely lead them to complete the competition! They will become the best Pokémon firefighters!" Squirtle nodded. It walked easily towards Ash.
"Squirtle?"
Just as Ash was bewildered by Squirtle's actions, Squirtle suddenly unleashed a dazzling light of evolution! Squirtle had suppressed its evolution for too long. Its strength and level had long accumulated to the point where it could use Hydro Pump. This evolution was also a massive outburst of potential! The light of evolution was very dazzling, and the evolved Wartortle's physique was clearly very powerful, standing 1.2 meters tall. The shriveled appearance of Charmeleon, who had evolved too quickly earlier, was completely incomparable!
Wartortle: 190/215