Articuno's whereabouts were not so easy to track down. To help Todd achieve his goal, Ash and his companions said goodbye to the elderly couple, Sophia and Marcello, then continued their search for Articuno.
And now, they had entered yet another forest.
"No matter how many times I eat it, Brock's cooking is as delicious as ever!" Todd exclaimed after finishing the food Brock had prepared.
"Yeah, Brock's food tastes amazing every single time," Ash agreed.
Just as Misty was about to eat, she suddenly noticed some movement in the bushes and could not help turning to look.
Ash noticed and asked, "Misty, what's wrong?"
"Ash, did you notice something moving over there?" Misty asked, pointing toward the bushes.
Brock and Todd looked in that direction but saw nothing. "No. Misty, are you sure you didn't imagine it?"
Ash, however, knew she was right. Out of the corner of his eye, he had seen something make off with Misty's food. He did not warn her, though, and simply waited in silence.
Misty watched the bushes for a little longer, but when she still could not see anything, she stopped paying attention. However, when she turned back around, she discovered that her food was gone.
"Ah! My food disappeared!" Misty cried in surprise.
"That settles it! Whatever was hiding in those bushes must have stolen my food."
This time, Ash used his Aura to investigate and discovered three identical Aura signatures. He then said to Misty, "Don't worry, Misty. I know who took your food."
"Huh? You figured it out that quickly, Ash?" everyone asked in surprise.
Ash smiled and led them to the bushes Misty had pointed at earlier. When he parted the grass, they found three Swinub eating Misty's food.
"Huh? What kind of Pokémon are they?"
"They're Swinub, the Pig Pokémon. They're both Ice and Ground types, and they prefer living in cold climates. But the ability they're best known for is finding underground springs, especially hot springs," Ash explained.
"They can find hot springs? That's incredible." Even Misty was amazed by the Swinub's special ability.
"Swinub, so this is where you ran off to!" Just then, someone came running toward them. Judging by the situation, he appeared to be the owner of the three Swinub.
"I'm sorry my Swinub caused you so much trouble," the man apologized after learning what had happened.
"It's all right. By the way, do you specialize in searching for hot springs? Otherwise, you probably wouldn't have three Swinub," Ash asked curiously.
"Yes. To tell you the truth, I'm Rory, a hot spring expert. I use these three Swinub to search for hot springs. But lately, for some reason, they haven't been able to determine which direction to go while searching. It's been troubling me for quite some time."
"I see. How about we help you?"
"Really? That would be wonderful."
However, while they were on their way back, Jessie of Team Rocket somehow heard about the Swinub. She appeared with her two companions and tried to steal Rory's Pokémon. Ash's Pokémon showed them no mercy and gave them a thorough beating. After shouting, "We're blasting off again!" the trio went flying into the distance.
After examining the condition of the three Swinub, Ash suggested that Rory have a Pokémon battle with him. Perhaps that would improve their current state.
"Most Pokémon naturally yearn for battle. Whether they win or lose, the experience motivates them in its own way. Once their fighting spirit has been awakened, they'll find it much easier to do anything else."
After hearing Ash's explanation, Rory finally understood. He had never taken his Pokémon's own feelings into consideration, which was why they had ended up in their current state.
Sure enough, after battling Ash, the three Swinub appeared much more energetic than before.
Just then, another Swinub leaped out from nearby and stared intently at Ash.
"Does this Swinub belong to you too, Rory?"
Rory shook his head. "No, I only have three Swinub. This one must be wild."
A wild Swinub? Ash carefully studied it.
Although the Swinub appeared gentle, a fierce desire to battle burned deep within it. It felt completely different from the other three Swinub.
Seeing how eager it was to fight, Ash took out a Poké Ball and declared, "Swinub, let's have a battle. If I win, you're coming with me!"
"Swii!" Swinub immediately assumed a battle stance.
"Bayleef, I choose you!" Ash sent out Bayleef for the battle.
There was little need to describe the battle in detail. Bayleef's level and strength completely overwhelmed Swinub. Whether Swinub attacked from a distance or charged into close combat, its attacks were either blocked by Bayleef's Safeguard or failed to make Bayleef budge and sent Swinub bouncing backward.
Bayleef, on the other hand, defeated it with a single Energy Ball.
And just like that, another remarkable little Pokémon joined Ash's team.
...
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